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Public commenters urge county action on gun violence, lobbying rules and neighborhood safety
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Summary
Public testimony at the Multnomah County meeting focused on gun violence prevention funding, lobbying regulations, neighborhood crime and drug activity, and outreach for library property decisions.
Several members of the public spoke during the county’s public comment period, raising separate but related community concerns about gun violence, unregulated lobbying, neighborhood crime and outreach for county property decisions.
Terrence Hayes, who said he works as a contract manager for a ceasefire model, urged the county and health department to invest in gun‑violence reduction strategies. Hayes told commissioners that people experiencing homelessness accounted for a disproportionate share of firearm homicide victims in early 2024 and urged county support for community‑based models like Ceasefire.
Dean Salazar, who identified himself as serving on the Portland Children’s Levy and other advisory bodies, urged the board to adopt lobbying regulations for Multnomah County. Salazar said the county is the only government in the region without lobbying rules and called for reforms to accompany a forthcoming small donors program.
Karen, a small business owner who provided her first name only, described repeated drug dealing and vandalism near her store and said she had reported incidents to Portland Police. She urged the county to hold people accountable and asked why, she said, there are 500 empty jail beds in the county.
Bridal Crane (also identified as Charles Simca Johnson) thanked the board for the Albina Library discussion and suggested the library use its patron notification channels — including reserved‑book slips and email lists — to reach neighbors about the surplus property and outreach opportunities. Lightning, representing Lightning Superhumanity X R&D Lab, urged the county to engage professional real estate brokers if the Albina Annex is marketed and to maximize sale proceeds for the public benefit.
County staff and commissioners did not take action on the public comments themselves; several commissioners thanked speakers and noted the matters raised as topics for further staff follow‑up or future agenda items.
