| Logo | |
| Supporters at a rally in 2015 |
Don't Shoot Portland, also called Don't Shoot PDX, is a Portland, Oregon-based accountability group formed by Black Lives Matter supporter Teressa Raiford to scrutinize actions of the Portland Police Bureau. [1] [2]
Don't Shoot Portland held a march on 7 July 2016 following the police killings of two black men: Alton Sterling in Louisiana and Philando Castile in Minnesota. [3] At the march, conservative blogger Michael Strickland pulled a gun and pointed it at protesters. [4] According to The Hill, video showed Strickland holding what appeared to be a video camera while arguing and backing away from protesters, before drawing his weapon. [5] Strickland, known to post YouTube videos for "Laughing at Liberals", was shepherded away from the crowd by Jessie Sponberg, a mayoral candidate, before being arrested by police. [3] He was later convicted of crimes relating to this incident. [6] [7]
In 2021, Raiford stated that activists in Portland were focused on saving lives while city leaders were focused on saving windows. [8]
Don't Shoot Portland sued the Department of Homeland Security over the 2020 deployment of federal forces in Portland. [9]