Notice Oregon’s drug problem

You've got to be kidding me...?

 

Kotek’s recipe for Portland: More police and social workers, less plywood, trash and taxes



A rundown of the top recommendations to come out of the task force:

• Declaring a 90-day fentanyl emergency. Kotek’s office says ideally the state, Multnomah County and city of Portland would all declare emergencies, helping them to share resources in a state-led “command center” set up to combat fentanyl sales, use and addiction. As part of this effort, Kotek’s task force is proposing concentrating outreach workers focused on mental health and addiction issues on the central city.
• Making it a crime to use drugs in public. Talked up by city and state officials for months, this proposal is certain to be floated during February’s monthlong legislative session. Since Oregon voters decriminalized possession of small amounts of drugs in 2020, law enforcement says it has little recourse to stop public drug use. Another recommendation calls for stepped-up addiction services for houseless residents if a public use ban is put into law.
• More shelter space. Kotek says too many people have nowhere to go — day and night. She is pressing for more safe areas for people to spend their time. The release points to $3 million Multnomah County will spend on day services, and a recent pledge by city and county leaders to reduce unsheltered homelessness by 50% in two years. It also talks up county spending that in theory will help people transition from shelters to housing, as well as expand the number of beds available for the unhoused.
• More police. Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler in August asked Kotek to send nearly 100 state troopers to downtown Portland, to assist a city police force that says it is stretched too thin. Kotek agreed to a small fraction of that number. Her task force is recommending to continue that partnership, add downtown park rangers, and look into adding more non-sworn employees who can respond to low-level incidents. Kotek also wants to ensure that the state’s police academy is training up enough recruits.
• Less trash and graffiti. The task force is recommending mapping out “trouble spots” for trash and graffiti and steering community volunteer groups toward them. Kotek says she’ll push lawmakers to spend $20 million to remove and prevent trash and graffiti on land the Oregon Department of Transportation controls in and around downtown Portland. That would be the second time the governor had petitioned for a budget bump for ODOT in recent weeks. Kotek already convinced the Legislature to support $19 million to ensure the agency can plow roads and do other routine maintenance.
• Less plywood on windows. The governor’s recommendations call for downtown buildings to be free of the protective sheathing some have had in place since 2020′s racial justice protests. Kotek’s release said the plywood “sends the wrong signal to visitors.” She wants the plywood gone by next year’s Rose Festival, and calls out downtown’s federal courthouse and justice center — both persistent targets in 2020 — by name.
• No new taxes. A persistent complaint of late from businesses and leaders like Wheeler is that Portland is one of the highest-taxed cities in the country — the release notes it trails only New York City — but that residents and businesses don’t feel like they are getting much in return. The recommendations calls on elected officials to hold off on any new taxes or fees until the end of 2026 at least. It also calls for further study of the city’s tax structure, and for potentially stepped-up tax credits for downtown businesses.

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Yep. 100%

 

That scum bag walked while elementary school kids poisoned.

CNN7 elementary students sickened after consuming substance from a bag that tested positive for fentanyl, school district saysSeven elementary students in Virginia have fallen ill after ingesting items from a bag that later tested positive for fentanyl,....2 hours ago

 

The cartel have various ways to encourage one of their own to be released.