Residents and downtown business owners press Portland council for action on Monument Square safety and homelessness

Dozens of residents and business owners urged the Portland City Council on a range of public-safety and homelessness-related problems in and around Monument Square, saying visible drug use, littering and aggressive behavior are making the downtown area unsafe for customers and employees.

The most immediate appeals came from residents who said the problems are worsening. “I have become frightened in my own neighborhood to go outside my own door,” said Elizabeth Stoddard, who said she lives in Monument Square, requesting council attention to “unsafe conditions that persist in the square.”

The testimony included business owners describing harms to staff and customers and to their bottom lines. Bill Stauffer, introduced himself as a Portland resident and business owner and read a letter from restaurateur David Turin that described repeated break-ins and vandalism: “In the past month, we have had staff cars broken into on 6 occasions,” Stauffer read. He also said staff windows had been smashed twice in two years and that dining guests and staff are “frequently verbally abused and sometimes physically threatened.”

Why it matters: speakers said Monument Square’s problems are already eroding business revenue and threatening long-standing downtown institutions the city depends on for jobs and taxes. “When customers don't feel safe walking up to our door, it doesn't matter how much we try,” said Ari Gerson, owner of Longfellow Books, describing needles, drug paraphernalia and “frightening episodes of shouting or violence” near his storefront.

Residents described repeated incidents of public drug use and human waste near their homes. “Almost every day when I leave my house, I have to knock on my door because someone is using in front of my door,” said Veil Sutton, who lives in Monument Square. “I've come home often to defecation or urine on the ground outside of my house.”

Speakers pressed the council for a mix of enforcement, outreach and sanitation. Nancy English, president of the Parkside Neighborhood Association, asked the council to coordinate services and enforcement so social-service staff and law enforcement can work together: “We depend upon intelligent compassion to help who can be helped,” she said.

Some testifiers urged tactical steps to reduce harm while preserving services. John Donnelly, a Monument Square resident who said he volunteers to help people in need, said there must be “consequence” for repeated disruptive behavior, but added that enforcement can be proportionate: “The consequence doesn't have to be heavy handed. It could be moving people along,” he said.

Several public commenters endorsed street-level outreach and cleanup programs and asked the city to better connect people experiencing homelessness to shelter and treatment options. Tom Doherty of Milestone Recovery later testified during the community development block grant discussion that Milestone’s HOME outreach team provides street outreach and helps move people into treatment and housing.

Council response and context: councilors did not take formal action on Monument Square during the meeting, but several council members and staff noted the testimony and cited ongoing coordination among the police, public works and social-service providers. Speakers called for more consistent visibility by public safety and for better cleaning protocols and partnership agreements with nonprofits that provide meals in public spaces.

Ending: Commenters urged a mix of compassion and enforcement to restore safety and downtown vibrancy, while asking the council to prioritize coordinated outreach, more reliable cleanup and better coordination with business owners and neighborhood groups. The council’s agenda later included separate items on public-safety grants and community development funding that officials said would be considered in light of public testimony.