Wilsonville City Council Approves Inclusivity Resolution

WILSONVILLE, OR — At its meeting on Monday, the Wilsonville City Council joined several other Portland metro region city governments by approving a resolution that declares Wilsonville to be a "welcoming and inclusive city."

The resolution, however, stopped just short of designating Wilsonville a sanctuary, though city spokesman Jon Gail said there's a reason for that.

By designating a city a sanctuary, a city government sends a message to federal immigration agents (and the city's respective immigrant communities) that city law enforcement vow not to work with federal immigration officials to arrest, detain, or deport undocumented immigrants based solely on their immigration status.

Because Wilsonville does not have its own law enforcement agency, and because it contracts its police force through the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office, a sanctuary designation wouldn't really say anything — literal or otherwise.

Nevertheless, Gail told Patch Wednesday, "The council felt (its inclusivity resolution) was the right thing to do."

"They did it to remind people that Wilsonville is a place people can feel safe and not discriminated," he continued, noting that after the resolution was approved the council received a standing ovation from the meeting's audience — which itself was made up of individuals not typically seen at council meetings, Gail said.

Shawn O'Neil, an attorney in Wilsonville, offered testimony during the public comment portion of the meeting and affirmed Gail's assessment.

"The audience has changed," O'Neil told the council. "We have a more diverse community coming here and communicating their wishes and desires. That takes guts.

"You've really helped our community," he continued, "and I thank you."

Prior to O'Neil's turn to address the council, five residents who identified themselves as Hispanic spoke in favor of the resolution.

"I love Wilsonville. I love it," said Raul Villanueva. "I never feel discriminated or (anything) like that."

Explaining that when he immigrated to the U.S. he specifically chose Oregon and Wilsonville because of the people, Villanueva said that he now feels grateful for the treatment he's received as a resident, and added that he feels safe because he knows when he calls the police they'll come to deal with his issue, not threaten to arrest him.

Luis Cisneros said he was initially nervous to move to Wilsonville after growing up in the Salem area because he had preconceived ideas of what living in a majority "Anglo" community would be like, noting that he expected to feel discriminated, unwelcome, and looked down on — just as he did in Salem.

"But we don't encounter that anywhere in this city," Cisneros said of himself and his family. "That says a lot about the people who live here … and it's something I'm very appreciative of."

Two other female speakers and Villanueva's son, a Wilsonville High School student, also spoke in favor of the resolution and thanked the council for their consideration. No one spoke in opposition.

The resolution read in part:

The City of Wilsonville is an inclusive City that has and will continue to welcome the collective contributions of all persons, honoring and respecting people of every race, color, national origin, immigration or refugee status, heritage, culture, religion, sex, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, marital status, mental and/or physical ability, age, or economic status…

The Wilsonville City Council encourages all Wilsonville residents to unite and work together to promote kindness and understanding in our shared community, rejecting hatred, bigotry, and divisiveness, as this community strives to protect the freedoms held dear and granted to all by the United States Constitution.

While this City Council may pass this inclusivity resolution in the hope that it is inspirational, the only true measure of its success will be in how all members of the community elect to treat each other day in and day out.

The entire resolution is available online in English and Spanish.

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