‘White male privilege’ makes some afraid of council meetings, Portland politician says

A newly-elected member of the Portland City Council in Oregon says some who come to speak before the body exude “white male privilege” — and make others afraid to attend because of their loud interruptions.

“As I start my third week on the Portland City Council, I am concerned about how privilege and, specifically white male privilege, is limiting the public’s access to City Hall,” city commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty wrote in a statement, according to KGW8. “These disruptions create a chilling effect on people who are unaccustomed to coming to our City Hall to have their voices heard.

“People are afraid to bring their children to our important civic meetings,” she continued.

Hardesty is the first-ever black woman elected to the city council, according to The Portland Mercury. Only two other black men had served on the council before her, with the most recent leaving office nearly 30 years before her election.

She said her election helped inspire a renewed sense of optimism in the city of Portland, which the U.S. Census Bureau said was 78 percent white in 2010 and 2 percent African-American, according to OregonLive.

“What I see all around me is a city filled of people with hope. And I don’t take that hope lightly,” Hardesty said, according to The Portland Mercury. “I look forward to what we’re able to do together as Portlanders.”

During Hardesty’s first city council meeting, two men disrupted the meeting with shouting — and one compared “serial killers” and members of the council, according to OregonLive.

She recalled in an interview with OregonLive: “I leaned over and said to the mayor, ‘Is this normal?’ And he said, ‘Every week.’”

Dan Saltzman, who previously held the seat that Hardesty now has, “complained that the frequent disruptions by critics of police and city leaders at Portland council meetings result in fewer people commenting and attending, out of fear,” according to Pamplin Media.

That’s why Hardesty — who campaigned on increasing funding for things like Portland Fire & Rescue “at the expense of the Portland Police Bureau” — is hoping to prevent such disruptions in the future, as reported by Pamplin Media.

“If that happens every week, then what it does is drown out regular people who finally have the nerve to come down to City Hall and speak their piece,” she told Pamplin Media. “Nobody’s going to come back if every time they come it looks like a fight’s about to break out.”

In her statement, Hardesty said all are welcome in the city council, but she has concerns about how the meetings have played out in the past.

“As someone who has spent time a lot of time on the other side of this podium demanding accountability, I find it chilling and disrespectful that there are a few white men who think that everything this council does is about them. It isn’t,” she said, according to KATU2.

“If you have a proposal to improve the outcomes for people in the city of Portland, you will find a welcoming ear and my office is ready to assist you,” she said, according to KATU2. “However, if this is simply about having footage for your YouTube channel or Facebook page, you should be aware that using your privilege in this way cannot continue.

“You have a right to have your voice heard, but not at the expense of other people,” she continued. “I am encouraging other white men and women to check the behavior of those who seek to drown out the voices of others.

“Civic discourse cannot thrive if it is not coupled with civility and respect for all others.”