Portland merchants seek panhandling solution
Panhandling has been a contentious issue in Portland in recent years. The issue is not going away, which is prompting downtown merchants to launch a new effort to investigate how other communities have tackled the problem.
The Portland Press Herald reported that a new initiative by Portland Downtown, a nonprofit trade group of local merchants, aims to stem panhandling, saying it gives the city’s reputation as a tourist destination a black eye.
“The primary issue is that it makes residents, workers and tourists feel unsafe,” Ken Cianchette, chairman of Portland Downtown’s panhandling ad-hoc committee, said in the announcement.
Portland Downtown Executive Director Casey Gilbert told the PPH via email the organization plans to research what other communities are doing about the issue before forwarding recommendations to the full board of directors and, if necessary, Portland City Hall.
City officials say they have not yet been contacted by the organization.
Mayor Ethan Strimling told the PPH the issue needs to be tackled from all angles, including the underlying issue of homelessness.
Most Recent
Most Recent
Comments