*A campaigning-while-black situation occurred in Oregon over the weekend when the cops were called on an African American lawmaker running for re-election this fall, because a woman mistook her knocking on doors as “casing the neighborhood.”
State Rep. Janelle Bynum was out Tuesday canvassing a Portland-area neighborhood that she represents when a county sheriff’s deputy pulled up and asked if she was selling something. She introduced herself as a state legislator and explained that she was out greeting folks and asking for votes.
“It boils down to people not knowing their neighbors and people having a sense of fear in their neighborhoods, which is kind of my job to help eradicate,” Bynum told Oregon Live. “But at the end of the day, it’s important for people to feel like they can talk to each other to help minimize misunderstandings.”
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