PORTLAND, Ore. — The Portland Rose Festival is often dubbed the unofficial start of summer. As the near month-long event comes to a close, city officials and festival organizers are looking ahead to a full calendar.
“We’re starting off on July Fourth, so we’re kicking it off with fireworks," said Christina Fuller, director of the Waterfront Blues Festival. "We have four days, four stages and 100 acts over the whole festival."
The Waterfront Blues Festival was just one of the many events highlighted Thursday during a promotional announcement inside City Fest. Speakers also mentioned the 8 Second Juneteenth Rodeo, the Portland Pride Parade and the Oregon Brewers Fest.
Despite the optimism, Mayor Ted Wheeler also addressed concerns, assuring visitors they'd be coming to an "improved Portland."
"The city is cleaner and safer than it’s been in years," Wheeler said. "In fact, when it comes to crime, we’ve increased the number of officers. We’ve expanded our bike patrols downtown; our crime records have actually decreased substantially."
Portland Police Bureau (PPB) statistics support his claim that crime is down overall. Car thefts have decreased about 40% compared to this time last year while robberies and shootings are also down, just by a smaller percentage.
Homicides have also declined, but by a slim margin. Last year from January to April, PPB tallied 27 homicides, in the same timeframe this year, that number is 25.
The mayor also touted the city's commitment to clearing campsites and cleaning up graffiti. But Wheeler said he understands it's going to take more than words to get people back into the central city and he hopes these summer events can have a small part in that.
"What turns people's perception is when they come to the city and see it with their own two eyes that the programs, that the investments we’ve made have shown good progress," he said.
It's an idea Fuller agrees with. She said each year since the pandemic, more and more attendees have noted progress.
"There’s the reality that we’re still a big city with big city problems, but when you come to the Waterfront Blues Festival or you come down to the Rose Festival, whatever you’re seeing, you’re going to look around and realize we’re headed in the right direction," said Fuller.