Thousands upon thousands of community members have gathered together to grieve, show solidarity, and demand accountability and justice for police brutality. Their collective message is loud and clear: invest more in Black lives. The horrific murder of Black Americans exposes the harsh reality that racism continues to rob our Black communities of life, safety, health and prosperity.
Since the death of George Floyd, my office has received thousands of emails, phone calls, meeting requests, and letters calling for accountability, and for major policy and funding changes in how we approach public safety and how we invest in the health and well-being of Black, Indigenous and people of color in Portland.
The public has given us this historic opportunity to reimagine what policing and public safety look like in Portland and all across America. That’s why I’ve announced that I’m committing $12 million to Black and Brown communities, and why I'm sharing a list of significant reforms to local policing that I will be implementing and pursuing. I’m also directing all City bureaus in my portfolio to develop strategies to better serve Black communities.
Police Reform Action Plan
The list of reforms I’ve introduced include financial, policy, and legislative actions.
These actions are long overdue, but they are not enough to dismantle institutional racism. I will continue to work with urgency with my colleagues on City Council and across the region to partner with Black leaders in the community. I will continue to reimagine how our government can better serve everyone in our community.
De-Escalation Trainings with the Portland Peace Team
The City of Portland is partnering with the Portland Peace Team to host seven trainings in May, June, and July 2021 on de-escalation and peacekeeping for events including protests, marches, and rallies.
The Portland Peace Team was founded by Tom Hastings, a conflict resolution professor at Portland State University, and others. The organization provides nonviolent de-escalation at local events, where peace team members wear blue vests to identify themselves.
The City of Portland has contracted the Portland Peace Team to hold two-hour small-group trainings for community members interested in learning de-escalation skills. Attendees can choose to attend one of the seven free trainings.
The trainings are part of the City of Portland’s goal to support Portland’s long-held tradition of effective, peaceful protests. This effort hopes to uplift the diverse community of Portlanders who are working toward nonviolence and safety for all. These trainings will not certify skills in peacekeeping, but are intended to introduce community members to de-escalation techniques.
To ensure a small-group environment, the trainings will be capped at about 50 people.
To sign up for a training, go to this link, or click on the date of the training you want to attend below.