I know this isn't the main takeaway, but as a Minneapolitan I had a hard time getting past this first line - In the Black Lives Matter uprising of summer 2020, no city was more nationally prominent than Portland.
I used the term “no more prominent,” not saying other cities were not equally as prominent. NYC, Seattle, and of course Minneapolis. The introduction of federal troops brought a special focus on Portland. But I understand your concern and probably could have phrased it differently.
I appreciate that, and certainly don't want to dismiss the content of your piece by falling back into petty regional competition (cause I admit we have a bit of a chip on our shoulder already in Minneapolis about Portland ;). We've had our own journey of trying to capture the moment of opportunity for truly reimagining public safety, talking about abolition and defunding in electoral politics, and establishing a police oversight/accountability board, which has left many of us feeling pretty disheartened about the political ($$$) power of affluent, white elite voters in Minneapolis to maintain the status quo in our city. So it's useful to learn more about the process around the police oversight board in Portland as a model for local organizing, thanks for your piece.
Yes, it’s been distressing to see the reversals in Minneapolis. The people in Portland made sure to enshrine the new board in the city charter so it can only be reversed by another vote of the people.
I know this isn't the main takeaway, but as a Minneapolitan I had a hard time getting past this first line - In the Black Lives Matter uprising of summer 2020, no city was more nationally prominent than Portland.
I used the term “no more prominent,” not saying other cities were not equally as prominent. NYC, Seattle, and of course Minneapolis. The introduction of federal troops brought a special focus on Portland. But I understand your concern and probably could have phrased it differently.
I appreciate that, and certainly don't want to dismiss the content of your piece by falling back into petty regional competition (cause I admit we have a bit of a chip on our shoulder already in Minneapolis about Portland ;). We've had our own journey of trying to capture the moment of opportunity for truly reimagining public safety, talking about abolition and defunding in electoral politics, and establishing a police oversight/accountability board, which has left many of us feeling pretty disheartened about the political ($$$) power of affluent, white elite voters in Minneapolis to maintain the status quo in our city. So it's useful to learn more about the process around the police oversight board in Portland as a model for local organizing, thanks for your piece.
Yes, it’s been distressing to see the reversals in Minneapolis. The people in Portland made sure to enshrine the new board in the city charter so it can only be reversed by another vote of the people.