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Racial Profiling
This report reflects a unique collaboration between the Portland Police
Bureau, Oregon Action, the Center for Intercultural Organizing and the
Northwest Constitutional Rights Center, who came together to create an
opportunity for real dialogue between community members and Portland
police on the issue of racial profiling. During the months of May and June, 2006
these partners hosted a series of five Community Listening Sessions
designed to allow community members to share, first-hand, their
experiences of police interaction and to engage in deep dialogue with police.
The Listening Sessions provided a wealth of information and ideas that were
worked into a comprehensive report and set of recommendations to eliminate
racial profiling. These recommendations are being presented to the Portland
City Council on Thursday, October 19th. Download
the report here:
Community Listening Sessions
Oregon Action worked with several other organizations to sponsor
a series of Community Listening Sessions in each Portland Precinct. Police
Chief Sizer, other police officers and community members attended. The
small group discussions comprised of police and community members talking
together about the issue has been the most informative and valuable element
of the Sessions.
You can see photos from the 4th Session in North Precint at
Open Meadows Academy here.
Recommendations:
- No later than January 2007, the Portland Police Bureau should
develop a written plan,
with community stakeholder input, to eliminate racial profiling.
- Community organizations should create and implement public
education programs on
the attitudes and behaviors that are appropriate during traffic and pedestrian
stops, as well
as on the legal rights of individuals, so as to minimize conflict or
escalation at the scene.
- No later than December 2006, the Portland City Council should
convene a commission whose role is to monitor data collection, review internal
policies and take community
input to eliminate racial profiling.
- Community organizations should develop additional community
listening sessions, or
other activities and events, that create a safe environment for police
and community
members to participate in structured dialogue.
- Starting immediately, the Portland Police Bureau should collect
and analyze data on
individual officers' traffic and pedestrian stops to determine
the extent to which racial
profiling occurs institutionally.
- Community organizations should assist community members
with filing complaints
against officers who they believe have treated them inappropriately,
so that a written
record is developed and incidents are investigated.
Racial
Profiling Listening Session Planning Committee:
Oregon
Action is a statewide membership-based organization
that works with low-income community members to build leaders to address the
social, racial & economic justices issues that confront our community.
The Northwest Constitutional Rights Center is a non-profit
organization that safeguards the rights of political activists, communities
of color and immigrants through public interest litigation, advocacy and education. The
Center holds the government accountable for its unconstitutional actions and
works to create a just and equitable society.
The Center for Intercultural Organizing was originally created
to combat widespread anti-Muslim sentiment after 9/11/2001. Today, the Center
has grown into a diverse, grassroots organization working to build a multi-racial,
multi-cultural movement for immigrant and refugee rights through education,
policy advocacy, community organizing and mobilization, and intergenerational
leadership development.
Northwest Federation of Community Organizations (NWFCO) is
a regional federation of four statewide, community-based social and economic
justice organizations located in the states of Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and
Washington: Idaho Community Action Network (ICAN), Montana People’s Action
(MPA), Oregon Action (OA), and Washington Community Action Network (Washington
CAN, formerly Washington Citizen Action). Collectively, these organizations
engage in community organizing and coalition building in 14 rural and major
metropolitan areas, including the Northwest’s largest cities (Seattle
and Portland) and the largest cities in Montana and Idaho.
The Campaign in the News.
Could you be an OA leader?
Any Oregon Action member can become a leader by attending OA meetings
and trainings and by volunteering on our campaigns. Oregon Action is committed
to leadership development and training, because that is how we become stronger
and more effective. Please join us.
Contact us for more info
Updated
January 17, 2007
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