Is racism still a problem in Portland?

[MR. Cosmopolitan]

Being 2 years already in this town I've seen quite a lot of things, not all. That have given me an impression of what Portland is, one thing I saw was the absence of black people, or Afro Americans as you like to call them. That seemed unusual to me. I thought that they were usual all around America, because they are Americans, not immigrants.

Then I saw that there were some parts of Portland that had real concentrations of black people, I studied Portland's past and I noticed that at some time it had some links with the KKK, there were really lots of racist .

I wonder how much has Portland has changed in that matter, Is Portland sane or still racist, All I know is that it's still quite segregated, are there any elder or black Portland resident in this forum?

I would really want to know their opinion on this matter.

[scleeb]

Mr. C-

To answer your question, in my opinion, Portland is a very pluralistic and accepting community. Are there racists in Portland? Undoubtedly. Is Portland a racist city, absolutely not. That being said, this region does have an ugly history of social engineering. Beginning early in Oregon's history, African Americans were actively discouraged from moving to here. Those who did were subjected to rough treatment. The modern day consequence of these deplorable practices is that the Pacific Northwest's black population is disproportionately low when compared with other parts of the country. The good news is that Portland's relatively homogeneous demographics are beginning to change. Hopefully, as decades pass, Portland should look more and more like the rest of America.

Incidentally, my job requires that I travel extensively, both domestically and internationally. In my opinion, Portland compares very favorably with other parts of the United States with respect to racial tolerance.

I assume from the tenor of your inquiry that you are not a native Oregonian? Is that accurate? Are you a U.S. Citizen? just curious...

[urbanadvocate]

i dont think portland is a racist city but it does have a strange history for a west coast city and some of that has created a distinct culture that still exists today. in general i found portlanders to not only be very openminded but also found them to be very curious about others. with that being said, it is a very white city and i being a minority definitely felt my "presence" in places. as much as i love portland, its lack of diversity did contribute to me leaving. however, i think the demographics will continue to change and the city will change along with it for the better. btw--i lived near a very african american neighborhood in the northeast and loved it

[Eco_jt]

Just to chime in on this thread...

...I think basically that what has been said is true in my experience in Portland so far (1.5 years), that Portland is very open minded, inquisitive/curious of others, and very very white. In fact, I have never seen so many white people in my life...lol...not that it really matters or anything, I just use to live in Fremont, California where it seemed that white people were in minority. I identify as Hispanic on official forms (half Guatemalan, quarter Spanish, quarter Italian) but I am completely white washed ... so I basically feel white(americanized is probably the better term)...whatever that is suppose to mean =P

I remember reading an article somewhere that Portland was one of the whitest cities in US,
In a changing World
http://www.newgeography.com/content/...the-white-city

as to racism, I haven't seen very much of it, but it doesn't mean it doesn't exist. Now the police brutality of late...that could be a whole other thread...

[MR. Cosmopolitan]

Originally Posted by scleeb

Are you a U.S. Citizen? just curious...

No, I'm an alien I'm a legal alien I'm a Catalan in Portland.

Well actually more a Catalan Luxembourger. I was born in a ghetto. The quarter of Hollerich in Luxembourg City to be precise. The reason for my family living in a ghetto were more echonomical, it wasn't that locals descriminated me because of my origins, althought we were a bit isolated from the rest of the people.

Portland was once racist, and it can be seen by the lack of racial diversity, yet there are quite some Portlanders that do belong to a racial minority, and some of them live in ghettos while were typing. My question is what the life of dose people looks like.

People from NE Portland (where most of the ghettos are found) had said is quite good from what I've read. I'm glad it is that way, because from what I've seen on the news about that area, the shootings and other agressions, commited by and between gangs of Afro American people, gave me quite frankly another picture.

[JordanL]

I would say that no, Portland is not a racist city, just a city that lacks diversity. And those are not at ALL the same thing, and represent entirely different problems. A lack of diversity is not in itself even a problem, it's the things that result from it that are a negative for the community.

What DOES happen in Portland (and annoys me to no end) is politicians who seem to think Portland has to compensate for being "undiverse" or else we're racist. See: Mayor Tom Potter's attempt to rename Broadway (a rather historic street) to honor a Hispanic guy who had no real impact on us at all...

[cab]

Let me get this right, the lack of minorities can be connected with Oregon's past racist history? Seems ironic considering those parts of the country with more diversity can directly tie that to the slave trade or slave labor. The fact is, Oregon is in the boonies and a relatively new society. We are never going to have the east coast version of diversity, but we will and are seeing an influx of people of Asian decent coming for high tech jobs and Latin decent for jobs in agriculture. I'll take that over other parts of the country built on forced diversity.

[MR. Cosmopolitan]

There are black people outside the Old South because they fled the extreme racism in the area. They didn't go to Portland because it was openly racist, like the South East.

Asians were treated very badly by the locals, but they were tough like steel. They managed to progress in a completely hostile environment. But they still live in ghettos.

Most Hispanics came after the end of legal racism in Portland. I know many Hispanics here, they are not very integrated. But not many suffer from racism.

[2oh1]

I've got to be honest... I'm not trying to be mean here but this is really a dumb thread.

Is racism still a problem in Portland? Yes. Racism is a problem just as sexism is a problem just as any form of discrimination or prejudice is a problem. It's a problem in Portland just as it is everywhere else, though hopefully to a lesser degree.

The question isn't whether racism is "a problem". The question is: Is racism more prevalent in Portland than in other cities? That's hard to answer because of the lack of diversity here. It's also hard to answer by someone not being discriminated against. We are far less likely to notice that which we don't experience.

I mean, really... A bunch of white people discussing whether racism is a problem is as silly as a bunch of people with excellent hearing discussing whether or not it's challenging to be deaf. I don't experience the challenges a deaf person encounters day in and day out, so I can't even pretend to know what it's really like. Similarly, as a white Joe Shmoe, I don't show up for a job interview and have the first thing the interviewer notices be my skin color. I don't meet the parents of a woman I date and have them discuss whether it's 'appropriate' for her to date someone 'like' me.

The vast majority of discrimination is subtle, but that makes it no less offensive or demeaning. But let's be honest here... we live in a society that discriminates and we do it in more ways than we realize. I had a friend recently tell me she won't date baristas. She thinks they're not on enough of a career path. One of her girlfriends chimed in that she won't date accountants. Another said she won't date men under 5'8" ("because you know how short men are" she said).

And I can't say I'm much better. I saw a woman walking downtown yesterday with a small dog in her purse. I assumed she was a Paris Hilton bimbo. But then I looked again and noticed the dog was actually nicely cradled in the purse with his head and front paws poking out of the top, and the dog looked as happy as could be. Based on appearance and stereotypes, I'd made all sorts of assumptions about the woman. Granted, it didn't help that she had on those stupid cliche oversized sunglasses... but see? I just did it again.

Here's a truth about human beings: we are exceptionally intelligent, but we balance our intelligence with an enormous amount of sheer stupidity. We have so many marvelous qualities thanks to the combination of our smarts and our hearts, but we undermine our potential through our fears, doubts, envy and greed.

Another truth about human beings: People like people similar to themselves. In fact, people choose the company of people similar to themselves. For better or worse, it's true. Not 100% of the time, but definitely far more often than not. And that's where discrimination comes from. Ever notice how many workplaces are filled with people who all kinda sort-of look the same? It's no coincidence that NW Portland is about as diverse as a bag of marshmallows.

I was at the Lucky Lab a few years ago with a group of around 20 to 30 people. Most of us had never met before. We were there to play cards. There were three or four games going, and people kept shifting from group to group between games (and between trips to the bar for more tasty brews). What are the odds that, by the end of the evening, all of the people originally from NY were seated together? There were a few people from the midwest too, and they also ended up sitting together. Is that any different than how Portland's hippies like to live near one another? Hipsters do it too. People enjoy the company of people similar to themselves - for better or for worse.

I'm not saying Portland is a racist city - especially not when compared to other cities (Hello Baltimore! How YOU doin'?) I'm just saying that racism definitely exists here, and it's a challenge to undo because so many of our neighborhoods are so white. When we choose people like ourselves, we also (even if only unintentionally) choose to push away people who aren't like ourselves. It's a self-perpetuating cycle.

I can say that Portland appears - to this pasty white guy at least - to be the least racist city I've lived in. And that's yet another reason why I'm proud to call Portland home.

[MR. Cosmopolitan]

Originally Posted by 2oh1

I'm just saying that racism definitely exists here, and it's a challenge to undo because so many of our neighborhoods are so white. When we choose people like ourselves, we also (even if only unintentionally) choose to push away people who aren't like ourselves. It's a self-perpetuating cycle.

Very good point, but I would say more people that we are used to see than people that look like ourselves.

You were right about the title it was quite bad so I changed it to is segregation still a problem in Portland? because that's what wearyes me more
, many or posibly most of the people belonging to a minority live in a ghetto or sort of ghetto.

If at this moment when Portland is so flat in diversity is already quite segregated, how would Portland look in the future when it would be diverse?

[65MAX]

I'm with 2oh1 on this one. Why is racism (or segregation) a Portland problem? It has absolutely nothing to do with the city. Racism happens everywhere. It's kinda like asking, "Is crime still a problem in Portland?" Well of course, it's a problem everywhere. What's your point?

[urbanadvocate]

Originally Posted by 65MAX

I'm with 2oh1 on this one. Why is racism (or segregation) a Portland problem? It has absolutely nothing to do with the city. Racism happens everywhere. It's kinda like asking, "Is crime still a problem in Portland?" Well of course, it's a problem everywhere. What's your point?

yes its not just a portland problem but how it exists in portland is unique and i think thats what the author of this thread is getting at. the northwest has a unique history with race, as do other parts of the country, the difference is that that unique history is not well known, not even by portlanders, yet it very much has an impact on the city's fabric.

--is portland a more racist city than your avg american city?--i think most would say definitly not

--does portland have more segregation than your typical avg american city?--in my opinion yes but that may just have to do with the fact that there are fewer minority groups so they tend to form their own very small communities. its by no means a forced segregation but yes some of it might be remnants of forced segregation--portland did hold onto that longer than other west coast cities.

--are portlanders open minded and accepting?--definitely.

[davehogan]

Originally Posted by cab

Let me get this right, the lack of minorities can be connected with Oregon's past racist history? Seems ironic considering those parts of the country with more diversity can directly tie that to the slave trade or slave labor.

Oregon's state constitution as ratified in 1859 made it a "whites only" state to avoid the conflicts being found in other parts of the country at that time. So, yes, the lack of minorities can directly be linked to Oregon's past racist history. Many southern cities actually incredibly high (compared to the national rate) of minority citizens. Many people didn't want to or could not afford to travel hundreds or thousands of miles, tear up all their ties, etc, just to relocate to areas that didn't want them after the civil war.

That said, having grown up in Buffalo and lived in San Diego I can safely say that Portland is about as racially tolerant as I can imagine. I was asked to leave a club in Buffalo because they don't welcome the Irish. That's the kind of racism I thought died 70 years ago, but it's alive and well out there.

In San Diego it's more of a distrust of blacks and hatred of Hispanics, but it's still fairly palpable. Portland's a paradise of tolerance compared to the northeast or southwest.

[twofiftyfive]

Anti-racist group argues shooting of Portland man was a neo-Nazi attack

[cab]

They didn't go to Portland because it's in the extreme NW of our country. It's not like people had the resources to make the trek to an extremely tough, rainy, limited job based area. All the cities of the PNW have very low African American influx. Seattle only has higher numbers because of the military infrastructure. Not saying there was no racism, it's here, but there was NO incentive for any mass migration. What is the PNW to do, beg people to come here just to increase diversity? We a pretty open and welcoming society. We pulled the door open for anyone who likes, sustainability, good coffee, DIY mentality, Beer, wine, nature, etc. Any human who want to experience those things that the PNW offers can move here.

[Northeast79]

I've lived in different parts of the country and Portland is definitely white. Being homogeneous doesn't make a place racist, but as a whole, the people can be ignorant. If you just don't interact often with other ethnic groups, the few interactions you do have will tend to shape your view of them. So, just by a shear lack of diversity you can become prejudice. But, you can't really blame anyone for that.

As a culture, Portland is very tolerant and open. There just isn't a large minority population to inform people's ideas about race.

[MR. Cosmopolitan]

I wanted to see the opinion of the concerned people, one thing is the point view of the majority, the one that most people see on this kind of subject. And the point of view of the minority concerned by the debate, most of the time seen by very few people outside themselves.

[sopdx]

That is an excellent point. The speaker or writer in this case, represents a view that is influenced by their personal and collective history, color, etc... If only white males are writing, then that is the perspective we are reading. If a woman of color writes, undoubtedly, a different perspective is presented.

Although a valid question, I'm troubled when people ask whether or not a place is racist. Racism and bigotry of any sort has never been place specific. Yes, there are extreme examples of racism and bigotry based in particular cultures and regions - wars have been and are being fought because of it. However, my caution is that by associating racism with a place or a culture, we somehow avoid how racism is evident in every culture and region of the world and I would argue, in all of us. It is important for every culture and individual to deal with this and not feel exonerated by an idea that a place is or isn't considered racist.

Regarding Portland is it is obviously white - white, white, white. Whitest major city in the US - however not the whitest metropolitan area. African Americans in most cases, did not only leave the south because it was racist, they left for employment in the big industrial east coast and midwest centers. Trust me, there was plenty of racism in Chicago, Detroit and New York - although being large cities it was more covert. Read Richard Wright. The NW was isolated and manufacturing was limited.

The KKK was big in Oregon in the 1920's, although it was big everywhere in the US. In Oregon, there were few blacks due to the exclusion laws. Exclusion laws also existed in Illinois and other states. The US had a Chinese exclusion act until after WWII. Since there were no blacks, they went after Catholics and in fact, the state legislature just repealed an law banning religious wear in educational institutions that was instituted during the anti-catholic period.

African Americans moved here for work in the shipyards during WWII. After the war those that stayed faced racism and red-lining. Red lining, excluding blacks from certain neighborhoods was encouraged by the Federal policies. It wasn't limited to Portland. In fact, in very tolerant San Francisco, there were only 1000 blacks before WWII. Many moved into the Filmore having many available properties after the Japanese Americans were interned. The Filmore, in turn, was bulldozed for urban renewal in the 1960 forcing people from their homes or into costly and troubled projects.

Anyhow, sorry for the lengthy post, I could go on and on. It's an important subject. I've studied quite a bit about racism and particularly racism in Portland.

[MR. Cosmopolitan]

^That "anti-racist" group this article is talking about are Redskins; drunken, violent, teenagers, that like to get into trouble at night. (synnonim)

They use the pretext of racism to start fights against the Skinheads, because their not happy if they don't kick somebody's butt each time they hang out at night.

To me both are the same, they just have a different title.

One thing I will say about all this, Portland should have a tighter control on gun possetion, It's embarrassing to see people like this carrying guns.

[puerco]

As sopdx said, Portland didn't have an influx of African Americans until WWII when they came to work in the Kaiser Shipyards. During the war the town of Vanport -where Delta Park now exists- housed a multi-racial population of workers from the shipyards. Vanport was destroyed by flooding in 1948 & 40,000 people had to find places to live. Most of the African Americans stayed in North & Northeast Portland. Portland's PBS station did a documentary on Portland's African American history about 10 years ago. Despite early posts about institutionaizedl racism, Portland's business leaders got together & decided to make a concerted effort to provide decent-paying jobs for African American workers. I remember their saying that the telephone company started hiring blacks, along with hospitals, the school board and other larger employers. I grew up in NE Portland & I never witnessed any overt racism. I think it's unfair to say Portland's racist simply because it has a small minority population.