M artin L uther K ing J r .
January 13, 2021
Mapps Calls on
End to Violence
c ontinued fRoM p age 4
One of Mapps’ first moves in
city government will be to intro-
duce the annual resolution cel-
ebrating Dr. King’s birthday, he
said.
“I hope this is the beginning
of a reflective time in our city,
a perfect time to think about the
politics of peace,” he said. “Two
weeks after Martin Luther King’s
birthday, we’ll be celebrating
Black History Month, another
opportunity to think about where
we’re going as a city, and I hope
that as we head into March we
really begin to put some concrete
proposals for the city to bring
down the violence.”
Portland’s murder rate nearly
doubled last year, Mapps said,
and we’ve “given up a gener-
ation” to gun violence. He said
he plans on working closely with
the mayor and Commissioner Jo
Ann Hardesty, a frequent critic of
Portland police tactics, to bring
down the violence in downtown
and reduce the murder rate that
has spiked, particularly in east
Multnomah County.
“I know the mayor cares
deeply about this and we have
2021 special edition
Page 7
already begun discussions on
moving forward with concrete
proposals,” he said.
Along with reducing violence
and police reform issues to ad-
dress, Mapps said the mayor has
appointed him to head up the
water bureau, environmental ser-
vices, sewer department and 911
communications. He also was just
assigned to oversee the Bureau of
Hydroelectric Power, which man-
ages decommissioned dams.
“It’s an enormous obligation
to deliver all these services,” he
said. “But the great thing about
(city) staff is that they’re moti-
vated by challenges, have high
standards and good delivery of
basic services at equitable pric-
es.”
Mapps sees the pain of city
businesses struggling to stay
open because of COVID-19, but
said we still have to think about
protecting natural resources.
“We also need to re-imagine
what an essential worker is,” he
said.
On MLK’s legacy as a civil
rights champion, Mapps said, he
wants “to help people reflect on
the lessons of King’s work. It’s
incredibly important.”
C eLebrating M artin
L uther K ing J r
Saluting Martin Luther King Jr.
“Darkness
cannot drive
out darkness;
only light can
do that.”
--Rev. MLK Jr.
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