PORTLAND, Ore. — Adrian Groark has one way to escape street life, and that’s by going inside Multnomah County’s Central Library in Southwest Portland. On Thursday morning, he used a room downstairs to store his bags and charge his phone.
“There's a lot of good resources here. It’s a very nice place to be; it’s quiet. I’m not going to be bounced around just by the craziness that goes on just around the corner from here,” Groark said.
Lately, Portland police have been targeting the surrounding block — what they’re calling the new hotspot for drug use and dealing.
Groark stays inside the library until he checks into a homeless shelter at 5 p.m. The same goes for Matthew Davis, who spends his days on the second floor.
“It’s a place I can come and make calls, look on the internet, watch videos, so I can waste some time,” he said.
“I think the public library plays a critical role in helping provide that safer space,” said Annie Lewis, the Library deputy director. “We work very hard to address safety and security in our spaces… We have had staff administer Narcan in the very recent month.”
The library has added outside overnight security patrols, increased staff safety training and built an office for social workers who are there seven days a week.
As part of the recent $13 million renovation project, they also lowered shelf heights to increase safety and visibility "to be able to see if there’s escalated behavior between two patrons a patron and a staff member,” Lewis explained.
Despite all of those efforts, though, some patrons are still staying away.
“Drug abusers, people that scared my grandchildren ... so basically, I stopped coming for quite a long time,” reported one patron.
“It’s appalling nobody seems to have an answer,” added another.
Lewis said the library is doing everything they can and working closely with the county and the team behind Portland's 90-day fentanyl state of emergency, which ends this month.
“I think we work really, really hard to create a space that is welcoming for everyone,” Lewis said.
“I think libraries get a thicker skin, which is what’s needed,” added Groark.
Starting next week, new lighting will go up outside the library. It's an idea that came out of Portland’s 90-day fentanyl state of emergency to try and deter drug dealers at night.
The city is sending bio-hazard crews to keep the sidewalks around the library clean of drug paraphernalia and other debris. The library also has about $3 million for security-related expenses.