Actor & Author Hill Harper, and National Law Enforcement Leaders Join Oregon Legislators for Community Townhall

"Gaslighting: Challenging the Disconnect Between Public Policy and the Reality in Community" was recently hosted in Portland by the National Association of Blacks in Criminal Justice (NABCJ), a group of Black law enforcement executives and experts.

"African Americans are often used in narratives stating what we like and don't like, but they rarely come and talk to us. As we're creating policies around tobacco, criminal justice reform, fentanyl, and homelessness, we need to be part of those conversations.

"Today is a conversation with us," said Councilor Loretta Smith.

Actor & Author Hill Harper Panelists, led by moderator Actor & Author Hill Harper, spoke with dozens of community attendees. The panel included Senator James Manning, Jr., Councilor Loretta Smith, NABCJ President Sherman Lea, Jr., NY State Police Sr. Investigator Elliot Boyce, Health Department Director Charlene Addy McGee, Drug Policy Reform Advocate Art Way, along with student leaders from Word is Bond, a Portland nonprofit leadership incubator for young Black men.

Drug Policy Reform Advocate Art Way stated, "Youth at this event told us that online is the access point for these already illicit products, and a ban will only make the online illicit space more prevalent. Oregon must tightly regulate these products for adults while continuing to diminish the illegal online and elsewhere market."

The dangers and history of political gaslighting, a form of psychological manipulation where policymakers make their constituents doubt their reality, use misinformation, and deny the research and facts of what's happening on the ground to push their legislative agendas, was a primary point of the discussion. The panel discussed the warning signs of gaslighting in Oregon Senate Bill 702, a proposal to ban flavored tobacco and menthol.

"Anything that's banned becomes contraband, anything that is contraband is illegal, and anything illegal is a police and law enforcement issue—period," stated NY State Police Sr. Investigator Elliot Boyce.

The panelists also reiterated the need to address the root causes of addiction and to understand the underlying criminal and economic realities of the proposed flavored tobacco and menthol ban, especially in marginalized communities.

Sherman Lea, Jr., NABCJ President: "We travel around the country to have conversations - asking hard questions - about the impact of local, state, and federal policy issues. We hope to continue to be a resource for Oregon law enforcement-related questions and concerns."