Downtown in distress: Portland’s core is unsafe and uninviting, residents say in new poll
Perception threatens city’s economic recovery By Jamie Goldberg, oregonlive.com (TNS)
Published: May 15, 2021, 8:31pm
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Residents across the metro area say downtown Portland has become dirty, unsafe and uninviting, and many anticipate visiting the city’s core less often after the pandemic than they did before.
Those are the worrisome findings of a new poll of 600 people in the Portland metro area commissioned by The Oregonian/OregonLive. Asked for their perceptions of downtown, respondents frequently used words like “destroyed,” “trashed,” “riots” and “sad.” Many cited homelessness as a particular issue, and said there is an urgent need for the city to find housing and support people living on the street.
Downtown in distress: Portland’s core is unsafe and uninviting, residents say in new poll, threatening city’s recovery
Updated 10:00 AM;
Today 7:27 AM
Residents describe downtown as “destroyed,” “trashed,” “riots” and “sad. Persistent vandalism, accumulating trash and homelessness have soured attitudes about Portland s economic, cultural and transportation hub.Dave Killen/The Oregonian
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Residents across the metro area say downtown Portland has become dirty, unsafe and uninviting and many anticipate visiting the city’s core less often after the pandemic than they did before.
Those are the worrisome findings of a new poll of 600 people half who live within Portland’s city limits commissioned by The Oregonian/OregonLive. Asked for their perceptions of downtown, respondents frequently used words like “destroyed,” “trashed,” “riots” and “sad.” Many cited homelessness as a particular issue, and said there is an urgent need fo
Goldmark Jewelers to close after 46 years as other downtown business owners contemplate their futures
Updated May 14, 2021;
Posted May 04, 2021
Goldmark Jewelers will close at the end of June after 46 years in downtown Portland.Jamie Goldberg/Staff
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Cal Brockman has spent the last 46 years designing and creating custom jewelry at his downtown Portland store, Goldmark Jewelers. Until last year, he had no plans of vacating his longtime storefront at the corner of Southwest 10th Avenue and Southwest Taylor Street.
But foot traffic plummeted downtown after the start of the coronavirus pandemic, while vandalism spiked as nightly protests consumed downtown last summer. Two windows and the glass door at Brockman’s store were shattered on three separate nights.
Downtown Portland businesses reeling, again, after latest spate of vandalism
Updated May 14, 2021;
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John Helmer III covered the windows of his hat and apparel shop in downtown Portland with fabric every night last summer. By doing so, he hoped to prevent his shop from becoming a target for vandalism while avoiding the cost and eyesore of putting boards over his windows.
As protests died down in the fall, Helmer decided those measures were no longer necessary. And earlier in April he noticed an increase in sales and foot traffic around his store, giving him hope that normal conditions might be returning downtown.
April 20 2021
Other items include Voices Lectures with Cady Coleman, Tommorow Is My Turn, Leach Botanical Garden and Darrell Grant
AtmosFEAR
Oaks Amusement Park reopened last weekend, and showed off its newest ride, AtmosFEAR. The new AtmosFEAR is Oregon s most extreme attraction, vaulting riders to just shy of 100 feet at the full inversion swing, with extreme G-forces in play with every loop, said Emily MacKay, marketing and events director. It is unique in that it is two rides in one riders can opt for the traditional pendulum 180-degree ride, or for those looking to take the thrill to the next level, there is a 360-degree ride that takes the terror over the top.