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PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — For the first time since the pandemic began, a team of officials has closed streets around the Old Town area to cars for the first time.
Friday marked the official return of police entertainment details – aimed at improving the safety of the old city amid high crime rates.
Some business owners told KOIN 6 News that they have been calling for a resumption of the shift for years and said they were very happy with the return of the entertainment details.
Chef Naji Bouhmid, who owns Kasbah’s Moroccan Café on the corner of NW Second and Davis, told KOIN 6 News that he has seen the ups and downs of crime in the entertainment district, but said businesses continue to bear the brunt.
“It’s a shame when you’re from the same city and you can’t discover this part of the city,” Bouhmid said. “Drugs, drunk people, mental illness, all that. It’s all going on.”
Although Old Town is one of Portland’s smallest neighborhoods, police data shows the area has the fifth-highest shooting rate, with 34 incidents reported between January and August 2022.
The data also shows that from July 2021 to July 2022, Old Town has the highest homicide rate in Portland, where 10 of the city’s 91 homicides were reported.
To help solve the problem, Mayor Ted Wheeler announced Tuesday The city is bringing back details of police entertainment with the intention that it may also help bring back customers and make the area safer for businesses and pedestrians.
“Recent data shows us that the Old Town suffers from high levels of gun violence, which often peaks on Friday and Saturday nights. Under my direction, the Portland Police Department will have the authority to close the streets,” Wheeler said. Say.
In an effort to reduce crime in the area and speed up police response times, KOIN 6 News has learned that a team of six officers and a sergeant can now close streets between NW First and NW Fifth Avenue, and W Burnside to NW Everett St. starts around 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
“Come down here and have a drink. We have more police now and we’re happy, you know. This is the beginning of a return to normalcy,” Bouhmid told KOIN 6 News.
The return of details is a relief to local business owners like Bouhmid, who says he hopes it will encourage more people to come out and enjoy all that the old town has to offer.
KOIN 6 News also spoke with the sergeant in charge of the new details, who said the team is excited to help bring the entertainment district back to life.
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