Nearly 120 PSJ members and concerned Oregonians came together on Saturday, April 5th for our first Statewide Annual Gathering which was a resounding success! The day was devoted to providing the information and tools necessary to defeat the mandatory minimum measure that will be on Oregon’s ballot in November.

Opening and welcoming remarks included inspiration from Senator Vicki Walker about the need for grassroots organizations like PSJ to do the work we do. Participants then went into small breakout sessions where they learned the most effective messages for educating voters and making our movement for criminal justice reform stronger. They also received training on how to ensure that family, friends, and neighbors are registered to vote and how to plug into our core campaign strategies.

Lunch included a presentation of PSJ’s goals that will not only help us win in November but also build a more powerful organization and movement. A highlight of the event was the symbolic exercise “Using our Collective Power” in which we literally destroyed Mandatory Madness – a 30-foot long banner on which folks had colorfully expressed their thoughts and fears about new mandatory minimums (both written and artistic).

An impressive number of individual and collective commitments were made to spend the next seven months working to defeat Mandatory Madness. Did you miss the event but want to be a part of our campaign? Follow-up speakers’ trainings and action team meetings are planned for May. More information will be posted on these very soon.