The Oregon Department of Justice (DOJ) and the City of Portland Office of Community & Civic Life are set to sign an Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) on Tuesday, September 10, at 12:30 p.m. The signing will take place at the Oregon DOJ Portland Building in the Tilikum Conference Room.
Notable participants include Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum from the Oregon DOJ, Fay Stetz-Waters, Director of Civil Rights and Social Justice at the Oregon DOJ, Dan Ryan, Commissioner for the City of Portland, and Mourad Ratbi, Interim Director of the Office of Community & Civic Life.
The IGA aims to strengthen collaboration between these agencies in supporting victims of hate crimes and bias incidents, as well as those targeted under Oregon’s sanctuary laws. It outlines plans for training City of Portland employees on hate/bias and sanctuary laws and educating community members about available support resources such as Oregon’s Bias Response Hotline and Sanctuary Promise Hotline. Additionally, both agencies will participate in Welcoming Week events and attend New Portlanders Policy Commission meetings.
The Office of Community & Civic Life was founded in 1974 with a mission to connect Portland residents with their city government to promote common good through civic engagement and community leadership. More information can be found at portland.gov/civic.
The Civil Rights Unit (CRU) within the Crime Victim and Survivor Services Division of the Oregon DOJ works closely with Fay Stetz-Waters. Established following SB 577 in 2019, the CRU created the nation’s first statewide Hate Crimes and Bias Incidents Response Hotline. After HB 3265 passed in 2021, it also established the Sanctuary Promise program and hotline to investigate violations of sanctuary laws. Further details are available at StandAgainstHate.Oregon.gov, SanctuaryPromise.Oregon.gov, and PromesaSantuario.Oregon.gov.
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