Common Cause Oregon Co-Sponsors National Briefing on Holding Federal Police Power Accountable

Statement by Kate Titus, Executive Director of Common Cause Oregon

“Portland, Oregon made national news again last week with reports of unidentified armed federal police forcibly grabbing people off the streets, and taking them away in unmarked vans.

This is indicative of a police state, not a democracy. Lawless policing has no place in a democracy. That’s true whether it’s federal or local police, and whether it’s aimed at people exercising their right to protest, or their right to simply breath.

The President, his Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf, and both federal and local police may at times forget who they work for. In a democracy, power rests with the people. Let’s keep holding power accountable.”

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Common Cause Oregon is co-sponsoring an emergency national briefing by Western States Center today, Wednesday July 22 11:15am PT. We invite you to join this one-hour briefing to:

• Unite in a call for de-escalation and for all violence against civilians and non-violent civil protesters to cease
• Hear from elected officials and civil society leaders about why resisting these federal tactics in Portland is a national struggle with relevance for every other community in the country
• Learn about concrete actions to protect democratic practice and demonstrate solidarity with the City of Portland

When: Wednesday July 22 at 11:15am PT

How: Register at https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0pd-utrj8iH9KpKpmW0fBX4_n0wa_quygg
(Please note the webinar start time is 11:15 a.m. PT, although the registration may indicate earlier)

Who: Join a select group of participants from across the country who are leaders in their communities including: 

• U.S. Senator for Oregon Jeff Merkley
• New York State Assembly Member Catalina Cruz
• Portland City Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty
• Margaret Huang, President and CEO, Southern Poverty Law Center
• Martin O’Brien, Director, Social Change Initiative 
• Rev. Dr. Emma Jordan-Simpson, Executive Director, Fellowship of Reconciliation USA
• Eric K. Ward, Executive Director, Western States Center

Western States Center briefing co-sponsors: Common Cause, Fellowship of Reconciliation USA, People’s Action, Southern Poverty Law Center, Oregon AFL-CIO, and Oregon Jewish History Museum and Center for Holocaust Education.

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