Kathy Wai, North Clackamas School Board member and TriMet Board member, is one of the people featured in the video. Wai said she was proud to participate to help tell Oregonians why voting NO on 105 is so critical.
“Oregon’s diversity of languages, cultures, and backgrounds makes us a beautiful state,” Wai said. “It would be devastating to see our local law enforcement stop and question community members solely based on their appearance, race, or even the sound of their accent. Measure 105 erodes trust between immigrant communities and our law enforcement at a time where we need to be building more understanding, not creating further divisions. That’s why I’m proud to stand with other elected leaders and law enforcement leaders to vote No on 105.”
Andrea Gonzalez, who lives in Astoria, is also featured in the video. She said if Measure 105 passes, rural Oregonians of color would be at a high risk for unfair racial profiling.
“I’ve lived in Oregon my whole life, which is why I’m fighting to preserve our anti-racial profiling law,” said Gonzalez. “I want Oregon to be a welcoming and safe place for everyone in my community.”
Measure 105 would throw out the state’s 31-year-old law that protects Oregonians from racial profiling and prohibits local law enforcement from using local resources to enforce federal immigration law. Over 500 law enforcement leaders, labor groups, business, civil rights groups, and faith leaders have endorsed NO on 105,
Oregonians United Against Profiling.
The video is part of the digital outreach for NO on 105. The video was paid for by the ACLU, and authorized by Oregonians United Against Profiling and the American Civil Liberties Union of Oregon (ACLU of Oregon).
david rogers, executive director of the ACLU of Oregon, said the group is committed to fighting Measure 105 on behalf of over 50,000 members and supporters statewide who have entrusted them to protect civil liberties and civil rights in Oregon.
“For over 31 years, Oregon state law has protected people from being targeted by local law enforcement based on the color of their skin or their accent. If the law is thrown out, Oregon police could become another arm of President Trump’s cruel deportation force which would bring serious civil rights violations. We must all vote no on Measure 105.”
