By Katie Daviscourt – The Postmillennial
The Office of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in Clackamas County, Oregon has officially been dismantled after officials voted to cut its bloated $828,000 budget. Clackamas County is one of the three counties that make up the greater Portland area.
The decision was made as the war against the anti-white “racist” initiatives, otherwise known as diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), has taken hold in America as enraged citizens have started to rebel against the progressive policies that they claim cause more harm than good.
County Commissioner Mark Shull proposed cutting its extravagant budget last year, which resulted in extreme backlash from the far-left population in Oregon. However, since Clackamas County is more moderate than neighboring Multnomah County, which includes the city of Portland, officials were able to successfully axe the department.
County Commissioner Ben West, who has an adopted black son and became notable when he fought for same-sex marriage rights in the state, was one of the leading voices in the successful attempt to dismantle the department.
In a statement, West told The Post Millennial: “Clackamas County has shown moral clarity and leadership by dismantling its EDI department. In Clackamas, we promote classical liberal and American values, good government over ideology, promoting and hiring based on merit and competency, and not incessantly focusing on a person’s immutable traits.”
“In Clackamas, EDI work was divisive and heavily influenced by a radical ideological worldview that measures fairness on the equality of outcomes rather than equality of opportunity. Now, Clackamas County can better serve its constituents regardless of their immutable characteristics,” he added.
Clackamas County had established the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Office in July 2020, weeks after the death of George Floyd and in continuation of a 2004 series of resolutions supporting diversity, inclusion, and equity, according to Axios.
During last year’s budget meeting, Shull argued that Clackamas County had “operated just fine” without an equality office “for decades.” He also expressed his opinion that the office “only foments friction” and is an unnecessary expense.
Commissioner Paul Savas had a dissenting opinion and argued against the budget cut saying, “Everyone needs to feel that they belong.”
Furthermore, Desi Nicodemus, president of the Milwaukie City Council in Clackamas County, told Axios that cutting the office would end up “making a whole community of folks in Clackamas County feel unsafe.”
West confirmed to The Post Millennial that the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion department has no more staff and its website will officially come down in February.
Over the past few months, DEI policies have captured the attention of prominent outspoken billionaire businessmen such as Elon Musk and Bill Ackman amid escalating backlash over increasing antisemitism allegations on college campuses.
Employers are now trying to rebrand diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies in an attempt to distance themselves from the controversial progressive scheme. However, as the years progress, it’s going to be difficult for businesses to meet their “diversity, equity, and inclusion” quotas, as attacks on DEI will likely continue to increase.
In an effort to increase diversity, the policy frequently resulted in the selective employment of minorities or specific demographics, resulting in the automatic exclusion of white people. Because of this, some claim DEI is “reverse racism.”
Elon Musk recently stated that “people will die due to DEI” after reports showed that airlines are prioritizing diversity over safety.