 Hi! We’re back with our third Equity on the Move newsletter. Thanks for taking time to catch up on our ongoing equity and inclusion efforts, upcoming community engagement opportunities, and more.
 Beginning today, April 1, 2021, Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) takes command of the Transit Police Division, providing direction to the unit made up of officers from six local law enforcement agencies.
MSCO has a track record of embracing community-based approaches that merge safety with compassion. This approach aligns with the changes we’re making through our reimagine public safety initiative.
We’re pleased to share that TriMet’s Safety and Security Division is hard at work on developing pilot programs for the reimagine public safety initiative.
In fall 2020, with feedback and input from dozens of community based organizations and thousands of riders, the Transit Public Safety Advisory Committee recommended:
- Conducting agency-wide training on anti-racism, cultural humility, mental health and de-escalation techniques for TriMet employees.
- Increasing the presence of TriMet personnel on the system.
- Developing a crisis intervention team model that is focused on supporting transit riders experiencing a mental health crisis or other behavioral health issues.
To date, the Safety and Security Division has competed one round of training for our Fare Inspectors and security contractors. Additional training will continue this spring, and we aim to train more TriMet staff later in the year.
We’re also trying some new efforts that increase presence on the system, with teams of Transit Police officers, TriMet personnel and our contract security staff riding bus lines where we’ve had a higher number of reports of people experiencing behavioral health issues.
TriMet is moving forward on piloting crisis intervention models on transit. We’re working to bring MCSO’s Homeless Outreach and Programs Engagement (HOPE) Team and Washington County Sheriff’s Office Mental Health Response Team (MHRT) on board, and we’re forming a TriMet Safety Response Team. We are currently in discussion with Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office about providing a crisis intervention pilot team as well.
Learn more about how we’re working to make our system safer and more welcoming for everyone.
TriMet’s Board of Directors has just begun the search for our next General Manager, and we need your feedback: What priorities and attributes would you like to see in TriMet’s next General Manager?
Weigh in! Take our online survey, available in six languages, at trimet.org/gm. It takes just five minutes, and your feedback matters!
You can also provide comments online at trimet.org/feedback, by email to hello@trimet.org, through direct message to TriMet on Facebook or Twitter, or by connecting with TriMet’s Rider Support team via text or phone call to 503-238-7433 (RIDE).
We’re engaging community leaders, riders and community-based organizations across our service area to ensure we gather as much diverse feedback and input as possible as part of our comprehensive and inclusive outreach efforts. Thanks for helping us spread the word!
 Designer. Community engagement specialist. Mother. Engineer. The women working on the Division Transit Project have diverse, meaningful and important life and professional experiences. We thank them and celebrate their contributions as a team and as individuals as they help build a new type of bus service that will move more people faster and more efficiently.
Dozens of women from various organizations have worked on the Division Transit Project, which will improve bus service on the 15-mile Division Street corridor between Downtown Portland and Gresham.
Meet four of the women building the Division Transit Project, which opens fall 2022.
 Please join us in welcoming TriMet’s new Board members: Dr. LaVerne Lewis and Eun Hyung “Thomas” Kim.
Dr. Lewis attended the March Board meeting, and was introduced by Board President Bruce Warner.
“I’m looking forward to serving east county,” said Dr. Lewis. “I’m very active with the community and neighbors.”
Dr. Lewis was appointed on March 4 and represents District 6: E Multnomah County. She is an educator and an expert in criminal justice and civil rights. She spent nearly 18 years in law enforcement, including with MCSO and as a training instructor at the Oregon Public Safety Academy’s Department of Public Safety Standards and Training.
Thomas Kim will serve as the director for TriMet District 1, which covers Washington County. He is an attorney with Davis Wright Tremaine LLP. Kim also serves as the president of the Hillsboro Planning Commission.
Dr. Lewis and Kim bring diversity and a wide range of experience that will help set policy for TriMet, among other tasks. Learn more about their personal and professional backgrounds here.
 We’re making some big changes to trimet.org, and we’d love your feedback.
The prototype website, trimet.org/beta, has updated trip planning tools and an interactive map so you can track any bus or train in real time. You can instantly see nearby stops and next arrivals based on your location.
We want to know what works well, what needs improvement, and what would make it easier for you to get around on transit. Visit trimet.org/beta to share your feedback!
 Our partner profile for April is HAKI (Humanitarian Aid with Kindness and Intercultural).
"HAKI” in Swahili means rights: the individual right from birth to food, clothing, shelter and life’s basics. HAKI Organization and Center was founded in 2018 by Mohamed Salim Bahamadi as a supportive home for camaraderie and multi-cultural acceptance for Portland’s East African immigrant communities, and anyone in need. In addition to running HAKI, Mohamed is a bus driver for Neighborhood House and a father of seven.
HAKI has a robust history of helping the community. Over Ramadhan 2020, HAKI delivered culturally specific food, Ramadhan Karim, to hundreds of Muslim families throughout Portland. They will continue the tradition this year and aim to assist more food-insecure families during Ramadhan. HAKI has also partnered with Neighborhood House to deliver food boxes for up to 100 families every Friday during the pandemic. For more information, visit nhpdx.org/food-security.
Last summer, TriMet partnered with HAKI on our reimagining public safety and security effort. HAKI hosted a series of outdoor listening sessions to further conversations about race, equity and safety on public transit.
To learn more about HAKI and how to support their mission, please visit hakicommunity.org.
Images courtesy of Bridge City Media.
April is National Housing Month, which recognizes the passage of the Fair Housing Act of 1968.
TriMet's transit-oriented development program prioritizes equitable outcomes through robust planning and outreach to ensure long-term, sustainable and diverse communities.
From 2015–2020, TriMet and partners developed more than 700 housing units, including more than 475 affordable units (more than sixty-five percent of total units). Learn more about how we’re working with partners to build affordable housing to address the region’s housing crisis.
Stay tuned for a recruiting announcement for the Reimagining Public Safety Advisory Committee this spring. Details will be posted online when available. For questions, please email reimaginepublicsafety@trimet.org
TEAC has a virtual meeting on April 13. Get details here.
Learn more about our equity programs, including our income-based fare and high school transit pass programs, climate justice efforts, and more, online.
Thanks for letting us share the latest news on TriMet’s equity efforts. If you have questions or want more information, please email Roberto A. Gutierrez, Sr. Coordinator of Community Engagement Programs.
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