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Downtown business owners tell Klamath Falls council Main Street crime and camping remain urgent problems
Summary
Three downtown business representatives urged the Klamath Falls City Council on Oct. 6 to renew enforcement and city action after reporting continued street camping, assaults and persistent drug activity on Main Street.
Three downtown business representatives told the Klamath Falls City Council on Monday that crime, street camping and visible drug activity on Main Street have returned after a period of improvement and that the city should renew enforcement and other responses.
Jacob Zaremba, a downtown business owner, said a July enforcement push had improved conditions but that the gains have since faded. “The sidewalks were clean. There was a police presence, and there was a renewed sense of hope among downtown businesses. But recently, that progress has faded,” Zaremba said. He said some organizations have brought people from other cities to local properties and described an increase in people he characterized as aggressive or violent, which he said has harmed outsiders’ impressions of Klamath Falls.
A second commenter, identified in the public-comment sign-in as George Tyson, said the problem is not solely a police issue and pointed to “catch and release” at the jail and a lack of filed charges as reasons arrests do not stay resolved. Tyson described merchants’ repeated exposure to the problem and said the downtown area is “not safe” for some business owners and customers.
Jeremy Smith, owner of Shasta Litho Printing, said he and his staff have on multiple occasions feared for their safety and that a recent alleged assault on Main Street “really nothing became of it,” according to his remarks to the council.
Speakers called on the council, city manager and police department to reapply existing ordinances consistently and to maintain regular patrols. None of the three public commenters proposed a specific new ordinance; they urged renewed enforcement of existing laws and continued city engagement.
City officials closed the public-comment period after the three speakers; the council did not take any formal action or vote during the public-comment segment.
The commenters mentioned specific incidents (an assault and recurring open drug activity) but did not provide case numbers, arrests or filing outcomes. Those details were not specified during the meeting.
