October 8, 2020

Sarah Iannarone Releases Sweeping Gun Violence Prevention Policy

Led by youth who have dealt with the issue of gun violence for their entire lives, Sarah Iannarone released a policy regarding Gun Violence Prevention in Portland. It reads in part, “Violence is a disease and we must adopt a public health approach to end it. That means reframing violence away from a criminal justice problem in need of increased policing toward more holistic, community-led responses and prevention strategies. We must build and maintain healthy partnerships across governments, sectors, organizations, and social and educational and healthcare needs that focus on upstream prevention even as we address the public’s immediate safety needs.” The policy can be found in its entirety at sarah2020.com/gunviolence where it commits to:

• Support youth, family & community
• Invest in education
• Expand trauma-informed practice
• Build an inclusive economy
• Interrupt the cycle of community violence
• Educate the public and enforce sensible gun legislation

In a statement, Sarah Iannarone said, “Gun violence is top of mind in many Portland households. While often overlooked, gun violence disproportionately impacts BIPOC communities. Preventing gun violence is a priority and my team is doing the groundwork to address this public health crisis. Preventing gun violence means we must support the whole community, invest in education, expand trauma-informed practice, build an inclusive economy, interrupt the cycle of community violence, and enforce existing gun legislation.”

About the Policy, PPS high school student and Legislative Director of March for Our Lives Oregon Sadie Wallsmith wrote, “It was new to work with a candidate who truly cares about youth’s unique perspectives and experiences surrounding gun violence prevention. These past couple of months, Sarah has consistently centered youth voices, leading to this comprehensive and innovative policy.”

This policy comes at a time when the current mayor has presided over one of the most violent moments in Portland history. Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler proposes no plan to address gun violence and has failed to meet with youth leaders at the forefront of this issue. The policy reflects Sarah Iannarone’s responsiveness to issues impacting BIPOC and youth Portlanders who have been historically underrepresented, overlooked, and silenced; particularly during this current administration.