Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility

Oregon PSR understands that racism is a public health crisis, and that police violence is killing Americans, especially Americans of color, at an appalling rate. 

Structural racism and oppression of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities constitutes a public health crisis that overlaps with the epidemics of COVID-19, climate change, and violence. Police violence is a public health crisis that is the result of numerous policies and practices that uphold structural racism. 

Oregon PSR will continue our commitment to work towards equity and social justice, and will increase our participation in the Portland Police Reform Network. We also encourage our members and supporters to follow and support local Black-led groups that we partner with, which include, but aren’t limited to: the NAACP Portland Branch and Springfield/Eugene Branch, Urban League of Portland, Portland African American Leadership Forum, Coalition of Communities of Color, Unite Oregon, and Don’t Shoot PDX. 

We also encourage individuals to consider supporting these mutual aid resources which have been vetted by Don’t Shoot PDX.

Furthermore, Oregon PSR supports the demands of Portland African American Leadership Forum (PAALF) and Unite Oregon:

• Defund the police
  
  
• Reinvest into Black futures
  
  
• Protect communities from violence

Please take a moment to read through the visions and demands in full.

Tell the Portland City Council to support these demands.

Take Action by calling on the Portland City Council to cut funding for so-called "special units" that have been shown to be ineffective in the long term, target low-income and people of color communities for over-policing, and are part of the school-to-prison pipeline.

Oregon PSR Testimony on Portland Police Budget (11/3/20)

Police Violence Against the People of Portland webinar (9/23/20)

Oregon PSR Testimony in Support of HB 4208 Banning Police Use of Tear Gas (7/27/20)

Oregon PSR Testimony on Police Accountability Legislative Concepts (6/23/20)

Oregon PSR's Statement on the Murder of George Floyd

American Public Health Association Statement Addressing Law Enforcement Violence as a Public Health Issue.

Barrio Alante (Hood Forward) is a Queer, Trans, and Black-led social movement and political collective fighting for justice and rights from and for the hood. This network of amazing social activists and young politicians from working-class neighborhoods live in the Dominican Republic. The work Barrio Alante does is both personal and important to me as someone of the Dominican Diaspora who is a climate justice organizer. This is a community-led effort with folks working on the ground to make their community better. I am hoping you can help me with spreading the word about Barrio Alante’s work and recruiting funds for their new exciting project. 

Barrio Alante’s new program Huertos Barriales (Hood Gardens) is in need of funds to build community gardens and host urban gardening workshops. This project came about to address an issue many working-class neighborhoods in Dominican Republic face; access to healthy and nutritious food. If you are able to, please consider donating via Venmo (saudisauds), Zelle ([email protected]), or Paypal ([email protected]). You can also support their work by subscribing to their Patreon (Barrio Alante). 

To learn more about Barrio Alante, visit their Instagram and Twitter pages. You can also learn more about Barrio Alante's organizing by watching this webinar titled, "Environmental Maroonage: 500 Years of Black Feminist Resistance Against Ecocide on the Island of Ayiti/Hispaniola." Paola García, founder of Barrio Alante, discusses the contributions of marginalized social sectors to the economy, culture, and the democracy of the Dominican Republic.

In solidarity,

Samantha Hernandez, Oregon PSR Climate Justice Organizer

Oregon PSR supports Initiative Petition 17, a common-sense gun safety measure drafted by Lift Every Voice Oregon (LEVO). There is a very simple way to sign this petition: go to the website of Lift Every Voice Oregon (LEVO) and sign the petitions from home! All you have to do is print the signature page, sign it twice, print your name and address once, and send it to LEVO. The deadline for petition signatures being delivered to the LEVO office is the evening of next Tuesday, July 5th, so please sign and send today!

We hope that you were able to join us on April 28th for an evening of celebration of the high school student winners of our 2022 Greenfield Peace Scholarship. The Greenfield Peace Scholarship is an opportunity to hear from young Oregonians on some of the most pressing issues of our time. We sponsor this annual scholarship to encourage Oregon’s youth to consider their leadership role in promoting a more healthy, just, and peaceful world. Named in honor of Del Greenfield, our longtime Executive Director, the scholarship is in its 14th consecutive year in 2022.

Join Oregon PSR online on Thursday, April 28th at 6:00 PM for an evening of celebration of the high school student winners of our 2022 Greenfield Peace Scholarship. The Greenfield Peace Scholarship is an opportunity to hear from young Oregonians on some of the most pressing issues of our time. We sponsor this annual scholarship to encourage Oregon’s youth to consider their leadership role in promoting a more healthy, just, and peaceful world. Named in honor of Del Greenfield, our longtime Executive Director, the scholarship is in its 14th consecutive year in 2022.

The 2022 Greenfield Peace Scholarship Awards Ceremony will stream live on Oregon PSR's YouTube channel and Facebook page.

Oregon PSR members and our allies have been part of three recent webinars all exploring aspects of why nuclear power is not a climate solution. We invite you to watch these to learn more about the inherent problems with nuclear power.  

Oregon’s 2022 short legislative session ended with a number of bills that passed amidst challenging global and local circumstances. With the ongoing pandemic and last summer’s deadly heat waves taking a disproportionate toll on marginalized communities, it was heartening that Oregon’s legislature took action on so many important issues. 

As the Oregon legislature engages in a short session, Oregon PSR is once again weighing in on bills that affect the health of Oregonians. One silver lining of another session of remote testimony is that it’s easier to testify from the comfort of home rather than driving to Salem to be heard. Continue reading to see what bills we have been supporting during this legislative session and how you can make an impact.

Oregon PSR recently received the following request for training medical professionals in asylum evaluations from Aryan Sarparast, MD, Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry, Oregon Health and Science University:

"There are currently approximately 60+ Afghans resettled in Oregon, and that number is expected to rise in the coming months. We estimate 300 by September 2022, and 1,200 or more by the end of 2022.