Oregon civil rights leaders in Salem to promote bills

SALEM, Ore. (AP) – Civil rights leaders in Oregon have come to the state Capitol to support several bills, including one designed to end racial profiling by police, and to release a report that urges greater inclusiveness of minorities as the state turns to renewable energy.

The presidents of the four branches in Oregon of the NAACP joined together in the lobbying effort Monday in Salem.

Jo Anne Hardesty, president of the black civil rights group’s Portland branch, told reporters that middle and upper-middle class white communities are taking advantage of the new emerging economy offered by alternative energy, and that a pathway for must be developed for people of color and low-income people to be trained so they’re not left behind.