Portland, Oregon — Commissioner Carmen Rubio today announced a new partnership, led by Lewis & Clark College, to carry out a public engagement process related to the five toppled and/or removed monuments during the 2020 social justice uprising and the city’s public art decision making policies.
“The City of Portland is responsible for maintaining an inclusive public art collection that sees, acknowledges, and respects diverse cultural histories, identities, and ideas. And the social justice uprising of 2020 called this into question. Valid questions were raised about some of the monuments standing in our community — and whether they should remain.
“This Council believes that this elected body should not make these decisions unilaterally. Moreover, although the City governs the selection, placement, and maintenance of such public art, these processes are inadequate for resolving the questions raised about the five toppled or removed monuments (George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt: Rough Rider, Harvey Scott, and Promised Land).
“A public discussion is needed. Anything less and we will be debating these monuments for years to come — and possibly replicating the same processes that may result in predictable outcomes. A full vetting of all the very passionate and diverse opinions is required.
“I recognize that this has taken longer than any of us would like to get to this point, but as we spoke with stakeholders, we noted that institutions of higher education have engaged in similar efforts in other parts of the country. That’s why we, through our recently launched Cultural Planning Process, have asked Lewis & Clark College, in partnership with others in higher education and key stakeholders, to plan and carry out a community engagement process specific to monuments.
“The history represented by each of these monuments — and how they came to hold physical space in our community — must be researched and shared as part of the process. Shared understanding must happen first, before we can answer the question about the future of these moments. And an institution of higher education is well suited to lead this effort.
“Lewis & Clark College will get to work in January 2023. They will be asked to carry a public engagement process focused on two areas: the immediate question related to each of the five monuments and any longer-term questions about needed changes about the city’s public art decisions.
“Public discussions will begin in the spring. The goal will be to send to City Council the findings related to the monuments by fall — and to share a final report addressing policy decisions related with City Council by winter.
“I appreciate the community’s patience as we ensure that we get this done right. The process and decisions we make need to honor the social justice movement that brought us the questions before us today.”
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