The board of directors of the Creston-Kenilworth Association has joined the local and national calls for police reform. Creston-Kenilworth has a long history of economic and ethnic/racial diversity that we embrace. The Creston-Kenilworth Neighborhood Association Board of Directors stands with many other Portlanders in calling for analysis and reformation of Portland Police Bureau (PPB) policies, procedures, and practices
The board has released the following statement advocating the following six reforms:
1. The Portland Police Bureau (PPB) should consider its history of racism as well as discrimination against members of our community who are Black, indigenous, people of color, LGBTQI (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning, intersex), or who are vulnerable due to medical, mental health and addiction issues, or lack of housing. We stand with the Portland Committee on Community Engaged Policing's call for the PPB to consider forming a Truth and Reconciliation Commission (including representatives from the affected communities) to address and work to remedy these historic challenges that continue to affect our fellow citizens today.
2. We encourage grounding PPB's budget decisions and any organizational reform in the principles of community policing. We strongly urge the immediate restoration and expansion of Neighborhood Response Officers throughout the City of Portland including in Creston-Kenilworth.
3. In conjunction with the Portland Committee for Community-Engaged Policing, Campaign Zero, and many local individuals, we advocate for the formation of a truly independent civilian oversight system with A) adequate funding; B) full investigative authority; C) transparency and accountability for its findings; and D) the opportunity for meaningful input on police policies and discipline decisions.
4. We support the Portland Committee on Community-Engaged Policing's recommendation that the 2020-2024 PPB union contract should ensure transparency and accountability in the investigation of alleged police misconduct for bias, discrimination and excessive use of force.
5. The Creston-Kenilworth Neighborhood Association Board of Directors stands with the Portland Committee on Community-Engaged Policing in supporting the redirection of PPB resources to implement restorative justice training and practices and to mobilize unarmed first response teams of trained social workers and medical or paramedical workers to address social, medical, mental health and addiction issues. It is unfair both to residents and police to expect the police to be counselors, domestic violence, homelessness, and gang specialists, as well as alcohol and drug counselors and first responders for every crisis whether they do or do not have the training to function in those roles.
6. Finally, the Creston-Kenilworth Neighborhood Association Board of Directors calls on all city and county bureaus, as well as all of our affected communities to work together, in good faith and with utmost urgency — guided by leaders from Portland's communities of color — to remake the PPB as part of an overall system of public safety and social welfare of which Portlanders can be proud, and from which Portlanders need not flee in fear. The time is now and we will settle for nothing less than profound change within PPB.
Approximately 8227 people live in about 3887 households (2010 Census) in the neighborhood boundaries between SE Powell, 61st and Foster, SE Holgate and SE 26th.
The board has released the following statement advocating the following six reforms:
1. The Portland Police Bureau (PPB) should consider its history of racism as well as discrimination against members of our community who are Black, indigenous, people of color, LGBTQI (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning, intersex), or who are vulnerable due to medical, mental health and addiction issues, or lack of housing. We stand with the Portland Committee on Community Engaged Policing's call for the PPB to consider forming a Truth and Reconciliation Commission (including representatives from the affected communities) to address and work to remedy these historic challenges that continue to affect our fellow citizens today.
2. We encourage grounding PPB's budget decisions and any organizational reform in the principles of community policing. We strongly urge the immediate restoration and expansion of Neighborhood Response Officers throughout the City of Portland including in Creston-Kenilworth.
3. In conjunction with the Portland Committee for Community-Engaged Policing, Campaign Zero, and many local individuals, we advocate for the formation of a truly independent civilian oversight system with A) adequate funding; B) full investigative authority; C) transparency and accountability for its findings; and D) the opportunity for meaningful input on police policies and discipline decisions.
4. We support the Portland Committee on Community-Engaged Policing's recommendation that the 2020-2024 PPB union contract should ensure transparency and accountability in the investigation of alleged police misconduct for bias, discrimination and excessive use of force.
5. The Creston-Kenilworth Neighborhood Association Board of Directors stands with the Portland Committee on Community-Engaged Policing in supporting the redirection of PPB resources to implement restorative justice training and practices and to mobilize unarmed first response teams of trained social workers and medical or paramedical workers to address social, medical, mental health and addiction issues. It is unfair both to residents and police to expect the police to be counselors, domestic violence, homelessness, and gang specialists, as well as alcohol and drug counselors and first responders for every crisis whether they do or do not have the training to function in those roles.
6. Finally, the Creston-Kenilworth Neighborhood Association Board of Directors calls on all city and county bureaus, as well as all of our affected communities to work together, in good faith and with utmost urgency — guided by leaders from Portland's communities of color — to remake the PPB as part of an overall system of public safety and social welfare of which Portlanders can be proud, and from which Portlanders need not flee in fear. The time is now and we will settle for nothing less than profound change within PPB.
Approximately 8227 people live in about 3887 households (2010 Census) in the neighborhood boundaries between SE Powell, 61st and Foster, SE Holgate and SE 26th.