September 9, 2015
Socially Responsible Investments Committee
Office of Management & Finance
1120 SW 5th Ave.
Room 1250
Portland, OR 97204
Re: Proposed Recommendation for Do-Not-Buy List
Dear Committee Members,
We are urging you to adopt a recommendation that four multinational
corporations—Caterpillar, G4S, Hewlett-Packard, and Motorola—be added to the
list of corporate securities that the city of Portland shall not invest in due
to the impact their products or services have had on human rights. As stated in the official Socially Responsible
Investing policy, this list is referred to as the Do-Not-Buy List.
These four corporations have played a well-documented role in assisting
the Israeli government’s violations of Palestinian human rights in
Israel/Palestine. Caterpillar, for example continues to sell bulldozers and
other heavy equipment to the Israeli government and military, despite its use
in demolishing homes in the Occupied Palestinian Territories in violation of
international law. Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Conventions prohibits the
transfer of a civilian population from an occupying power to the territory it
occupies. Despite this fact, Caterpillar
knowingly provides bulldozers to the Israeli government for use in destroying Palestinian
homes and uprooting crops on farmland owned by Palestinian farmers to make way
for illegal settlements. Moreover, Caterpillar bulldozers have been used and
continue to be used to help construct a barrier wall that has been found
illegal by the International Court of Justice at The Hague, Netherlands.
Many of us who live in the Pacific Northwest remember that an Evergreen
University student, Rachel Corrie, was killed by a Caterpillar bulldozer when
she attempted to stop a home demolition in occupied Gaza.
As you know, the Socially Responsible Investment Policy adopted by the
City Council includes concerns about human rights among its criteria. We are
providing you ample documentation detailing the role of Caterpillar and the
other three corporations in Israel’s human rights violations. In addition, G4S
is implicated in the mistreatment of immigrants and prisoners held in
privately-run prisons and immigration detention centers, and Caterpillar has
been found guilty of violations of the Clean Air Act and has acted to oppose
legislation that would limit the emissions of fossil fuels responsible for
climate change.
Unfortunately, Portland is currently invested in commercial paper issued
by Caterpillar through DCAT LLC CP, according to the city treasurer. Fortunately,
this is a short-term investment that will hopefully mature soon after the City
Council places these four corporations on Portland’s Do-Not-Buy list. We ask
that you make this recommendation to the City Council. Thank you.
Respectfully,
Occupation-Free Portland
Occupation-Free Portland is
a coalition consisting of Jewish Voice for Peace-Portland Chapter; Friends of
Sabeel-North America; Lutherans for Justice in the Holy Land; the Wider Church
Ministry of the Central Pacific Conference, United Church of Christ; Oregon-Idaho United
Methodist Conference Holy Land Task Force; Portland Fellowship of
Reconciliation; Unitarian Universalists for Justice in the Middle East-Portland Chapter;
Students United for Palestinian Equal Rights; Veterans for Peace,
Chapter 72; Americans United for Palestinian Human Rights; and International
Socialists.
This statement has been endorsed by other individuals
and groups, such as African Youth and Community Organization *Al-Furqan Islamic Center * The Reverend
Catherine L. Alder, LCSW, MFT, M.Div., UCC Palestine Israel Network *Charis Barasch * Dr. Curtis Bell, Unitarian
Universalists for Justice in the Middle East * Joel Beinin, Donald J.
McLachlan Professor of History, Stanford University *Michel Bolsey, Jewish
Voice for Peace * Dr. Mark Braverman, Executive Director, Kairos USA * Peggy Jo
Bronson, retired Portland public school teacher *Kelly Campbell, Executive
Director, Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility+ * Paul Cienfuegos * Betty
Cobb-Colgan * Ann J. Cornwell * Virginia
Feldman * Margaret Fussell, Tree of Life Educational Fund *Steven Goldberg, Attorney at Law * Jana
Gregory * Sylvan Grey * Joanne Hardesty, private business owner * Nancy Hedrick * Henry Herring * Human Rights
Commission, City of Portland * Steve Kerpen * Hjalmer Lofstrom, St. Michael
& All Angels Episcopal Church * The Rev. Kate Lore, First Unitarian Church,
Portland * Katie Miranda * Masjid Umar Bin-Al Khatab Mosque * Joanie McClellan, Chair Emerita, Portland Fellowship of
Reconciliation * Allen Menegay * Esther Nelson * Oregon-Idaho United Methodist
Conference Holy Land Task Force * Peace Action Group, First Unitarian Church,
Portland * Peace and Justice Works Iraq Affinity Group *Kirsten Peterson * Robert J. Picariello * Elizabeth Sheppard * The Rev. Dan Simmons * The
Rev. Rod Stafford * Sandy Stienecker *The Rev. Canon Richard Toll * Day Tooley
* Tree of Life Educational Fund * Lisa Westarp, St. Michael & All Angels
Episcopal Church.
+ For identification
purposes only.