We at the ACLU of Oregon believe it is our duty to keep the public informed about the state of their civil liberties. The work we do at the legislature, in the courts, and in our communities is important, but there is no better defender of civil liberties and civil rights than a public that is informed and engaged.
Thanks to hundreds of ACLU supporters, our Justice for All 2020 Statewide Membership Conference was a success! We heard an inspiring speech from ACLU National Chief Equity and Inclusion Officer, Amber Hikes.
In the midst of the pandemic and economic crisis, we are in a collective distress, witnessing so many ways our systems and institutions are inequitable and devastating to the lives of so many Black, Brown, and Indigenous people, and others who live in poverty.
What happened to Isidro Andrade-Tafolla outside the Washington County Courthouse is part of a pattern of abusive and secretive tactics that the DHS and ICE have employed for far too long against communities of color, particularly Black and Latinx communities.
I’ve been documenting violent and militarized police responses to protests in Portland for more than four years, but nothing prepared me for the unrestrained brutality I’ve witnessed and experienced in recent days.
Every time another Black person is murdered by the police, it’s easy to point to a single officer as the culprit. George Floyd was killed under the knee of officer Derek Chauvin — we saw it ourselves.
We once again submitted comments to the Portland Police Bureau about its crowd control policies. As we’ve done before in the City’s public comment period, we're demanding major changes to how they police protests.