TO
TO WEAR
TO WEAR YOUR MASK IF YOU ARE SIX FEET AWAY FROM OTHERS.
>> PEOPLE IN LINCOLN COUNTY
AREN'T REQUIRED TO WEAR THEM
AND NEWS OF THAT EXEMPTION
SPREAD QUICKLY THAT IS AN
UNDERSTATEMENT AT SPREAD REALLY
FAST IT SPREAD TO A FLOOD OF
WHAT LINCOLN COUNTY LEADERS
CALL IT A RACES COMMENTARY.
RIGHT NOW THEY ARE REVERSING
THE POLICY BUT THEY ARE NOT
HAPPY ABOUT IT, KRISTIN
SEVERANCES JOINING US NOW
KRISTIN THEY GOT PUSHBACK FROM
LEADERS IN THE BLACK COMMUNITY?
>> Reporter: YES, THEY DID.
DAN, I WANT TO POINT OUT THAT
LINCOLN COUNTY ISN'T THE ONLY
COUNTY THE ABOUT THIS OR TALK
ABOUT IT. TAKING INTO ACCOUNT
THE PEOPLE OF COLOR MAY FEEL
UNCOMFORTABLE WEARING A MASK IN
BUT LINCOLN COUNTY WAS THE ONLY
COUNTY TO PUT IT INTO WRITING,
THE NAACP SAID THAT THE POLICY
WAS A WELL-MEANING BUT IT IS
MISS GUIDED.
MISS GUIDED. LINCOLN COUNTY HAD THE POLICY
ON THE WEBSITE.
PEOPLE UNDER 12 YEARS OLD AND
PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES AND
PEOPLE WITH COLOR WITH
HEIGHTENED CONCERNS WITH RACIAL
PROFILING AND HARASSMENT WITH
WEARING FACE COVERINGS IN
PUBLIC.
PUBLIC.
PUBLIC. THAT ONE MADE LINES ALL OVER
THE WORLD.
THE WORLD. LICKING COUNTY LISTED THE
EXCEPTION BUT OTHER COUNTY
HEALTH OFFICIALS AGREED WITH
THE DECISION IN RACHEL BANKS IS
THE PUBLIC HEALTH DIRECTOR FOR
MULTNOMAH.
MULTNOMAH. >> WE ACCEPT THE EXEMPTION FOR
FOLKS THAT MAY NOT BILL THE
USER DUE TO MEDICAL REASONS OR
DISABILITY, I DIAGNOSED THAT
PEOPLE OF COLOR, HAVE BEEN
TELLING US IT'S THE BEGINNING
OF THE PANDEMIC THAT SOME
PEOPLE, WEARING FACE COVERINGS
WAS A CONCERN BECAUSE THEY
DIDN'T WANT TO BE PERCEIVED AS
A THREAT FOR GO
>> Reporter: BANKS SAID THEY
WANT PEOPLE TO FOLLOW THE STATE
MANDATE TO WEAR A MASK BUT THEY
WILL NOT ENFORCE THE.
>> WE WILL NOT FORCEFULLY DO
THAT BUT WE ARE URGING PEOPLE
TO DO IT BUT WE WILL NOT
ENFORCED, WE DO NOT WANT TO ADD
ONE MORE THING WHERE BLACK OR
INDIGENOUS PEOPLE HAVE TO WORRY
ABOUT.
ABOUT.
ABOUT. >>
ABOUT. >> Reporter: CLACKAMAS AREN'T
WORRIED ABOUT PEOPLE
COMPLYING.
COMPLYING. >> WE ENCOURAGE EVERYONE, IF
YOU CAN, TO COMPLY WITH THE
GOVERNOR'S EXECUTIVE ORDER.
WE REALIZE THOUGH FOR PEOPLE OF
COLOR, WEARING A SAFE COVERING
IS THE SAME THING THAT BIAS
COULD SEE TO HARASSMENT OR
VIOLENT BEHAVIOR WITH PEOPLE OF
COLOR.>> Reporter: THE PORTLAND
PRESIDENT SAID THAT THE LINKING
COUNTY, IT'S FOCUSES ON THE
WRONG THING.
WRONG THING. >> PEOPLE COLOR FEEL THREATENED
OR INTIMIDATED.
OR INTIMIDATED. WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THAT?
>> IT IS WONDERFUL BUT IT
DOESN'T WORK, IN APRIL THE CDC
RELEASE HOSPITAL DATA SAYING
THAT IT MAKES UP 30% OF OUR
NATION. IN OTHER WORDS, PEOPLE
OF COLOR ARE MORE LIKELY TO GET
THE CORONAVIRUS AND MORE LIKELY
TO DIE IF THEY CAN TO GET UP OR
GO BUT PEOPLE OF COLOR SHOULD
NOT BE SHOWN THIS DIFFERENT WITH
THE SAFETY GUIDELINES.
>> Reporter: THE GOVERNOR'S
OFFICE SEEMS TO AGREE.
THEY RELEASE A STATEMENT
SAYING, IN PART, RACISM IS A
SYSTEMIC PROBLEM THAT WE NEED
TO ADDRESS THE ROOT CAUSES OF
INJUSTICE RATHER THAN JUST
ADDRESSING THE SYMPTOMS.
FOR THE STATES FACE COVERING
REQUIREMENTS PUBLIC HEALTH WITH
STOPPING THE SPREAD OF THIS
DISEASE IS OUR TOP-RATED A.
>> FOR THE COMMUNITY HARDEST
HIT THE COMMUNITY MOST AFRAID
IS THAT SOCIETY HAS THEIR
PRIORITIES BACKWARDS.
PRIORITIES BACKWARDS. THESE ARE VULNERABLE
POPULATIONS.
POPULATIONS. THESE ARE PEOPLE THAT NEED TO
COME TOGETHER AND PROTECT,
THESE PEOPLE DO NOT POSE ANY
THREAT IT COULD I AM ASKING
PEOPLE, SIMPLY, DO NOT ASSUME.
SIMPLY, DO NOT ASSUME.
WHEN YOU SEE A PERSON OF COLOR
WALKING DOWN THE STREET, DO NOT
ASSUME ANYTHING ABOUT THEM THAT
YOU WOULDN'T ASSUME OF YOUR
WHITE NEIGHBORS WAIT FOR
SOMEONE'S BEHAVIOR TO DETERMINE
HOW YOU JUDGE THE.
THE CONTENT OF THEIR CHARACTER
NOT THE COLOR OF THEIR SKIN.
>> GREAT PERSPECTIVE.
THANK YOU FOR THAT.
SEEMS LIKE LINCOLN COUNTY CITED
DIFFERENT REASONS FOR CHANGING
THE POLICY FROM THEIR
PERSPECTIVE IT SEEMS LIKE A LOT
OF RACISTS IN THEIR COMMUNITY.
>> YES, I WANT TO READ A FEW
LINES FOR THE STATEMENT THEY
GIVE US JUSTICE EVENING .0 THEY
STAY, WE ARE SHOCKED AND
APPALLED OF THE VOLUME OF
HORRIFICALLY RACES COMMENTARY
THAT WE RECEIVED REGARDING THIS
POLICY EXCEPTION IT CONTINUES,
LET US SPEAK CLEAR THE POLICY
WAS MEANT TO PROTECT AND RACES
STATEMENTS TURN IT IN TO HARMING
THE COMMUNITIES OF COLOR ASKED
THEM TO REVISE THE POLICY IT
WASN'T PROVIDING THE PROTECTION
BUT MAKING THEM POSSIBLE
TARGETS FOR MORE HATE AND THEY
REVISE THE POLICY TO ADDRESS
THE CONCERNS WE ARE REVISING
OUR PUBLIC HEALTH DIRECTIVE AND
FACE COVERING POLICIES AND IT
SADDENS US GREATLY THAT WE
NEEDED TO DO THAT.
CAN, YOU KNOW, THEY CHANGED IT
THIS EVENING AND WE HAD A LOT
OF QUESTIONS FOR THE ABOUT WHO
THEY CONSULTED WITH BEFORE
PUTTING IT INTO WRITING, WHY
THEY MADE THIS DECISION, BUT
YOU KNOW, THE DIDN'T DO AN
INTERVIEW THEY ONLY RELEASE A
STATEMENT