New data seem to support personal fears of discrimination and violence toward communities of color

(JULY 29, 2022) Recent reports suggest that people of color face growing discrimination in many places in Oregon, including Portland. The Oregonian newspaper recently reported that a disproportionate number of Black and Latino drivers have been stopped by Portland Police. And Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB) recently shared data about a surge in anti-Asian crimes in Oregon.

The traffic data come from a July 1, 2022 report by the Portland Police Bureau. The report documents the perceived race and ethnicity of drivers. It also notes why the drivers were stopped and what happened. For example, the driver might have been given a ticket. They might have been arrested. They might have been searched for things like drugs or weapons. Or there may have been no action taken.

Overall, Portland Police have stopped fewer total drivers recently. In fact, the number has dropped 44%, from 24,991 in 2020 to 14,028 in 2021. However, there was not an equivalent drop in stops of people of color. The percentage of stops of people of color actually increased, while the number of stops of white people decreased. The Oregonian says that this trend was first noticed by the police in 2016 -- and in every report since then. For example, 5.4% of people in Portland are Black. But 17.9% of traffic stops were of Black drivers. Latinos represent 8.8% of the population, but 11.4% of drivers stopped.

Police say this is because of the city's changing demographics, not racial bias. Others disagree. “Black and brown people in our communities ... feel targeted,” said Julianne Jackson. She is the director of movement building for Partnership for Safety & Justice. That is an Oregon criminal justice group. She told The Oregonian, “They know that they’ve been profiled, and distrust grows."

That distrust is also present in the Asian community, which has faced crimes of vandalism of storefronts to violence such as the physical attack of an Asian American father and his young daughter over the July 4th weekend.

Amaury Vogel is the associate executive director of the Oregon Values and Beliefs Center. Vogel told OPB, "“The numbers aren’t good. 49% of Asian Oregonians say that they or a family member have experienced someone using a racial slur, epithet, or degrading language against them.”

Meanwhile the Oregon Criminal Justice Commission collects data about these crimes and actions statewide. Its latest report from July 2022 showed that bias crimes and incidents increased from the past year. OPB says, "According to the report, anti-Asian incidents went up by 200% last year and anti-Asian crime increased by 300% in 2021."