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Update, 11 pm Sunday, Jan. 14: Don’t Shoot Portland organizers announced Sunday evening that they have canceled the Reclaim the Dream March because of the winter storm that has left thousands without electrical power.
“The safety of our community is our top priority and we feel that canceling is for the best,” organizers wrote. “The meaning behind this march is to mobilize for community action. We encourage you to spend tomorrow and the rest of this week looking out for one another through these temperature freezes and power outages.”
Organizers added that they will post mutual-aid initiatives on their Facebook page.
Original post: This Monday, local arts and social justice organization Don’t Shoot Portland will host its 10th Annual Reclaim the Dream MLK Celebration, capping off a weekend of arts activities and education with a protest march on Monday, Jan. 15, Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
First up is Saturday’s community art build with anti-racist educator Ernest Crim III, who teaches Black history through social media. The free art workshop will offer lessons in the art of screen printing at the Pacific Northwest College of Art for anyone wishing to make their own signs for the march.
Then, on Monday, Don’t Shoot Portland will hold its Reclaim the Dream March for Human Rights and Dignity. The gathering begins at Peninsula Park (near the playground) at 11 am, with the march beginning at 1 pm and concluding at 3 pm.
“The family-focused, youth-led event celebrates 10 years of art, learning and action to ‘reclaim the dream’ of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.,” Don’t Shoot Portland said in a statement. “Each year, thousands of advocates for social change join the march to showcase their commitment to MLK’s dream of human rights and dignity for all.”
Don’t Shoot Portland was founded by Teressa Raiford, the activist who ran as a write-in candidate for Portland mayor in 2020. The organization, which demonstrates against police brutality and gun violence in Black communities, first gained prominence during the racial justice protests of 2016, following the police shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo.
The organization sued the city of Portland over police use of tear gas against protesters during civic unrest following George Floyd’s murder in 2020. The city ultimately settled for $250,000, but not before legal discovery in the case revealed some unsettling documents.