PORTLAND, Ore. — Last year, Portland police made a concerted effort to disrupt some favorite haunts for the fentanyl trade downtown. But the pressure from law enforcement hasn't so much resulted in drug activity dying down as it has encouraged a migration westward toward I-405 and beyond.
For business owners like Chase Jordan, dealing with the effects of Portland's fentanyl crisis is a full-time job.
"It's sad, because Tursi Soccer has been around since 1986," Jordan said.
His business, Tursi Soccer, is a Goose Hollow staple and a longtime family attraction. It's located off Southwest 14th Avenue and Taylor Street — right in the middle of Portland's latest pop-up fentanyl bazaar. Almost every night, people drift down to 14th, congregating on either side of the street in small groups to buy, sell, trade and use.
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The exterior of Jordan's store is a favorite gathering place. The store's security cameras have repeatedly captured drug use outside Tursi Soccer's front doors at night.
"It would bring a tear to my eye," Jordan said, "because I'm like, 'That's the front of my store at midnight.'"
Jordan has tried replacing the building's exterior awnings with about 10 bright lights in hopes of making it less inviting. And so far this year, Jordan said he's spent $17,000 on private security and repairs for periodic vandalism.
He isn't alone. In the surrounding blocks, people have had to learn to live with the drug trade.
"I don't know what can be done," said Laurie Hileman, board chair for the Legends Condominiums at Southwest 18th and Madison. "I do know people in the building feel unsafe."
A fence now surrounds portions of the Legends property, and upgraded security is coming next year.
Management at another Goose Hollow housing complex sent a letter to residents, encouraging them to adjust their routines in order to avoid the surrounding blocks between the hours of 6 and 11 p.m. because of the nearby "open-air drug market."
"I think the sweeps downtown have pushed people looking for drugs up into Goose Hollow," Hileman said.
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Zane is addicted to fentanyl and spends his time in Goose Hollow. He carries a garbage bag filled with cans.
"(I) try to take shelter anywhere to get out of the weather, and unfortunately, I get kicked out all the time," he said with a rueful chuckle.
He thinks the cans will net him about $15, enough cash to buy fentanyl for about two days, he said.
"Enough for the rest of the day and tomorrow," he said.
Don Porth is a retired firefighter, and he can often be found removing the aftermath of drug use at a near-century-old memorial off West Burnside Street and Southwest 18th Avenue. The David Campbell Memorial, which honors fallen Portland firefighters, is now closed for repairs.
"This bell structure and these trees, the shelter that they provided and the concealment from passersby, became the epicenter for a lot of drug trafficking and a lot of drug activity," said Porth, who condemned the activity as criminal and disruptive for the entire community.
The city is currently asking for donations to help fix the David Campbell Memorial.
"It's a beautiful memorial, but unfortunately, a lot of people do a lot of drug usage, though, pretty bad," admitted Zane.
A spokesperson for Mayor Ted Wheeler's office said that the city's teams are meeting with Goose Hollow residents and others around the city to find ways they can help. Wheeler's office said they are also working with the incoming administration to ensure those efforts continue.
The Portland Police Bureau said that officers are focusing on Goose Hollow, and the bike squad has made it a regular part of their drug interdiction missions.
Since drug possession became recriminalized in Oregon on Sept. 1, PPB has arrested more than 130 people for possession of a controlled substance. In addition, 111 people have been referred for deflection, allowing them a chance at treatment instead of jail. The county has not yet published any data on how many deflection cases are successful.