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Community Safety is Possible

Public Safety

My Policy Values

The communities east of 82nd Avenue have the highest visibility of police but the least services provided. East Portland deserves a responsive and accountable public safety system rooted in what our communities need to be safe. While political talking heads and City leaders bemoan the challenges facing downtown, here in East Portland our neighbors have felt unsafe long before the pandemic exacerbated these challenges. While City Hall is focused on increasing tourism, East Portlanders are facing increased break-ins and gun violence without an immediate response when we need help. We need every tool at our disposal to ensure safety in our communities. I’ll prioritize expanding Portland Street Response, a program that assists people in crisis without the intervention of an armed police officer. When we modernize our public safety system to dispatch the right responder to the right call, we create a Portland where everyone feels safe. 

Portland Police Bureau has a record high budget and new officers are being added at a steady pace. Yet response times are abysmal and people in distress are left to wait or get no response at all. When you have an emergency, you deserve to know that help is coming. I would call for the Deputy City Manager for Public Safety to do an audit to fix call response times and ensure people get the in-person help they need. I’ll also prioritize expanding Portland Street Response, a highly successful program that assists people in crisis without the intervention of an armed police officer.

If we are serious about reducing violent crime, we need more than just a response. We need prevention. While we work with partners to invest in social drivers of crime and poverty, we can take action right now to make a difference. Investing in community violence intervention works with communities most susceptible to be victims and perpetrators of violent crimes to defuse situations and connect people with resources. It’s been successfully demonstrated across the country and on a limited basis here in Portland. It’s time to focus as much on employing proven methods to prevent crime as providing the proper response when we need it.

As a City Councilor, I will advocate for prevention opportunities and youth programs, addressing substance abuse and mental health, and empowering community safety initiatives through collaborative planning. Serving on the Substance Use Subcommittee of the Portland Central City Taskforce, I’ve seen the critical need for comprehensive support services. I would advocate for increased funding for mental health and substance abuse treatment, as well as social service workers, ensuring accessible and integrated support systems for those in need.

My seven years on the City’s Citizen Review Committee (our city’s police accountability board), including serving as Chair, have shown me the importance of fostering trust between law enforcement and residents, and specifically the responsibility the city has to foster this trust. This includes helping the community create alternatives for safety that meet the needs of the residents to address issues like gun violence. Supporting small businesses and residents through neighborhood watch programs and security resources, alongside advocating for affordable housing and fair wages, addresses the underlying issues that lead to crime.

Safety extends beyond reducing gun violence to include things like traffic and road safety as well as protection from the impacts of climate change. Portland is an interconnected series of 94 neighborhoods, and that is one of our great strengths. And every neighborhood needs access to parks, good schools, transportation options, shops, and services. East Portland has been left behind for too long and I will lead the charge to finally make sure the needs of our communities are addressed by our city government.