PORTLAND, Oregon — A preschool in Southeast Portland is stepping up its objections to Multnomah County's plan to open a drug deflection center nearby, and a lawyer for the school sent a letter to the county this week threatening to sue if the development of the center isn't halted ahead of the planned Sept. 1 launch.
Oregon House Bill 4002, passed earlier this year, recriminalizes possession of hard drugs starting Sept. 1 but also allows counties to set up programs to give offenders a chance to "deflect" into treatment instead of going to jail. The planned facility at 900 Southeast Sandy Boulevard will serve as a physical first step in that process, where police can bring detained offenders to get them connected with treatment.
But the Sandy Boulevard site is less than two blocks from Escuela Viva Community School, a bilingual preschool and childcare center at Southeast Pine Street and 11th Avenue, and the announcement of the deflection center location has drawn concerns from parents of kids at the school.
"It's a controversial development in the community, to say the least, and it was developed with no community input and kind of sprung on us at the 11th hour. Total surprise," David Watnick, the parent of a 1-year-old at Escuela Viva, told KGW last month.
Watnick, an attorney at the Portland branch of the law firm Perkins Coie who represents the school, took things a step further this week when he sent a letter to county officials on behalf of Escuela Viva, objecting to the plan and calling for a pause.
"Escuela Viva strives to be a welcoming neighbor, but it is disturbed that the Deflection Center proposal completely disregards the safety of Escuela Viva children and staff, and it is dismayed that you have raced toward the artificial September 1 deadline behind closed doors, without the transparency Oregon law requires," he wrote in the letter, adding that the rushed development of the site is "improper and likely illegal" and accusing the county of violating Oregon's Public Meetings law.
In an interview with KGW, Multnomah County spokesperson Ryan Yambra said the county still needs time to "review and digest" the letter, but added that the county held "numerous" meetings with certain community groups.
"The county has had numerous discussions with both the businesses and neighbors and will continue to do so," he said. "The county is committed to being a good neighborhood to these residents and business owners."
Watnick's letter claims that staff from the county and Tuerk House, the planned site operator, have not provided plans to ensure the safety of the children at the school, such as an external security plan for the block. It also claims that Tuerk House said its security guards will only operate inside the deflection center building.
"Your plan proposes to bring desperate individuals addicted to fentanyl, heroin, and methamphetamine to the Deflection Center, confiscate their drugs, then allow them to walk out of the Center at any time — without mandatory transportation away from the Center," the letter states.
According to the county's contract with the security company, the deflection center will have a budget allocation of approximately $750,000 for security for the first 10 months of operations. Two security guards will be onsite at all times, and the county has the option of adding more if needed. Currently, there is no security provided for surrounding businesses, including the preschool.
Watnick's letter closes by demanding that county leaders "immediately pause the project and abandon the artificial September 1 deadline."
"If you do not, we will pursue all appropriate measures to prevent the opening of the Deflection Center, including litigation," Watnick wrote.
Yambra told KGW that the deflection center will be able to serve about 400 people per year. County officials are expecting between one and five people per day.
"This work is happening, and everyone is committed to being ready come Sept. 1," Yambra said.