Call to Action + #GeorgeFloyd Protests
BLACK LIVES MATTER.
The recent murder of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man, by a white officer in Minneapolis has ignited uprisings around the world. This resistance is compounded with the wrongful murders of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade and countless others at the hands of racist police.
In the weeks following nonstop protests, we’ve watched innocent people subjected to police brutality in the form of tear gas, rubber bullets, sonic weaponry and violent assaults.
This blatant treatment of protestors shows that anyone standing up for Black lives can expect excess force and it is unacceptable.
On Friday, June 5th, 2020, Don’t Shoot PDX filed a lawsuit against the City of Portland to ban the use of tear gas during a global pandemic - read more on the suit here.
Revolutions happen when we take action.
We have compiled a spreadsheet of mutual aid resources that covers vetted links from several cities where protests are happening; please share this far and wide on your networks to your family and friends.
It is crucial we are able to provide calls to actions that are accessible to all of us. We must keep this momentum until we achieve tangible change. That means divestment, demilitarization and defunding of our police. We cannot reform a system that is rooted in discrimination and oppression.
What you can do today:
READ & SHARE our mutual aid spreadsheet that includes family-run fundraisers, community bail funds, street medic support, legal representation, phone scripts and more. Please support these protestors and organizations that are on the frontlines. If you can’t show up in person, sustain their causes to the best of your abilities.
DONATE to Don’t Shoot Portland and help us continue our community advocacy and legal support for those being affected during the George Floyd protests.
WATCH our online rally series against white supremacy, ‘Stop Killing Us’. Teressa Raiford of Don’t Shoot Portland holds discussions every Saturday on anti-racism work with other members of our community.
TAKE ACTION with Care Not Cops PDX by signing up to testify at two council hearings happening on June 10th and 11th.
On Sunday, June 7, the Minneapolis City Council committed to disband the Minneapolis Police Department. Their City Council President stated, “Our efforts at incremental [police] reform have failed. Period.” We know that disbanding the police is not only possible, it is possible today. We demand a complete divestment from and a commitment to disbanding the Portland Police Bureau (PPB).