Write to city council to demand an end to PDX Fleet Week!

Note: If you are not a citizen, or have privacy concerns, please do not provide your real name in the "First Name" and "Last Name" fields for your security.

While marketed as a family-friendly and patriotic attraction, in reality Fleet Week functions as a military recruitment campaign and glorifies U.S.-led war.

The ships that dock along the Willamette River during Fleet Week are not neutral symbols — they are active components of the U.S. military. Many have been deployed in invasions, occupations, and large-scale military exercises. These vessels are often equipped with weapons and surveillance systems produced by major defense contractors such as Raytheon and General Dynamics, whose business models rely on ongoing global conflict. For example, in 2023, the USS John S. McCain (DDG 56) participated in Fleet Week in Portland. This same ship was deployed to the Persian Gulf in 2003, where it launched 39 Tomahawk missiles during the U.S. invasion of Iraq. When Portland hosts Fleet Week, it contributes to the normalization of militarism in our public spaces — aligning the city with the machinery of war, rather than peace and justice.

Fleet Week brings concrete consequences for Portland communities:

• The Portland Police Bureau increases sweeps of unhoused residents in preparation for the Rose Festival, displacing vulnerable people to make room for visitors, and to increase profitability.
• The presence of increased military personnel correlates with higher risks of violence against women and sex workers, as seen in cities across the country.
• Military ships docked on the Willamette continue to pollute the river, already burdened by environmental injustice. In 2023, the Willamette Weekly published that the USCGC Elm released 21.44 tons of C02 emissions while docked in our river. This is just one of many ships.
• Fleet Week opens up our city—and especially our youth—to military recruitment under the guise of patriotism and education. Young people are invited onto warships and exposed to glorified displays of combat technology, fostering celebration of militarism rather than critical engagement. The military is not an alternative to joblessness for youth - we need fully funded schools, programs, and jobs - not military recruitment and JROTC programs, where youth are put at increased risk of sexual violence.
• Perhaps most insidiously, the normalization of militarism in our public spaces sends a chilling message to Portland’s immigrant communities and communities of color—communities already targeted by police, ICE, and Homeland Security. As a sanctuary city, Portland has pledged to protect and support these communities, yet the visible presence of warships and military personnel undermines that promise. It reinforces a culture of surveillance and state violence, making clear who is truly welcome in this city—and who is treated as a threat.

Last year, the Reject Militarization Coalition organized a public resistance to Fleet Week, including a People’s Summit, protest march, and banner actions with hundreds of your constituents in attendance. This year, Resist US-Led War Portland is renewing that call. We believe Portland can and must be a city that refuses to celebrate militarism and instead invests in real community safety—housing, environmental restoration, public health, and education.

We are demanding that Portland City Council:

1. Withdraw City sponsorship, endorsement, and logistical support for Fleet Week.
2. Prohibit U.S. warships from docking in Portland’s public waterfront.
3. Redirect any public resources currently used to support Fleet Week, including via the Rose Foundation, to programs that serve the needs of Portland’s most impacted residents.
4. Publicly acknowledge the harm that Fleet Week and the broader militarization of public life causes to local and global communities.

Portland has the opportunity to set a precedent: to say no to war propaganda, and yes to peace, dignity, and collective care. Write Now!