Portland approved a budget with millions in cuts to police, but short of public demand for $50 million reduction. This is NOT ok. They must meet our demands to Reform, Reinvest, and Protect black and brown communities by defunding the Portland Police Bureau (PPB).
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REFORM Law Enforcement | REINVEST in Education | PROTECT our Communities
As I mentioned yesterday, a budget is a moral document and we must keep our elected officials honest and accountable, and make sure we divest PPB and reinvest in our communities with tax revenue. The divestment of cannabis tax dollars from police budgets and reinvestment to marginalized communities is paramount in the push towards a more just America.
Understanding that a budget is a moral document is key to understanding what it means when our city commissioners choose not to meet the demands voiced by the public. People who are hurt people will only hurt other people. We must work diligently to break the cycle of violence that Black people experience at the hands of the police, only further causing pain and anguish in the Black community.
Oregon Cannabis Tax Revenue
Part of Rose City Justice’s long term vision is to take back control of cannabis tax revenue which was intended to support communities that have been the most disproportionately impacted by racist drug laws.
We want Cannabis Tax Revenue to be Allocated for:
- Law Enforcement Reform
- Reinvest in Education
- Protect our Communities
Oregon cannabis was legalized in 2014 and the original draft of the measure aimed to fund education, mental health and addiction services, and law enforcement.
However, as organizations such as the NuLeaf Project have pointed out, it will take a very long time to offer any reparations to minority communities that have been caused by the drug war if only $1M/year is the funding that is available. This MUST be changed. In a letter from NuLeaf Project and several others that is directed to the Portland City Council and Mayor Ted Wheeler, they state, “At last week’s City Council meeting, while the divestiture of some police funds was accomplished, the investment into Black and Brown communities was not. We call for a minimum of $15 million in community reinvestment specifically directed to aid communities disproportionately targeted by the City of Portland with cannabis arrests prior to and post- legalization.”
