Dear Mayor Hales (Police Commissioner), Chief Michael Marshman, Commander Kelli Sheffer and Park Bureau Security Manager Galina Burley

We are petitioning you as neighbors very concerned about the continued increase in crime in the Montavilla neighborhood. Over the last two years, we have observed a very substantial increase in crime activity: vehicle and property theft, gun violence, shootings, drug usage, drug dealing, and bike chop shops.

We have not experienced any increase in patrols or efforts by Portland Police to address the crimes neighbors have been reporting. Many neighbors indicate they do not bother calling in crimes anymore to non-emergency or 911 because they know the likelihood is no arrest will ever be made and no investigation will ever take place. Wait times have also been on average of 20 minutes, sometimes even for 911 emergency calls which puts those who do call at great risk.

As a community, we are frustrated and tired of illegal activity:

•  Our home, vehicle, and business property are being violated and stolen both during the day and especially more late at night, typically from 12am - 4am.
• Vehicles and valuable personal belongings left outside our homes (no matter how trivial the value) are stolen everyday: flower pots, hoses, yard ornaments, etc.
• Small businesses in our neighborhood are being burglarized and vandalized. In the Montavilla neighborhood, three small businesses were recently burglarized overnight in the same style over a one week period. This demonstrates that even burglars feel that being caught is low risk so repeating burglaries in same area is the norm.
• Bicycles are being stolen from our families and children only to know that neighbors have called in bike chop shops that operate in the neighborhood and yet go unaddressed by the City of Portland or Portland Police.

 
We are requesting that you and the City of Portland take the following actions: 

1. Assign vehicle patrols at night to streets with property crimes to increase visibility and deter future property crime.
2. Assign a day shift officer do some beat walking on NE Glisan and SE Stark Street during the day to connect with businesses and neighbors and show a visible Portland Police presence.
3. Use NRT more frequently to target nuisance drug houses which attract individuals who are involved in these type of property crimes into our neighborhood.
4. Prioritize the Bike Theft Task Force to investigating the bicycle chop shop near Montavilla Park that has been reported by neighbors living nearby for several months.
5. Coordinate with Park Rangers to have a more effective approach to addressing camping at Montavilla Park. With winter months, approaching we know houseless people need shelter from weather and so we are asking that you not sweep those simply seeking shelter but address those inappropriately using the park to use drugs and who vandalize our park facilities or leave human waste, hypodermic needles and other trash. Neighbors should not feel unsafe using our public spaces.
   Participate in a town hall with Montavilla residents to answer questions about resource availability and actions taken and future actions to be taken to address concerns.
6. Participate in a town hall with Montavilla residents to answer questions about resource availability and actions taken and future actions to be taken to address concerns. Please coordinate a date and time with the Montavilla Neighborhood Association.

We ask that you communicate your agreement to take the above steps to the Montavilla Neighborhood Association so it will demonstrate to neighbors and businesses that you are taking action to help keep us safe.

If you are unwilling to take any of the above steps, we ask you provide a reason and any alternative steps you are undertaking to address our concerns we have outlined.

We will not accept the increasing property crimes and need your collaboration and leadership with this ongoing matter. We no longer want Montavilla to be ranked as one of the top neighborhoods for crime in the city.

* This petition is organized by Montavilla Public Safety a grassroots group of neighbors organizing around public safety and crime prevention