Spring Break Out: it's time to make room for social change
Our statement addressing the recent xenophobic murders in Atlanta:
Like other community organizers fighting against racist violence and discrimination, we have been at a loss for words about the mass shooting targeting Asian American sex workers in Atlanta on March 17, 2021. Being forced to witness the deadliness of white supremacy again and again is traumatizing to us all, especially as we continue to survive within the pandemic. Initially we've refrained from reaching out to our Asian community directly because we know how triggering these calls to ‘check in’ can be; every message is a constant reminder of the loss. The grieving process is made even harder when you see the media fixate on sympathy for a killer over empathy for those who have lost who meant the most. We will continue to commit full solidarity in protecting and empowering our Asian communities.
Please use and share this spreadsheet of resources to #StopAsianHate, including direct links to families affected - updated daily. Just as the violence we witnessed on January 6th, we overstand the privilege of HATE in America and once again we respond: #StopKillingUs. End White Supremacy Terror.
PPB Officer Brent Taylor, right, holds an FN303 less-lethal launcher and a can of pepper spray while dispersing a crowd of protesters on Aug. 12, 2020, in downtown Portland, Ore..
Jonathan Levinson / OPB
There is big news and great work being done by our legal team in our lawsuit against the city of Portland for use of less lethal launchers against protestors.Thank you to all of the plaintiffs for coming forward in this strenuous legal process. It takes courage and strength to re-live your experiences and we couldn't have made these wins without you. In addition to the banning of 'less lethal munitions' and tear gas, the removal of officer Brent Taylor from policing protests and crowd control events was essential and overdue.
“I feel like this is a win for all of us! No one should be harmed by law enforcement during Black Lives Matter demonstrations and the fact that we had to witness the violence on January 6th to gain perspective is still very triggering for me.” - Teressa Raiford, our founder.
A huge thank you to all of you who responded to our open request for statements, video footage and images. This is what a community action plan looks like.
If your child received a social justice tote bag, we hope you are finding ways to support their journey towards social change! We look forward to hearing from families to engage with your reports. There is still time to submit either a written report, art project, poem, etc via video this week. Join us to share what you’ve learned or just your thoughts from this years’ arts and reading #ReclaimMLK programming. Our curriculum for the report can be found here.
Don't Shoot Portland's Executive Director, Teressa Raiford and Board President, Tai Carpenter, with over 2,000 masks from Central City Concern and ShedRain!
Big thank you to Central City Concern and ShedRain for providing us with over 2,000 brand new reusable face masks! The comfortable fit of the masks make them breathable even with a N95 beneath it. COVID-19 is still affecting our communities - the importance of wearing masks is still crucial. Please reach out to us if you are in need of free PPE to arrange a drop off or pick up with DSPDX volunteers!
This Spring we will be doing our own ‘spring cleaning’ which comes with important internal developments - we are excited about the people volunteering for our community legal action committee, the finance committee and our social outreach committee.
Thank you to our volunteers who have been so dependable and collaborative as we work out our community action planning for 2021 and beyond. Please continue to share and promote our work with your friends and family, as well as supporting us through monetary donations!