Restore and safeguard our freedoms

By Kayse Jama, an asylee from Somalia. Jama is the founder of the Community Language and Culture Bank in Portland, Oregon

Here in our country and our own community, we are seeing an escalation of the assaults on the rights and the safety of immigrants, refugees, working people, and, indeed, all citizens.

A proposed Multnomah County Resolution addresses these matters. Similar in many ways to resolutions that have been passed by the City of Portland and by 351 other local and state governments to date, this resolution goes further in addressing the matter of discrimination and harassment, in addition to the matter of civil rights. Members of the Board of Commissioners have asked for expressions of public support, in the form of organizational endorsements, reports of personal experiences, and attendance at the December 9 meeting, at which members of the Board of Commissioners will vote on the resolution.

The publication of an endorsement letter, signed by various organizations and individuals, as an attachment to the resolution itself provides opportunities for concerned individuals and organizations to express their support of the resolution's passage. Reports of personal experiences can be expected to influence the final content of the resolution, and will be read by a great many interested people. Endorsements and letters of personal experiences are very important to the Multnomah County Commission, if they are to be able to speak boldly about defending the rights and the safety of people in Multnomah County.

Please read and consider signing our letter to the Multnomah County Board of Commissioners, and lend your endorsement to this endeavor. Information can be found here.

Additional information and current details are available at rights101oregon.org. If we do not take effective action to defend our neighbors, our civil rights, our democracy, and our Constitution, who will? And if not now, when?

What: Multnomah County Resolution Expressing Commitment to Protect Civil Rights
Who: People who live, work, study, worship and travel in Multnomah County
When: December 9, 2004 - 9:30 to 10:30 AM
Where: 501 SE Hawthorne Boulevard, Portland
Action: Sign a letter of support as an individual, an organization, or come to the hearing.

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