The Civic Life Bureau and Code Change Committee will present to City Council on November 14. See details here.
In July 2018 City Council passed a resolution to create a committee to revise the City Code for the section of government that guides the bureau called the Office of Community and Civic Life. (This part of the code is called 3.96.) So this issue is sometimes called Code Change 3.96.
DACP supports the new Code proposal because it includes Disability Justice along with Racial Justice and social justice.
A 23-person committee was set up in November and they worked on new inclusive language for the code. Kathy Coleman, artistic director of DACP, was on the code change committee (as was Molly Mayo, though she did not work for DACP at the time).
At the June code change committee meeting, protests against the code change began from Neighborhood Associations. In the still-current code, Neighborhood Associations are talked about as the primary way for people to be engaged in government. In the new (not yet voted on) code, the language does not focus on Neighborhood Associations.
Groups that support the code change include Unite Oregon, Voz Worker’s Rights, Oregon Food Bank, Coalition of Communities of Color, Rosewood Initiative, Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization, and Disability Art and Culture Project. There is a website Change the Code: Share the Power that lists supporters of the change.
Groups that oppose the code change include predominantly Neighborhood Associations. There is a website Keep Portland Neighborly that lists opponents of the change.
In preparation for the code change presentation to City Council, we are holding two REAL (Reject Economic Ableist Limits) meetings to discuss how we will respond as a community and plan for our attendance on the 14th. Both meetings are 4-6pm at SE Uplift, 3534 SE Main St. Portland, on Wednesday November 6th and 13th.