Media

Democratic Rep. Suzanne Bonamici of Oregon sits on numerous committees, including Education and Labor. She speaks to Ali Velshi about the small business owners that she represents and the ongoing Black Lives Matter movement: "We have to remember why people were protesting and some continue to protest. We need to take action."

Velshi got Oregon congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici to Portland's Eastbank Esplanade before dawn to accommodate the east coast live airing. Bonamici talked about the hard times here. "There are many things that came together to create this stress, of course, the COVID-19 pandemic and I'm very concerned about the numbers that you're talking about," said Bonamici.

MSNBC brought the "Velshi" show to Portland as part of a nationwide tour. The show focused on the economic and medical strain the state is under because of COVID-19. Host Ali Velshi spoke to Dr. Smitha Chadaga (above), an internist from Legacy Emanuel Medical Center, as well as two Oregon members of Congress, Suzanne Bonamici and Earl Blumenauer. Velshi also profiled some businesses in Portland that are doing their best to survive through the pandemic.

Oregon's four Democratic representatives — Earl Blumenauer, Suzanne Bonamici, Peter DeFazio and Kurt Schrader — backed the bill. Republican Rep. Greg Walden voted no. Some equity activists were critical of elements of the bill, but the longtime reform group NORML captured the view of many legalization supporters with an email subject line that read "Massive Victory!"

A county public health staffer shared a link to the story in an email to her colleagues in public health and emergency management. The subject line: "This makes me sick" Saying she was "deeply concerned," Bonamici urged the Oregon Health Authority and Pacific Seafood to hold a virtual community meeting to answer questions from the community. At the town hall, Patrick Allen, the director of the Oregon Health Authority, said there was no plan to retest Pacific Seafood workers for the virus at regular intervals, since serial testing is not something supported by data as being useful.