Women’s Declaration International USA Statement on Threat of Gun Violence at Portland Library
For months, WDI USA has been planning a peaceful speaking event at the Hollywood branch of the Multnomah County Library tomorrow, Sunday November 19, 2023, at 12 p.m. PT. The theme is protecting women and children.
WDI USA is committed to nonviolent direct action (NVDA)–a political tactic designed to confront systems of power using nonviolence.
On November 9, 2023, independent journalist Andy Ngo announced on X that a local group intends to disrupt the event and throw food at the women who are using our voices to protect women and children.
These kinds of threats have become so frequent as to be expected. As non-violent direct actionists who are committed to women’s free speech and to the sex-based rights of women and girls, we planned to go forward with the event, notwithstanding these threats.
On Thursday, one of our event organizers was contacted by the Workplace Security Director of Multnomah County, advising her that library staff had reached out with concerns (the library is a county building, and county security officers have jurisdiction). The security representative requested a meeting the next day.
The meeting took place as scheduled between the Workplace Security Director and another county representative, two members of library staff, and two of our event organizers. During the meeting, our organizers were informed that there had not been any threats made directly to the library, but that the library had found social media posts about them. County security expressed a commitment to go forward with the event as planned and stated that Portland City Police had been notified.
Today, our organizers received a second call from the county security director. She stated that a therapist (a mandatory reporter) had reached out to notify us that a patient had stated, “I am going to the event and bringing my gun and if anyone messes with me I will use it.” The therapist had a legal obligation to report this information and did so.
At this time, county security is still committed to allowing the event to go forward as planned. They understand our commitment to nonviolence. Portland City Police will be there.
We will never stop fighting for the sex-based rights of women and girls, no matter how much our enemies hurl threats and abuse at us. It’s reprehensible that a peaceful group of women cannot meet to simply speak at a library, consistent with our First Amendment rights to speech and assembly, without being threatened with deadly violence.
“We will never stop fighting for the sex-based rights of women and girls, no matter how much our enemies hurl threats and abuse at us.” —-This can’t be stated and emphasized enough!
I love that strong women are standing up and powerfully speaking out ! Keep it up ladies!!
Women have the right to free speech, these threats of violence are contemptible and must stop. We will not be silent.
Weil I do not agree with this organization, it is so not OK to commit violence upon other people because they don’t believe the same thing as you. Everyone has a right to have an event at a library without feeling threatened. We may not like it, but this is not an anarchy it is a democracy.
Because of inclusionary practices, you and your organization were allowed to go there. My question to you, however, is that if you were running that library, would you allow trans folks to come and have a an event in one of your community rooms?
So true. I have written every congressperson and senator about reasonable gun control to no avail. We need to elect peoplecwho care more about wo.en and children and even men, more tjan they care about money and power.