On February 1, 2020, the local activist coalition Care Not Cops held the final event in its "Building Beyond Policing" series of workshops at the PCC Cascade campus. KBOO was there and recorded the first part of the event, a panel discussion focused on alternatives to policing, the carceral state, capitalism, and white supremacy. The panel was comprised of:
Benjamin D., an organizer with the Western Regional Advocacy Project (WRAP) and Sisters of the Road.
Teressa Raiford, founder and organizer with Don't Shoot Portland and a current candidate for mayor of Portland.
Lilith Sinclair, representing Decrim Oregon, which aims to decriminalize and decarcerate the profession of sex work.
Cory Lira, an organizer with Critical Resistance PDX and the Care Not Cops coalition.
Care Not Cops began in 2017 as the Mental Health Care Not Policing Coalition, and grew out of listening sessions held by Critical Resistance PDX in the community. They have been especially focused on the police bureau's proposed budget for 2020-2021. Care Not Cops released this statement along with the announcement of the event:
"On Thursday, January 30, the Portland Police Bureau were late in releasing their requested budget for 2020-21 — a total $248.3 million dollars, an increase of $7 million over last year’s budget. This also includes $6.8 million for the Gun Violence Reduction Team (GVRT), the racist gang policing unit of the PPB, which is nearly three times as much as the entire requested budget for the Portland Office of Equity & Human Rights. Care Not Cops calls for immediate defunding and dismantling of the GVRT and a reduction in funding to the PPB budget. Join us tomorrow to learn more about the new requested budget and how you can mobilize to oppose the violence of policing and re-direct resources into community-based, life-affirming alternatives in Portland."
The panel was followed by a skill-building workshop, which was not recorded, put on by the Portland Alliance for Self-Care (PDX-ASC) and Empathy Riot.
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- KBOO