In November 2016, days after the election of Donald Trump, dozens of organizers held an emergency meeting in Portland. We knew we needed to organize stronger locally to protect our communities from the imminent and unprecedented assault from the far right. Over the next year we began a process of identifying strategic paths forward—outside of silos, scarcity mindsets, and fear—and premised instead on solidarity, compassion, and hope. We aimed for a shared vision of the city we wanted to live in, a set of intersectional goals, and, most important, relationships of trust that we committed to building over time, to build power on the left.
Following models of successful municipalist movements in other cities (see our Case Studies page), we identified, debated, and approved a Bill of Rights that established our ambitious vision for the future. Since these rights have broad support on the left, this would be one way to begin to work together on common ground. Vision is nothing without material campaigns we can struggle for together and win, so in the fall of 2017, we went on a listening tour to hear what grassroots community groups were working on and how we could support each other.
After meeting with 40 local organizations, we gathered a set of active policy campaigns, and on April 14, 2018, we held an inaugural People’s Convention to ratify the Bill of Rights and Policy Platform (the 2018 People’s Platform). Twenty organizations agreed to participate and voted unanimously to support the People's Platform and to work together to pass it. We then established a democratic internal structure and now hold bimonthly Delegate Assemblies, where the representatives from our Participating Organizations can advance our shared policy goals and strategize ways to build grassroots power. We have also held intersectional candidate forums, budget labs, powermapping sessions, policy discussions, and meetings with elected officials.
Many of the policies brought to and supported by the PMPC over the years have won, often by overwhelming margins. Measures such as the Portland Clean Energy Fund, Fair and Honest Elections, Yes to Affordable Housing, Real Police Accountability, UP Now! Universal Preschool, and Oregon District Attorney for the People have served as models for other cities around the country. But some remain that affect the people who most need our support: The Right to Rest Ordinance has held its position at the top of our platform since our founding, and without its passage (especially in light of the recent Grants Pass v. Johnson SCOTUS decision), our houseless friends are enduring even greater harm, and our entire community suffers as a result.
In 2021, the PMPC convened a Portland City Charter Review Working Group to help craft proposals for amendments to the City Charter, a process that takes place every 10 years. In 2023, voters approved sweeping changes to Portland city government proposed by the Charter Review Commissioners, including ranked choice voting and electing 12 City Council members from four geographic districts. This community victory provides us with an historic organizing opportunity to elect more progressive candidates, from a broader field, who could have deeper connections with their constituents.
In 2024, we added new initiatives to our 2024-2025 People's Platform and asked candidates in the November election and the broader community to pledge their support.
By creating a culture of solidarity and acting together in a unified voice, our intention is to move beyond transactional one-on-one relationships to a transformative organizing model. Our focus is to fill a vital missing role in the Portland-Metro area: to act as a coordinated strategic body to research, develop, and pass policy to win, build, and leverage people power to create a popular progressive movement to expand the commons.
A unified Portland-Metro People’s Coalition with a clear agenda will allow us to win policies that truly represent our interests. We also need power to hold officials accountable once in office and to counter the biased media, unaccountable corporations, and right-wing billionaires who every day seek to thwart progressive ideas and representatives. Having unity means we can bring pressure to bear in many ways, from drafting legislation and testifying at hearings to creative protest and direct action.
Our goal is to build and strengthen popular movements striving for a just, egalitarian, and liberatory society for all. Please join us.