PORTLAND, Ore. ( KOIN ) — Portland is letting the immigrant and refugee community know they’re welcome in the Rose City with a week devoted to honoring them.
This year’s Welcoming Week, a series of events celebrating and offering a helping hand to immigrants and refugees, comes at a time when Oregon has been struggling with a surge in bias crimes.
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In the last decade, bias crime reports went from 10 in 2015 to nearly 170 in 2023, according to the Oregon Department of Justice . On a national level, a similar rise in bias crimes in recent years has been reported by the FBI .
On Wednesday at Portland’s Alberta House, Welcoming Week celebrations included a block party with live music, international cuisine, games, and family-friendly activities. The event, slated for 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., recognized the immigrant and refugee contributions to the city’s diversity, culture and local economy…