PRIORITIES

Lately, Portland has lost some of what makes her special. Neighbors don’t feel safe to send their kids to the park. The police don’t come when they are called while incidents of gun violence increase. The number of residents struggling with addiction and housing insecurity has skyrocketed. Crossing the street can be a life or death situation. For too many in our community, it feels like nothing is working.

If we are going to reduce bad behavior on our streets, prevent crime, and support our neighborhood small businesses, we do that by activating every neighborhood in Portland with positive and engaging things that create community. No amount of police patrolling down a main street at midnight will have the same effect on public safety as a concert getting out, with audience members walking to their cars, going to bars and restaurants, and visiting local businesses.

We need to create opportunities for folks to positively and safely reclaim their neighborhoods. We do that by facilitating music, art, and culture in every neighborhood business district in the city, especially in East Portland. Creating a safe and livable city is going to take all of us pitching in and fighting for this place, and for each other.

Our City Council needs to make the big investments that our community has been calling for while eliminating the wasteful inefficiencies and bloated bureaucracies. We have to increase support for things that are working, like Portland Street Response, and explore new ideas to face the real challenges in our community.

SPECIFICS

• Pave sidewalks and install street lights in East Portland (something that’s been promised for ages).

• Fix lighting and equipment in parks and public plazas and add garbage cans in more public places, including at bus stops, and on dedicated Neighborhood Dumpster Days.

• Create a quarterly city-wide Pothole-Palooza event.

• Fully fund Portland Street Response, and expand it to every neighborhood in Portland, and fix our broken 911 system.

• Increase alternative options to sending a police officer to non-emergency calls by including Park Rangers, Noise Enforcement Officers, and Parking Enforcement.

• Increase the number of Public Safety Support Specialists (PS3) to respond to non-emergency situations like car crashes and report taking instead of sending a police officer.

• Fix the protected bike lanes in Gateway that are increasing accidents.

• Activate vacant storefronts with art, music, food, and events.