MultCo. leaders face backlash from local businesses over drug deflection program
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – As Multnomah County leaders continue to face criticism for meeting behind closed doors while discussing a controversial deflection program, local businesses are joining forces to oppose the county’s direction.
On Friday, the Portland Metro Chamber sent a letter to Multnomah County Chair Jessica Vega Pederson on behalf of local businesses that are concerned with the program’s impact.
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In the letter, The Chamber expressed “deep concerns that the current direction is not consistent with the intent of House Bill 4002 and will repeat errors that the county has made in the past several years with implementation of other treatment facilities and programs.”
The deflection program—spearheaded by Chair Vega Pederson among other county leaders—would allow people caught using drugs to avoid arrest and possibly walk away without mandated treatment when House Bill 4002 goes into effect on Sept. 1.
Signed by Gov. Tina Kotek in April 2024, HB 4002 was originally proposed as a reintroduction of criminal penalties for those who possess drugs in the state after years under the controversial voter-approved Measure 110.
But since its passage, private meetings between Chair Vega Pederson, District Attorney Mike Schmidt, Portland Police Chief Bob Day, and others have garnered criticism from the public.
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“We have deepening concerns that the county deflection system will be an endless run around the intent of HB 4002 and the [Multnomah County Commissioner Julia Brim-Edwards] sobering center plan; will be out of alignment with the rest of the region and will simply continue the ongoing lethargic county response to the interrelated fentanyl and homelessness crises we see on our streets every day,” the letter from Portland Metro Chamber read.
The Chamber shared four points of contention:
Deflection and 24/7 sobering should be implemented simultaneously as a single integrated system.
Treatment Readiness Center must not repeat the mistakes of the Downtown Behavioral Health Resource Center (BHRC).
Multnomah County’s deflection system must require registration, tracking and accountability.
Transparency with the County Board of Commissioners and the community.
Details of these points can be found in a copy of the letter shared below.
In response, Chair Vega Pederson shared the following statement with KOIN 6 News:
“I always appreciate engagement from partners about the critical work Multnomah County is doing, but the letter from PMC did contain inaccuracies. Standing up a continuum of care at this new facility over time, including sobering and medication for opioid use disorder, is the plan. We’ll have 10 sobering beds open even sooner than the proposed plan. The county is also working closely with the neighborhood and local businesses on a good neighbor agreement – meetings have already moved forward with the Central Eastside Industrial Council and the Buckman Neighborhood Association. I am committed to, and convening partners to develop, a local program that increases access to treatment, successfully deflects people from our jails on September 1 and meets the crisis on our street with new and accountable resources. Connecting people with treatment first, before jail, will mean more people struggling with addiction are likely to recover, heal, and thrive.”
In a public meeting held Thursday, commissioners and community members expressed concerns that the county has yet to define the deflection process while key decisions continue to happen without public input.
“There must be a binary choice: jail or mandatory treatment,” Buckman resident Rick Johnson said.
Instead, Chair Vega Pederson said, “It’s going to include a screening, it’s going to include access to services, and it’s gonna include some kind of engagement accountability that we’re still working on. We’re going to continue that conversation today and in the days and weeks to come.”
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Commissioners Sharon Meieran and Julia Brim-Edwards have been the most vocal against the County Chair’s private meetings, claiming commissioners have not been a part of the conversation.
“The first order of business should have been saying what deflection is going to be, who we’re going to serve, what the voluntariness is now – and that’s actually not rocket science,” Commissioner Meieran said.
Stay with KOIN 6 News as this story develops.
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