PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Residents in north Portland’s Eliot Neighborhood say they’ve been asking city council to respond to gun violence and drug dealing in the area for years.
This comes after Tuesday’s deadly shooting near Dawson Park, which neighbors say is a hot spot for criminal activity.
KOIN 6 News talked to a mother who has lived in the Eliot Neighborhood for two decades, and says in the past two years its changed.
“Yeah, I don’t want my youngest to walk. He’s been offered pills as he walks home,” the mother, who wanted to remain anonymous for safety, explained.
That mother of three no longer lets her kids walk past Dawson Park after the neighborhood has taken a dark turn.
She said the sound of gunshots are normalized and the drug dealing is daily.
“The drug dealing is so blatant. It’s almost unbelievable, because it’s just so obvious,” she said.
In response to Tuesday’s deadly shooting by Dawson Park, Mayor Ted Wheeler is pledging to get more police.
“My administration prioritizes gun violence as our most significant public safety issue,” Wheeler said.
While the gun violence is newsworthy now with another man dead in Dawson Park, calls for help have been going out for years.
In 2020, neighbors near the north Portland park testified to city council saying their safety was in jeopardy.
“The northeast corner of Williams and Northeast Stanton is a hotbed for illegal activity, highlighted by the open drug dealing that occurs along the south face of Immaculate Heart Catholic Church,” neighbor Harrison Osbourne said at the city council meeting.
Neighbor Lauren Osbourne explained “the drug dealers who work on our corners have weapons – as do many of their customers.”
Residents say the drug dealing often leads to fights and escalates into shootings — fueling their public safety crisis.
During the city council meeting, Commissioner Hardesty responded “what you are experiencing is a lack of affordable housing and COVID-19. We are in a crisis, we have devastation. We can’t solve this problem today, but we can work with you.”
Two years later, residents are still hoping politicians’ promises turn into action.
Neighbors say more police and park ranger presence would help as an immediate response.
KOIN 6 News also found out this spring, summer, and fall patrols will be daily at Dawson Park.
But residents also stress that leaders cannot forget to address the root causes of the problem by providing opportunities for at-risk youth and more affordable housing.