Demilitarize North Portland

We, the undersigned residents of North and Northeast (N/NE) Portland, call for the immediate cessation of militarized police activity on our streets. Due to the actions of state and local police we further declare the Portland Police Association (PPA) administrative headquarters at 1868 N Lombard to be an unwanted, dangerous and unwelcome presence in our neighborhood.

The Portland Police are repeatedly acting in violation of Oregon statute by declaring large, peaceful demonstrations as riots. The flagrant abuse of the authority to declare a riot has enabled the widespread use of so-called "non-lethal" force upon peaceful protesters as well as non-participating bystanders. On a nightly basis low-flying helicopters circle our neighborhood as law enforcement preemptively stage violent responses.

The protests in N/NE Portland are overwhelmingly peaceful, and do not meet the statutory definition of a riot. Protests are focused upon the cause of justice, dignity and an end to all forms of state-sanctioned violence visited upon the Black community. State and local police are abusing state and local laws to enable the use of excessive force upon protestors, "bull-rushing" hundreds of people with mace and nightsticks, deploying tear gas, smoke and other non-lethal ammunition. Indiscriminate police violence routinely injures people identified as press and medics. There are documented accounts of police violently attacking non-participating citizens walking home.

Tactics such as flash bangs, dispersal of gas and smoke, and the indiscriminate use of force are frightening our neighbors old and young. We are concerned for our safety and appalled by the treatment of our fellow Portlanders exercising their rights of assembly. We are also worried about the health effects that come with tear gas and smoke in our air. As a group of neighbors, we are asking the PPA, PPB and the Oregon State Patrol to:


Target police interventions to the few people endangering the safety of others.

Follow the law. None of the demonstrations in North Portland meet the definition of a "riot" in ORS 166.015

Stop using military force such as bull rushes, mace, tear gas, other non lethal ammunition on peaceful protestors.

Cease the use of our streets and commercial parking lots as a staging ground for military response to our neighbors.

Close the PPA office located at 1868 N Lombard

August 26 Petitioner Update:

Greetings Fellow Portlanders,

Thank you for signing the Demilitarize North Portland Petition. This email is to offer a response to recent Portland Police Bureau  (PPB) statements, update you on events since the launch of our petition, and  invite you to connect with your neighbors.

As the petition draws attention from media and public officials, organizers have been asked to clarify some aspects. We contend that the PPB have been abusing their authority to declare a riot, justifying the indiscriminate use of violence upon protesters and non-participating bystanders. On Tuesday August 19th, the PPB responded to public scrutiny by quoting from ORS 166.015 that  "a riot is when six or more persons engage in tumultuous and violent conduct." Under the PPB's interpretation, should a peaceful assembly of 10,000 people gather and six among them engage in disorderly conduct, the PPB would have authority to gas, shoot, shove and beat all 10,000 people and anybody else within proximity. Let's be clear--this is absurd and not the intent of the law.

Rhetorical arguments are not the intent of our petition. There is the question of what is legal, but most important is a shared understanding of what is just. We thank you for standing with the brave people taking to our streets to demand justice. Reading your comments makes us proud to be Portlanders.

Looking ahead, it is critical we maintain momentum and focus on the goals of the Black Lives Matter movement in Portland. The PPB's media department is operating a disinformation campaign to turn people against the protesters and to set the terms for the ongoing dialog on police funding, public oversight and police accountability. We contend the terms of this dialog belong to our Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) neighbors and civic leaders.

The PPB have repeatedly cited the union office's proximity to our residential neighborhoods as justification for their ongoing extreme, unlawful and indiscriminate actions. As residents of these neighborhoods, we reject this argument. The protesters march through our residential streets peacefully. It is the police who threaten us. 

The PPB are publicly flaunting "work slowdowns", a union tactic characterized by the deliberate refusal to respond to 911 calls elsewhere in the city. This tactic, unchallenged by Mayor Wheeler, is a reprehensible breach of public trust. 

If you are a resident of N/NE Portland and would like to join your neighbors in efforts to protect the rights of protesters on our streets, please reach out to our Google Group, by searching for "Team NOPO Non-Violence" at https://groups.google.com or by asking in person at daily solidarity protests between noon and 2pm at the corner of N Denver and Rosa Parks. Once in touch, we'll fill you in on other communication tools and our latest work.

We've noticed a few signatures from outside Portland. We invite your support of our local Black-led organizations. If you are not familiar with our local movement, a good place to start is https://www.dontshootpdx.org/ and https://www.blackresiliencefund.com/

We have heard from neighbors who are growing weary of the nightly conflict in our streets. We have heard people insist that the better way is for people to "work within the system" and to end the direct action in our streets. The American systems and institutions, and in particular those in the state of Oregon, were designed to benefit white people and to rob BIPOC of freedom, land, opportunity and their very lives. We call for patience, for love and for support as the movement to dismantle racism in Portland marches on. The Montgomery boycott lasted 380 days. We have further to go.

In Solidarity,

Demilitarize NOPO