Security at NW Pettygrove branch library questioned
Multnomah County official is met with skepticism by some at meeting
As a Multnomah County Library official pumped up expectations Thursday for the coming branch library on Northwest Pettygrove Street, neighborhood representatives raised fears that homeless people will spoil the party.
“What is the strategy to manage disruptive people?” asked Todd Zarnitz, president of the Northwest District Association, who chaired the committee meeting at which Katie O’Dell, who oversees the spending of bond revenues for this and other county libraries, made a presentation.
“The library is a de facto day shelter,” O’Dell conceded. “We certainly get used that way by some individuals.”
The fact that the new branch will be more than twice as large as the current one at Northwest 23rd and Thurman will help, she said.
Rules will also limit the volume of possessions people can bring into the new space. Shopping carts will not be permitted, and personal items must “fit underneath the desk they’re sitting at,” she said.
“At the same time, it is really our charge to serve everyone who walks in the door … so that can be challenging.”
While library management is aware of the challenge, its ability to enforce order was questioned by neighbors and committee members.
Doug Knauer said his wife wanted to reserve a meeting room at another branch for a gathering of her guitar club but was told that the door would have to remain open and anyone could walk in.
“Yes, because of Oregon Public Meeting rules, we cannot exclude anyone from those spaces,” O’Dell said.
When advised that Oregon Public Meeting Law applies only to governmental bodies, she replied, “I don’t know the answer to that, but I do know that that is the standard and that is how it operates in libraries.”
As for maintaining basic safety in the library—a matter fresh in minds after recent stabbings at the central library—O’Dell said, “It’ really a difficult situation.”
Given the inability to rely on prompt police response, “[A library] is only as safe as the people who are in there at the time.”
“It’s obvious to everybody where the problems are. I can’t understand why it can’t be mitigated,” said Zarnitz, who believes there is “too permissive an attitude.”
The discussion turned the tone of O’Dell’s opening comments.
“We’re just so excited to have this library open up,” she said. “It’s really going to be a gorgeous library, and 10,000 square feet is an excellent size.”
She promised two days of celebrations, including a ribbon cutting and speeches by local dignitaries, for the grand opening, which she anticipates in January.
It’s mind boggling to me that the city continues to spend money on new public spaces, and then basically hand them over to the homeless population because they aren’t providing “real” 24/7 shelters with wraparound services. It’s both sad and infuriating that now the actual neighborhood residents have to fear for their safety (and let’s face it, greatly reduced usage and enjoyment of the library their dollars pay for) because the people in government here won’t step up and do their jobs. They’ve sacrificed our public transit system, parks, libraries - the list goes on and on.
Where are the district 4 councilors (again) in this whole issue? These representatives they send to discuss these topics always seem exceedingly uneducated regarding the rules/regulations they should be the experts on. The overnight shelter(s), the less than impressive day center, and now the library are creating a “Bermuda Triangle” to throw away a lot of money while continuing to remove vital livability for thousands of Pearl/NW residents. Do we need to start recalls here, or what can we do so the entire NW area isn’t sacrificed to utter and ongoing stupidity?
We live 1 1/2 blocks from the new library - we're both excited and very concerned about the new library. Unfortunately, it doesn't sound like the library really has a specific plan to deal with homeless people congregating at the shelter. Calling the library a "de facto day shelter" is a ridiculous comment - Multnomah County needs to decide what the purpose of a library is. Doesn't help that the Northrup overnight shelter is just a few blocks away....