Groups such as Sit-In Salem, Black Joy Oregon and Latinos Unidos Siempre have been especially active the past six months with regular protests, petitions and other efforts to change the way area agencies and leaders address racial discrimination.
They’ve held protests calling for more equitable and transparent police practices.
They’ve called out members of the Salem-Keizer School Board for racist remarks or alleged affiliations with white supremacy groups, demanding their resignations.
And they’ve participated in national conversations following the deaths of people of color at the hands of police this year, including George Floyd and Breonna Taylor.
But local organizers are changing tactics in the new year. Perhaps most notable, they’ve stopped hosting rallies at the Capitol.
This decision was made largely out of safety concerns. Recent rallies have been met with counter-protests from right-wing and white supremacist groups, some of whom have physically confronted local activists.
“We see a growing group of (people) willing to put in the work, but on many fronts, they’re either met with indecision, apathy or straight-up violence.” …
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Natalie Pate 