Triggggggered

it's ok to be white

muh threats

Portland city councilor faces threats after denouncing 'white supremacist' flag

The flag read "It's OK to be white" and was displayed on the first day of Black History Month

Author: Zach Blanchard (NEWS CENTER Maine)

Published: 12:11 AM EST February 7, 2023

Updated: 7:07 PM EST February 7, 2023

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PORTLAND, Maine — Leaders and citizens in Maine's largest city are standing behind City Councilor Victoria Pelletier who said she's become the target of threats after speaking out against white supremacy.

It comes after Pelletier took to social media to denounce someone displaying an "It's OK to be white" flag in Congress Square Park last week.

At Monday night's city council meeting, she gave emotional remarks detailing the experience.

"I spent the entire weekend receiving threats against my life, as a black woman, for simply speaking out against the harmful effects of white supremacy," Pelletier said.

The photo originally tweeted out by Aimsel Ponti, a music writer for the Portland Press Herald, has since been deleted.

The banner, clearly mimicking a "Black Lives Matter" flag, quickly sparked criticism on social media, claiming it was "racist."

"The absolute worst part, however, were comments about me and things things that should happen to me because I spoke out against white supremacy," Pelletier said. "That I should be hurt. That I should be beaten. That I should be shot. That I should be killed."

After Pelletier spoke, a number of people spoke up, voicing their support for her, as well as calling on the city to do more.

"That horrible flag and those disgusting comments are all of us. And to think that it isn't is why we stay in the comfort that we sit in," Naomi Mayer said.

Every councilor spoke in support of Pelletier and denounced the threats.

"We always want to respect and do respect everyone's right to their opinion, but we're also very clear that this is no place for hate speech and no place for threats to people's safety," Interim City Manager Danielle West said.

The city released a statement Tuesday including statements from city councilors.

Councilor Regina Phillips, who along with councilor Pelletier criticized the city and Portland police for not consulting Black leaders for their recent statement on the police killing of Tyre Nichols, had a statement included that said she was hurt over the harassment faced by councilor Pelletier.

"As a society, we want to believe we’ve progressed and moved past the hurtful rhetoric and oppressive actions of white supremacy. In the end, we haven’t developed any type of methodology that will ensure black people live safely in this city, state, nation, or world. We experience and endure hatred and discrimination daily in almost every way. For Black people, it seems we'll never nor will we ever be fully immune to it. As we suffer, we’re told to be patient and polite while we carefully, at white’s people request, strategize ways to combat racism and oppression. How long are we supposed to wait?" the statement said.

Portland community members are also taking action after the poster was held up at Congress Square Park.

Harlan Baker, a lecturer at University of Southern Maine, said he's hosted anti-racism rallies since 2016 at Monument Square Park. He said he has a protest planned for Friday, February 10, and will have it at Congress Square Park.

"It's important to reclaim this space as an anti-racist space," Baker said. "You would think at this point we would have put all of that behind us."

https://www.newscentermaine.com/article/news/local/portland/portland-city-councilor-facing-threats-after-denouncing-racist-flag-community-maine/97-33b47d1a-4c5f-4a15-b274-3da3d21ccc5f

>>19825405

>it's ok to be white

PB Below

Victoria Pelletier Racist Cunt Portland Maine City Councilor Dig

>>19824760, >>19824806 Racist cunt on Portland Maine City Council blames mass shooting on White Nationalism

>>19824815 Works for Organization with boar member ties to theBig Steal

>>19824861 Race Baiting Hoax pusher

>>19824957, >>19824966, >>19824997, >>19825018 Chance To Advance profile. C2A C_A

>>19825405

>Triggggggered

>it's ok to be white

>>19825425

Libs of TikTok

@libsoftiktok

Maine city council memberVictoria Pelletier goes on unhinged racist tirade in response to the shooting. Blames it on “white violence” and “angry whiteness.”Says the shooter’s only motive was that he’s white and therefore has the privilege to commit violence.

Image

5:27 PM · Oct 27, 2023

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1.2M

Views

https://twitter.com/libsoftiktok/status/1718016657971716225?s=46&t=tHUZvgqi7mf153zf26jq3A

>>19825531

>@libsoftiktok

>Maine city council memberVictoria Pelletier goes on unhinged racist tirade

This is everyone's district

unless you're white

Mainefags need to have a chat with this bitch. or hell…anyone on zoom

>I look forward to having conversations – on the stoop, at a coffee shop, on Zoom.

Tori Pelletier: This Is Everyone’s District 2

Posted By: PelotonPostson: December 03, 2021

An interview with the city councilor-elect Victoria Pelletier

Every month PelotonLabs co-founder Liz Trice interviews a local community member. For the December edition, Liz caught up with Tori Pelletier, who just got elected to the Portland City Council.

West End News - Victoria Pelletier - Election 2021 District 2 City Coucil candidateVictoria (Tori) Pelletier -Courtesy

Why did you want to be on the council?

Being on the council was not my plan, but people started asking me when the seat opened, and I started thinking about it. A lot of the work I do is getting people involved in local politics and understanding that they have a role to play. Our city is changing a lot and I want to be part of the conversation.

What are your top priorities for your time on the council?

We’re at a crossroads in Portland. We’re starting to be a real city, and we need to decide what we want to become. Are we going to be inclusive and affordable? Are we prioritizing building affordable homes or luxury condos? I want to look out for working class, under-resourced, and lower income people. I don’t think it’s going to be as hard as it would have been a few years ago, because so much of the council cares about these issues. I’m also interested in the shelter issue and hiring the new city manager.

What are your ideas around affordable housing?

We don’t have enough housing in Portland. Personally, I’m always worried about how much longer I’ll be able to live here – my rent keeps going up. I already live in one of the most affordable areas of Parkside – a place that is primarily black and brown and lower income. I don’t think a $1,500 per month rent is affordable.

We need to look at the zoning laws, single family housing, and Airbnb. I know from canvassing that there are blocks and blocks of homes that are now just Airbnb. We need to make sure that we have enough staff to enforce the current rules, and I’d like to ban non-owner occupied Airbnb’s. This was the most common concern when I was canvassing door to door – people are worried about Airbnb’s and getting priced out of their neighborhood.

I would love to do a comprehensive review and get rid of single-family housing zoning – we can’t say we’re welcoming people to Portland if we’re not making room for people to put down roots and start families and be among their neighbors. Exclusionary zoning laws also add to the segregation already happening in Portland.

What are your thoughts on the shelter referendum?

I work with others that are working to find long-term homes for people, and a 200-bed shelter doesn’t feel like the city is investing in people. The smaller shelters referendum question was supported by a lot of people who work directly with unhoused people, including the People’s Housing Coalition, who were against Option C. I think we should talk about smaller shelters. It’s a privilege to be able to talk about this and go to our own homes at night. There’s going to be a lot of discussion now that Option C passed to talk about privacy, safety, and location.

It was hard to see different groups of advocates for unhoused people on opposite sides during the referendum. How can we have a better process?

Public conversations are always messy and emotional. I’m looking forward to working with the council to make it a place where everyone’s voices are heard. It’s going to be a rocky road, but we can do it. We still live in an area where the loudest voices are people with the most privilege and resources. So when there are two sides clashing, it’s really important to make space for the less privileged voices. We still have issues with systemic oppression, racism and classism. So it’s important to hear what people have to say. We need to make sure we’re bringing people who are unhoused to the conversations.

Sometimes the conflict isn’t even the issue at hand; it’s that we’re coming from two different places of privilege. Many of us have roofs over our heads. How do we make sure we’re making space for people who don’t? I really value the People’s Housing Coalition, because they’re run by young people and people who have been unhoused.

>>19825578

>This is everyone's district

>unless you're white

What’s your background?

I grew up in Brunswick and did the “boomerang” thing – I left to go to Albany, New York and then came back – I loved Albany, but my parents are still here… As I get older I want to be around my family, so Portland was perfect – I get to be close to my family and have some city. I got involved in community advocacy work both on my own and through my position at the GPCOG. Last summer when George Floyd was murdered a lot of us black organizers were able to organize together in a new way.

You left your job at GPCOG before the election. What were you doing there and what’s next for you?

The Greater Portland Council of Governments serves over thirty cities and towns, and my work was around racial equity and economic development. We worked with town managers and elected officials to advance racial equity. In Falmouth, for example, the town manager got really involved, and they hired a person [Dustin Ward, a racial equity and reconciliation advocate] to work long-term with the town. As a result, the entire front-line staff completed equity and system racism training. The trainer did ride-alongs with police officers and had conversations with them, and he’s still working with the town. It’s a great model.

I also managed our Community Development Block Grant program, which gave forgivable grants to low to moderate income businesses to help them get through the pandemic. I think I was the first black person GPCOG ever hired.

Now I’m contracted with Integrative Inquiries to do equity training with organizations and companies that hire us. The conversations are around racial equity, but also about how can we tackle issues when it comes to class and race, but also fair wages, harassment… How can we dismantle these dynamics that exist, and make sure that we’re looking at everything through an equity lens? A lot of people want their businesses to be more equitable and inclusive and aren’t sure how to do it.

How can people connect with you?

I look forward to having conversations – on the stoop, at a coffee shop, on Zoom.The city council works for the people of Portland – we are lowest on the totem pole, and we need to be available. This is not Tori’s District 2, this is everyone’s District 2. It should be fun!

West End News - PelotonPosts - Peloton Labs exterior

Connect with city councilor-elect Tori Pelletier at https://www.vote2victoria.org

PelotonLabs is a coworking space in the West End of Portland, Maine with a mission to connect and encourage people working on their own to manifest their visions without fear.

http://thewestendnews.com/tori-pelletier-this-is-everyones-district-2/

>>19825595

a Podcast host

A Maine Reckoning

fuck this cunt

Maine Reckoning: Portland newsmaker Jill Duson

By

Tori Lyn

Carly Peruccio

February 13, 2022

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Maine Reckoning reflects on the lives of Black Mainers since the George Floyd murder, asking a key question: Has anything changed? Episode two features Jill Duson, a respected, long-time leader in Portland government, social policy and politics. ‘It’s important to take action, not credit,’ Duson says.

Logo for the Maine Reckoning podcast. The words "Maine Reckoning" are overlayed across a drawing of the state of Maine.

The Maine Reckoning podcast from The Maine Monitor reflects on the lives of Black Mainers since the George Floyd murder, asking a key question: Has anything changed? Graphic by Olivia Martin.

Has life changed for Black citizens in Maine since George Floyd’s murder? If so, in what ways?

Jill Duson.

Those questions are at the heart of interviewer Tori Lyn’s podcast with Jill Duson, who serves on the Maine Human Rights Commission and spent nearly two decades on the Portland City Council. She was the first Black woman ever elected to the council. She also served as mayor of Maine’s largest city.

The Maine Monitor will produce more episodes of Maine Reckoning throughout 2022. We thank the Goldfarb Center for Public Affairs at Colby College and the Elmina B. Sewall Foundation for supporting this project.

You can listen below to the episode or you can find it on some of your favorite podcast hosting platforms including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, iHeart Radio, Google Podcasts, TuneIn + Alexa, Podcast Addict, Podchaser, Pocket Casts, Castbox, Deezer, Castro, Listen Notes, Podfriend, Player FM and Podcast Index.

https://themainemonitor.org/maine-reckoning-portland-newsmaker-jill-duson/