Teressa Raiford


Teressa Raiford is an American activist, community organizer, and political candidate who is best known for running for Mayor of Portland, Oregon in 2020 and for being the founder of Don't Shoot Portland.

Political Campaigns

2012 Portland City Council election

Raiford attempted to unseat Amanda Fritz in the 2012 City Council elections. She finished in 4th out of 5th place with 3,840 votes.

2014 Multnomah County Commission election

In the 2014 County Commission elections, Raiford attempted to unseat then Commissioner Loretta Smith. Raiford finished 3rd out of 4th place with 1,986 votes.

2016 Multnomah County Sheriff election

Raiford announced a write-in campaign against Mike Reese, former Portland Police chief, who was running unopposed. Reese won with 96.55% of the vote.

2020 Portland Mayoral election

See also: 2020 Portland, Oregon mayoral election
Raiford announced her plan to run for mayor in late 2017, being one of the first candidates to announce her plan. In late 2019 and early 2020, she began recruiting volunteers and actively campaigning. On May 19th, 2020, Raiford lost the primary election to Ted Wheeler and Sarah Iannarone, coming in 3rd place with 18,310 votes.

Activism

In 2014, after her nephew Andre Dupree Payton was shot and killed on September 26 in a murder that remains unsolved, Raiford started Don't Shoot Portland, a group of activists who work for police accountability within the Portland Police Bureau and Multnomah County Sheriff's Office.
In 2015 Raiford was arrested, charged and jailed for obstructing traffic and disorderly conduct by five officers, at a march she had organised to honor Michael Brown, a black man shot by a police officer in Ferguson. In 2016 the case was dismissed by a jury, and it 2017 Raiford filed a lawsuit claiming damages of $500,000 for "saying she was signaled out for her outspokenness against police violence and claiming officers made disparaging comments as they arrested her". The case was dismissed by a judge in 2019.
In 2016, Raiford was one of 18 subjects selected in the book "Death:An Oral History"by Casey Jarman.
Raiford has opposed the use of tear gas by law enforcement and has helped file a lawsuit against the city of Portland.