Pacific Green Party of Oregon stands in solidarity with the Black, Indigenous and People of Color communities and their allies in protesting against police brutality
The Pacific Green Party of Oregon stands in solidarity with our brothers and sisters mourning for yet another member of the African American community dead at the hands of yet another callous police officer. These deaths and related targeting of communities of color and in poverty perpetuate deep trauma in the African American community and must stop immediately. The practices leading to those deaths need to end.
The Pacific Green Party also stands in solidarity with protesters demonstrating against police violence. We focus on the real issue: systemic racism reinforced by police violence against people of color and the marginalized.
“Greens value non-violence and social justice, so protesting police violence is a no-brainer; but it is clear to us that African-Americans, Indigenous and People of Color are subject to systemic racism. Death-by-Cop has to stop,” said Charles Newlin, Media contact at the Pacific Green Party. The recent murder of George Floyd by Derek Chauvin of the Minneapolis Police Department, and of Breonna Taylor and David McAtee by the Louisville PD, as well as the recent racially-motivated murder of Ahmaud Arbery must not continue going unpunished. Between 2013 and 2019, police in the US killed 7,666 people, according to data compiled by Mapping Police Violence, a research and advocacy group - an unchanged toll of approximately 1000 “deaths-by-cop” a year. Despite making up only 13 percent of the US population, Black Americans are two-and-a-half times as likely as white Americans to be killed by the police.
The picture of a white cop with his knee pressed on the neck of George Floyd is painfully evocative of Jim Crow lynchings conducted throughout the South in the Post-Reconstruction era. It perpetuates the continued traumatization of generations of young Black men and women in America. Simply revolting and unacceptable.
In the quest for social justice, the PGP of Oregon calls for
- Defunding and demilitarization of police forces nationwide, body cameras, funding for practices focused on de-escalation, addressing the mental health crisis and community involvement/empowerment
- Full investigation and prosecution of rogue officers, purging the force of persistently unaccountable and violent police
- Reparations for persistent, transgenerational and structural and cultural racism that underlie all these unnecessary deaths. This can start by slashing military spending and reinvesting those funds in the community for education, healthcare, and basic needs like quality housing, childcare and healthy food.
The Pacific Green Party of Oregon invites all who seek to end systemic racism in our police departments and across society to take up the Green banner, and work for political, social and economic transformation of society. We are holding the statewide nominating convention on June 6; visit pacificgreens.org
State Convention June 6, Absentee voting starts June 3rd
The state convention will take place online. Registered Green Party members MUST preregister in order to participate and vote. Absentee voting starts today, June 3rd and ends on June 6th, 4:30pm. Information about the agenda, candidates, proposals and registration form can be found on the convention page.
Once you are verified to be a registered Green Party member, you will receive an email with the zoom link to the convention, and a second email from OpaVote with your ballot.
We take the opportunity of this message to stand in solidarity with our Black, Indigenous, People of Color and other marginalized sisters and brothers. We commit to continue learning about how to dismantle inherited racism. We mourn with you the deaths and many tragedies and injustices that continue to befall those without priviledge. We vow to channel the pain and rage felt throughout the country against those who continue rigging the system for their benefit, at our cost.
Registration Open for GPUS National Convention
Attention hopeful delegates and other attendees! the Green Party of the United States (GPUS) will hold its 2020 National Convention July 9, 2020 – July 12, 2020. Important information and registration can be acessed at https://www.gp.org/convention
Meet the Presidential Candidates Zoom Meeting
You are cordially invited to meet the Green Party Presidential Candidates Friday May 29th at 6pm on Zoom. This is an event organized for the Pacific Green Party in advance of the State nominating convention. The event will begin at 6pm with formal candidate presentations beginning about 6:15pm. After candidate presentations there will be time for questions and answers. Confirmed candidates are Howie Hawkins, Dario Hunter, Sedinam Kinamo Christin Moyowasifza, Kent Mesplay and Dennis Lambert.
Emma Lugo is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: Meet the Green Party Candidates for President
Time: May 29, 2020 06:00 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada)
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86258468441
password: 236730
PGP Covid-19 Policy Statement
The Pacific Green Party has drafted a policy statement on state and federal response to Covid-19.
Jesse Ventura Eyes GPUS Presidential Nomination
(UPDATE: We regret to report that Jesse has declined to run for health reasons. He has left open the possibility of being nominated by a brokered convention but has not requested that he be placed on our ballot.)
Jesse Ventura eyes Green Party nomination for president; Green Party race for Presidential nominee heats up.
Salem, Oregon –
Reports are out that Jesse Ventura has formally registered as a Green with the Minnesota Green Party. For weeks, Ventura has hinted in tweets and interviews that he was considering the national Green Party for a presidential run. By registering as a Green he is giving up his independent status.
The Green Party race for presidential nominee currently has three officially-recognized contenders; all are established Greens:
Howie Hawkins is the original Green New Dealer and campaigned on the issue when he ran for Governor of New York in 2010. He is also a founding member, having helped organize the US Green Party in August 1984.
Dario Hunter has been an elected Board Member, Youngstown Board of Education (Youngstown, OH) – 2016-2020; he is a rabbi and environmental lawyer.
Hawkins and Hunter have already campaigned for the nomination in Oregon.
Also in the race is David Rolde. He represents himself as a protest candidate running against the so-called “USA” and its “phony presidential elections.” Rolde’s central policy objective as president is to “eliminate the U.S. military and weapons industry."
Oregon Pacific Green Party members will have an opportunity to vote on the nominees at their state nominating convention June 6 via a Zoom conference. The national nominating convention will be July 7, when national Greens will select their candidate for President of the USA through a virtual meeting.
Some people within Oregon’s Pacific Green Party are lining up behind Ventura.
“Ventura was a city mayor and governor of Minnesota with a 75% approval rating when he left office. He's a fierce no-nonsense populist who despises both Dems and Reps alike, defeating both as an Independent in both elections,” said Jack Dresser, a member of the PGP and strong proponent of Ventura winning the National Green Party nomination.
“He was a Navy Seal during Viet Nam, which scores him points in the public eye, is now adamantly antiwar and anti-waste of public money; he wrote an entire book demonstrating how our country and leadership has dishonored itself, and equivocates about nothing,” said Dresser. “In fact, he is what our country needs right now, in this time of crisis.”
Other local greens are not so confident about Ventura, citing his militancy and willingness to delve into conspiracy theories. But his experience as a Governor is a big plus.
Other candidates remain who have not met the criteria for "recognition" by the GPUS Presidential Campaign Support Committee, including:
Sedinam Kinamo Christin Moyowasifiza Curry
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The 2020 PGP Candidate Nominating Convention will be held June 6 via Zoom and hopefully also a site TBA in Corvallis. Voters registered PGP by April 28 are eligible to help choose Oregon's delegates to the GPUS nominating convention, which will be held entirely remotely July 9-12.
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Pacific Greens denounce CARES ACT; support solidarity with workers; call for General Strike
The Pacific Green Party of Oregon issued a May Day statement declaring solidarity with working people of America.
Salem, Oregon –
"As we approach May Day, 2020, Pacific Greens of Oregon stand in solidarity with workers of the world, unionized and not, and invite us all, we the people, to envision a world that dignifies all people, without the extreme class divide which locks many into a permanent state of poverty. The Pacific Green Party supports workers’ rights to organize, to earn a living wage, to have medical care and affordable housing,” declares the open statement for May Day celebration.
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