Get Involved!
Your participation is so important. We can create transparency and put citizens back in charge of surveillance, with your help!
Step 1: Get Involved Locally
What we do in our own communities has such a powerful impact. Real change can happen at the local level, and these changes can be made by anyone.
What Can You Do?
First, sign the petition, if you haven’t already. Then provide your personal comments.
Next, consider these actions:
1. Submit Testimony
Submit official public testimony on the proposed “Surveillance Technology Policy” before February 1st.
This is a needed first step toward transparency and accountability.
You can add your comments directly into the public record here:
2. Email Your Elected Officials
A personal email to elected officials is an excellent way to express your concerns around surveillance, data and your privacy.
Below, we have each city commissioner, and the mayor, listed with easy-to-copy email contacts and 3 starter ideas for what you might say.
3. Call Your Elected Officials
Nothing gets through to elected officials more powerfully than a personal phone call.
Only a personal meeting or handwritten letter carries more weight.
We have city official phone numbers and help with making a phone calls below, including 3 script ideas.
More Information on Each of These Options Is Below
1. Submit Testimony Before February 1st
You can submit your own public testimony right now, in support of an important resolution. This resolution has the potential to start real change in surveillance policy and law at the city level.
What Is the Resolution?
On Wednesday, February 1st at 2:00 PM, the Portland city council will hold a hearing to gather public feedback on a binding resolution called the “Surveillance Technology Policy” resolution.
This resolution is a first step toward transparency and accountability.
–I do not live in Portland, but this issue is important to me.
You can add your voice to the public hearing by entering your comments and concerns around surveillance and privacy at the Portland Maps App website: https://www.portlandmaps.com/bps/mapapp/proposals/#/surveillance-tech
Don’t know what to say?
You can check out the “email Ideas” section below for some thoughts to get you started.
What Would the Resolution Do?
The Surveillance Technology resolution has a long formal name that kind of explains what it will do. It is now an agenda item called: “Establish a Citywide Surveillance Technology inventory and procedures on privacy, use, and acquisition of Surveillance Technology”
It was developed by Smart City PDX in tandem with help from the Office of Equity and Human Rights.
If passed, this binding resolution would require:
- A transparent accounting of all surveillance technology in use by the city
- The development of procedures for conducting Privacy Impact Assessments on proposed technologies.
- The development of accountability and oversight strategies for the use and procurement of surveillance technology
- The development of an initial assessment of the privacy impacts of Automated Data Systems
- That Smart City PDX develop a plan for further privacy and information protection work, including the assessment of potential budget impacts.
Each of these items is important, and we strongly support this resolution.
However, we do not believe it goes nearly far enough. Regardless, it sets the stage for future engagement around these issues and enforces transparency in the surveillance that exists.
Please consider adding testimony to support it:
Click Here to Read the Binding Resolution
Personally Email or Call Your Representatives!
The Power of a Personal Appeal
When an elected official receives a personal correspondence, they take notice.
Emails are great, but a phone call is like a siren blast. When we call and have a personal conversation with a representative’s staff or leave a message about an issue we care about, we are signaling to them that they really must pay attention to our views and what we care about.
Elected officials often want to represent our interests, but they have to know about them. And they have to feel like citizens are paying attention.
2. Email Your Representatives
Officials:
Commissioner Mingus Mapps
Commissioner Carmen Rubio
Commissioner Rene Gonzales
Commissioner Dan Ryan
Mayor Ted Wheeler
Emails:
mappsoffice@portlandoregon.gov,
comm.rubio@portlandoregon.gov,
gonzalezoffice@portlandoregon.gov,
commissionerryanoffice@portlandoregon.gov,
mayorwheeler@portlandoregon.gov,
Right now, in the city of Portland, we have 5 representatives. There is our mayor, Ted Wheeler, and 4 city commissioners: Dan Ryan, Carmen Rubio, Mingus Mapps and now, Rene Gonzales.
All 5 of them represent everyone in the city. So that means we should email all 5 of them with our concerns. Luckily, we can email all 5 of them at the same time, making the email process easy and straightforward.
If that still sounds a little intimidating, don’t worry, you are not alone in feeling that way.
Remember, your representatives want to hear from you. We elected them, and they agreed to represent our best interests. They want to know what you care about.
At the bottom of this section are some starter-ideas for the kinds of things you might say in an email. Feel free to copy and paste, and then personalize them. Or write something brand new!
Send an Email to Your City Representatives
If you have an email service running in the background on your computer,
just click the button to start an email now:
If the button doesn’t work, click here for another option.
Email and Testimony Ideas You Can Borrow:
(Feel free to copy, paste and personalize these ideas.)
Email/Testimony Idea #1
Formal Email Style
We must have transparency in surveillance technology and methods if we are to have a government in Portland that considers itself to be serving the interests of its constituents.
Privacy is a fundamental human right, enshrined in the 4th Amendment to our constitution, and absolutely essential to a healthy, functioning democracy. Right now, we as law-abiding residents do not have any way of knowing what data is being collected about us or how. We do not know how that data is being shared, how long it is being held, or how it might be used in the future.
We need a civil-rights and civil-liberties focused surveillance ordinance that empowers meaningful, democratic oversight of the entire surveillance infrastructure here in Portland.
In the meantime, I urge you to immediately pass the Surveillance Technologies Policy binding resolution at the public hearing on February 1st, as a first-step toward a more comprehensive approach to managing surveillance in our city.
We, as citizens and residents, have the right know what data is being collected about us and how it is used. We have a right to know exactly what kinds of privacy risks there are to us whenever new surveillance is proposed, and we must have a full inventory of what technology is being used and how it is deployed.
Sincerely,
Email/Testimony Idea #2
Informal Email Style
I was upset to learn that Portland has no plan at all when it comes to managing surveillance in a way that protects civil rights and my right to privacy.
We need to have laws in place that protect people and that make Portland a welcoming, safe place. How could surveillance be used against a woman exercising her right to choose from out of state, for example? Or someone speaking unpopular opinions about the police?
The reality is that you cannot answer these questions because no one can effectively answer these questions. There is no transparency in our surveillance system right now and there are no laws in place in guide it.
This is not ok.
There is a public hearing on February 1st for a resolution that will finally require transparency from the city. It stops short of of the reforms I would like to see, but at least it starts the process toward accountability.
Please vote to pass this resolution. We need to know the risks and we deserve to know what surveillance is being used on us.
Thank you,
Email/Testimony Idea #3
Personal Style
I want to feel like I can trust the City of Portland. But the lack of transparency in surveillance equipment and the way it’s used makes that hard.
I just learned that the city has no laws in place at all to manage surveillance equipment or the way data is used or shared.
That’s disturbing. We need transparency and we need to understand the risks.
There’s a hearing on February 1st about a way to start managing surveillance technology. It’s a resolution, and I want you pass it.
This resolution doesn’t go far enough, but it’s a start toward transparency and accountability.
Sincerely,
Submit Public Testimony to the City of Portland Right Now
Go to the official Portland Maps website, and enter your testimony directly into the public record.
It has a big impact!
If the Email Button Doesn’t Work…
That is probably because you do not have an email client like Outlook running in the background.
That’s OK. You can also send an email manually. Just follow these easy steps:
How to Send an Email to Your Representatives Manually:
Officials:
Commissioner Mingus Mapps
Commissioner Carmen Rubio
Commissioner Rene Gonzales
Commissioner Dan Ryan
Mayor Ted Wheeler
Emails:
mappsoffice@portlandoregon.gov,
comm.rubio@portlandoregon.gov,
gonzalezoffice@portlandoregon.gov,
commissionerryanoffice@portlandoregon.gov,
mayorwheeler@portlandoregon.gov,
- Open up your personal email program, and start a new message.
- Highlight all of the email addresses above, and copy them.
(How to copy: Press/hold “control+c” (cmd+c, on a mac). This will copy all of the email addresses.) - Click your cursor into the “to” field of your new email. Paste all of the emails into the field
(How to paste: Press control+v (cmd+v), to paste all of the email addresses into your email.) - Add a subject line. You can say things like:
–We need transparency in surveillance technology.
–Public input for surveillance technology hearing on February 1st.
–I am concerned about surveillance in Portland.
–We need citizen oversight of public surveillance. - Type your message. Say whatever is on your mind.
–or–
You can copy and paste our email-starter-ideas into the body of your email. If you do, it is best to modify these ideas and make them your own. But if you are in a hurry, you can send the email-ideas as they are.
3. Make a Phone Call to a Representative
A personal phone call makes a lasting impression in the minds of elected officials. The only other more effective methods of making your needs known are by handwritten letter and face-to-face meeting.
Phone calls are powerful, and it doesn’t take much.
Your elected officials want to hear from you, and they make it easy for you to call them. In some offices (like the office of Mingus Mapps), there are staff members actively answering the phone. They will be happy to hear from you and understand your concerns.
Other offices utilize voice mail, which is most common with Commissioner Rubio’s office, for example.
Regardless, telling them your name, that you are a resident of Portland, and then making a few brief statements is all you need to do. Some ideas for what you might say are listed below. Give it a try!
A healthy democracy requires participation, and once you get used to speaking to representatives, it may become a healthy habit.
Your Representatives:
Mayor Wheeler:
503-823-4120
Commissioner Dan Ryan:
503-823-3589
Commissioner Rene Gonzales:
503-823-4151
Commissioner Mingus Mapps:
503-823-4682
Commissioner Carmen Rubio:
503-823-3008
Commissioner Rubio’s Office sponsored the transparency resolution. She is the one most likely to vote for it without additional citizen input.
Some Ideas on What You Might Say:
If you speak to someone, remember it is a conversation. It is OK to hear out the staff person’s thoughts and responses.
It is also OK for you to be passionate about issues that you care about. However, often it’s best to be friendly but firm.
If you feel nervous, try to remember that you are technically the boss calling in on your hired help. We elected these people and they have a legal and ethical obligation to serve our interests to the best of their abilities.
Phone Idea #1
Hello, my name is _________, and I’m a resident of Portland.
I’m calling today because there is a public hearing on February 1st for a surveillance policy that the representative will be voting on.
(You can use their name. I.e. Commissioner Ryan or Mayor Wheeler.)
This resolution will finally require transparency in surveillance technology and I want the representative to vote for it.
It’s not enough. I want to see laws that protect privacy, not just this resolution, but at least it is a start in the right direction.
Please tell (the representative) to vote for the Surveillance Technologies Policy resolution. Thank you.
Phone Idea #2
Hello, my name is _________, and I’m a resident of Portland.
I’m calling because I want to know where (Representative’s name) stands on an issue I care about.
Is the representative aware that there are no laws in place right now to manage the way surveillance technology is used in our city?
— Allow them to answer —
Possible response: This situation is not acceptable. I just learned that we have become the 9th most surveilled city in the United States, and I want transparency and accountability in this system.
What does (the representative) plan to do about it?
— Listen and then thank them —
OK, I want to see transparency and accountability from this government. There is a vote coming up on February 1st, and I will be paying attention. Thank you for your time.
Phone Idea #3
Hi, I’m calling because I feel upset about something I just learned.
I had assumed that a city like Portland was acting in our best interests. But I just learned that we have no transparency at all in the surveillance technology that is being used on citizens like me.
I have a constitutional right to privacy and I have done nothing wrong, so why am I being watched? By whom? For what?
Is this surveillance being used fairly in the black community?
— You can let them answer or continue on —
The reality is you can’t answer those questions. No one can.
We need laws and we need oversight in this system. There is a vote on February 1st, and I want to see the representative take a stand for civil rights and transparency in the way this government operates.
Visit the Official Resolution Website
Step Two: Connect Locally
Join local organizations committed to privacy principles:
PDX Privacy
Personal Telco Project
Sisters of the Road
Step Three: Connect Beyond the Local
Consider participating with some of these state and national organizations:
Fight for the Future
Electronic Frontier Foundation
Restore the Fourth
The Surveillance Technology Oversight Project (STOP)
The ACLU and the ACLU of Oregon
Media Alliance
Neon Law Foundation
Freedom to Thrive
Trade Justice Education Fund