Legislation

Our policy team is a constant presence in Salem and local municipalities to pass bills that advance or defend civil liberties and civil rights, and to defeat those that do not. In addition to our mission to defend and advance civil liberties and civil rights, we are committed to:

  1. Making progress towards achieving a decolonized workspace and culture through a shift in language and centering indigenous sovereignty in internal and external work;
  2. Prioritizing and holding ourselves accountable to the organization’s values of anti-Black racism, equity, and racial justice education and reflection;
  3. Leading with race and centering those most directly impacted by racism and white supremacy in policy decisions, including but not limited to BIPOC/BIWOC communities, immigrants and refugees, people with varying abilities, LGBTQ communities, and people experiencing poverty or other socio-economic injustices.
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Portland Police Draft Revisions to Use of Force Policies, Release Settlement with DOJ

UPDATE - The City of Portland, PPB, and USDOJ have reached agreement on the terms of their settlement. The ACLU has reviewed this agreement and presented testimony at the City Council hearing on November 1.

October 25, 2012 - Prompted by a condemning report by the U.S. Department of Justice (USDOJ), which found that the Portland Police Bureau (PPB) has engaged in systemic overuse of force particularly against persons with mental illness, PPB drafted revisions to its policies on Use of Force, Use of Deadly Force, and Tasers. PPB posted these drafts for comment and the ACLU of Oregon has responded with detailed recommendations for improvement.

October 25, 2012

ACLU and Allies Weigh in on DOJ Investigation of Portland Police Bureau

September 27, 2012 - The ACLU of Oregon and our allies in police accountability advocacy submitted detailed recommendations to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), urging comprehensive reforms to the policies and practices of the Portland Police Bureau (PPB). The recommendations were compiled in response to a September 12th report from DOJ, concluding that PPB employs unnecessary and excessive use of force on persons with mental illness. DOJ invited members of the community to provide input as to the terms of an agreement between DOJ and the City of Portland regarding reforms the PPB will undertake. The stated deadline for finalizing the agreement is October 12th.

September 27, 2012

Drug Reform: Measure 80 (2012)

One of two marijuana-related initiative petitions has officially qualified for the November 2012 ballot. Measure 80, if approved by voters, would decriminalize the possession and use of marijuana by adults (age 21 and older). It would also amend Oregon law to regulate commercial marijuana cultivation and sale to adults through state-licensed dispensaries. Funds generated from licensing and sale would be directed, in part, to the state general fund and drug education and treatment.

September 12, 2012

Automatic License Plate Readers: More Cameras in More Places

UPDATE: July 25, 2012 - After first adopting an amendment from Commissioner Amanda Fritz to require the Portland Police Bureau (PPB) to report back to Council on an annual basis about their use of Automatic License Plate Recognition cameras (ALPR), the Portland City Council this morning approved PPB’s request to add a new SUV to their fleet with an ALPR.

July 24, 2012

Anti-Choice Measure Fails to Qualify for 2012 Ballot

July 6, 2012 - We are thrilled to announce that Initiative Petition 25 (IP 25), a dangerous anti-choice constitutional amendment has failed to qualify for the November ballot. Reporting only 70,000 signatures gathered over the last several months, proponents of the measure fell far short of the legally required 116,000 valid signatures. Today’s news shows that Oregonians are committed to women’s health and refuse to support laws that impose government interference on our personal private decisions.

July 10, 2012

ACLU Urges Portland Police Bureau to Narrow Surveillance Camera Policy

UPDATE - June 6, 2012 -  After a second reading and with no discussion, today the City Council approved the proposal relating to surveillance cameras. Commissioner Fritz voted no on the proposal, citing concerns that unless the rest of the Council would join her in adopting an amendment to the proposal that would require annual reporting on the use of surveillance cameras by the Portland Police, she could not support their increased use. We continue to advocate for the Portland Police Bureau to revise their video surveillance policy in accordance with our comments.

June 4, 2012