Twenty local organizations and coalitions unanimously ratified this Portland-Metro People’s Bill of Rights and 2018 Policy Platform (the “People’s Platform”) at the inaugural Portland-Metro People’s Convention on April 14, 2018.
The Bill of Rights offers a positive vision of a Portland-Metro area that’s a healthy, nurturing and thriving place for everyone and every community who calls it home—not just an enclave of the 1%. It was built in consultation with dozens of organizers in the Portland-Metro area since the 2016 election and is a living document that can be changed over time.
The 2018 Policy Platform has specific policies nestled under each right that participating organizations are actively working on to put these rights into practice.
Participating Organizations at the Convention included 350PDX, AFSCME Local 88, Alliance for Democracy, BerniePDX, Climate Action Coalition, Climate Jobs PDX, Milenio, Municipal Broadband PDX, Oregon Fair Trade Campaign, Portland Chapter of Democratic Socialists of America, Portland Forward, Portland Harbor Community Coalition, Portland Immigrant Rights Coalition, Portland Jobs with Justice, Portland Teachers for Social Justice, Portland Tenants United, Right 2 Survive, Sisters of the Road, Stop Fracked Gas PDX, Sustainability and Justice Emerging Series.
On April 23, 2018, the Portland-Metro People’s Coalition sent 38 candidates and elected officials a survey, requesting their responses to the People’s Platform. They were given the option of YES, NO and OTHER with space to explain their position on each right and policy. The majority of the candidates/officials responded. We invite all candidates, elected officials and the public to indicate their support for the People’s Platform.
RIGHT #1: All Portland-Metro residents have the right to live in communities free from the fear of physical and mental harm. Portland-Metro area safety policies will prioritize decriminalization, harm reduction, prevention and care, rather than punishment, exclusion, profiling, threats and retaliation.
POLICY #1A: DECRIMINALIZE HOUSELESSNESS. The Right to Rest Ordinance prohibits discrimination in public spaces based on housing status. This ordinance protects unhoused people’s right to protect themselves from the elements. Criminalizing necessary life-sustaining activities like sitting, lying, resting or eating in public when someone has nowhere else to do these things further entrenches people in houselessness. Ending the criminalization of houseless people is an essential component of ending houselessness in our communities.
POLICY #1B: SANCTUARY CITY. The city of Portland will establish an Office of Immigrant Support Services, including a universal immigrant legal defense fund ensuring legal support to all immigrants, including legal support in all interactions with ICE/DHS. Additionally, the Portland Police will not collaborate with ICE and there will be Rapid Response to all ICE raids/interactions. As a Sanctuary City, Portland residents have a right to live in a safe community. The City will protect “sensitive locations” (schools at all grades–from preschool through colleges, child care facilities, health facilities, religious locations, civic and religious ceremonies such as funerals, weddings, courthouses, public spaces such as parks, parades, demonstrations, and rallies). The City will ensure residents’ safety in these spaces and will challenge any actions of any of the branches of the Dept. of Homeland Security if actions occur in any of these sensitive locations. Portland residents have the right to be safe at their places of employment. The City will facilitate “Know Your Rights” trainings for employers to protect all employees’ identities and sensitive information.
POLICY #1C: POLICE ACCOUNTABILITY. When officers use deadly force against civilians, independent investigators will immediately take charge of investigating, not the Police Department themselves. These changes will be incorporated into the city’s 2020 contract with the Portland Police Association and bargaining between the city and the PBA will be open to the public (as was the case in 2013 and 2015).
POLICY #1D: SHIFT RESOURCES FROM POLICING. In the name of “public safety,” the city turns over more and more money to surveillance and incarceration. Punitive measures do not yield safe communities. Targeted cuts to the police budget should be made with funds re-allocated to invest in mental health services.
RIGHT #2: All Portland-Metro residents have the right to affordable, accessible, stable and safe housing, free from discrimination.
POLICY #2A: IMMIGRANT AND UNDOCUMENTED TENANT SANCTUARY ORDINANCE. Legislation should be enacted to make housing discrimination and/or retaliation as a consequence of immigrant, refugee or undocumented status illegal.
POLICY #2B: NO EVICTION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION. When tenants get an eviction notice, they often don’t know their rights, don’t understand the process, and cannot afford an attorney. The city/county/metro must guarantee that every tenant has an attorney in eviction in court if they want one, regardless of their ability to pay.
RIGHT #3: All Portland-Metro residents have the right to free public education from pre-K through college that is equitably and adequately funded, that focuses on both vocational training and critical thinking, that uses authentic assessments, is culturally inclusive and directly addresses the ongoing history of oppressed communities in terms of access, content, and pedagogy.
RIGHT #4: All Portland-Metro residents have the right to local government that is transparent, accountable, and participatory, that guarantees equal rights under the law, and is elected by the will of the people, not the will of money.
POLICY #4A. CAMPAIGN FINANCE REFORM. Money is the largest influencer of political decision-making at all levels of government, including the city. The presence of large contributions from special interests discourages people from running for office, makes people distrust their government and therefore undermines our democracy. Almost 90% of Multnomah County voters approved strict limits in the November 2017 elections. The City of Portland shall enact the same or similar restrictions on campaign contributions/expenditures and requirements for disclosure of true funders of campaigns as Multnomah County has done. THIS POLICY PASSED IN 2018!
RIGHT #5: All Portland-Metro residents have the right to local government that is funded well enough to provide the services our community needs. Households and businesses should be taxed according to their ability to pay: Wealthy individuals and big businesses will pay a higher proportion of their incomes in taxes and fees so lower income people and small business can pay less.
POLICY #5A: TAX THE RICH. The ordinance funds the needs of the community by leveraging the unprecedented wealth of high-income earners in Portland. The tax will fund services such as Universal pre-K, sanctuary support, jobs programs, and housing by a tiered tax:
Tier 1: over $250,000 single or $500,000 joint: 2%
Tier 2: over $500,000 single or $1m joint: 4%
Tier 3: over $750,000 single or $1.5m joint: 6%
Tier 4: over $1m single or $2m joint: 8%
The Revenue produced would be as follows: Approximately $114m in Portland, $143m if applied to Multnomah County, $225m if applied to Metro
RIGHT #6: All Portland-Metro residents have the right to live in a community that promotes health, defined as a state of complete physical, mental, social, and cultural and environmental well-being, and not merely the absence of disease.
RIGHT #7: All Portland-Metro residents have the right to live in a city in which economic policies advance the needs of the many, not the privileged few. Public goods should be expanded and economic development should increase democratic decision-making and participation. The right to collectively bargain should be protected.
POLICY #7A: MUNICIPAL BANK. Ordinance establishing a city-owned Municipal Public Bank that keeps our money in Portland, investing in the things we need, and creates new non-tax revenues for our public treasury in the process. Our municipal bank’s mission is to serve the interest of the people of Portland to create healthy, secure communities through affordable housing, low-cost student loans, small business lending and greatly reducing the cost of public infrastructure. The municipal bank would partner with already existing community banks and credit unions. A public bank could help end the cycle of more debt, more taxes, and cutting of public services.
POLICY #7B: MUNICIPAL BROADBAND. Seeks to create a publicly-owned and operated fiber optic broadband internet utility—built to serve our community. Municipal Broadband will protect Net Neutrality, provide gigabit speeds at lower cost than current large monopolistic internet service providers, and will create a modern infrastructure that will provide technical and economic benefits to Portland Metro residents and businesses for decades. The buildout of the fiber network (funded by bonds and paid back over time by subscribers) and operation of the internet utility will create family-wage STEM jobs and generate economic opportunities for marginalized and under-resourced communities, including communities of color—and subsidized broadband will help close the current gap of the 30% of low-income households without broadband.
RIGHT #8: All Portland-Metro residents have the right to publicly-owned transportation that is equitable, comprehensive, affordable, accessible, democratic, and guided by the principles of environmental justice.
RIGHT #9: All Portland-Metro residents have the right to live in a city that is environmentally and socially just and sustainable.
POLICY #9A: ORDINANCE ESTABLISHES A PORTLAND CLIMATE ACTION COMMUNITY BENEFIT FUND. The fund will finance: 1) clean energy and energy efficiency projects that target low income communities and communities of color, 2) green infrastructure projects and sustainable local food production, 3) clean jobs training, apprenticeship programs and contractor support initiatives prioritizing economically disadvantaged and traditionally under-employed workers including communities of color, women, persons with disabilities and the chronically underemployed. To finance the Community Benefit Fund, large retailers (those with a billion dollars in national sales and a half million locally) will be required to pay a surcharge of 1% on gross revenues from retail sales in Portland, excluding basic groceries, medicines and health care service. THIS POLICY PASSED IN 2018!
POLICY #9B: The City, Metro, Port of Portland, and other responsible parties shall adopt a COMMUNITY BENEFITS AGREEMENT (CBA) FOR THE SUPERFUND CLEAN-UP OF THE WILLAMETTE RIVER. The CBA will be developed by communities disproportionately impacted by Portland Harbor toxins, who will sign onto the legal agreement with agencies. *Impacted communities: Native Americans, Black/African American, Immigrants, Refugees, and Houseless. The CBA will have benefits and standards for impacted communities, including: Construction (Cleanup & Restoration), including contracting (standards created pre-bid process, and enforced to all sub-contractors via CBA) and workforce (All contractors and sub-contractors will be binded via CBA); Public Access, Land Ownership, and Stewardship, including public access, land ownership, stewardship of wetlands; Health Awareness and Health Policy, including Health Awareness, Education, and Outreach; Community Health Funding and Health Policy Recommendations; Recreation; Pollution Control, Disposal, and Transportation; Ongoing Oversight of Water, Air, and River Sediment Toxins, including community stakeholders in leadership; Future Economic/Housing Development; and Community Grants and Endowment.