Jefferson
Smith
Continues from Pg. 24
JO: Boston mayor Tom Menino states he will do
all he can to oppose discriminatory businesses,
such as Chick-fil-A, from operating in his city.
What do you think of his actions, and what
would your opinions be on Chick-fil-A operat-
ing in Portland?
JS: I am no longer eating at Chick-fil-A. I haven’t
eaten at Chick-fil-A in a long time. In fact, the
last time I ate there was in Cambridge, Massa-
chusetts. And, I will support just about any may-
or working so that the operations in their city
reflect the values of their city.
My strong impression is that if there’s any city
that would spit out a tainted nugget, it is Port-
land. The best asset the City of Portland has in
this is our socially conscious consumer base
and activist base, alongside people with micro-
phones who could be helpful in informing the
public, so our socially conscious consumer and
activist bases could play a role.
JO: you trust Portlanders to take advantage of
the teachable moment, so to speak?
JS: yes.
JO: Mayor Adams has gone to great effort to
support transgender inclusion in Portland. Do
you see work remaining to be done in how Port-
land works with transgender people?
JS: I think the city at large still has a way to go,
as it relates to medical benefits. The Bus Project
(a progressive activist organization founded by
Jefferson Smith) last year gave its Policy Pioneer
Award to that work. I would ask the transgender
community to think of what the best next steps
to be taken would be, and to advise the city.
JO: Portland Public Schools is likely to ask Port-
land homeowners for more tax dollars in the
months ahead. Many, many LGBT people have
children in public schools. But, far more do
not. Historically, LGBT people have not only
been discouraged from having and raising chil-
dren, but have even been told by some to avoid
children entirely. Given this particular aspect
of anti-gay bigotry, what would you say to an
LGBT person when asking them for hundreds
more dollars each year to support other people’s
children?
JS: I would say “please” and “thank you.” I would
also say that it is in all of our interests to have an
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educated community. If we want a community
that is as tolerant and compassionate as our city
is at its best, we want to invest in high-quality
public education. If we want a socially conscious
consumer base and activist base that will spit
out tainted nuggets, we want strong public edu-
cation.
Ultimately, our duty is not only to our children,
but to our community. And there may be no
more important element of that commitment
than support for strong public education.
JO: What training do the Portland Police receive
on LGBT culture and concerns? Do you see any
needs in this area?
It starts with
having
a strong
commitment,
from top to
bottom, in a
problem-solving,
community-
oriented police
bureau.
Jefferson Smith
JS: It starts with having a strong commitment,
from top to bottom, in a problem-solving,
community-oriented police bureau. And that’s
from Police Chief appointments, to the criteria
by which we elevate staff sergeants, to engaging
police officers within the community, to com-
munity activities in neighborhoods, schools,
coaching teams, all along with training.
We would also use the new training facility as
an opportunity to update training practices.
Police training is vital. And, that’s not just with
the LGBT communities but, for example, in
the school district in which I live they speak 73
languages. So, clearly the training of a modern
police force needs to reflect the reality of mod-
ern policing, which means being able to build
relationships with a more and more diverse
community.
JO: Many Portland minorities have neighbor-
hoods historically associated with them. But,
arguably Black and LGBT neighborhoods in
Portland, such Northeast Albina and Southwest
Stark, have been largely eliminated by gentrifica-
tion over the past decade. Do you see the city as
having a role in addressing the impact of gentri-
fication on minority cultures?
JS: yes. I believe the city plays an important role.
And, this city should work to make a commit-
ment to seeing the whole picture of the city, and
to recognizing economic diversity.
The city should be investing in improving neigh-
borhoods. It’s a good thing. And, it’s a bad thing
if we under-prioritize addressing displacement,
which will always be hard.
I’ll give you an example where we could have
done better over the last 20 years in seeing the
whole picture. Take three seemingly isolated
decisions. Decision one: After annexing East
Portland, pushing in a bunch of infill housing
there in the 1990’s. Decision two: Investing in
improving inner North and Northeast Portland.
Decision three: Failing to invest in basics like
sidewalks, roads, and parks in East Portland.
Each of those decisions in isolation has an argu-
ment. As for decision one, housing needs to go
somewhere, how about East Portland, it’s cheap-
er there. As for number two, in inner North and
Northeast Portland there are community advo-
cates who want to get a reasonable share of Port-
land Development Commission investments,
and want to get foot traffic. As for number three,
well, investing in infrastructure is expensive.
Where are you going to find the money?
Take all these decisions together, and you have
12,000 members of our minority communities
moving from inner North and Northeast Port-
land to East Portland over the past 15 years, and
commuting to North Portland to go to church,
which impacts everybody. So, you can see we
need to see the whole picture of Portland a little
better.
Another thing is looking for Community Ben-
efit Agreements. Making sure we have and pre-
serve and set-aside for affordable housing in
communities which are receiving public invest-
ment. Make sure there are places for people in
a neighborhood to have a job in the neighbor-
hood, and have a chance to live in the neighbor-
hood. And, working with community partners
in neighborhoods so that we’re looking to sup-
port culturally relevant institutions and busi-
nesses that will strengthen instead of bleach out
and homogenize diverse areas of our city.
October 2012