Physics Doesn't Know Or Care What Color You Are
Ridiculously, the Portland, Oregon NAACP is leading a coalition protesting an ordinance there that requires building owners to announce with a plaque if their structure is not earthquake-safe -- meaning shored up so it won't collapse and kill or main all the people inside.

In the Portland Mercury, Blair Stenvick reports that "the coalition believes that the ordinance places an unfair burden on building owners affected by the ordinance--many of whom are people of color":

The ordinance specifically targets unreinforced masonry buildings, or URMs, the first buildings to collapse in the event of a major earthquake. It requires that these buildings--about 1,600 altogether--have an 8-by-10-inch plaque stating: "This is an unreinforced masonry building. Unreinforced masonry buildings may be unsafe in the event of a major earthquake."

The Portland City Council voted on the ordinance, which also requires the earthquake-unsafe information to be mentioned in all future building leases, last October. It will go into effect on March 1.

The NAACP-led coalition argues that such requirements place a "Scarlet Letter" on older Portland buildings, including many Black-owned businesses, music venues, and churches, and will make it difficult for owners to lease, refinance, or mortgage their buildings.

If you own property that others live and work in -- or that people could be injured walking past -- you have a responsibility to make it safe (or at least announce that it is unsafe so people can decide whether it's worth it to them to risk being in or around it).

Typical race baiting:

In an energetic speech to kick off the rally, NAACP Portland chapter President E. D. Mondainé talked about the new ordinance in the context of Portland's broader racial history. He mentioned Vanport, the largely Black community that was created by discriminatory real estate practices and wiped away in a 1948 flood under suspicious circumstances, and suggested that the URM ordinance was a continuation of racist policies.

And naturally, at the end of the article, there's a quote from somebody who thinks building owners who can't afford upgrades should get financial handouts from the city. Really? What about renters? Bus drivers? Reptile daycare owners?