OTHERS AT A POST PANDEMIC
TURNING POINT DEALING WITH ITS
OWN HISTORY.
>> WHAT WE SAW IN THE LAST YEAR
WITH PROTESTS HERE IN PORTLAND
IS COMPLETELY UNPRECEDENTED.
I MEAN, WE HAD MORE THAN 100
CONSECUTIVE DAYS OF NIGHTLY
DEMONSTRATIONS DOWNTOWN AND
ACROSS THE CITY.
>> PORTLAND HAS A MORE ACTIVE
ACTIVIST COMMUNITY AND A
SUSTAINED LEGACY OF PROTESTS.
AND SO I THINK HERE IT HAS BEEN
ABLE TO SUSTAIN ITSELF LONGER.
AND THEY ARE THE STEPPING STONE
FOR A LARGER CONVERSATION AND I
THINK HAVING THE SUSTAINED
PROTESTS HAVE ALLOWED PEOPLE
LIKE MYSELF, POLITICAL LEADERS
THAT WANT TO DO WORK OR EVEN
COMMUNITY LEADERS OR MEMBERS TO
SUSTAIN THE PRESSURE NECESSARY
TO MAKE RACE AN ISSUE THAT IS
CONTINUED TO TALK ABOUT AND
ACTUALLY DEALT WITH.
>> BUT THERE ARE MANY TIMES TOO
WHEN SOME OF THESE PROTESTORS
AND DEMONSTRATORS WOULD BREAK
THE WINDOWS OF A LOCAL SMALL
BUSINESS AND DO IT OVER AND OVER
AGAIN.
>> WHAT WAS IT LIKE IN THE ORSWO
OF IT?
>> A NIGHTMARE.
I WONT LIE.
THEY WERE LOOTING BUSINESSES.
THAT WAS THE TRUTH.
I SAW THAT STORE ACROSS THE
STREET GET LOOTED FOR EVERYTHING
THEY HAD.
I BELIEVE THERE WERE PEOPLE WHO
WERE TAKING ADVANTAGE OF IT AND
USING THAT TIME TO DESTROY
BUSINESSES.
I CANT SAY 100% THOSE WERE ALL
THE PROTESTORS, BUT I BELIEVE
THAT THERE WERE PEOPLE WHO WERE
TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THE CHAOS
AND MAYHEM.
>> I BELIEVE THAT THERE IS AN
ELEMENT WITHIN THERE THAT IT IS
JUST DESTRUCTIVE, IT IS
HAPPENING.
AND IT IS RANDOM AND NOT HELPING
THE SITUATION.
THEY VIEW IT AS RAMPANT AND
EVERYBODY WHO COMES DOWN HERE IS
PARTICIPATING IN IT, THAT IS
VERY UNTRUE.
I WOULD SAY IT IS A SMALL
PERCENTAGE.
I WOULD SAY THE MAJORITY OF
PROTESTS, 98% OF THEM, ARE CLEAR
ON THE ISSUES WHICH IS "BLACK
LIVES MATTER" AND PUSHING THAT
NARRATIVE.
>> AND ALSO THE HOMELESS
POPULATION SORT OF INCREASED DUE
TO THAT AND DUE TO BUSINESSES
SHUTTING DOWN.
>> WE HAVE A SEVERE HOMELESSNESS
CRISIS.
>> DURING THE PANDEMIC WE SAW A
LOT OF FOLKS KIND OF TAKING UP
SPACE AND SLEEPING ON SIDEWALKS
AND PARKS, CARS.
WHEN WE LOOK AT PORTLAND
SPECIFICALLY, WE HAVE HUGE
DISPARITIES AND
OVERREPRESENTATION FOR PEOPLE
WHO ARE BLACK AND
AFRICAN-AMERICAN.
WE HAVE AN OVERREPRESENTATION OF
PEOPLE OF COLOR EXPERIENCING
HOMELESSNESS.
THAT DIDNT HAPPEN BY CHANCE.
>> THERE HAS LONG BEEN QUESTIONS
AND CONCERNS ABOUT POLICING
LOCALLY IN PORTLAND AS WELL.
PORTLAND POLICE HAVE HAD A
HISTORY OF FATALLY SHOOTING
PEOPLE OF COLOR BUT ALSO PEOPLE
OF MENTAL ILLNESSES.
>> GIVE ME A SENSE OF WHAT THE
RELATIONSHIP IS IN THE CITY
BETWEEN BLACK PEOPLE AND POLICE.
>> IT IS STRAINED.
BUT THERE IS A NARRATIVE THAT
THERE CANT BE AN UNDERSTANDING.
AND THERE CAN BE.
THE ISSUE ISNT THE OFFICERS PER
SE, BUT IT IS THE SYSTEM ON HOW
POLICING IS DONE THAT IT TARGETS
PEOPLE OF COLOR.
AND THE SYSTEM DOES NOT ALLOW
ACCOUNTABILITY AND DOES NOT
ALLOW OFFICERS YOU CAN MANY OF
WHOM ARE WELL INTENTIONED
INDIVIDUALS, DO THEIR BEST WORK.
AND IF YOU PUT IN THE FACT THAT
THEY ARE OVERBURDENED WITH SO
MANY DIFFERENT THINGS
PARTICULARLY HERE IN PORTLAND,
WHEN YOU LOOK AT THINGS LIKE
HOMELESSNESS, MENTAL HEALTH AND
HOSE OTHER SYSTEMS THAT ARE
BROKEN.
>> DO YOU THINK PORTLAND IS
GETTING A BAD WRAP?
>> I THINK PORTLAND IS PROBABLY
IN A SIMILAR POSITION TO MANY
OTHER MAJOR CITIES.
AND I THINK WE HAVE A REALLY
VISIBLE POPULATION OF PEOPLE WHO
ARE SLEEPING UNSHELTERED.
I THINK THAT WEVE HAD A RATHER
LOUD YEAR.
I THINK PORTLAND HAS SOME
RECKONING DO WITH ITS HISTORY
AND HOW WE MOVE FORWARD
TOGETHER.
>> AND I THINK THAT WE ARE
HAVING A RECKONING WITH OUR
RACIAL PAST.
>> SO THE TRUTH HERE LIES
SOMEWHERE IN THE MIDDLE.
IT IS NOT THAT PORTLAND DOESNT
HAVE PROBLEMS, BUT YOU ARE
SUGGESTING THAT SOME OF THE
PORTRAYAL OF PORTLAND IS
FOCUSING ON THE WRONG PROBLEMS?
>> YES.
AND IT IS AN UNFAIR ASSESSMENT.
IF YOU WALK AROUND PORTLAND, YOU
WOULD HAVE A GREAT TIME.
THE PROBLEM IS THAT IT IS NOT
EQUITABLE.
EVERYBODY DOESNT HAVE ACCESS TO
THOSE RESOURCES.
>> WHAT HAS BEEN THE
REPUTATIONAL DAMAGE TO THE CITY
OF PORTLAND IN THE LAST YEAR IS
ROW FOUND.
>> PORTLAND DEPENDS ON TOURISM
AND THERE IS A CONCERN THAT
THERE IS THIS THING IN THE ETHER
THAT THIS IS NOT A SAFE PLACE.
>> THE STIGMA IS THAT PORTLAND
IS ON FIRE AND I THINK IF WE
BEGIN TO CHANGE THAT NARRATIVE,
IT WILL HELP THE TOURISM JUST
BECAUSE, YES, THERE WERE BAD
TIMES, BUT AS OF NOW, THINGS ARE
STARTING TO CHANGE.
>> SINCE VACCINATIONS HAVE GONE
UP AND WEVE STARTED TO SEE SORT
OF A REOPENING AND THE CITY
COMING BACK TO LIFE,
IRRESPECTIVE OF THE PROTESTS AND
DEMONSTRATIONS, THAT IS CHANGING
THINGS VERY RAPIDLY.
IF YOU WERE IN DOWNTOWN PORTLAND
EIGHT WEEKS AGO, IT WOULD HAVE
LOOKED DRAMATICALLY DIFFERENT
THAN WHAT YOU ARE SEEING TODAY.
AND LETS BE CLEAR, THERE IS
STILL A LONG WAY TO GO FOR
DOWNTOWN PORTLAND TO SORT OF
REVIVE ITSELF.
I MEAN, IT HAD ITS TEETH KICKED