In 2020, Portland, Oregon, gained an international reputation for its consecutive days of protests, federal intervention and clashes between the extremes of right and left. Portland has long held a tradition of activism and protest, but why? Our faculty experts can help explain the background behind the headlines.
The following experts are available to the media to address protest-related topics including:
Portland's past and present race relations
Shirley Jackson, professor of Sociology, specializes in the areas of race and ethnicity, gender, and social movements. She can speak to the history of race relations in Portland and how the current protests relate to the Black Lives Matter movement locally and nationally.
Contact info: (503) 725-9393 or shja2@pdx.edu
How did we get here?
An expert on social and protest movements, Marc Rodriguez, professor of History, has done a great deal of research on protest groups and organizers and can speak to the issues of polarization and comparisons between current and historic movements including Black Power, the New Left, and Chicanx/Latinx social movements.
Contact info: (503) 725-9212 or marc.rodriguez@pdx.edu
Violence on the far left and far right
Alexander Reid-Ross, adjunct faculty in Geography, focuses his research on white nationalist groups and their relation to the international fascist movement. Ross has been actively mapping incidents of far-right violence. He’s also had a front row seat studying the antifa movement’s response and how it has played out in Portland and the Pacific Northwest.
Contact info: (503) 961-4840 or aross@pdx.edu
Portland politics: image vs. reality
How far left is Portland, really? Chris Shortell, associate professor of Political Science, is an expert in the law and politics and has a good read on the local political scene. He can help separate fact from fiction when it comes to the city's reputation.
Contact info: (503) 725-5139 or shortell@pdx.edu
The view from behind the badge
Ron Louie has 33 years of law enforcement experience, most recently as the Policy Chief in Hillsboro, Oregon. He previously served as the Chief of Police, Astoria, Oregon and served 13 years with the Palo Alto, California, Police Dept. He is a graduate of the FBI National Academy and FBI Executive Academy (Quantico, Virginia), and Oregon Command College.
Contact info: (503) 725-4014 or ronl@pdx.edu
Bias in policing
Kimberly Kahn runs the Gender, Race, and Sexual Prejudice (GRASP) Lab at Portland State and her research shines a light on implicit bias in policing and understanding and improving police–minority relationships. She is an associate professor of Psychology.
Contact info: (503) 725-3972 or kimbkahn@pdx.edu