Concerns over youth safety and rising crime rates dominated the Multnomah County Regular Meeting on October 24, 2024, as residents voiced urgent calls for action. The meeting highlighted alarming incidents, including a recent case where a 15-year-old went missing for weeks after disappearing during a supervised field trip. This incident raised serious questions about the effectiveness of the juvenile justice system in Oregon, with one speaker emphasizing the dangers facing youth in the area.

Michelle Miller, a resident of the Northwest Stadium neighborhood, painted a grim picture of her community's struggles. She reported a significant increase in crime and drug-related issues, particularly the distribution of drug paraphernalia near schools. Miller urged county officials to engage more actively with residents, noting that her neighborhood leads the county in fentanyl deaths. "Multnomah County is bleeding both figuratively and literally," she stated, calling for a reevaluation of harm reduction strategies that seem to neglect community safety.

David Gray, another resident from the same neighborhood, echoed these sentiments, highlighting the failure of past initiatives aimed at reducing homelessness. He pointed out that the homeless population has surged from 3,800 in 2015 to over 11,000 today, surpassing even San Francisco's numbers. Gray criticized the lack of county representation in community meetings, where residents seek solutions to their pressing issues.

The discussions at the meeting underscored a growing frustration among residents regarding the county's response to escalating safety concerns and the need for a more collaborative approach to address the challenges facing Multnomah County. As the community grapples with these issues, the call for immediate action and accountability from local leaders has never been more urgent.