With less than 100 days left in his term, Mayor Tom Potter just quietly secured his legacy.
Last week, local peace activists sent out a flurry of emails, warning that the Oregonian planned to distribute a controversial paid-placement DVD. The film, an “inaccurate, biased, and hateful” and “anti-Muslim” work, according to activists—called Obsession: Radical Islam’s War Against the West—was to be inserted in the Sunday edition of the paper.
After hearing activists’ concerns that the DVD was a piece of fear-mongering propaganda, and viewing a clip of Obsession on YouTube, Potter called up Oregonian Publisher Fred Stickel, according to the mayor’s public advocate, Jeremy Van Keuren.
“If you’re planning on distributing this, please don’t,” the mayor reportedly told Stickel. “It contributes to a climate of distrust toward Muslims, and holds the entire Muslim community accountable for the actions of a dangerously misguided few.”
Potter’s call to Stickel wasn’t surprising. This is the mayor who told the federal government to buzz off when Immigration and Customs Enforcement came knocking on the door of the North Portland Del Monte plant. He spearheaded the creation of Portland’s nascent Office of Human Relations (and Human Rights Commission), and he pushed for the creation of a day-laborer hire site. The high point of his much-maligned visionPDX project was that it involved minority and immigrant groups to a degree the city hadn’t previously seen.
In other words, Potter has built a legacy as the mayor who consistently stood up for—and stood with—marginalized groups.
Stickel, however, didn’t listen to Potter (which is, unfortunately, a running sub-plot of Potter’s legacy). The DVD landed on people’s driveways and doorsteps on September 28, prompting a protest at the paper’s SW Broadway headquarters the next day.
Moderator Kayse Jama—tapped by Potter last year to serve on the city’s Immigrant and Refugee Task Force—lambasted the O‘s “decision to circulate this hate-mongering and Muslim-bashing DVD.” He also gave a shout out to Potter’s “visioning” project, saying the DVD is “contrary to Portland’s ideals… as articulated” by project participants. Former mayoral candidate—and Potter endorsee—Sho Dozono spoke. On the margins of the crowd, Potter’s wife Karin Hansen clapped enthusiastically for each speaker. And Maria Lisa Johnson, Potter’s pick to head up the Office of Human Relations, stood quietly, observing the protest.
The only thing missing was Potter himself—but for all intents and purposes, he was there.