Against White Supremacy, Militarism, and False Solutions
In May of 2017, tragedy befell our city when a white supremacist on a Portland light rail train stabbed three men, killing two. The three men intervened when the attacker was harassing two young Black women, one of whom was wearing hijab. In the aftermath, our transit agency chose to increase the presence of armed security guards on buses and trains – the same police force that had recently killed two young Black men on or around transit. The following public statement, published at the end of May, 2017, was our direct intervention in the false solution of militarization of public spaces. Our community responded with tears, anguish, and thanks for saying what so many people of color in Portland wanted to say.
Public transit is one of the last places in our society where lots of different people congregate, a truly diverse community space. The people on our buses and trains are much more likely than the general population to be low-income, people of color, people with disabilities, seniors and youth. When OPAL organizers and volunteers talk to the people on the bus, we build community.
Taliesin Myrddin Namkai-Meche, Ricky Best, and Micah David-Cole Fletcher did not know each other, until they bravely utilized their power to take collective action against white supremacy. They are exemplary members of the community of transit riders. They are heroes. Today, we declare them to be permanent, honorary members of Bus Riders Unite. They have demonstrated a commitment to social justice, racial justice, and transportation justice that all riders should aspire toward. May Taliesin and Ricky rest in power. We wish Micah a speedy recovery.
Friday’s violent tragedy did not take place in a bubble. It happened in a nation built on stolen Indigenous land, in a state founded as a white utopia, in a city under a Federal injunction because of the way our police treat marginalized people, at a time when the President regularly maligns Muslims and immigrants. This context empowers white supremacists to act with impunity, as they have for hundreds of years. To stand up for racial justice is to acknowledge this, and fight to correct it.
Our community is still reeling from the recent, needless deaths of Quanice Hayes and Terrell Johnson. Those suspected of a crime, even if they are in possession of a weapon, deserve to live. If our society valued black lives equally to white lives, police would not have killed Quanice Hayes or Terrell Johnson. If our society valued black, immigrant, Muslim lives, two young women would not have faced harassment, and the heroes of this story might have never known each other.
Many people we meet on the bus are justifiably afraid of police due to countless historical abuses. Exploiting this most recent tragedy to ramp up transit policing is a false solution that could lead to more death and abuse of our communities. We demand elected and appointed officials help us to create a society that values everyone, which requires innovations. We will continue to push TriMet to demilitarize transit police, in favor of a community-defined, transit ambassador model which de-escalates crises, protects safety without deadly weapons, and provides resources for riders in need.
Violent white supremacists target people of color, and those who stand up for people of color. Everyone has a role to play in stopping this violence. When people of color are murdered, harassed, or targeted by hateful rhetoric, all of us must intervene, de-escalate, and provide space and labor to support healing. Otherwise, we condone the violence. In the absence of community-driven solutions, we will face greater militarization of community spaces, a threat to the very people Talesin and Ricky died to protect.
In Unity
OPAL Environmental Justice Oregon’s Board of Directors and Staff