PORTLAND, Ore. — The city of Portland has put up a fence around Lan Su Chinese Garden in Old Town, the latest attempt to shield the establishment from a rash of vandalism and intimidation.
"This cannot be the long-term solution for Lan Su or for Old Town or for our city," said Elizabeth Nye, Lan Sun's executive director, indicating the chain-link fence that surrounds the building.
Nye said that Lan Su's staff have had to deal with more than vandalism, extending to threatening and disturbing behavior.
"Somebody smeared human feces on our door, and later that night, there was an ax thrown through our tea house window," Nye said.
All of these incidents have been reported to police, Nye said, and some to the Oregon Department of Justice. The latter included an incident, described by Nye as a "hate crime," in which someone threw a glass bottle filled with red paint at the garden's welcome sign.
"So, you can see sort of the red drips that occurred," Nye said, gesturing to the sign. "It felt very targeted that the bottle was thrown at the name."
Workers at the garden have been subjected to racial epithets, people smoking fentanyl outside the garden windows, and even someone waving a gun at employees. Some staff have resigned as a result, Nye said.
"We elected these leaders," Nye said, tears coming to her eyes. "They need to stand up for the city of Portland."
The atmosphere in Old Town isn't just impacting employees' quality of life. Nye said that the epidemic of drugs, mental health issues and homelessness is turning visitors away. They've seen about 50,000 fewer visitors each year since the pandemic.
Those impacts can't simply be blamed on the pandemic alone. Other botanic gardens across the country are seeing the complete opposite, Nye said, with visitors booming.
"We cannot afford any more inaction; we cannot afford any more fighting," she continued. "Everybody needs to be on the same page, because those of us that are trying to run businesses and nonprofits and live our lives cannot keep doing this."
Nye said that the fence is a necessary evil to protect visitors, staff and the garden itself. But it's not a solution.
"We are told that until some of these bigger changes can happen '(our) hands are tied.' That's the answer I am getting," she said.
"Is that a good enough answer for you?" KGW reporter Daisy Caballero asked.
"No, absolutely not," Nye said. "We need a city that we can all live in together."