A Letter to the Oregonian Editor from former PBSCA board member Rob Johnson

By Letters to the editor

As a former Portlander and now Bolognese, I wanted to express my deep feelings about our unique and precious cities. Portland and Bologna are sister cities and are in many ways cultural and political twins. Bologna, like all of Italy, is in the coronavirus red zone. This means total lockdown, with only grocery stores and pharmacies allowed to be open. Even in large cities, it is rare to see anyone walking around, although it is astonishing how polite and respectful everyone is in observing the social distancing that is now law.

I know from friends in Portland and elsewhere in the United States that fear and panic are driving local and global isolation. It is even more terrifying as we see the failure of our leaders to come to terms with scientific and rational interventions. We are better than that. We celebrate Portland’s sister cities across the world that recognize our common humanity. Many of these sister cities are already significantly impacted by this pandemic. This is not a time to become more isolationist, as we have in the past few years. It is a seminal moment for this country to show global leadership and generosity, as we have in the past. We must join with our sister cities and other worldwide partners to recognize, engage and act with conviction to solve this growing global crisis.

Rob Johnson, Bologna, Italy