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January 1, Safety Officials Urge Residents To Avoid Calling 911
Portland, Oregon’s safety commissioner recently made a startling request of residents: hold off on dialing 911 unless faced with a dire emergency.
This drastic step comes as a response to the overwhelming number of drug overdose calls clogging up the system.
Rene Gonzalez, the city commissioner of public safety, took to social media with a public appeal: “Our 911 system is getting hammered this morning with a multiple person incident — multiple overdoses in northwest park blocks,” he revealed.
“Please do not call 911 except in event of life/death emergency or crime in progress (or chance of apprehending suspect). For non-emergency please use 503-823-3333.”
Highlighting the severity of the situation, Gonzalez informed Leland Vittert, the host of “On Balance,” that Portland’s emergency response systems were at breaking point.
“Our 911 systems are overwhelmed right now. So, we’ve got to confront this crisis head-on … We need to take a strong stand in Portland,” asserted Gonzalez.
The spiraling overdose crisis in Oregon can be traced back to a pivotal decision in 2020, when Oregon voters, through Measure 110, opted to decriminalize the unauthorized possession of most controlled substances.
What was once a felony or misdemeanor charge was demoted to a Class E violation, meriting at most a $100 fine. As a result, while jail sentences dwindled, overdose fatalities surged.
Gonzalez pointed to a gaping flaw in Measure 110’s implementation. The voters were promised substantial state-level addiction services, but these offerings failed to materialize, especially as they coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic’s peak.
He elaborated, “But that’s what voters were sold on. That we were decriminalizing addiction, that we would stand up substantial, state-level addiction services that just didn’t come about. I think that was the surprise.”
Further complicating matters, the allure of Measure 110 beckoned certain individuals to the city, leading to amplified problems.
“What was predictable is that Measure 110 would attract certain elements to the city that were looking for that lifestyle, and as a city, we’re taking a hard stand increasingly to push back on that now,” Gonzalez commented.
Discussing the rights of everyday residents, Gonzalez acknowledged that they do have the right to dial 911 expecting police intervention.
However, a combination of laws, including Measure 110 and the 9th Circuit law on outdoor camping, severely hamstrung the city’s capability to effectively address these concerns.
Gonzalez reflected on the city’s leniency, saying, “Frankly, we were probably too tolerant and accepting as a city even without those things on some of these behaviors that really destroy livability for everyone else.”
He emphasized the necessity for a comprehensive approach to rectify the situation.
“It’s going to take multiple steps (to fix). There’s no two ways about it, and you need all levels of government working in the same direction. We’ve been pushing certain forms of judicial reform for the last decade in the state and in our county. We’re now paying the piper for that. Some well-intentioned things have had some really negative impacts.”
As a remedy, Gonzalez proposed that Portland’s policy conversations ought to prioritize families and entrepreneurs.
“We need to recenter families and entrepreneurs and those who build organizations in our policy discussions. We focus too much sometimes on the user, on the migratory homeless in defining who we should be building government around,” he opined.
As Portland grapples with an inundation of overdose-related 911 calls, Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek is taking action by directing state police to implement strategies to curtail the drug influx, and initiating a task force to rejuvenate downtown Portland.
As our loyal readers, we encourage you to share your thoughts and opinions on this issue. Let your voice be heard and join the discussion below.
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Julia
October 11, 2023 at 6:10 pm
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George
October 13, 2023 at 8:01 pm
This is a scam! It has been online for a few years. Just different names for the same website. A total scam!
George
October 13, 2023 at 7:58 pm
It is way past time for Portland to face the reality that these lenient policies have failed. They need to gain the integrity to face the reality that law and order must return to the city. The current bunch of politicians have to gain the personal integrity to accept that reality and pass legislation returning to the law and order standard that works. They must rebuild and refund their law enforcement services on all levels to properly address the problems with a firm standard of disci0linary actions supported by the courts and the people. Get rid of the liberal Soros owned prosecutors and bring sanity back to Portland.
George
October 13, 2023 at 8:03 pm
This site is censoring comments. My comment supporting law and order was not allowed to be posted. No explanation. Just blocked.
Bill Stephens
October 13, 2023 at 10:28 pm
Until the dealers are either put in prison for life or executed, things will remain the same. It has to be way to costly for dealers to do their dirty work. They are murdering people just as if they were using a gun or knife.
Bill Stephens
October 13, 2023 at 10:29 pm
oops, I meant too costly
Jack Jones
October 14, 2023 at 2:36 am
If the addiction centers are part of the actual measure voted on, and not just a side “promise”, then all the cities inundated with this problem should sue the state and all the members of the legislature, past and present, that have not lived up to that measure.
Vetmike
October 14, 2023 at 8:33 am
‘We need to take a strong stand’ You certainly do! Make responding to drug overdoses a low priority. Most drug stores stock naloxone and it would not be that hard to stock a couple of injectors in bodegas and news stands. Heck, you could even put a stock in known drug houses.
Pissedoff
October 14, 2023 at 2:34 pm
LET THE DRUGGIES D I E !!! LET PORTLAND B U R N !!! THEN SO CAL., Then …
Willie1955
February 1, 2024 at 7:53 am
Liberal policies destroying cities all across the country. Portland got what the citizens voted for just like the rest of the slum cities who voted for liberals. Who ever thought that making drugs like cocaine, heroin, meth, and fentanyl a misdemeanor charge evidently was high when they passed the bill. This proves that liberalism is a mental disorder doing away with common sense, lack of mentality, and is just plain ignorance.
sympl1
February 1, 2024 at 1:43 pm
Hey pissed off,you piss me off,,why burn SOCAL,we have nothing to do with Oregon,burn SOCAL,and central Cal
sympl1
February 1, 2024 at 1:44 pm
smart fone changed my words,,that’s NOCAL that needs to burn