Over the weekend, Portland Police Bureau's (PPB) Central NRT Bike Squad, in a joint operation with the Oregon State Police (OSP), managed to put handcuffs on several suspected drug dealers in downtown Portland. Detailed in KPTV's coverage, the bust led to seven individuals being arrested on suspicion of fentanyl distribution, with one stolen gun also recovered in the process.
Amid concerns of a worsening drug problem in the area, residents expressed their fears and frustrations. "We’re afraid to go out, to go grocery shopping," one neighbor candidly revealed to KPTV, emphasizing local citizens' dire situation. But it's not just the residents feeling the pressure. Officer David Baer described the uphill battle against the drug crisis: "There are days where it feels like drinking through a garden hose, we are arresting drug dealers at night as fast as we can, and it seems like we’ll arrest someone, and 30 minutes there’s someone else back out," Officer Baer told KPTV.
The recent enforcement spike comes as the PPB zeroes in on the blocks around Southwest Jefferson Street and 10th Avenue, with a commendable ten suspects taken in for fentanyl dealing in just two weeks, as per KGW. Amidst the actions taken by law enforcement, a local campsite was also notified of upcoming removal by the city's camp removal team.
This crackdown casts a contrasting light on the hardships faced by the likes of Keith, an individual caught in the throes of addiction, who admitted to both meth and fentanyl use. "I use fentanyl and meth ... The high will last for like five minutes and it doesn’t end, it’s the same thing over and over again," Keith shared with KGW. On the other side of that coin, a resident named Stephanie plans on leaving Portland due to the relentless drug activity outside her apartment. "When I get off work, I just come home, and I stay home ... It just doesn’t feel safe anymore at all," she lamented to KGW.
The museum has stated, "Over the past year, we have invested significantly in our protection services team in response to changing conditions in downtown and an uptick in activity in our immediate vicinity," as per their statement to KGW.
