Security Isn’t a Feeling. It’s a Policy.
Notes from a broadcast on layoffs, enforcement, and what Portland owes its people
There’s a word we hear a lot lately: security.
It gets tossed around like a warm blanket — something leaders promise when things feel shaky. But when you look closer, “security” often means control, not care. It means force, not stability. It means cracking down, not building up.
So on KBOO with PDX Progressive Talk Radio, I wanted to ask a different set of questions — the ones that actually match what people are living:
What does security mean when your job isn’t secure… and neither is your neighborhood?
How does “public safety” work when trust is gone?
And what does Portland do when federal power collides with local reality?
Because we’re not just watching separate crises. We’re watching the same crisis wearing different outfits.
The layoff economy: when instability becomes the business model
Let’s start with the part that’s quietly wrecking households across the region: layoffs and “restructuring.”
People keep talking about layoffs like they’re seasonal. Like flu. Like rain.
But layoffs are not weather. They’re decisions.
And when big employers cut jobs, it doesn’t stay contained to one industry or one type of worker. In the Portland metro area, layoffs ripple out like a dropped glass — contractors lose projects, creatives lose recurring clients, small shops lose weekday traffic, childcare centers lose enrollments. The money stops circulating. Everybody holds their breath.
And yes: AI investment is real. But “AI” is also becoming the clean, shiny reason companies give the public while doing what they already planned: reduce labor, tighten budgets, protect profit, and call it “innovation.”
Here’s the part you’re not supposed to say out loud:
Layoffs don’t just save money — they change behavior.
A scared workforce negotiates less. Organizes less. Reports less. Asks for raises less.
Fear becomes a management tool. And wages stay “disciplined.”
That’s not a conspiracy. That’s economics with a smirk.
Sticky truth: Layoffs don’t just cut staff. They cut courage.
“Public safety” without accountability isn’t safety — it’s power
Now here’s where it gets darker, and where the word “security” starts doing real damage.
When U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Department of Homeland Security are part of the public story — whether through raids, protest response, or use of force — the central question isn’t partisan. It’s democratic:
Who is accountable when public power harms people?
Because accountability isn’t a vibe. It’s a structure.
Accountability means:
-
Body camera policy that’s enforced, not optional
-
Transparency with timelines and clear explanations
-
Independent investigation, not “we investigated ourselves and cleared ourselves”
A camera without transparency isn’t accountability — it’s a prop.
And when accountability is weak, trust collapses. And when trust collapses, everything else gets worse.
Local trust: when fear makes cities less safe
One of the biggest lies we tell ourselves is that aggressive enforcement automatically creates safety.
But in real life, heavy-handed enforcement makes communities quieter — and quiet is not safe. Quiet is what happens when people are afraid to call for help.
If families believe any interaction with authorities could spiral into detention, violence, or retaliation, they stop reporting crimes. They stop acting as witnesses. They avoid services. They keep their heads down.
That doesn’t prevent harm. It hides it.
Sticky truth: Public safety runs on public trust. You can’t police your way out of that.
Escalation: aggression creates the chaos it claims to prevent
Escalation is what happens when force becomes the first language instead of the last resort.
When agencies show up aggressively — ambiguous identification, intimidation, fast-moving tactics — people respond like human beings under threat: they run, they freeze, they shout, they record, they gather, they panic.
And then the reaction gets used as justification for more aggression.
That’s the loop:
Aggression → fear → reaction → justification → more aggression
If we want fewer flashpoints, we need fewer tactics that predictably create flashpoints.
Sticky truth: De-escalation is public safety. Escalation is public control.
Dehumanization: the fastest path to abuse is treating people like they don’t count
Here’s the most dangerous part, because it spreads.
Dehumanization is how harm becomes normal.
It starts with language: “illegals,” “animals,” “invaders,” “bad people,” “just suspects,” “collateral.”
Once someone becomes a category instead of a human being, it gets easier to treat them as disposable.
And dehumanization never stays neatly targeted. It always expands.
Because when one group is treated as disposable, the lesson is clear: rights only apply if you’re considered worthy.
That’s not rights. That’s a popularity contest with handcuffs.
Sticky truth: Rights that depend on likability aren’t rights.
Portland politics: federal enforcement collides with local priorities — and local officials still have choices
This is where it lands locally.
Portland can’t control federal agencies. But Portland can decide what the city participates in, what it tolerates, and what lawful tools it uses to protect public trust.
That includes:
-
drawing firm boundaries for local cooperation
-
using city policies and enforcement mechanisms where applicable
-
demanding transparency, clarity, and identification
-
and communicating clearly to residents about what happened and what comes next
And yes, Council leadership matters in moments like this — not because a gavel is magic, but because agenda-setting, tone, and coordination decide what gets handled like an emergency… and what gets filed under “later.”
The public isn’t asking for perfection. Portlanders want basics:
stability, services, transparency, and a city that doesn’t treat people like problems to be managed.
That’s not radical. That’s the minimum standard of a functional home.
What you can do this week (without burning out)
Let’s end with action — not the performative kind, the real kind.
If layoffs are hitting your world:
-
Make a simple “bridge plan”: rent, food, meds, childcare, transportation
-
Ask your network for introductions, not “job leads” (people respond better)
-
Batch applications + track them (yes, it’s annoying; no, it’s not optional)
If you’re worried about enforcement and civil liberties:
-
Know your rights from reputable legal aid sources
-
Document what you can safely (and don’t endanger yourself to be a hero)
-
Support organizations doing legal defense and rapid response work
-
Talk to your city leaders like you expect competence, not theater
If you feel numb:
That’s normal.
But numbness is not the end — it’s your brain trying to keep you alive.
Take a breath. Drink water. And pick one thing you can do. Consistency beats intensity.
Closing: security is built, not promised
Security isn’t something you feel because someone told you to calm down.
Security is built — through policy, accountability, wages that match reality, services that function, and rights that don’t evaporate when things get tense.
They want you tired. They want you isolated. They want you blaming your neighbor.
But Portland has never been good at staying quiet when something stinks.
Stay loud. Stay human. Take care of each other.