Mayor Snyder and the Portland City Council issued a proclamation at their June 1, 2020 City Council meeting condemning racism and honoring Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and George Floyd.

PROCLAMATION CONDEMNING RACISM AND HONORING AHMAUD ARBERY, BREONNA TAYLOR AND GEORGE FLOYD

WHEREAS,  recent tragedies in Brunswick, Georgia, Louisville, Kentucky, and Minneapolis, Minnesota have again shone a light on systemic racism and the current and historically disparate treatment of African Americans and black people in our country; and

WHEREAS,   we are outraged at the murders of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd, and the City of Portland condemns all forms of racism and police brutality, and supports and protects all its residents no matter their ethnicity, race, faith, sexual orientation, or gender; and

WHEREAS,   we support and commit to calling out hate and discrimination when we see it and help promote our core American value that no one should be targeted because of their identity; and

WHEREAS,  violence, hate crimes, and police brutality create fearful and unstable communities; and

WHEREAS,  as public servants we have an even greater responsibility to speak out against racism, discrimination, bias, and hatred because when the unacceptable becomes the norm in our society, human rights for all are threatened; and

WHEREAS,  the City of Portland affirms and commits to protect the rights of all people, including the Black Lives Matter Movement, and justice allies and activists in our community who speak up and protest and demand justice for all; and

WHEREAS,   hate will not be tolerated, and we will stand together to fight any form of bigotry, discrimination, or hate, in speech or action, against any group, from whatever the source; 

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Portland City Council and Mayor wholeheartedly condemn the actions and injustices that have again wrought division and crisis in our community and across these “United” states; and 

THEREFORE BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the City of Portland recommits to working on ways in which we can engage our communities to address and uproot institutionalized racism and implicit bias and offer spaces for dialogue, trainings, and understanding; and

THEREFORE BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED AND REAFFIRMED that the City Council of the City of Portland, Maine will maintain constant vigilance with regard to its own public safety policies and actions and do everything in its power to make certain that Portland is and will remain a welcoming city opposed to acts of racism and bigotry. 

Signed and sealed on this 1st day of June, 2020.

Kathleen M. Snyder

City of Portland, Mayor