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I know someone in an interracial relationship who is talking about moving to Portland, Oregon and I am very concerned about some things that I have heard and seen from various sources. Both the ADL (Anti Defamation League) website and the SPLC (Southern Poverty Law Center) websites give detailed information about certain dangerous groups in that area, also The History Channel documentary series "Gangland" episodes "Hate Nation" and "Skinhead Assault" give a pretty blunt and disturbing overview of the threats, I have also seen Portland's anti-racist action group "Rose City Antifa" provide valuable articles about certain groups like that in that area. I have also seen a number of articles online in the Portland news stations and news papers that mentioned racist activities, as well as several older sources of information regarding this issue like the famous Time Magazine publication "Skinhead Mayhem", and because it has been a problem for a long time that could mean these groups are deeply rooted in that area. I have heard that the Northwest is noted as being their "stronghold" and that Portland at one time was known as the skinhead capitol of the USA.
However, I do understand that Portland tries to maintain a liberal image and promotes the "hipster" vibe as is evidenced in the show "Portlandia" and I am sure that there are a ton of people who do not embrace the racist and bigoted ideologies, however it appears enough individuals do embrace it, and that constitutes a significant threat to the mental and physical well being of certain people based on race, religion, orientation etc.. I also understand that Portland was recently rated as one of the safest cities in the nation however that may largely be due to the fact that the majority of the cities population is white and the largest threat groups would primarily target a relatively small percent of the cities population; that being the minorities. So given that fact, it may alter the statistics and not give a truly accurate reflection of how safe the city is for certain people. Meaning it may be a lot safer for white people than non-white people/ non-minority groups than minority groups, and a lot of people may not even recognize that unless they actually see it or experience it.
What is daily life really going to be like for my friends? How safe is it really? I would also like to hear from anyone in any classification of minority group whether based on race or religion or orientation or anything else, what has been your experiences and have you had any confrontations or interactions with those groups, what should I know? Is there a specific area in Portland or surrounding cities that is noticeably less safe for minorities than other areas? An area that is more safe for minorities? Any help would be greatly appreciated.
A lot of those shows and agenda driven organizations are blowing the situation way out of proportion. By "safe", which you seem to repeatedly focus on, I assume you mean to general physical well being and perhaps not being the target of blatant verbal abuse. In that case, I think they would have virtually nothing to worry about. I'm not saying it could or would never happen but it is very unlikely, even compared to most other parts of the country.
However, there is clearly an undertone of racism in this area. It's never overt, but exists in my opinion. It's not so much borne of trying to harm minorities or anything, but more of a lack of insensitive understanding in speaking of them and dealing with them. Portland is not really an open arms community in many peoples' opinion anyhow, so it may even be more difficult with someone of color. Having said that, no one will likely bother them or hurl insults at them. There is no large hardcore racist organization that I'm aware of but I probably wouldn't know either way.
Daily life is going to be fine and safe for your friends. It's very unlikely that they will ever have a "confrontation" that is initiated by someone else. If they are hypersensitive to racial issues, it's somewhat possible that your friends may be the ones to start a confrontation because they overhear someone saying something like, "I can't understand why people are being so hard on Paula Deen" or the like. They may very well run into these types of instances where they feel some people are being insensitive to racial issues, but it won't be rampant and for the most part something which can be ignored and written off as people being ignorant.
Since you have done such in depth research on racism here, I suggest you do an equally in depth exploration of crime statistics in Portland. I think your concern for your friends is way, WAY overblown. I'm white but know two interracial couples that have never experienced any trouble at all. Sure, we have racism, homophobia gangs here, just like anywhere else, but not to the degree that you need lose sleep over it. We have large Asian and Hispanic populations as well as small Jewish and African American populations. Yes, we are largely white, but overall I think we all get along pretty well.
Frankly, I think any skinhead around here is going to face far more discrimination and shunning than anyone of any race, religion or orientation.
I don't think I've really seen a racist skinhead in Portland in over a decade living here. There was a time in 2005 when a racist skinhead group tried to have a rally in SW Portland(Gabriel Park). People heard about it ahead of time and about 300 counter-demonstrators showed up--but no racist skinheads actually showed up. Basically if there are racist groups in Portland itself--they aren't very visible. Mulugeta Seraw was in 1988, that's 25 years ago at this point, and it gave Portland a rep it didn't really deserve at this point in time. As Sayulita pointed out, you'd be more in trouble being a racist skin in Portland than anything else.
I know a lot of interracial couples in Portland who I'm close friends with. In fact it's common enough that no one I know at least ever really cares or comments about couples being "interracial". In my generation and the next generation, in Portland itself, it's not a big deal or even something people comment on--at least in my experience. My best friends in Portland are a married couple, a white man and black woman who both grew up in Salem--and they have children together and no one seems to care in Portland.
As far as Portland being predominantly white--well, it varies by neighborhood. It's not a diverse place as far as US major cities go, but the city is about 30% non- white. Where I live in the center of the Eastside(just west of 82nd) every day I'm around whites, blacks, hispanics, Asians(82nd is basically the new Chinatown/Vietnamese commercial center), and immigrants from places like Russia or Ethiopia or Somalia. The whitest parts of Portland are actually the very liberal and more upwardly mobile areas in inner Portland or the Pearl District or NW Portland--and in those areas you have visitors from all over the metro and the mentality isn't really that openly judgemental by race(more so by class). The suburbs of Portland can be a different story, but places like Beaverton and Hillsboro aren't all white people either. Whenever I hear people make some claim that Portland is simply white people who've never interacted with any minorities--it strikes me as overstatements from people who've never really been around here much. Maybe true if you hide out in one neighborhood(which can be true in a lot of American metros) but not true at all a lot of the city--at least from my experiences on a day to day basis.
On the other hand, what people usually bring up about Portland is that unlike many Midwest and Northeastern cities or most of the South, the black population here is fairly small. I've had black co-workers and friends who grew up in Portland and they often talk about how they feel Portland isn't the hippest place to be a young black guy. A couple friends of mine moved to another part of the country because of this. It's just not a very big African-American culture here--and there's a strained relationship between the community and the city and the police. The black neighborhoods in N Portland were full of commercial districts of rundown buildings and vacant lots. A few people in the community worked to clean up these areas--years later though post-gentrification these areas are too expensive and the AA community has been displaced out into the outer neighborhoods and suburbs. As gentrification often is, it's a sore subject for that community. I know black professionals who've moved here and love it here, but often they're either used to or don't care about the fact that the culture here isn't very oriented towards black culture overall. That's mainly what people are talking about when Portland is considered a "white city". There's a lot of growing Hispanic and Asian culture in parts of the area, it's mainly the low percentage of blacks that people are referring to.
Part of living here though is that you'll find that people just want to avoid the topic of race or racism at all here. Or when they do it's hunched in sort of PC platitudes. It's different depending where in the metro you are, but it's different as well than places I've lived or have family, where race gets brought up more often both in terms of positives or negatives in open conversation(I have family in California and the Midwest and the South and it's much different there). One thing about Oregon is that it's a very conflict-avoidant culture.
I worked with a very intelligent professional white woman and for ten years we shared an office in downtown Portland. She was married to a professional black man who worked for the State of Oregon. We had a few discussions about this very topic and, for the most part, outside of a few disapproving looks now and then, they had few instances. When they were preparing for retirement they went to several other states to check them out. She would always say they picked up vibes that made feel Oregon was where they should stay.
This is outside Portland, but I was reminded of a situation in Idaho:
Quote: Prosecutors said that Daren Abbey had threatened to stab a black man, saying "blacks were not welcome in Bayview and he had better leave before something happened," according to police. Abbey then allegedly poked the victim in the chest.
But Abbey, a self-proclaimed skinhead who sports several neo-Nazi tatoos, got knocked out with one punch by the black man during the July 3 incident. Abbey later told officials that he felt he had been "hit by a brick." Abbey apparently was unaware of the writing on the back of the black man's T-shirt: "Spokane Boxing Club Champion." Skinhead Knocked Out by Victim Now Faces Hate-Crime Sentence | citydesk
Out of curiosity why are you posting this not your friends?
It sounds like your issue not theirs (ie they don't seem concerned just like they shouldn't be).
I have a difficult time believing this is a real post.
I know someone in an interracial relationship who is talking about moving to Portland, Oregon and I am very concerned about some things that I have heard and seen from various sources. Both the ADL (Anti Defamation League) website and the SPLC (Southern Poverty Law Center) websites give detailed information about certain dangerous groups in that area, also The History Channel documentary series "Gangland" episodes "Hate Nation" and "Skinhead Assault" give a pretty blunt and disturbing overview of the threats, I have also seen Portland's anti-racist action group "Rose City Antifa" provide valuable articles about certain groups like that in that area. I have also seen a number of articles online in the Portland news stations and news papers that mentioned racist activities, as well as several older sources of information regarding this issue like the famous Time Magazine publication "Skinhead Mayhem", and because it has been a problem for a long time that could mean these groups are deeply rooted in that area. I have heard that the Northwest is noted as being their "stronghold" and that Portland at one time was known as the skinhead capitol of the USA.
However, I do understand that Portland tries to maintain a liberal image and promotes the "hipster" vibe as is evidenced in the show "Portlandia" and I am sure that there are a ton of people who do not embrace the racist and bigoted ideologies, however it appears enough individuals do embrace it, and that constitutes a significant threat to the mental and physical well being of certain people based on race, religion, orientation etc.. I also understand that Portland was recently rated as one of the safest cities in the nation however that may largely be due to the fact that the majority of the cities population is white and the largest threat groups would primarily target a relatively small percent of the cities population; that being the minorities. So given that fact, it may alter the statistics and not give a truly accurate reflection of how safe the city is for certain people. Meaning it may be a lot safer for white people than non-white people/ non-minority groups than minority groups, and a lot of people may not even recognize that unless they actually see it or experience it.
What is daily life really going to be like for my friends? How safe is it really? I would also like to hear from anyone in any classification of minority group whether based on race or religion or orientation or anything else, what has been your experiences and have you had any confrontations or interactions with those groups, what should I know? Is there a specific area in Portland or surrounding cities that is noticeably less safe for minorities than other areas? An area that is more safe for minorities? Any help would be greatly appreciated.
I'm an African American male who recently moved to Portland. Because of the small population of minorities, that was also a concern of mine. Even before I left Chicago, I had heard of skinhead groups in the Portland area. I had talked to a few African Americans from Portland who had mixed feelings about the city. I also talked to a white gentleman from Portland who moved to Chicago and promised me that I would love it here. But whether Portlanders want to believe it or not, east of the Rockies, Portland does have a subconscious reputation for being unwelcoming to minorities.
It appears to be trying to change as transplants aka "progressive whites" move here from all across the country. For whatever reason, not many blacks move here. When I tell most of my friends in Chicago that I moved to Portland, they give me that look as if to say, "Are you lonely and bored there?", "Are their any black people there?", "How are you treated there?" When I told my doctor that I was moving to PDX he even looked at me and said, "that kind of reminds me of my days in medical school in Vermont, I was the only brother around."
The small percentage of blacks that live in Portland were born here and are used to the environment. People are just so laid back here and I find myself having to walk slower and kind of hold back a bit. Coming from Chicago, people are usually more talkative and energetic. Here in Portland, people just seem to exist in their own little zone. Sometimes I think people here may see it as being aggressive but I think the environment I was raised had a lot to do with it. I think as time goes on you will see an increase in Asians and Hispanics moving here. Black people not so much. But getting back to your question on racism, I don't think I have experienced it since I been in Portland.
I only been here for several months so you may want to elicit the opinion of minorities who have more experience living here. I have never seen any skin heads or felt any racial hostility since I been here. Do some people turn there nose up and give off unwelcoming vibes when they see other races, yeah sometimes, but what can you do about it. You cant change the way a person feels or thinks. Everyone here seem to mostly keep to themselves. There does not appear to be no interracial love fest here but everyone appears to coexist in spite of these differences.
I have heard about two or three racial incidents since I been here but those were mostly kids spray painting anti-sematic and racial epithets. You can chalk that up as a race problem in Portland or you can say those are just some silly immature kids. I think you will be fine because I haven't had any problems. I live in a predominately white and Hispanic area in southeast and everyone goes about there business. I think you will be fine.
I don't think I've really seen a racist skinhead in Portland in over a decade living here. There was a time in 2005 when a racist skinhead group tried to have a rally in SW Portland(Gabriel Park). People heard about it ahead of time and about 300 counter-demonstrators showed up--but no racist skinheads actually showed up. Basically if there are racist groups in Portland itself--they aren't very visible. Mulugeta Seraw was in 1988, that's 25 years ago at this point, and it gave Portland a rep it didn't really deserve at this point in time. As Sayulita pointed out, you'd be more in trouble being a racist skin in Portland than anything else.
I know a lot of interracial couples in Portland who I'm close friends with. In fact it's common enough that no one I know at least ever really cares or comments about couples being "interracial". In my generation and the next generation, in Portland itself, it's not a big deal or even something people comment on--at least in my experience. My best friends in Portland are a married couple, a white man and black woman who both grew up in Salem--and they have children together and no one seems to care in Portland.
As far as Portland being predominantly white--well, it varies by neighborhood. It's not a diverse place as far as US major cities go, but the city is about 30% non- white. Where I live in the center of the Eastside(just west of 82nd) every day I'm around whites, blacks, hispanics, Asians(82nd is basically the new Chinatown/Vietnamese commercial center), and immigrants from places like Russia or Ethiopia or Somalia. The whitest parts of Portland are actually the very liberal and more upwardly mobile areas in inner Portland or the Pearl District or NW Portland--and in those areas you have visitors from all over the metro and the mentality isn't really that openly judgemental by race(more so by class). The suburbs of Portland can be a different story, but places like Beaverton and Hillsboro aren't all white people either. Whenever I hear people make some claim that Portland is simply white people who've never interacted with any minorities--it strikes me as overstatements from people who've never really been around here much. Maybe true if you hide out in one neighborhood(which can be true in a lot of American metros) but not true at all a lot of the city--at least from my experiences on a day to day basis.
On the other hand, what people usually bring up about Portland is that unlike many Midwest and Northeastern cities or most of the South, the black population here is fairly small. I've had black co-workers and friends who grew up in Portland and they often talk about how they feel Portland isn't the hippest place to be a young black guy. A couple friends of mine moved to another part of the country because of this. It's just not a very big African-American culture here--and there's a strained relationship between the community and the city and the police. The black neighborhoods in N Portland were full of commercial districts of rundown buildings and vacant lots. A few people in the community worked to clean up these areas--years later though post-gentrification these areas are too expensive and the AA community has been displaced out into the outer neighborhoods and suburbs. As gentrification often is, it's a sore subject for that community. I know black professionals who've moved here and love it here, but often they're either used to or don't care about the fact that the culture here isn't very oriented towards black culture overall. That's mainly what people are talking about when Portland is considered a "white city". There's a lot of growing Hispanic and Asian culture in parts of the area, it's mainly the low percentage of blacks that people are referring to.
Part of living here though is that you'll find that people just want to avoid the topic of race or racism at all here. Or when they do it's hunched in sort of PC platitudes. It's different depending where in the metro you are, but it's different as well than places I've lived or have family, where race gets brought up more often both in terms of positives or negatives in open conversation(I have family in California and the Midwest and the South and it's much different there). One thing about Oregon is that it's a very conflict-avoidant culture.
It is the PC platitudes thing that bugs me. "We welcome diversity!" In other places that truly are diverse, you never hear this kind of thing. It just goes without saying.
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I know someone in an interracial relationship who is talking about moving to Portland, Oregon and I am very concerned about some things that I have heard and seen from various sources. Both the ADL (Anti Defamation League) website and the SPLC (Southern Poverty Law Center) websites give detailed information about certain dangerous groups in that area, also The History Channel documentary series "Gangland" episodes "Hate Nation" and "Skinhead Assault" give a pretty blunt and disturbing overview of the threats, I have also seen Portland's anti-racist action group "Rose City Antifa" provide valuable articles about certain groups like that in that area. I have also seen a number of articles online in the Portland news stations and news papers that mentioned racist activities, as well as several older sources of information regarding this issue like the famous Time Magazine publication "Skinhead Mayhem", and because it has been a problem for a long time that could mean these groups are deeply rooted in that area. I have heard that the Northwest is noted as being their "stronghold" and that Portland at one time was known as the skinhead capitol of the USA.
