I lived in Panamá one winter and the one large grocery store had everyone checked their backpacks at a kiosk in front of the store before going in. It was normal and no one put up a fuss. Upon leaving, you picked your backpack up at the kiosk and you were done. Shoplifting was NOT tolerated. Easy, peasy.
While I can see how this could work in a place like Panama (I have also seen similar approach in the Philippines), who would be the unfortunate employees trying to get drug addled transients to hand over their backpacks all day? We see in the comments provided in the article that employees have already quit due to threats to their safety. The people resistant to checking in their bags would be the same people that have created an environment where it’s necessary. This is just a small band-aid to the real problem at hand, which is the neighborhood around the store has been neglected by the city officials who are supposed to protect it. Lawlessness and disorder are being tolerated by the city at large, and the ongoing closure of businesses is a clear symptom of that.
I suppose the mayor and district 4 council members are too busy plotting to make the Pearl District their next dumping ground for low barrier, high capacity overnight only shelters with no wraparound services that will no doubt bring in an even bigger influx of this to the NW area. Anywhere within walking distance of 15th and Northrup will only see further deterioration. The Safeway store in NW will probably end up closing as well.
The new "improved" City Council has no interest in making Portland safer, cleaner or more secure for the people who obey the laws, pay their taxes and want quiet, secure, livable neighborhoods. Because of "Portland Values™ " we are a Sanctuary City (read magnet) for the drug addicted, the mentally ill, scofflaws and lawbreakers of various flavors (who realize that defunding the police and not prosecuting crimes makes their lives immeasurably easier), and really anyone who has decided that it's easier to get by in Portlandia than to get a job somewhere else.
Although Portland touts itself as a Sanctuary City, don't expect that to include protecting the sanctuary of your home, your parks, your neighborhood or your sidewalks and public spaces. Multnomah County and Portland's City governments have demonstrated time and time again that good governance and rational, responsible decision-making have been superseded by sacrificing the needs and wants of those paying the bills, for the politicians' pre-selected disenfranchised victims du jour. Whether it's "Housing First", selectively enforcing parking laws, so-called "Harm Reduction" needle giveaways, allowing the areas around public housing and shelter-housing to deteriorate & sprawl with other squatters/ RVs, the list goes on and on.
JW - I'm not sure what you mean by "A place like Panamá," but I can tell you the large grocery store with the kiosk for checking backpacks had zero problems with stealing. If Fred Meyer instituted such a policy, people would adjust. People here adjusted to no smoking in bars. If you lived in Portland when no smoking in bars got passed, you will remember the intense push-back from bar owners, but the bars survived. I doubt that drug addicts and other potential trouble makers will pose a serious threat. All ideas are welcome. KEEP FREDDIE's OPEN!
I agree that they need to do what they can to keep the store open, but I am just not sure how practical it would be to make every person check their bags - I’m sure this would be a totally thankless job even for security (the police here are not going to be staffing a bag check at FM) and needlessly dangerous due to the unstable nature of many of the people who cause problems. I’m not sure where you have derived that “drug addicts and other potential troublemakers are not a serious threat”, but this tells me you maybe haven’t been forced to be in their proximity very much.
Places like Panama = large percentage of homeless are not on fentanyl/actively allowed to break laws daily. What works to address crime there will probably not be as effective here due to Portland’s now almost non existent enforcement of laws around hard drugs/crime. It’s hard to unring this bell, but a good start would be to start cleaning up our public spaces by arresting those people who break laws instead of continuing to allow anyone homeless to operate under a different set of rules than the rest of us.
I lived in Panamá one winter and the one large grocery store had everyone checked their backpacks at a kiosk in front of the store before going in. It was normal and no one put up a fuss. Upon leaving, you picked your backpack up at the kiosk and you were done. Shoplifting was NOT tolerated. Easy, peasy.
While I can see how this could work in a place like Panama (I have also seen similar approach in the Philippines), who would be the unfortunate employees trying to get drug addled transients to hand over their backpacks all day? We see in the comments provided in the article that employees have already quit due to threats to their safety. The people resistant to checking in their bags would be the same people that have created an environment where it’s necessary. This is just a small band-aid to the real problem at hand, which is the neighborhood around the store has been neglected by the city officials who are supposed to protect it. Lawlessness and disorder are being tolerated by the city at large, and the ongoing closure of businesses is a clear symptom of that.
I suppose the mayor and district 4 council members are too busy plotting to make the Pearl District their next dumping ground for low barrier, high capacity overnight only shelters with no wraparound services that will no doubt bring in an even bigger influx of this to the NW area. Anywhere within walking distance of 15th and Northrup will only see further deterioration. The Safeway store in NW will probably end up closing as well.
The new "improved" City Council has no interest in making Portland safer, cleaner or more secure for the people who obey the laws, pay their taxes and want quiet, secure, livable neighborhoods. Because of "Portland Values™ " we are a Sanctuary City (read magnet) for the drug addicted, the mentally ill, scofflaws and lawbreakers of various flavors (who realize that defunding the police and not prosecuting crimes makes their lives immeasurably easier), and really anyone who has decided that it's easier to get by in Portlandia than to get a job somewhere else.
Although Portland touts itself as a Sanctuary City, don't expect that to include protecting the sanctuary of your home, your parks, your neighborhood or your sidewalks and public spaces. Multnomah County and Portland's City governments have demonstrated time and time again that good governance and rational, responsible decision-making have been superseded by sacrificing the needs and wants of those paying the bills, for the politicians' pre-selected disenfranchised victims du jour. Whether it's "Housing First", selectively enforcing parking laws, so-called "Harm Reduction" needle giveaways, allowing the areas around public housing and shelter-housing to deteriorate & sprawl with other squatters/ RVs, the list goes on and on.
It's "all about equity" in Portlandia.
It wouldn't be the FM employees staffing the kiosk; it would be a Security company or the police.
JW - I'm not sure what you mean by "A place like Panamá," but I can tell you the large grocery store with the kiosk for checking backpacks had zero problems with stealing. If Fred Meyer instituted such a policy, people would adjust. People here adjusted to no smoking in bars. If you lived in Portland when no smoking in bars got passed, you will remember the intense push-back from bar owners, but the bars survived. I doubt that drug addicts and other potential trouble makers will pose a serious threat. All ideas are welcome. KEEP FREDDIE's OPEN!
I agree that they need to do what they can to keep the store open, but I am just not sure how practical it would be to make every person check their bags - I’m sure this would be a totally thankless job even for security (the police here are not going to be staffing a bag check at FM) and needlessly dangerous due to the unstable nature of many of the people who cause problems. I’m not sure where you have derived that “drug addicts and other potential troublemakers are not a serious threat”, but this tells me you maybe haven’t been forced to be in their proximity very much.
Places like Panama = large percentage of homeless are not on fentanyl/actively allowed to break laws daily. What works to address crime there will probably not be as effective here due to Portland’s now almost non existent enforcement of laws around hard drugs/crime. It’s hard to unring this bell, but a good start would be to start cleaning up our public spaces by arresting those people who break laws instead of continuing to allow anyone homeless to operate under a different set of rules than the rest of us.