To: Mayor Ted Wheeler 
     Commissioner Amanda Fritz
     Commissioner Chloe Eudaly
     Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty

We urge you, our city leaders, to take action immediately. When the city budget is reviewed on June 10th, 2020 we implore you to oppose the increase in funding of the Portland Police Bureau by $6,979,478 (for a total of $246.2 million) that is included in this proposal.

Portland suffers from overwhelming systemic structural racism. The Portland Police play a pivotal role in this reality and we will not support the funding of this city entity who reinforces the disempowerment and repression of communities of color on a daily basis. 

As small business owners, we are acutely aware of the critical and complex circumstances that our community is facing. The COVID-19 crisis has already put a significant strain on city resources. During a time of great need for Portlanders, the new budget proposes a 5.6% cut in funding across the board for every other department and program including public/supportive housing, transportation, homeless services and countless other vital resources for the city’s underserved population. This budget as it stands now, reinforces the fundamentally racist platform that our city has embraced since its inception. It is time for change. 

We recognize the influential work of the following local and national organizations and echo their demands: Black Lives Matter, Don’t Shoot PDX, Care Not Cops Portland, The Urban League of Portland, In Defense of Black Lives, NAACP & ACLU

• Oppose the increase of PPB’s budget by $6,979,478 for the year 2020.
• Defund the Special Emergency Reaction Team. We do not need a militarized police force in Portland.
• Cut funding for and ban all chemical weapons, rubber bullets, grenades and LRAD.
• Cut the $13 million in funding for overtime for policing protests. This funding contributes to violence escalation and is unethical and illegal. 
• Redirect all of these funds to social resources that support harm reduction and community-building, specifically in communities of color. 
  
  ADDITIONAL REQUESTS: 
• Redirect funding to downtown service Clean & Safe. A program that our small business owners utilize daily.
• Make personal liability insurance mandatory for all police officers.
• Bring police accountability to the forefront with PPA Contract transparency. We need public oversight to contract negotiations and statutes. 

We are fighting for survival. The survival of Black Lives. We understand that without action taken in defunding the Portland Police Bureau, all of our lives and communities are at risk. This has become increasingly clear the past week as we have witnessed the abhorrent abuse of power displayed when confronting Black Lives Matter Protesters. This violence must stop, now.

Although we define ourselves as small, independent businesses the revenue our tax dollars and license fees contribute to the City’s budget is far from small.  We demand that you, our elected officials, listen to the needs of the community and act swiftly to address these grave concerns.

Thank you, 

Members of The Portland Small Business Community