City commissioner and mayoral candidate Rene Gonzalez joined seven District 1 candidates this weekend at a forum hosted by Future Portland, a grassroots organization focused on livability and public safety. The discussion focused on curbing gun violence and property crime in the area, as well as how to address the presence of tents, tarps, and drug paraphernalia on city streets.
“Families don’t feel safe sending their kids to the park because they’re afraid they’re going to step on needles,” said Jamie Dunphy, one of the seven seeking to represent District 1, which comprises neighborhoods east of 82nd Avenue.
Gonzalez and most of the council candidates called for increasing the police presence in East Portland. Five council candidates also expressed support for Portland’s current public camping ban, ushered in earlier this year by Gonzalez and his colleagues. Steph Routh and Jamie Dunphy did not indicate support for the ban, reflecting their preference for alternatives to policing when connecting people on the streets to shelter and services.
Former Multnomah County Commissioner Loretta Smith, who recently entered the District 1 race, discussed her previous efforts to address homelessness, including a push to repurpose the Wapato facility—a never-used jail in North Portland—into a homeless shelter. “Had the facility been repurposed in 2017 or 2018,” Smith said, “it could have provided shelter for many of the 3,500 people who were unsheltered at the time, offering a safe, affordable, and clean space for those in need.”
Smith, whose voice was scratchy from cheering at the Democratic National Convention where she was an Oregon delegate, also noted that only three candidates at the forum—herself, Terrence Hayes, and Rene Gonzalez—had received endorsements from the Portland Police Association (PPA).
Do East Portlanders Want More Police?
Terrence Hayes, one of the PPA endorsees, called for adding up to 500 new police officers. Hayes, a former gang member who now advises Portland police on gun violence prevention, said recent years have seen an “attack on police” in Portland and argued that the entire force should not be judged by the wrongful actions of a few.
“If you don’t believe that this community wants police officers, and that we want our streets and our public rights-of-way back, then maybe you shouldn’t serve this community,” he offered. His stance was echoed by Loretta Smith and Noah Ernst, as well as Deian Salazar, who called East Portland the “least policed area of Portland”.
In contrast, candidates like Steph Routh, Jamie Dunphy, and Cayle Tern focused on addressing the root causes of homelessness, such as housing shortages and lack of services. Dunphy, an former staffer to Senator Jeff Merkley and the late City Commissioner Nick Fish, stated, “We need to focus intensely on the humanitarian crisis happening on our streets, delivering services for housing, healthcare, and mental health and addiction.”
Dunphy also highlighted the importance of revitalizing public spaces to enhance safety. “The city can actively clean up trash, remove needles, repair storefront windows, and activate public spaces to encourage positive behavior.”
Absent from the forum were two of the frontrunners in District 1, environmental advocate Candace Avalos and transportation planner Timur Ender, both of whom are ideologically aligned with Routh and Dunphy. Steph Routh, a sustainability and transit advocate, currently leads fundraising in the district.
