Friends and neighbors;
A meeting of the North Park Blocks residents has been locked in.
When: Thursday, August 6, 2015 6:00 pm
Where: Powers Studios/Visiting Media
825 NW Glisan St, Portland, OR 97209
All of us are adamant about working with the necessary agencies, parks bureau, and the police to resolve the illegal, criminal activity that has surfaced in the North Park Blocks and surrounding neighborhoods in the past six months. This is not a matter of homelessness, it’s a matter of ILLEGAL activities such as:
Threatening behaviors
Fighting
Intimidation
Selling/Buying drugs
Prostitution
Trespassing
Lewd sexual behavior, including urination/defecation
Public consumption of drugs or alcohol
After hours park occupation
Aggressive pan-handling
Anti-camping laws being disregarded
etc….
Contact was made with Jacob Brostoff, our Crime Prevention Coordinator, regarding the “Problem Solving Issues in Public Spaces” document he provided at the recent meeting with residents from the Flanders Lofts and North Park Lofts.
Continue below for our Q&A with Jacob Brostoff.
Q1. If camping is occurring on unoccupied private property, how do we find out who owns the property so that we can reach out to them?
A1. To determine who owns a piece of property, you can use http://portlandmaps.com. Enter the address and click on Property > Assessor.
Q2. Would you provide a link to the best resource for crime statistics by either neighborhood and/or zip codes for emergency and non-emergency police calls?
A2. This brochure describes the online crime stats services that are available to the general public: http://www.portlandoregon.gov/oni/article/320543
Q3. If we report incidents using the Portland Police Department’s new phone apps (released June 30 for iPhone and Android) to report crime throughout our neighborhood, are these stats included in Q2 above?
A3. I don’t know the answer to this question. I assume the answer is yes, and I have a call into the Police Bureau to find out. I will let you know what I learn.
Q4. Who would be able to provide us with crime statistics from the Park & Recreation Bureau by park (i.e. North Park Blocks, Jamison, Tanner Springs, and The Fields)
A4. Crime statistics for parks are generated by the police. Parks & Rec also tracks calls for service and ranger contacts and collect nuisance activities reported and observed. If a report is needed, please send the request to Galina Burley, Security and Emergency Management Manager, Galina.Burley@portlandoregon.gov with park names and report time frame or 503.823.1637
Q5. Regarding abandoned shopping carts, we have been calling either Parks & Rec (if IN the park) or Downtown Clean & Safe (if outside the park). Neither agency responds normally until 10-12 hours later; at which point other people have rummaged through the belongings, creating debris, litter, and a big mess that then requires subsequent phone calls. Is the 888-55-CARTS phone number a more timely responsive system for collection? Will they collect within the park?
A5. The 888-55-CARTS number is the best number to call for abandoned shopping carts.
Q6. The below list of contact information is what we plan to use for reporting, assistance, and direction. Can you think of anyone else or any other agency that it would be important to include?
A6. I think your list is good but there may be other resources you wish to use, including http://www.portlandoregon.gov/oni/article/320566. Including my name, number and email address is appropriate in this case. Part of my job is to help get people to the right part of the City to resolve their problems.
CITY OF PORTLAND
General – 503.823.4000, cityinfo@portlandoregon.gov
Mayor Charlie Hales – mayorcharliehales@portlandoregon.gov, 503.823.4120, 1221 S.W. 4th, Room 340, Portland OR 97204 – twitter account: @MayorPDX
Mayor’s Office – Deanna Wesson-Mitchell 503.823.4120
Commissioner Dan Saltzman – Create an account to get contact info: http://bit.ly/saltzman15 – twitter account: @dansaltzman
Commissioner Nick Fish – nick@portlandoregon.gov, 503.823.3589, 1221 S.W. 4th, Room 240, Portland OR 97204 – twitter account: @CommishFish
Commissioner Amanda Fritz – amanda@portlandoregon.gov, 503.823.3008, 1221 S.W. 4th, Room 220, Portland OR 97204 – twitter account: @AmandaFritzRN
Commissioner Steve Novick – novick@portlandoregon.gov, 503.823.4682, 1221 S.W. 4th, Room 210, Portland OR 97204 – twitter account: @NovickOR
THE POLICE BUREAU
General – 503.823.0000, 1111 SW 2nd Ave, Portland, OR 97204
Twitter account: @PortlandPolice
Q7. As we have “chronic problems that are not resolved by a call to 9-1-1 or the non-emergency number”, would we request a Crime Prevention Program Coordinator and Neighborhood Response Team Office to assist us by meeting with us as a group? Or are these better handled as one-on-one calls?
A7. Working with me and the NRT officer is the best way to deal with chronic problems. We are happy to come out and meet with the group. Give me a call and we can schedule that.
I would suggest one of the topics on the upcoming meeting agenda be a summarized list of who do we call to report illegal activities. Jacob offered a number of brochures that might save us some time. http://www.portlandoregon.gov/oni/53530. In addition, they have a Communications Coordinator who deals with handouts and brochures and she can help put together a concise, clear document. Let Jacob know if you would like her help. Stefanie.Kouremetis@portlandoregon.gov.
TAKING PART IN THE COMMUNITY – PDNA (Pearl District Neighborhood Association) LIVABILITY COMMITTEE, meets the first Wednesday of each month at 5:30 at Portland Center Stage, 128 NW 11th Avenue, Portland, OR 97209 Contact Chair – Bill Dolan, livability@pearldistrict.org, (A sub-committee, the Pearl Foot Patrol was recently formed and walks the Pearl District on a regular basis working closely with ONI, the park bureau, and the police. Chair-Patrice Hanson, patrice939@gmail.com, http://www.pearldistrict.org/friends-pearl-foot-patrol/
SIGN THE PETITION – www.pdxcandobetter.com
New website: https://www.northparkblocks.org
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