Clean & Safe Retail Community Discussion

A recap of today’s Clean & Safe Retail Community Discussion

Today, the Clean & Safe District held a meeting with Mayor Sam Adams to discuss livability and safety issues in downtown this summer. More than 70 retailers, property managers and owners discussed their concerns and were able to ask questions of Mayor Adams and Central Precinct Commander Vince Jarmer.

Several audience members expressed concerns to the mayor about what appears to be a growing population of “summer travelers” in the downtown core. These are young people who hang out, frequently in large groups, on downtown streets, impeding retail and other business activities. The mayor acknowledged that he has also taken note of a growing number of these young people in the downtown area, and said he would work with Clean & Safe and youth service providers to address issues related to these groups.

Mayor Adams said downtown livability and safety is his top priority this summer and is committed to continuing targeted police missions to deal with illegal activities on downtown streets. He is also working on the implementation of the new Drug Impact Areas, which will have a new, specially dedicated assistant district attorney to prosecute downtown drug crimes and ‘walking beat’ police officers to suppress drug activity.

Mayor Adams and Central Precinct Commander Vince Jarmer also stressed the importance of calling Clean & Safe and Portland Police.

  • For Clean & Safe, call 503-224-7383, any time you see any activity that concerns you such as loitering, animal control, graffiti, etc.
  • For Portland Police, call 911, any time you see criminal activity in progress.

The mayor stressed that these calls greatly assist in the allocation of resources and inform the city and police bureau about what is happening on downtown streets and sidewalks. In addition to the new Drug Impact Areas, prosecutor and walking beat cops, there is also:

  • Opening of Bud Clark Commons. Next month, the new resource center will open and will provide a host of services for individuals experiencing homelessness and in need of help. Clean & Safe and Portland Police officers will be referring individuals in need of assistance to the center.
  • Crime Prevention Consultation. The city’s Downtown Crime Prevention Coordinator, Michael Boyer, will be going door-to-door and offering his expertise on enhancements a property or store can implement to prevent crime. He can be reached at 503-823-5852.

Downtown Clean & Safe is also working with the Portland Police Bureau to address areas where problems seem to be growing. Today, for example, I asked our security firm, Portland Patrol, Inc., to station officers on the Pioneer Courthouse block to address issues related to growing groups of people hanging out there. If we see problems shift to other areas, we will address those in the same manner.

We will be holding a follow-up meeting with Mayor Adams later this summer. More information will be shared once we have the details. Please remember that any time you have a concern, contact Clean & Safe at 503-224-7383 or if you see criminal activity, please call 911.

Thank you for your support of Clean & Safe and keeping downtown Portland a vibrant and livable community.

For more information about today’s meeting, click here to see the mayor’s office presentation.

Shane Abma
President, Clean & Safe
Questions Call: 503-224-7383