On May 21, 2025, Portland City Council debated and ultimately approved a preliminary budget of $8.5 billion—with roughly $316 million going to the Portland Police Bureau (PPB). This is a small, but meaningful, reduction from the original $318 million slated to go to the PPB, with the nearly $2 million reduction being redirected to Portland Parks.
This policing budget reduction is a victory worth celebrating.
And it’s not enough.
As recent events in Los Angeles have shown, we live under the rule of an authoritarian regime that is willing to sic military forces against its own citizens. And make no mistake, the military forces sent by this regime to brutalize Angelenos defending their communities against ICE raids were sent there to aid, abet, and expand upon the mission of policing. The function of policing is, and has always been, to serve the interests of those in power and protect their property, even when it comes at the expense of the safety and civil liberties of ordinary people.
Now is not the time for Portland to lean into the fear-mongering and concern-trolling about unhoused people, “violent crime” and broken windows that Mayor Wilson has been pushing with his talking points. It’s time for the Mayor and City Council to realize that budgets reflect who the city prioritizes. The current city budget, with it’s bloated policing budget, is failing many more Portlanders than it purports to be helping.
Thankfully, all hope is not lost. Several councilors have been fierce advocates for community safety and been brave enough to take unpopular stances against the exorbitant spending within the PPB. Critical Resistance Portland applauds Councilors Avalos, Dunphy, Green, Kanal, Koyama-Lane, Morillo, and Novick for their support of budget amendments meant to keep us safe by increasing funding for affordable housing, mental healthcare, and community third spaces. We thank you and urge you all to continue pressing to fund the programs and services that get to the root of issues like poverty and homelessness.
The state of the world has lit a fire in many of our bellies. It’s high time that our elected leaders harness that fire to boldly reimagine what public safety can look like and continue to fight for a more just Portland.
-Critical Resistance Portland (CRPDX)