Imagine Black Featured in The Oregonian

In the most recent The Oregonian, Imagine Black was mentioned in After a year of Portland protests, activists see no end in sight— an article focused on Portland police reform, protests, activists over the past year.

The Oregonian noted that When thousands first took to the streets last summer to protest Floyd’s murder, a list of demands was crafted by local nonprofit Unite Oregon and Imagine Black, previously known as Portland African American Leadership Forum: defund Portland police by at least 50% and reinvest that money in community programs; release all protesters from jail; remove federal troops from Portland; and force Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler to resign.

During protests, these demands were read aloud and projected onto the side of the federal courthouse in downtown Portland, and the issue prompted unusually widespread interest in city spending. Commissioners received over 63,000 emails about the budget, and nearly 750 people signed up to testify in front of the City Council.

Most appearing before the council demanded $50 million be slashed from the police.

A week after listening to hours of public testimony, the council in June approved a $5.6 billion budget that diverted $15 million from the police bureau to other city programs and initiatives — far short of Unite Oregon’s $50 million goal.

Read the full feature here.