Disarm PSU- Portland, Oregon Organization Calling for Immediate Action to Disarm Campus Security

Portland State University is in the heart of downtown Portland Oregon, among the bustling city and vibrant community. It's a beautiful campus with lots to do and see, but there has recently been unrest within the community. On June 29th, 2018, change started to take place at Portland State.

On that date last year, Jason Washington was murdered on campus by campus security. Campus security became armed. DISARM PSU's website says, "Jason Washington’s blood is in part, on the hands of PSU administrators (past and present) and the Board of Trustees (BOT) members who voted in favor of arming officers simultaneously choosing to ignore the Faculty Senate vote, and the will of the majority of faculty, staff, and students who begged the University not to arm officers. These people also disregarded the abundance of evidence surrounding police brutality, and the current crisis surrounding law enforcement killings of Black people in the United States." 

The location of the crime was the Cheerful Tortoise bar on campus. Washington and his friends from the Navy were having a night out to watch a game, and ended up going to bars after as well. They were drinking and having fun together, but one of Washington's friends had had too much and was starting to fight with other individuals at the bar. In this moment, his friend handed Washington his gun. Once security arrived, Washington was trying to break his friend and the man he was fighting apart. He was trying to stop the fight. The events after this moment are described by Ericka Cruz Guevarra of OPB:

"The incident escalates when Wilkinson pushes another man to the ground and punches him. Washington is among the first to respond.
“Sir, sir,” Officer Dewey can be heard saying as he grabs Washington’s arm. “I got to have you back up.” Washington, who had a valid concealed carry permit, pulls a man up from out of the pack and falls to the ground. “He’s got a gun,” someone can be heard saying, referring to the gun on Washington’s hip. Washington gets up and walks away from the fight. It’s unclear in the video whether he has the gun in his hand. “Drop the gun!” an officer yells several times. “We’ll shoot you!”

One second after that warning, Officer McKenzie shoots.

Wilkinson can be seen in the video, lying next to Washington’s body. The police report shows Washington had sustained gunshot wounds in right knee, his back, left chest, the right side of his neck and left cheek."

Jason was a man with a full life and a happy family. He was taken from this world because he had his friend's gun, and was trying to stop a fight. 

Portland State students, faculty and administrators were so affected by this act of violence, that DISARM PSU was created to let their voices be heard and stand up to Portland State Security Officers. On their website, it shows events and documents that can be used to expand your knowledge on the issue that exists in the Portland community as a whole. To get involved and support the cause, you can go to https://disarmpsunow.com/ to see when the upcoming events are.

For those who aren't from the Portland area, it's easy to see parallels in similar events in your own community. Police violence is a major issue within countless communities globally. There are some countries that have done something about the unjust violence, and some that are still working on it. DISARM PSU is a great example of a community starting small to create big change within social justice. Another group in the area, SW Actions Group for Social Justice (SWAG), works on an even larger scale in the Portland community to take action in fighting unjust violence and policy. If you know groups in your community taking the same actions, join them. Communities banding together are a powerful force, and create major change. Jason Washington died because of unjust police violence, and you can be a voice that helps stop more lives from being lost in your own community.

Sources:

https://www.opb.org/news/article/portland-state-police-jason-washington-autopsy-report/

https://www.opb.org/news/article/portland-state-officer-shooting-police-report-jason-washington/