NW Portland business hires armed security amid rising crime

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Businesses on Northwest 23rd Avenue in Portland say vandalism, break-ins, theft and even armed attacks are forcing them to hire armed security.

Business owners say the vandalism started during the pandemic and during the riots in 2020, but never really stopped.

Emily Ballis, who manages Arc’Teryx in the area, says those issues ramped up in April of 2022.

Ballis explained that Arc'Teryx is about to replace a graffitied window and noted that theft has also been a problem. They've had to replace a lock four times because people keep breaking it.

They made the decision to hire armed security after a worker was confronted earlier in May.

“Then middle of May, a gentleman came in an pulled a knife on one of my employees,” Ballis said. “I called 911, quite a long response time, I understand they're understaffed.”

She says in May, she went down 23rd and talked to other businesses about forming a group to try to share information and stories make the neighborhood safer.

Sonia Bellini, who own’s Bellini’s, told KOIN 6 News “this last six months it’s gotten even worse. I’ve had my windows smashed, I’ve been broken into, I’ve come to see homeless in the corner defecating, it’s gotten quite bad.” Bellini added “what I’m mostly upset about is there isn’t any help. I don’t feel like the city is addressing the problem we have.”

Meanwhile, Portland police said over the weekend they were stretched thin responding to several shootings which injured people across the city and killed one person. Police told KOIN 6 News that "lower priority" 911 calls may have had to wait longer for responses because of that.

Eric Joseph, who lives in the area, told KOIN 6 News “I understand a window versus a person bleeding out on the street, an officer is going to respond to that first.”

Joseph added “but, if, people are vandalizing windows, then they break a window, then they go into store and steal, and they know that responses aren’t happening they won’t be held accountable, they get more brazen.”