Teressa Raiford (born 1970) is an American activist and politician in Portland, Oregon. She founded the local Black-led non-profit Don't Shoot Portland.
Teressa Raiford | |
|---|---|
_(cropped).jpg) Raiford's official 2020 campaign portrait | |
| Born | Teressa Raiford 1970 (age 53–54) |
| Occupation(s) | Activist, community organizer, former political candidate |
| Organization | Don't Shoot Portland |
| Movement | |
Activism
editWhen Raiford was a child, her grandparents' restaurant was the site of a racist action in which Portland police officers threw dead possums onto the business' doorstep. The incident prompted substantial protests against racial injustice.[1]
On the morning of September 26, 2010, Raiford's nephew Andre Dupree Payton was shot and killed in downtown Portland.[2] The case remains unsolved. In response, Raiford started Don't Shoot Portland, a group of activists who work for police accountability within the Portland Police Bureau and Multnomah County Sheriff's Office.[3][4]
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In 2015, Raiford was arrested, charged and jailed[5] for obstructing traffic and disorderly conduct by five officers, at a march she had organized to honor Michael Brown. In 2016 the case was dismissed by a jury. In 2017, Raiford filed a countersuit claiming damages of $500,000,[6] claiming she was "signaled [sic] out for her outspokenness against police violence" and claiming officers made disparaging comments as they arrested her. The case was dismissed by a judge in 2019.[7]
In June 2020, Don't Shoot Portland filed a class-action lawsuit against the City of Portland for seeking a temporary restraining order to force the Portland Police Bureau from using tear gas in the city.[8] Don't Shoot Portland also published an in-depth report on Riot Control Agents, describing the irreparable harm caused by RCAs during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In July 2020, Don't Shoot PDX and Wall of Moms filed a federal lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, claiming that President Trump's deployment of federal forces to Portland was unlawful.[9]
In 2022, Raiford was critical of public misinformation provided by the Portland police in the aftermath of the Normandale Park shooting and called for an independent investigation.[10]
Political campaigns
edit2012 Portland City Council election
editRaiford attempted to unseat Commissioner Amanda Fritz in the 2012 Portland City Council election. She finished in 4th out of 5th place with 3,840 votes (3.21%).
2014 Multnomah County Commission election
editIn the 2014 County Commission elections, Raiford attempted to unseat then Commissioner Loretta Smith. Raiford finished 3rd out of 4th place with 1,986 votes (6.56%).
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan | Loretta Smith | 23,644 | 78.11% | |
| Nonpartisan | Bruce Broussard | 3,595 | 11.88 | |
| Nonpartisan | Teressa Raiford | 1,986 | 6.56 | |
| Nonpartisan | Kelvin Hall | 881 | 2.91% | |
| none of the above | write-ins | 163 | 0.54% | |
| Total votes | 1,092,746 | 100.0% | ||
2016 Multnomah County Sheriff election
editRaiford announced a write-in campaign against Mike Reese, former Portland Police chief, who was running unopposed.[11] Reese won with 96.55% of the vote.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan | Mike Reese (Incumbent) | 88,146 | 96.55% | |
| Nonpartisan | Teressa Raiford (Write-in) | 3,000 | 3.28% | |
| write-ins | 150 | 0.16% | ||
| Total votes | 60,422 | 100% | ||
2020 Portland Mayoral election
edit
Raiford announced her plan to run for mayor in late 2017,[12] being one of the first candidates to announce her plan. In late 2019 and early 2020, she began recruiting volunteers and actively campaigning. On May 19, 2020, Raiford lost the primary election to Ted Wheeler and Sarah Iannarone, coming in 3rd place with 18,310 votes (8.40%).
After her defeat in the primary, supporters of Raiford have promoted a write-in campaign,[13] although Raiford has said she won’t be actively campaigning.[14]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan | Ted Wheeler (incumbent) | 107,241 | 49.29% | |
| Nonpartisan | Sarah Iannarone | 51,849 | 23.82% | |
| Nonpartisan | Teressa Raiford | 18,310 | 8.40% | |
| Nonpartisan | Ozzie González | 12,632 | 5.80% | |
| Nonpartisan | Bruce Broussard | 11,336 | 5.20% | |
| Nonpartisan | Randy Rapaport | 3,816 | 1.75% | |
| Nonpartisan | Piper Crowell | 3,272 | 1.50% | |
| Nonpartisan | Mark White | 2,308 | 1.06% | |
| Nonpartisan | Cash Carter | 1,488 | 0.68% | |
| Nonpartisan | Sharon Joy | 901 | 0.42% | |
| Nonpartisan | Willie Banks | 789 | 0.36% | |
| Nonpartisan | Daniel Hoffman | 702 | 0.32% | |
| Nonpartisan | Michael O'Callaghan | 629 | 0.29% | |
| Nonpartisan | Michael Burleson | 406 | 0.19% | |
| Nonpartisan | Lew Humble | 299 | 0.14% | |
| Nonpartisan | Michael Jenkins | 262 | 0.12% | |
| Nonpartisan | Beryl McNair | 259 | 0.12% | |
| Nonpartisan | Jarred Bepristis | 105 | 0.05% | |
| Nonpartisan | Floyd LaBar | 95 | 0.04% | |
| Write-in | 861 | 0.40% | ||
| Total votes | 217,560 | 100.00% | ||
References
edit- ^ Rodman, Monica (September 30, 2020). "Portland police threw dead possums at her family's restaurant in 1981. Now she's running for mayor". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2021-10-29.
- ^ "ANDRE DUPREE PAYTON". City of Portland Police Bureau. Retrieved 27 June 2020.
- ^ "ABOUT US – Don't Shoot Portland". Retrieved 2020-06-02.
- ^ VanderHart, Dirk (October 24, 2016). "Don't Shoot Portland's Teressa Raiford Wants to be Sheriff". The Portland Mercury. Index Publishing. Retrieved March 15, 2017.
- ^ Casey Jackman (August 2019). Death:An Oral History. Millbrook Press. ISBN 978-1-942186-12-0. Retrieved 20 June 2020.
- ^ Oregon, About Karina Brown Reporter for Courthouse News I. cover legal issues throughout (10 August 2017). "Don't Shoot Portland Activist Teressa Raiford Sues City for $500,000 Over Her Arrest at Protest". Willamette Week. Retrieved 2020-06-20.
- ^ "Judge dismisses lawsuit filed by Don't Shoot PDX organizers Teressa Raiford over her arrest at a Portland protest". wweek.com. 28 January 2019. Retrieved 20 June 2020.
- ^ "Don't Shoot PDX Sues Portland Over Police Use Of Tear Gas". opb. Retrieved 2020-09-04.
- ^ KATU Staff (2020-07-27). "Don't Shoot PDX, Wall of Moms file lawsuit against Homeland Security". KATU. Retrieved 2020-09-04.
- ^ Asher, Abe (2022-03-09). "How a deadly protest shooting deepened distrust of Portland police". The Independent. Retrieved 2023-02-10.
- ^ "Write-in Campaign for Sheriff". portlandobserver.com. Retrieved 2020-06-02.
- ^ Sevcenko, Melanie. "Teressa Raiford Running for City Mayor 2020". The Skanner News. Retrieved 2020-06-02.
- ^ "Mercury 2020 Endorsements: Mayor and Portland City Council". Portland Mercury. Retrieved 2020-10-16.
- ^ Silverman, Julia. "Grassroots Organizers Are Pushing a Write-In Mayoral Campaign for This BLM Activist". Portland Monthly. Retrieved 2020-10-16.