PORTLAND, Ore. — The addiction crisis in downtown Portland is always on the move, but right now, it seems to have nowhere to go. A team created by the 90-day tri-government fentanyl emergency declared in late January acknowledged Thursday that their efforts probably aren't creating much visible change on the streets as yet, even if they're making progress.
On Thursday morning, a crew from Downtown Portland Clean & Safe was called to stop a group of people from smoking fentanyl outside a convenience store off Southwest 4th and Washington. With blankets draped over their heads and ill-fitting rain-soaked shoes, the group shuffled to the next block.
That section of Portland was once overrun with public drug use. Plywood and fencing wrapped around an abandoned building marks part of the city’s attempt to stop it. Rex, who works at the nearby convenience store, said he has seen a difference.
“Not as bad as it was. I mean, there would be 50 people out there — now there’s only four or five,” Rex said.
That’s because people addicted to drugs have moved about five minutes away to Southwest Jefferson Street and 10th Avenue, outside a Safeway, apartments, a preschool and a church.
“There’s nowhere really to go except for another corner, you know,” said Amy, who is homeless downtown. “We need more resources."
The cycle she and many others are stuck in is not lost on local leaders — in fact, it’s a top priority for the incident command team that formed under the 90-day fentanyl emergency declared late last month. The team gave their first update to the press early Thursday.
“The intent is not to simply move the problem around the corner in Portland. (County Chair Jessica Vega Pederson) was very specific about not moving this problem into East County, and the governor is very specific to not moving this to just another city. There is an intent for us to figure out the problem here,” said Mike Myers, director of Portland’s Community Safety Division.
Starting March 2, they’re allowing two bottle return locations by Southwest Jefferson and 10th Avenue to temporarily close certain services, something fentanyl users there depend on.
“It only takes a handful of bottles or cans to be traded in for cash, to be cycled right back to purchase fentanyl, and to keep the cycle going,” Myers said.
“I’ll just go to Delta Park or 122nd. They have a conveyor belt so it’s easier,” said Amy, who uses the bottle return services at Safeway.
About 50 people from different public safety bureaus make up the emergency command team, and they’ve met every morning for the past 30 days.
“These are significant changes and significant achievements,” Myers said.
Most of those achievements have been felt primarily behind closed doors.
“What changed is that everybody is talking,” added Sgt. Jerry Cioeta with the Portland Police Bureau.
“I can tell you there’s a shared ... certainly a sense of urgency, and there has been a sense of urgency amongst all of us about the fentanyl crisis,” Myers said.
It’s an urgency much of the community admits they have yet to see on the streets.
“We’re doing the best we can. There’s a lot of effort being put into it, and at least we’re communicating now,” said Sgt. Cioeta.
Since the emergency was declared, first responders have reversed 74 overdoses and arrested seven drug dealers. It's unclear if the state of emergency had anything to do with that work or if it would have happened regardless.
Moving forward, the command team will provide weekly updates. They are looking to create a plan during the remaining two months of the 90-day emergency that can continue once the emergency is over. There is a hope that it will be an example to other cities across the country dealing with this crisis.