Neighborhood Notes

“TAKE BACK 82nd” Two-Part Community Town Hall Series Slated for Sept 15th and Oct 7th

Citing common frustration with rampant prostitution up and down 82nd Avenue, neighborhood leaders from the north end of the thoroughfare at NE Killingsworth to the south end at the Clackamas County line have joined forces together, and have collaboratively developed a two-part town-hall meeting series to educate residents and business on how to combat this growing problem. This citizen-driven town hall series will strive to create understanding of the root causes of prostitution and what community members can do to fight it at an individual, street, neighborhood and city level.

The first meeting is slated to take place at Vestal Elementary located at 121 NE 82nd Avenue on Monday, September 15th from 6-8:30pm, and will feature as panelists Commissioner Randy Leonard, Lila Lee (Council for Prostitution Alternatives), Bill Smith (Defenders USA), Ken Turner (President, 82nd Avenue of Roses Business Association), Jeri Williams (City of Portland Neighborhood Programs Coordinator) and East Precinct Commander Mike Crebs, all of whom have been confirmed.

The second meeting will take place on October 7th from 6:30-8:30pm at PCC-Southeast Center located at SE 82nd and Division, and will feature Jeri Williams from the City of Portland and Melissa Farly of Prostitution Research as key note speakers. A hands-on breakout session will focus on the development of action steps and sharing of resources and tools that have been effective in deterring prostitution.

The idea for a "Take Back 82nd" summit evolved both within the Montavilla Neighborhood Association and the Save NE 82nd Avenue Coalition almost simultaneously, and the groups came together to develop agendas for the town hall that will include panelists, breakouts and goal-oriented work groups.

The purpose of the "Take Back 82nd" summits is to encourage neighbors and concerned citizens to come together to find community solutions. Ideas and feedback generated from both meetings will be compiled into a report distributed to Portland City Council, city officials and neighborhood leaders to create a tools to empower people to step up to combat prostitution.

Neighborhood leaders all agree that they all share a common purpose and passion for preserving neighborhood livability, and see curbing prostitution as a key factor in taking neighborhoods back from criminal activity.