350PDX Weekly Update – The hottest it’s ever been – August 19 2020

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Hi everyone,

Here in Oregon we enjoy the reputation of being environmentally-friendly, which is why this report might come as a surprise to some of us. A World Resources Institute report on climate pollution reduction over the last 15 years puts Oregon in the bottom 11 states in the nation. Our carbon emissions went down, but only by 6%, while half of the states reduced by at least 20%, and Maryland and New Hampshire reduced by 38%.

While this is partly because Oregon was already fairly low carbon, and therefore making major reductions was harder than in places that had more low hanging fruit, another reason is that politicians and corporations operating here have been able to ride our green reputation without backing it up with genuinely bold action. Similarly to how Mayor Ted Wheeler tries to hide behind Trump sending in federal troops to Portland, despite his own police force inflicting tear gas, “less-lethal munitions”, and racist policing on Portland residents, our politicians try to get by with tweaks and incremental changes to tackle our pollution problem while still claiming to be climate champions. 

Our neighboring state, California, recorded the hottest temperature on the planet in recorded history this week, 130F, and wildfires are springing up around our state. Climate change isn’t a faraway concept for Oregonians, it’s at our doorstep, and the the causes of climate change are at our doorstep too. New fossil fuel infrastructure projects like the Jordan Cove fracked gas pipeline, the Kalama methanol refinery, and the I-5 freeway expansion threaten to send us backwards. And efforts to win a Green New Deal at the city and state level are fought at every step by our politicians and business lobby groups.

We have to turn up the heat. We need to fight for a just recovery from this pandemic that will rebuild our society as just, equitable, and carbon-free. Over the rest of this year, and in 2021, we will be fighting for this Green New Deal in Portland and for all of Oregon. But we need your help. The economic crisis means this is a tough year for fundraising. Will you contribute to our summer appeal so that we can continue the fight for a just and livable future?

An amazingly generous donor has pledged to match every donation up to $10,000 for our summer appeal! So your contribution will be doubled if you donate today!

Here’s your 350PDX weekly update.

Actions

  • Thank Senators Wyden and Merkley for standing up against eminent domain

    Last week, US Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley introduced two bills in congress that would stop fossil fuel corporations from using eminent domain for fracked gas export pipelines. Thanks to years of our communities coming together to stop Jordan Cove LNG, Senators Wyden and Merkley have joined Southern Oregon in opposing this project that would strip land from private property owners, impact the traditional territories and cultural resources of Tribal Nations, harm the local commercial fishing industry, and become the largest climate polluter in the state.

    Now, Oregon’s US Senators are putting their opposition into action by introducing these bills to limit the power the fossil fuel industry has to take people’s lands for fracked gas pipelines. Will you help make sure they keep this up by thanking them today?

Updates

  • Video: Solidarity School #1: Our Fight for A Just Recovery

    Watch the recording from the last week’s webinar. The Solidarity School is a series of monthly mass calls designed for folks looking to grow and expand their skill set in this moment of uprising and climate justice organizing. Each month, guest speakers, 350.org staff and leaders from our broader network will strengthen our frameworks and share strategies, tactics, and actions for ongoing organizing.

  • Article: Climate Apartheid Is the Coming Police Violence Crisis

    “In a 2019 report, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights warned about the possibility of climate apartheid: a world in which only elites are able to access basic forms of social protection while everyone else faces the devastating effects of climate crises.

    Such crises are already here—and they are hitting us with increasing frequency. Researchers say that we can expect more climate change–related wildfires, heat waves, and floods before the end of the year, all of which will compound the economic damage done by the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet how all this destruction will affect us has less to do with the wind, rain, or sea levels and more to do with our institutions, a simple question of whom and what the political system chooses to protect. Whether ecological crises leads to a bleak future of climate apartheid or something more just depends on the politics of prisons and police.”

  • 3 Generations of Black Portland by DJ Black Daria on XRAY-fm

    “This is a really moving conversation between a local DJ (co-host of XRAY-fm’s Everyday Mixtapes) and her father and grandmother about their experiences growing up Black in Portland. Their conversation covers the rapid  gentrification of Portland, the segregation of schools and neighborhoods, how these three generations see the current uprising and its place in history, and more, all mixed with some awesome and classic tunes. I found their stories  crucial to deeply listen to, especially for fellow white Portlanders, to really think critically about my place as a white person in a rapidly-changing city that’s notoriously devalued Black lives. I encourage giving both this podcast and the great tunes and vibes on Everyday Mixtapes a listen!” – Dineen, 350PDX Campaigns Manager

Opportunities​​​​

  • 350PDX August General Meeting
    Mon Aug 24, 6:00PM – 7:15PM – Online, register hereFrom Dineen, our Campaigns Manager: “I miss our General Meetings. Potlucks, mingling with friends new and old, volunteers finding their place in the movement, and team leaders sharing about the campaigns they’re working on with excitement… they were beautiful and energetic moments of movement building that we’ve found challenging to recreate virtually. But we’re going to do our best to try. Besides, we miss you all regardless, and whether we can meet in person or virtually, we love the chances we get to see people who are just getting started at 350PDX, and those who’ve been around awhile. So… let’s have another General Meeting!

    This one is going to be special. For the past year, we’ve been building a partnership with the Portland Committee for Human Rights in the Philippines, an incredible grassroots group who works hard to support activists and indigenous land defenders in the Philippines who face disastrous consequences just for standing up for environmental injustice.”

  • Portland Black Lives Matter Protests
    Every day @ across the city – details here
    Click here for our advice for showing up to protestThere are events all day every day, in a whole range of different neighborhoods and at a whole range of different levels of risks – from standing on street corners waving signs in the middle of the day, to COVID-safe car caravans slowly parading around the city, to facing off with federal troops at midnight outside the (in)justice center downtown. Much of the direct action stuff is only being released less than 24 hours in advance, so if you want to be in the loop, join our Signal chat (by filling in the Volunteer Form here!) The Signal chat and the Volunteer form is also good if you want to find a buddy to go protest with! Here are a few picks in the coming days:

No Cops. No Prisons. Total Abolition! Direct Action March
Weds Aug 19 – Meet 8:00PM, Move 9:00PM
Elizabeth Caruthers Park
Higher risk of police vioelnce

Nightly Protest at the (In)Justice Center
Every night, 7:30PM – Late
Police have consistently been violent at these events, so personal protective equipment is recommended, and pets should stay at home.

SW PDX Black Lives Matter Vigil
Every Weds, 4:30PM – 5:30PM
SW 35th and Multnomah Blvd
Southwest PDX family-friendly sign waving in Solidarity with Black Lives with masks and physical spacing, ongoing until further notice. Plenty of extra signs to borrow. Co-sponsored by 350PDX SW Team, SW Action Group for Social Justice (SWAG) and Stand on Every Corner.

Car Caravan Protest
Wednesdays and Fridays Meet at 5:30pm depart 6:00pm
PCC Cascade parking lot behind Student Services. Albina near Killingsworth.
Donna Hayes, the Black founder and heart of this Caravan, is the Grandmother of Quanice Hayes who at age 17 was killed in 2017 while on his knees by Portland Police officer Andrew Hearst. Hearst has not been held accountable.

Justice for Patrick Kimmons
Every Thurs, 10:00AM – 12:00PM
Portland City Hall. Please wear black

The Struggle for Prison Abolition: From the U.S. to Palestine
Thurs Aug 20, 2:00PM – 3:30PM – Online
Making connections between the movement to abolish police and prisons in the US and the struggle for liberation in Palestine and beyond.

March with us for Police Abolition
Thurs Aug 20, 6:00PM
Kenton Lodge to Arbor Lodge Park​​​​
Hosted by PDX Black Youth Movement
Higher risk of counter-protesters

Know Your Rights! A Virtual Training with the Uprise Collective & the National Lawyers Guild
Fri Aug 21, 6:00PM – 7:30PM – Online
Workshop covering topics such as protest, what to do if you’ve been detained, de-arrests, and legal recourse for violated rights.

Come Thru: Black & Indigenous Market
Mon Aug 24, 11:00AM – 3:00PM
831 SE Salmon St
Come out to support Black and Brown farmers and makers, alternating Mondays, masks required.

  • Portland Save the Post Office – Day of Action
    Sat Aug 22, 11:00AM – 12:00PM – Midway Post Office, 400 SE 103rdNational Day of Action sponsored by MoveOn, NAACP, Rural Organizing, SEIU, Working Families Party, and more. Click Here for the event page on Facebook! Join the Community and Postal Workers United for this day of Nationwide Actions to say:

    Mail Delay, Not Okay !
    Protect the Vote !
    DeLiver DeMail, DePose DeJoy !
    Fire Trump’s Crony, the Postmaster General !

  • Medicare for All in the Time of COVID – Sign Holding Event
    Sat Aug 22, 3:00PM – 3:45PM – Meet at Pioneer Courthouse Square, on SW 6th between Yamhill and Morrison Streets.Come out for a safe, socially distanced event on Sat., 8/22. Now more than ever, in a pandemic, we need Medicare for All! We will be part of a national Medicare for All Day of Action organized by National Nurses United. Bring signs, wear your mask, and stay 6 feet apart at all times!

Thank you all for the work that you do, stay safe, we’re all in this together,
Ashley, Chris, Chuck, Dineen, Indi, Lucy – the 350PDX staff

Advice for showing up to protest Action alert: Tell corporations to divest from police foundations