The city of Portland has agreed to pay $8.5 million in settlement funds to 26 descendants of Black Portlanders who were displaced from their homes and businesses for development projects during the late 1950s through the 1970s.
This decision follows a federal lawsuit filed in late 2022 by the group of descendants, which claimed that the city of Portland, Emanuel Legacy Medical Center, and Prosper Portland conspired to dismantle a once-thriving Black neighborhood.
The civil rights lawsuit, submitted to the U.S. District Court, detailed the detrimental impact of the actions taken by these organizations, highlighting how they resulted in the destruction of homes and businesses vital to the community.
On Thursday, the Portland City Council unanimously endorsed a settlement after deliberating the initial proposed amount of $2 million. After hearing from a dozen community members, including descendants, the council voted to increase the financial settlement by an additional $6.5 million.
Council President Elana Pirtle-Guiney expressed that the historical actions against the Black community left a significant void.
“It was taken not by accident,” Pirtle-Guiney stated. “It happened through public policy. The urban renewal and eminent domain and rezoning and decisions made by [the] government, including by our predecessors on this city council — and it displaced Black Portlanders and disrupted generational progress.”
Pirtle-Guiney acknowledged the painful process for the affected families but emphasized the necessity of the settlement, even if it cannot restore what was lost.
“I want to be clear that this settlement, it’s not a full restoration, because it never can be,” she said. “But nonetheless, it is important.”
The settlement will lead to the dismissal of the lawsuit and will provide descendants with financial compensation as well as land reparations among other terms.
Historically, North Portland’s Central Albina neighborhood was a vibrant center for Black-owned businesses in the 1940s. However, beginning in the 1950s, the city displaced hundreds of residents from this predominantly Black area to accommodate Interstate 5.
The city, Portland Development Commission (now Prosper Portland), and Emanuel Legacy Medical Center later acquired federal urban renewal grants in the late 1950s to expand the hospital and “remove blight” from the neighborhood, leading to the displacement of over 150 residents.
Despite the plans, the intended hospital expansion never materialized. Instead, many lots along North Williams Avenue and Russell Street, once occupied by homes, have remained empty or utilized for parking until at least 2025.
Royal Harris, a participant in the lawsuit and a descendant of those displaced, shared a personal connection to the issue, recounting his family’s ownership of a home near the hospital where he was born.
“We are talking about significant numbers that changed the direct trajectory of communities and families,” Harris explained to city councilors. “What we are here for is redress, the acknowledgment of harm that includes a reversal from that practice and includes the true and proper compensation for that victimization.”
The decision to increase the settlement amount was made by city councilors after they listened to testimonies during the meeting. When councilor Loretta Smith announced the enhanced settlement, the room erupted with emotional reactions from attendees.
Under the terms of the settlement, the city will contribute $7.5 million, while Prosper Portland will contribute an additional $1 million. This translates to about $327,000 for each of the 26 descendants involved in the lawsuit, sourced from a specific pool of funds apart from the general budget for city settlements.
The settlement agreement explicitly acknowledges that Portland engaged in “systemic discrimination and displacement that harmed Black communities.” Through these actions, the city denied Black residents the chance to build homeownership, which contributes to generational wealth, while also fostering segregation.
Additionally, the agreement mandates that the city transfer ownership of two parcels of land in North Portland to the descendants at no cost, with three potential plots already identified.
Furthermore, the settlement includes the establishment of a Descendants Day, which will commence this year and persist for at least five years. The city also commits to supporting a grant-funded film that will document the displacement of families from the Albina neighborhood.
In an unprecedented aspect of the settlement, if plans for the renovation of Keller Auditorium progress, at least two descendants will be incorporated into the renovation and design committees of the project.
Keller Auditorium, previously named after Richard Keller following a 2000 donation, has its roots in a history entwined with the decisions impacting the Black community, as Ira Keller was the first chair of what is now Prosper Portland.
This settlement reflects a significant step toward acknowledging past injustices and addressing the long-standing impacts on the Black community in Portland.
image source from：https://www.opb.org/article/2025/06/05/albina-black-descendants-displacement-reparations/
