This week at Bike Happy Hour, we’ll sit down with activists working on the front lines of the fight to keep immigrants safe. Everyone is welcome at what should be a night of listening, learning, and productive conversations.
After anti-ICE activists shouted down my interview with Mayor Keith Wilson earlier this month, I reached out to them. As I alluded to in my recap of that night, I was disappointed we didn’t get a chance to have a conversation with the mayor and wish the night would have ended differently; but I understand the frustration of the activists who showed up and believe we’re stronger when we hear each other, build a bigger tent, and keep the conversation going. And they agreed.
Folks who do advocacy with Revoke the ICE Permit PDX, a project of Portland Contra las Deportaciones, want to connect and collaborate with road safety and transportation activists. At Bike Happy Hour on Wednesday night (10/1), they’ll join us for a teach-in. Our goal is to learn from each other, find out how our issues intersect, and how bicycling and transportation activists can leverage our tools and knowledge for the cause of keeping immigrants and streets safe from a rise from federal military aggression in our city — and vice versa.
Whether it’s transportation justice during the old Critical Mass days, protests against Big Oil, the fight for economic justice during Occupy Portland, or the fight for racial justice during the George Floyd protests, — our city has a long and proud legacy of bicycle riders who step up in moments of need. The fight to keep vulnerable people safe against the illegal incursion of federal forces in Portland should be no different.
Leaving the confines of transportation advocacy and injecting myself into the immigration rights issue with activists who I’ve never worked with and have mixed feelings about is a bit scary and uncomfortable. But we are in times where discomfort is required and I didn’t create BikePortland and Bike Happy Hour for it to be an oasis from reality.
I hope you’ll join us from 3:00 to 6:00 this Wednesday in the Rainbow Road Plaza (with raincoats on maybe!) on SE Ankeny for this event. It’s a regular Bike Happy Hour, but starting at 5:30 we’ll open the mics for conversations around ICE and immigrant safety. There will be opportunities for you to speak as well, so come ready to share your voice.
Let’s keep an open mind about how we can learn from each other, and who knows, maybe all the advocacy we do will be stronger as a result!
If you have any questions or comments about this, leave a comment below or reach to me directly at maus.jonathan@gmail.com. Thanks for your attention and support.
