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Public communications followed the agenda’s approval.
Monica Corey criticizes Portland's visible decline, citing increased litter, trash, graffiti, reckless driving, open drug use, and unsafe bike paths, along with a lack of police presence. As a Portland resident for 50 years, she expresses fatigue and disappointment in the city's leadership.
“I'm here on behalf of the silent majority. We’re the people who pay the metro housing tax, the preschool for all tax, the arts tax, the huge property taxes and see that despite all the money that we’ve poured into our community, our city continues to stumble and fall apart. It looks terrible,” Corey says.
Photo Credit: CVTV
Corey proposes expanding the Climate Fund into an “Environmental Cleanup Fund” to address these immediate infrastructure and public space issues, arguing that a city looking “terrible” cannot attract investment or tourism.
“I'm asking you to reshape the climate fund into an environmental fund. I’m asking that you understand the silent majority is paying attention and that we’re asking you to do better with our money,” Corey says.
Next, Don Jones Jr. expresses grave safety concerns regarding the proposed Alternate Access Redemption Center (AARC) by People's Depot at 1109 Southeast Brooklyn Street, at a highly dangerous intersection (POW Boulevard, Milwaukee Avenue).
Photo Credit: CVTV
“The Vision Zero Action Plan explicitly recognizes that people walking and biking, especially those experiencing homelessness, face disproportionately higher risk and require extra precautions, not increased exposure to danger. The danger is documented and significant,” Jones Jr. says.
Jones Jr. estimates 300 daily visitors, primarily on foot or bicycle, directly conflicting with Portland's Vision Zero policies aimed at eliminating traffic deaths and serious injuries, especially for vulnerable road users like pedestrians and the homeless.
Photo Credit: CVTV
Council President Jamie Dunphy holds time on the calendar to give the administration an opportunity to provide updates to the public about the ongoing federal response at the beginning of council meetings
City Administrator Raymond Lee has no new updates but reiterated last week’s announcement with a comprehensive recap.
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