Enhancing Safety and Understanding: The APIA Council's Impact
The Portland Police Bureau Asian and Pacific Islander American Advisory Council (APIA Council) is a community-driven and community-led council established to foster a strong and lasting relationship between the Portland Police Bureau and the Asian and Pacific Islander (API) communities. The council comprises individuals representing various API communities, including Chinese, Filipino, Samoan, Tongan, and Southeast Asian, among others. Its primary mission is to bridge cultural and language barriers, enhance mutual understanding and respect, and advocate for safer and thriving neighborhoods.
The APIA Council's significance lies in its dedication to addressing the unique challenges faced by API communities when interacting with law enforcement. By promoting two-way learning and communication between the police and the API members, the council aims to enhance police policies, practices, and responses concerning biased crime and law-related activities concerning the API community. Through transparent engagement and collaboration with the police, the council ensures that the concerns, perspectives, and needs of the API communities are both seen and heard. By fostering this partnership, the council creates a more inclusive and empathetic approach to law enforcement, resulting in safer and more harmonious neighborhoods where all residents, regardless of their background, can feel protected and valued as contributing members of the broader American and Oregonian society.
Who We Are
We are Americans!
We are Oregonians!
We are the Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders.
Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) each have a unique history, culture, language, and other characteristics. AAPI is the largest growing populations growing from 23 million in 2019 and estimating to hit 46 million by 2060. Based on the U.S. Census Bureau data, AAPI traces their roots to over 19 countries in East, South, Southeast Asia, and the Indian Subcontinent. Chinese, Indian, Filipino, Vietnamese, Korean, and Japanese account for 85% of all Asian American in 2019, others make up the 15%. Western States, started allowing AAPI laborers in the 1800s (mainly Chinese, Japanese, Indian, Koreans, and Hawaiians). Regulations codified into law regulated the flow in the mid-1900s due to fear, sexism, and racism. In the late 1970s, Oregon started resettling Refugees from Vietnam, Laos, Hmong, Cambodia, and has continued to resettle other Asians today. Asian have mix status families, meaning they can be US citizens, green card holders, student visa holders, business visa holders, refugee/asylee status, and those who are undocumented.
The makeup of the diversity of Oregon AAPI community encompasses vast cultural, historical, and linguistic difference. AAPI have helped build railroads, mining, industries, farming, and continue to shape the fabric of America.