Racial Justice in Vancouver

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  Being suppressed

  by shivsarki , almost 3 years ago
  I am a South Asian, born in Nepal, emigrated in 2008. And live in Portland, Oregon. I have very deep experience while I lived in Vancouver, WA 2008 through 2016. I have lot more to share in terms of being unheard and suppressed in the community.
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  Please reform police use of force

  by Erik, almost 4 years ago

  I strongly support the peaceful demonstrations of people throughout the region and the country and ask that you sign a pledge to review and reform use of force for Vancouver police: https://www.obama.org/mayor-pledge/

  This issue has been allowed to fester for years. It's beyond time to act.

  In my own experience, I've had positive interactions with Vancouver police and some interactions that were unnecessarily tense in the two decades I've lived in this community. The neighborhood police officers are outstanding and truly represent the best ideals of community policing. However, there appears to be a false division between the work of... Continue reading
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  Make Policing in Vancouver More democratic and Equitable

  by CherylForVancouver, almost 4 years ago

  Hello Mayor, City Manager, Chiefs, Councilors [Stober, Paulsen], and beloved community members:

  I live within the city limits of Vancouver and have lived here for the majority of 2 decades and I strive to be anti-racist, not just “not racist”.

  I am here today to ask the City Council to make policing in Vancouver more democratic and equitable. This can go a long way to improving race relations and relations with marginalized or targeted communities in our city.

  When I say “democratic” I’m speaking about “lower case d for democracy” not partisan, “capital D Democractic” like the political party named... Continue reading
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  Brown in Clark County

  by Itstillhappens, almost 4 years ago

  I'm a Latin American, born in Chicago and have lived in Clark County since 1983. About five years ago hear a knock on my door and I open it to see a police officer. The officer says to me that a gentleman was seen by kids taking out his garbage naked. He then goes on to describe the suspect as "white, 6'2 and skinny" he ask if that was me! At the time of this encounter I was 5'6 and 260 pounds, so I laugh and ask the officer if he's kidding. He then ask me to walk outside to... Continue reading
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  Two incidents of a few that I am willing to be open about

  by Life anew, almost 4 years ago

  I will be specific as I can. I want to start out by saying I am a person of color. Last year I was assaulted in Target by an employee in the bathroom at the Vancouver Plaza Drive location. Before leaving the store that morning I had decided since I travel by bus that I may as well use the restroom seeing as I have had the experience of missing one of my connecting buses to get home quite a few times before, and I did not want to have to hold it for so long. I notice one employee... Continue reading
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  A different shade of color

  by Not Quite White, almost 4 years ago

  From the outside, I look white. Privilege is assumed.
  On the inside, I am Armenian American. I am second generation and not ‘mixed’ with anything.
  Our people were persecuted in a holocaust much like the Jews, but it is not officially recognized. This persecution is why my family fled to the west, who sought asylum and tried hard to integrate into the melting pot of America. We were raised outside of the culture so we could be American and blend in. My skin has undertones of yellow, my eyes are dark, and my hair was too, but now it is... Continue reading
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  It’s not only against color it’s also racists against women

  by Survived , almost 4 years ago

  I was 8 months pregnant and my now ex had strangled me over the couch cops came because i had called earlier. The officers was in my face asking what I did for him to strangle me and that if I tried to do something. So I just kept telling him that he was going to hit me. And that he did push me on the floor and then when he was choking me I tried to get him off of me. That officer then told me on the way to the jail in back of his car you “women... Continue reading
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  Walk in my brown skin for a moment

  by katp, almost 4 years ago

  I was born and raised in Vancouver, Washington in 1964. My father and mother moved here from Mexia, Texas in 1960. My father was the first African American Male to attend Moler Barber College which was located on Fourth Plain. I saw the photo that he as a student and his chair was located at the back of the school and he was not given clients as a first choice unless the person agreed for him to touch them.

  My dad and uncle opened the first barber shop that cut anyone and everyone's hair in 1969. I remember the resistance... Continue reading
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  Life under negative expectations

  by rhupp44, almost 4 years ago

  The issue of racism has impacted every aspect of my life beginning as a young child, as I began to ascertain what it looks like, sounds like, and feels like. These acts would come from white America because of the systemic racism this country was founded on. This country was built for European immigrants who escaped a life of poverty in their homelands. When Europeans began forming the United States, which included writing the Articles of Confederation and the Constitution, these documents did not include rights for any people of African heritage. Before and after the United States gained their... Continue reading
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  Decades of Hard and soft Injustice

  by beh, almost 4 years ago

  I am a brown color Iranian American and have been a Naturalized U.S citizen since the seventies. Despite of decades of hard and soft discriminations including but not limited to multiple job related, socially related, and government related discriminations I consider myself successful simply because I never considered myself as a victim and if things got tough I made myself even tougher. However, all of this came with the price of extreme mental and physical hardship on myself and the people around me making life painful at times. Here is a short summary: 1.0 Out of the blue and in... Continue reading