When it comes to building a truly equitable transportation system, we have a long way to go and we're working against our history — as Bill Beamer astutely points out during this interview, public transportation has always been used as a way to racially discriminate against black and brown people.
During this exploration of his NE Portland neighborhood, part of a video series produced in collaboration with Metro, we discuss the path we might be able to walk as a community so that these systems don't just serve people equally, but can be used as an engine for economic empowerment.
Especially after the COVID-19 pandemic, budget crunch and falling ridership are challenging us to reimagine the grid and the way it gets people from Portland community to Portland community. New fears (airborne disease, rising fascism) intermingle with older fears (racial discrimination) to create a perfect crisis for the sustainability of our public infrastructure.
I'm so proud that Human Centric Media got the chance to produce these videos during such a pivotal time for our city. By centering the primary accounts of real people with real lived experience, we were able to return to Metro with an actionable vision for where to spend public dollars.
We may be a long way from the utopia we all deserve but working in this community, I am constantly reminded of how many people are working hard to build a better future for our children and their children. A safe, equitable world full of rich opportunity.
