[OMS_MANAGERS] Changing racist behavior from downtown business owners

Tue Jul 20 17:19:04 PDT 2021

Liz and Elisa Joy, thank you for sharing your stories about business owners
and bringing this very important question to the group!

I find this a timely discussion for us here in Newberg. At our last meeting
on Monday, we decided to create a subcommittee to create a statement on
inclusivity and anti-racism due to some recent events in our town:
1. The school board's new members voted to re-write (or recend) the school
district's anti-racism proclamation
<https://www.newberg.k12.or.us/district/committing-be-anti-racist-school-district>
,
2. The recent tearing down and burning of Pride Flags from downtown
storefronts,
3. A Proud Boy rally a few weeks ago at our flag pole, the entrance to our
downtown core,
4. A new City Council Member's statement
<https://pamplinmedia.com/nbg/142-news/512410-409738-mcbride-says-pride-month-is-discriminatory>against
Pride Month proclamation.

We are meeting next week to work on our statement. In anticipation of that
meeting, I told my board I would find out what statements other Main Street
organizations have made on these issues. And I looked up what Main Street
America has said for anti-racisim, inclusivity. I was heartened by the Main
Street approach -- Main Streets are for Everyone
<https://www.mainstreet.org/mainstreetsareforeveryone> and found it a good
place for us to start as we craft our statement.

*I am interested to hear if any of your organizations have statements about
inclusivity and/or anti-racism, etc.*

-Polly

On Tue, Jul 20, 2021 at 1:51 PM Elisa Joy Payne <ej at downtownhillsboro.org>
wrote:

> I coincidentally had a racist situation happen with one of our businesses
> this week. It was one of the business' employees. She was confronting a
> contracted sidewalk chalk artist for not including white people in the art
> -  in front of a black youth standing nearby (who happened to be my 10 year
> old niece who was fortunately focused on her shaved ice and oblivious to
> the interaction). The business' employee later told a city employee that
> BLM art shouldn't be approved (it was a drawing of four bipoc women playing
> instruments - no words). We are going to be reaching out to the business
> owner, so I don't know what we'd do if this was the owner like in your
> situation, Liz. And we'll see how the owner replies.
>
> Where does your board stand on this? I wonder what would happen if we
> stopped including/supporting any businesses that refuse to be willing to
> empathize with the harm they are doing to members of our communities
> and commit to learning from it? This situation is so complex in our
> society.
>
> *Elisa Joy 'EJ' Payne* *| *Executive Director
> *| Hillsboro Downtown Partnership *| *Cultivating a vibrant community.*
> *|* *o.* 503-640-6145* | **m.* 503-341-8639
> *|* *e. *ej at downtownhillsboro.org *|* *w.* downtownhillsboro.org
>
> Follow what's happening Downtown on INSTAGRAM
> <https://www.instagram.com/dwtnhillsboro/>.
>
>
> On Tue, Jul 20, 2021 at 12:29 PM Liz Hannum <liz at downtownoregoncity.org>
> wrote:
>
>> Hey all,
>>
>> I had an email forwarded to me by a City Commissioner from an OC resident
>> who felt mistreated at a downtown salon. The email is below but I'd like to
>> hear from you, how you've either helped business owners understand that
>> what they were saying was unacceptable from a customer service perspective,
>> or called them out on behavior that can be easily construed as racist. We
>> have All Are Welcome signs in some of our business windows, but this salon
>> is definitely not the first complaint we've had about being unwelcoming to
>> minority groups who want to spend their money here. Any and all advice
>> would be helpful.
>>
>> Email from OC Resident:
>> *"My family moved to Oregon City from downtown Portland 3 years ago and
>> have enjoyed living away from the hustle and bustle of the big city. I am
>> an elementary teacher who understands the importance of learning and
>> teaching about diversity, equity, and inclusivity.  Today my wife, who is
>> mexican, went to get her hair cut and colored at XXX Hair salon in downtown
>> Oregon City. This is a process that can take many hours. During this time
>> the owner of the salon was also getting her hair done. After many hours my
>> hispanic wife was the only customer left, with the owner still getting her
>> hair done. The owner of the store then made continued disparaging comments
>> about mexicans. The owner and her stylist were looking at a picture and
>> stated, "this looks like two Mexicans looking for work in a berry field''
>> and "that is the only place Mexicans could work anyway." She repeated this
>> multiple times loudly for my wife to hear. During this time she also was
>> playing songs with the "N" word in it. My wife was very uncomfortable as
>> was the stylist working on her hair. She wanted to complete the cut and
>> color and the stylist working on her hair was very apologetic and was also
>> uncomfortable with what the owner was saying. When my wife got home she was
>> in tears. I called the owner right away and I told her how unacceptable
>> this was and that if this is the way she talks and acts at her business, I
>> am sure it is much worse at home. She told me she was just joking around
>> with a friend at the salon and that she has a lot of "Mexican Friends'',
>> so it wasn't discriminatory. I don't have any social media accounts, so I
>> cannot post this, but I also do not want to stay silent. Minorities in this
>> country have too often remained silent; whether black, brown, asian, and
>> every other minority. I am not a minority, so I do not know first hand how
>> it feels to be discriminated against by the color of your skin, but my wife
>> does know how this feels and I know my mixed children will have this occur
>> to them. It is a sad reality. I want to educate them about it, but it
>> saddens me that it still happens in this day and age.  The behavior at XXX
>> Salon was completely unacceptable and I would like the city council and
>> Mayor of Oregon City to speak up and not tolerate hateful and
>> discriminatory behavior. I want to live in an Oregon City where I know my
>> wife and children are able to go into any business without prejudices
>> and/or derogatory things being said. Thank you for your time."*
>>
>> --
>> Liz Hannum
>> Executive Director
>>
>> Downtown Oregon City Association
>> 814 Main Street
>> <https://maps.google.com/?q=814+Main+Street+Oregon+City,+OR+97045&entry=gmail&source=g>
>> Oregon City, OR 97045
>> <https://maps.google.com/?q=814+Main+Street+Oregon+City,+OR+97045&entry=gmail&source=g>
>>
>> liz at downtownoregoncity.org <jon at downtownoregoncity.org>
>> Office (503) 802-1640
>> Direct (503) 802-1638
>>
>> fb.com/downtownoc <http://www.fb.com/downtownoc>
>> downtownoregoncity.org <http://www.downtownoregoncity.org/>
>>
>> Subscribe to our email list for:
>> Property and Business Owners and Volunteers <http://eepurl.com/HBw0D>
>> Downtown Events and Promotions <http://eepurl.com/HvgAX>
>>
>

-- 

*Polly Peterson*
Executive Director, *Newberg Downtown Coalition*
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