Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility Statement on Military Occupation
For 45 years, Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility, an organization composed mainly of health professionals and public health advocates, has worked to protect our neighbors, friends, families, and all residents of Portland from the gravest threats to our health and survival: climate change and nuclear weapons. Now we face another immediate threat to our lives and all that we enjoy about living in our great city.
We vehemently condemn the Trump administration’s efforts to militarily occupy Portland by deploying ICE and the National Guard. These actions, which are estimated to cost taxpayers between $4-$10 million, are clearly a test to see how far they can go. While judges have attempted to halt Trump’s actions, he has demonstrated in the past his utter disregard for the law and the United States Constitution. These are the actions of authoritarians that we have all learned about and were told would never happen in the US.
We agree with Oregon’s governor and Portland’s mayor in that deploying the National Guard and having ICE invade our neighborhoods will not make us safer. It will have the opposite effect. As healthcare professionals, we know the physical harm caused by tear gas and other weapons that may be used. We know the mental trauma that will come with having troops and federal agents occupying our neighborhoods.
Like any city, there are things we can improve. However, having troops marching in our streets with machine guns and disappearing people is not the answer. One only needs to look at Kent State in 1970 to see what can happen when these actions are taken by a sitting US president.
We stand firmly with our community in resisting this occupation. We must recognize in the words of Dr. King that “an injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” Today it is Portland. Tomorrow it can be Seattle, New York, or Boston.
Oregon PSR will continue to work each and every day to make Portland, and the entire state of Oregon, a healthy and safe place for all those who live here, and to make clear that we will never be silent in the face of fascism. In solidarity.
Vincent Intondi
Executive Director
Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility