Month: November 2023

Portland public school classes resume after first-ever teachers strike, ABC News

From ABC News: “This contract is a watershed moment for Portland students, families, and educators,” Portland Association of Teachers (PAT) President Angela Bonilla said in a statement to ABC News. “Educators walked picket lines alongside families, students, and allies — and because of that, our schools are getting the added investment they need,” Bonilla added.

Veteran teacher Tiffany Koyama Lane was swarmed by her third grade students and parents when she returned to Sunnyside Environmental School today.

“I walked out this morning – as did every other teacher at my school – and like, the families and kids cheered and started crying and like, tackled me in like one giant group hug,” Koyama Lane told ABC News. “The magnitude of the community showing up so strongly. That’s something that I’m still sitting with and processing – like it was – it was really beautiful.” Read the rest here.

“I believe that Israel, in its understandable rage, is also making a massive mistake. By waging a war that generates a shocking level of civilian carnage rather than a targeted campaign against Hamas, Israel is burning through its reserves of international support. Too many civilians and too many children have died, and we must value each and every child equally whether they are Israeli or Palestinian.

…

After grimly witnessing accelerating body counts, many Americans, including thousands of Oregonians, have raised their voices to say more must be done to stop the carnage.

I agree. So today I am calling for a ceasefire.”

Read the rest here.

Take action by texting SUPPORT to 48744 or sign up here for daily updates!

Join a picket line to support teachers at your nearest Portland Public School every weekday morning, 7:45-10:15am. A citywide rally will be held in a different location each day at 12:00pm – follow the Portland Association of Teachers (PAT) on social media for location info.  

The Portland Association of Teachers presented a proposal that would address unsafe conditions in neighborhood public schools including unsafe classroom temperatures, mold, and rodent infestations. It also would have set enforceable limits on class sizes, ensuring educators are able to meet the individual needs of their students.

PPS has refused to make progress on these and other critical student-centered proposals, continuing to use talking points about district management’s manufactured budget crisis.

Teachers are striking to ensure the district meets our demands so that every Portland student can attend a great public school.

BerniePDX endorses Mike Schmidt for Multnomah County District Attorney because of his emphasis on alternatives to incarceration. During his tenure as the current DA, Mike created the STEP Court program, which offers mental health and addiction treatment as an alternative to jail time for certain offenses. Mike also established the Restorative Justice program to hold wrongdoers accountable without incarceration and give victims a voice in the accountability process. These policies minimize the number of people that enter the prison system while still administering justice and not infringing on voting rights. 

As DA, Mike focuses on serious crimes that impact community safety, not minor non-violent law breaking, like protesting in the street. He implemented an immigration-neutral sentencing policy so that minor offenses, like receiving a traffic ticket, won’t automatically lead to deportation. Mike’s office is also partnering with public health experts to address violence in our community, and the Justice Integrity Unit he established has already reversed wrongful convictions. 

For these reasons, BerniePDX supports the re-election of Mike Schmidt as Multnomah County DA. Mike’s corporate-backed opponent will take our county in the wrong direction.

Check out Mike’s new campaign video here.

Please join us this Saturday, 3-5pm, for Mike’s Campaign Kick-Off!

Learn more about Mike and get involved at mikeschmidtforda.com

As an all-volunteer organization composed of former Bernie Sanders for President supporters and Oregonians deeply committed to progressive values at home and abroad, BerniePDX urgently calls on our namesake, Senator Sanders, to immediately back a cease-fire in Israel and occupied Palestine.

Additionally, we urge all members of the Oregon federal congressional delegation to support Congresswoman Cori Bush’s Ceasefire Now Resolution. Hundreds of thousands of lives are at imminent risk if a cease-fire is not achieved and humanitarian aid is not delivered.

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Contact your Oregon Representative and Senators here to urge them to support a cease-fire.