Portland’s downtown drug hub sees ‘staggering’ improvement in less than a week
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — After serious issues with open drug use and dealing at Southwest 10th and Jefferson in Downtown Portland, the area has seen significant improvement in recent days.
Many neighbors have told KOIN 6 News they have retired to the downtown area for proximity to necessities, public transit and walkability. However, they say when their grocery store, street cars and sidewalks are overwhelmed with drug use, it defeats the purpose of living here. But after neighbors voiced their concerns, leaders are quickly making changes.
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Keith Martin spoke with KOIN 6 less than a week ago about the drug dealing and accessibility issues in his neighborhood. Since then, the City of Portland further cleared sidewalks and significantly reduced open drug use.
“This is the first time since the whole homeless and pandemic thing started that I’ve felt hope that it can be better,” said Martin. “It’s staggering to see if the city really puts its mind to it, the admin, the police, everybody. They can change things with a snap of the fingers.”
Signs of improvement coincide with Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler, Oregon Governor Tina Kotek and Multnomah County Chair Jessica Vega Pederson temporarily suspending individual bottle deposits at the Safeway and Plaid Pantry in the area for 30 days, following reports of people using the cash to buy fentanyl.
“I’ve been here four years and I’ve never seen that corner of 10th and Jefferson be so clean, calm and normal. I can send my son down there at 10 at night and not worry, and it happened overnight,” Martin said.
While there are still some signs of distress at nearby bus stops and the Plaid Pantry, the clear sidewalks and presence of security and police are much more noticeable.
“Never let perfection get in the way of progress,” Martin said, as he shared his gratitude to all the leaders involved.
“I want to thank them and say to them this is a model; if they really put their attention to something and focus on one single thing, (they) can make our lives better one single thing at a time,” Martin said. “My only fear is that the city’s focus goes somewhere else after 30 days. The bottles come back and the dealers come back. I hope they remember it takes constant attention to keep the improvements in place.”
However, the sounds of sirens and public overdoses a KOIN crew witnessed outside the Church at SW 10th and Columbia signal there’s still more work to do.
“Portland’s downtown recovery has been a constant priority for my team. Through the tri-government state of emergency, we are seeing more collaboration and are moving in the right direction. I’m grateful for the continued good work by the Unified Command and the many partners at PPB, OSP, PF&R, the Street Services Coordination Center, the Public Environment Management Office, MHAAO, and many others throughout the region who are joining us to make Portland safer for everyone,” said Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler. “We are committed to maintaining our progress and coordination to expand these efforts across the city.”
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