URGENT CALL FOR TESTIMONY:

They weren’t able to get through all of the testimony on yesterday. There is another hearing Today, May 8th! Sign up to testify by 2:30 PM PST! You can register for verbal testimony (virtual or in Salem) here. You can submit written testimony up to 3pm on Saturday, May 10th. Please find the testimony template here/in bio.

SB 238A authorizes police to use unmanned aircraft systems (drones) in law enforcement. While advocacy from the ACLU and others has led to amendments in this bill that restrict drone usage, the proposal is still too broad. Police won't even need a warrant to use drones if there is "probable cause." This means, unless we act to stop this bill, aerial police surveillance is coming to your next action soon. The police have shown us time and time again that any expansion of their power will only lead to more violence and brutality at their hands. This is especially true for Black, Brown, and Indigenous folks. Why should we pay for them to have new toys to surveil us with, other than for our own repression?

The addition of drones to the police toolkit will not make our communities more safe. They will only increase the police violence we are subjected to. In Nebraska and New Jersey, drones have already been used to surveil protests. In this critical moment of increasing repression and police militarization, we must ensure Oregon does not follow suit. We keep us safe. Now is the time to take steps toward abolishing police, not militarizing them.

So what do we do? Share your opinion with legislators! This bill has passed the first stage of the legislature and is making progress to become law. Find this link to submit public testimony for the hearing. Find the link in our bio to send a message to the members of the House Committee On Judiciary. You can also send your testimony to your own legislators in your district, and send them an email!