Building Power in Tense Times

In early October, Breach and our allies hosted the Portland’s Future: It’s in Our Hands event. Community members and leaders came together to share ideas for public power and creating a city that cares for everyone. This event was part of a larger convening hosted by our friends at Public Grids: People Power for Public Power 2025. 

Together, the conference and the event brought a wave of momentum to the public power movement. Attendees left feeling inspired by the courage and creativity of advocates from across the country, and proud of how Portland showed up – both in the room and in the streets. The gathering was a chance to make meaningful connections with people doing bold and important work in their own regions, while giving visitors a positive experience of Portland’s leadership and movement culture. 

Many came hoping to learn from other public power campaigns and how organizers have taken on big utilities and won victories for working class people. Hearing from groups like those in New York, who helped pass the Build Public Renewables Act, offered both strategic and technical insight into how public ownership can drive renewable energy when the private market falls short. 

A key takeaway was that there’s no single blueprint for organizing a winning campaign. Efforts to build public power look different depending on local context, but all evolve out of a shared purpose. Across the board, people are confronting the same challenges: skyrocketing utility costs, stalled climate progress, and a lack of democratic control over energy systems. 

The Portland’s Future: It’s in Our Hands event at week’s end carried that energy forward in a joyful way. Amid a tense political moment in Portland, it felt good to gather, laugh, and celebrate movement wins alongside serious conversation topics. Speakers from New York, Seattle, and Portland shared powerful stories about how housing, energy, and social justice are deeply connected. Together, they painted a picture of what it looks like to organize for systems that work for everyone. 

The conference as a whole deepened a shared understanding that energy justice is inherently intersectional and community-driven at its core. Winning big victories means leading with values, standing together across regions, and building campaigns that reflect the world we want to live in. 

The work ahead is hard, but we are stronger, more creative, and more connected than ever.