Press Release: Public Safety Press Conference 5.28.25
PRESS RELEASE
Date: 6/3/25
Contact: info@futureportland.org
GRASSROOTS PORTLANDERS DEMAND THE CITY COUNCIL RESTORE “MIDNIGHT” CUTS TO POLICE
Residents demand alternate amendments that fund both parks and police be heard by the Council.
Portland – At a press conference Wednesday, May 28th, a coalition of grassroots Portlanders called on the City Council to reverse its recent 7-5 midnight vote to cut $2 million from mayor Wilson’s proposed police budget and consider alternative options offered by Councilors Clark and Zimmerman that funded parks without taking away from the Mayor’s proposed police budget.
Leaders from Gresham also spoke at the event about the need to fund the proposed budget cuts to the Multnomah County District Attorney’s office.
“Gresham’s residents are frustrated: cutting the DA’s Office lets serious criminals walk free, while the County’s $8.4 million Cook Plaza shelter plan ignores our needs. We passed a 2024 levy to prioritize safety—fully fund the DA to honor our commitment and keep Gresham safe,” said Gresham United for Safety member Michael Patrick Piazza at the event.
When protestors arrived to disrupt the press conference, they were invited to speak alongside East Portland residents because Future Portland believes in open dialogue and creating spaces for all voices, even when policies don’t align. Neighbors were asking the City Council simply to consider alternate amendments that maintain funding for both parks and police.
East Portland community leader Terrence Hayes hammered this false equivalency home with his remarks:
“I am not here to live in any extremity, and I have been consistent that way. That’s why I asked folks who might disagree to stand behind me, because the narrative that we have to constantly fight each other over every little thing is ridiculous, and it has not made our city safer. We can have accountable, consistent policing while simultaneously having parks and recreations, and things like that, but we choose not to. We love to argue over mundane and silly things instead of demanding both in the most real and consistent way….When are we going to challenge our leadership to bring results that actually can do both / and instead of either / or?”
The city council meets on June 11 to further debate proposed changes to the 2025-2026 city budget.
Police staffing levels in Portland are some of the lowest in the country. Portland has the lowest number of sworn employees since the late 1980s or early 1990s despite the city population nearly doubling during that time. Among the 50 largest cities in the U.S., Portland ranks 48th in police per capita. The national average is 2.4 officers per 1000 residents and Portland has 1.2 officers per 1000. The median is 1.8 officers in the top 50 largest cities. https://www.wweek.com/news/2022/09/28/portland-ranks-48th-among-50-big-cities-for-cops-per-capita/.
In a recent poll conducted by DHM Research, 69% of Portland voters said they would support a ballot measure to nearly double the number of police officers to maintain a police force no smaller than the average for large cities in the U.S. https://www.wweek.com/news/city/2025/05/19/portland-voters-support-nearly-doubling-size-of-police-force-polling-shows/
“We convened this press conference because we believe in both parks AND police,” said Future Portland member Erica Gustavson of the event. “There were other amendments that were not brought to the table at the midnight vote last Wednesday that could have been considered that funded both parks and police, and we're disappointed that these seven councilors chose to move ahead without hearing them. As Terrence Hayes said, "it's not either / or, it's both / and."”
“The fact is that six of the most crime-ridden neighborhoods are in District 1,” said Wilkes neighbor Monica Cory at the press conference. “District 1 has been grossly underserved for my entire life…Candace Avalos started this charge for district representation, and at a time when we could use more policing in these six neighborhoods…she has turned her back on this district. I am all for great parks, but not if we can’t use them because they are overrun with lawlessness and criminals. But the reality is our city is eroding from the lack of support in public safety.”
Portlanders are being urged to contact the seven members of city council to demand that they restore the $2 million cut from Mayor Wilson’s police budget and hear amendments that restore parks funding as well.
Video Link: Future Portland press conference footage 5/28/25
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