The Portland Mercury highlights the importance of local journalism and cultural coverage, urging community support. It features an upcoming comedy event and discusses two critical local issues: the legislative push against "greenwashing" by enacting Senate Bill 680 and the ethical concerns surrounding TriMet's Safety Response Team, which some former employees criticize for its police relations and treatment of vulnerable staff. These issues reflect ongoing conversations about climate advocacy and public safety reform in Portland.
'Greenwashing' is the practice of pretending your service or product is helping to slow climate change, but it's actually bullshit. And it's enough of a problem that Oregon legislators are proposing Senate Bill 680 which would ban the practice under the state's Unlawful Trade Practices Act and subject the business to a fine. Climate advocates love the idea, while some businesses? Not so much, unsurprisingly.
When TriMet launched the Safety Response Team in 2021, the agency emphasized it as part of a wider movement to rethink public safety. But some people who have worked for the program question its ethics and effectiveness, noting its close ties to police, and treatment of vulnerable staff members.
Collection
[
|
...
]