"Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler announced a “90-day reset” in the Central Eastside Industrial District on Tuesday in response to Salt & Straw’s announcement last week that it would leave Portland if safety conditions didn’t improve outside its Southeast Portland headquarters in the district.

The iconic ice cream company’s concerns unleashed a wave of grievances
from other business owners, many of whom filled the Eastside Exchange
ballroom Tuesday night in a meeting with the mayor to demand solutions
to homeless encampments and crime in the district. The Central Eastside Industrial Council convened the meeting, which it billed as a listening session.

“I’m not here to snub you tonight, I’m here to acknowledge the severity of the challenges we’re facing,” Wheeler said.

The “reset” would be similar to a project implemented in Old Town in
May, and it would sweep homeless camps and possibly increase police
presence in the area, Wheeler said.

At the meeting, Wheeler said he supported the re-evaluation of current
rules for involuntarily committing people with severe mental illness,
and state Rep. Rob Nosse, D-Portland, said the state may consider
lowering those requirements."
[snip]

https://www.oregonlive.com/news/2022/11/salt-straws-safety-concerns-spark-summit-to-address-portlands-business-climate.

The state "may" consider lowering the requirements. If they do
they are also going to consider what this will cost and the courts will
decide whether or not the new requirements violate the civil rights of
crazy people. It's unlikely that this will change the situation on the
ground, if they do consider it.

If the squeaky wheel gets the grease that means they will reduce
the the number of police patrolling other areas of the city. They still
haven't figured out where the money for their big campgrounds is coming
from or where they will put them.

"Portland mayor’s office looks at locations for six designated camping sites

The sites will be two to four acres, professionally managed and located
near public transit but distanced from residential areas, schools and
business districts."

The only way they could meet all of their criteria is if their
camps are located somewhere outside of Portland. I expect this idea to
become a lot less popular when they begin naming actual sites.

TB

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