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PO Box 86208, Portland, OR 97286
PO Box 86208, Portland, OR 97286
Black Lives Matter to some people in Portland. Portland as a whole, not so much. Portland, historically, not remotely. Oregon historically, categorically NO. Anti-racist change will not happen overnight. And in places that are historically extremely, violently, racist (like the city of Portland and the state of Oregon are), it will take much, much longer.
There is a BLM chapter in Portland: https://blackpdx.com/destination/portland/black-lives-matter-pdx/ Another organization that is doing important work for Black Lives Matter in Portland is Don't Shoot Portland. https://www.dontshootpdx.org/
In order for Black Lives to actually Matter, nationwide, white people have to dismantle and destroy white supremacist terrorism. That is the only way it will happen. White people have a lot of work to do and they have to actively be involved in not only demanding that cops stop murdering Black people, but also completely destroying the entire system of racism that this country relies upon, that this country was built upon, that this country celebrates and teaches its children from the moment they take their first breath.
Here's another take on the protests in Portland.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/24/us/portland-oregon-protests-white-race.html
and within that article is a link to the Washington Post Op-Ed on the matter, too.
"This is not the support I want or need. Get it right."
Help us out by describing what specific actions you would like to see us take, because 'this thing you're doing isn't what I need' is not helpful critique. I can understand frustration and being seriously tired of having to dismantle this system bit by bit for people who aren't getting it, and I also see a lot of value in people just plain showing up, even if it's just because we feel terrible being silent and not doing anything more than being physically present to witness what Average white America would not believe was happening if white eyes weren't there to see it.
I am not from Portland, but also wondered why the City's black and Latinx populations were so low. The good thing is that it is higher than that other progressive bastion, the State of Vermont, home to Bernie and Ben and Jerry's.
I live in Los Angeles and work here and the SF Bay Area. What I see in both areas is actually "white flight" to Portland by younger whites. They say they are attracted to the City because of its progressive lifestyle, which might be true, but for many the unsaid reason is that it is White Portlandia privilege on steroids. I had one friend, who decided to move there because of the schools. He said the ones here were "funky". Code word for too many black and brown students.
Maybe the city should encourage more black residents to move there from other parts of the country. Could be incentives for small business owners, scholarships for students, housing incentives, local employer quotas for # of AA/black employees, etc. Just some thoughts. The City should set a goal of 10% by 2025, 15% by 2030 and so on.
Just some thoughts.