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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 13, 2019)
Page 2 February 13, 2019 Mayor Ted Wheeler Bobbin Singh City Targets Racism A city ordinance condemning white supremacy and alt right groups has the unanimous approv- al of the Portland City Council. Adopted last Thursday, the res- olution calls for the city to work with community organizations to inform the public about the his- torical discriminatory impacts of white supremacy in Portland and the state and how to identify and push back against racist ideolo- gies today. “This is not a silver bullet, but I’m hopeful this resolution is the start to meaningful action,” Mayor Ted Wheeler said. The measure comes in part as a response to rise in hate crimes. The Portland non-profits Council on American-Islamic Relations, Oregon Justice Resource Center, and the Western States Center all voiced support of the resolution and outlined six action items they would like the city to address in regard to white nationalist and alt- right group activity in Portland. “Our proposals build on the important step Mayor Wheeler and the City Commissioners have taken today,” said Bobbin Singh, executive director of the Oregon Justice Resource Center. In a joint statement, the three organizations said they hope to work closely with City leadership to implement action items. FBI Task Force Vote Set Hardesty moves on campaign promise Established 1970 USPS 959 680 4747 NE Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd., Portland, OR 97211 CALL 503-288-0033 • FAX 503-288-0015 P ublisher : e ditor : Mark Washington, Sr. Michael Leighton A dvertising M AnAger : Office Manager/Classifieds: C reAtive d ireCtor : r ePorter /W eb e ditor : Leonard Latin lishers Association. Lucinda Baldwin Paul Neufeldt Danny Peterson s Ales /A dMinistrAtive A ssistAnt : P ubliC r elAtions : Mark PO QR code The Portland Observer welcomes freelance submissions. Man- uscripts and photographs should be clearly labeled and will be returned if accompanied by a self addressed envelope. All creat- ed design display ads become the sole property of the newspa- per and cannot be used in other publications or personal usage without the written consent of the general manager, unless the client has purchased the composition of such ad. © 2008 THE PORTLAND OBSERVER. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED, RE- PRODUCTION IN WHOLE OR IN PART WITHOUT PER- MISSION IS PROHIBITED. The Portland Observer--Oregon’s Oldest Multicultural Publication--is a member of the National Newspaper Association--Founded in 1885, and The National Advertising Representative Amalgamated Publishers, Inc, New York, NY, and The West Coast Black Pub- Avanna Lake Washington Jr. o ffiCe A ssistAnt /s Ales : Shawntell Washington news@portlandobserver.com • ads@portlandobserver.comn • subscription@portlandobserver.com Postmaster: Send address changes to Portland Observer , PO Box 3137 , Portland, OR 97208 Portland City Council will vote Wednesday whether to pull out from the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force, an issue Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty promised to bring to the fore during her campaign last year. The JTTF, which is a partner- ship between federal and local law enforcement agencies, was disso- ciated back in 2005 by then Mayor Tom Potter, a former police chief. It was fully re-established in 2015. San Francisco chose to dissolve a similar partnership in 2017. Some local advocates have voiced their support of pulling out of the agreement, including those of nearly 50 individuals and organiza- tions who co-signed a letter calling for an end of cooperation with the FBI’s Terrorism Task Force. Albina Ministerial Alliance Coa- lition for Justice and Police Reform, ACLU of Oregon, NAACP Portland Branch, Unite Oregon, Veterans for Peace Chapter 72, Portland’s Resis- tance, and Occupy ICE PDX were among the signers and endorses. Critics said the JTTF lacks transpar- ency and oversight, and promotes profiling based on race, religion, or country of origin. “Now, under a president who targets people based on their re- City Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty ligion (Muslims), national origin (immigrants), and political beliefs (protestors, Black Lives Matter), it is more important than ever to stop participating in the federal government’s dragnet surveillance and spy program,” the ACLU of Oregon stated in a message to city councilors. Supporters of the law enforce- ment partnership, like Commission- er Nick Fish, who voted to rejoin the JTTF in 2015, said at that time he believes it can strengthen public safety and security. While Commissioners Hardes- ty and Amanda Fritz both support pulling out of the FBI partnership, Mayor Ted Wheeler said he recom- mends preserving it. Commissioner Chloe Eudaly is expected to be the swing vote on the matter, but she had not publicly stated her defini- tive stance on the issue.
