Thank you, Mike Schmidt, for your vision, leadership, and trailblazing success!

Mike Schmidt is a trailblazer who has fought for justice that’s rooted in restoration. Where other prosecutors see punishment and long prison sentences as the only path to community safety, Mike Schmidt advocated for programs like the Restorative Roots Project that work to heal people, lower recidivism, and make communities safer with treatment opportunities and survivor-centered services.

He fought for crime victims. For survivors of domestic violence with convictions, he helped create a network of community-based services as an alternative to traditional prosecution. The new Domestic Violence Survivor-Centered Diversion Program addresses the underlying trauma that often drives cycles of victimization and help survivors heal outside the justice system.

He reduced harsh sentences. Mike implemented SB 819, a process that enables courts to reconsider a person’s conviction or sentence. This is a critical tool for Oregon’s justice system, when mandatory minimum sentences forbid judges’ discretion on a case-by-case basis in consultation with victims. While DAs in other Oregon counties refused to reexamine harsh sentences, Mike carefully reconsidered people’s cases for the possibility of dismissal of charges, vacating previous convictions, offering pleas to alternative offenses, and supporting resentencing in cases where past sentences don’t align with our values.

He worked to eliminate racial disparities. To reduce the higher rates of incarceration for Measure 11 crimes in communities of color, Mike worked with community partners to create an innovative treatment court called STEP Court. Mike understands that incarceration fails to address the underlying factors that can prevent crime, and STEP Court aims to divert eligible people from prison whenever possible, so people have better opportunities to be thriving members of our communities.

He launched historic equity, transparency, and community engagement efforts. Mike was the first DA in Oregon to administer an officewide equity and wellness survey. He was the first to begin a community advisory board on legislative and internal policies. And he was the first to launch a community advisory board for the Justice Integrity Unity.

He also spoke out against the defense attorney shortage crisis, urging Oregon lawmakers to improve access to legal representation for people who have not been convicted of a crime and whose lives are on hold as they await trial.

But Mike Schmidt’s term ended a few days ago, and his successor is already on record as standing against the advances that Mike has made.

In one of his first interviews, Multnomah County’s new district attorney denied that the public defense attorney shortage is real. (What?)

And, in the face of funding shortages in housing and treatment, he wants $50 million dollars to expand Multnomah County’s jailing system. (Seriously, WHAT?)

Advocates like you know how serious these threats are to our efforts. While we fight to create more pathways for people to heal, help people be accountable for the harm they caused, and restore lives, Nathan Vasquez is jeopardizing our progress.

But we are committed to staying vigilant over the next four years. We intend to track the actions this DA takes to over-police, over-convict, and overincarcerate our communities.

Thank you for being in this fight with us. Together we will continue to advance the changes to the criminal justice system that prioritize meaningful accountability, racial equity, and survivors’ healing.

In solidarity,
The Advocacy Team at Safety and Justice Oregon

P.S.: Learn more about the groundbreaking work that Mike Schmidt accomplished during his term. Check out the Multnomah County District Attorney Office Term Report for 2020-2024.