PORTLAND, Ore. ( KOIN ) — More than a week after an emergency was declared to combat the fentanyl crisis and there are no updates on what the City of Portland, State of Oregon and Multnomah County are doing with that emergency. Meanwhile, neighborhoods are still struggling daily with the effects of the drug.
In Southwest Portland, neighbors who live near the Portland Art Museum told KOIN 6 News they are frustrated by the sight of frequent, open drug use.
“It seems to be more persistent and I don’t know why,” said Darlene Urban Garrett.
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As a testament to what Garrett described as a rapid deterioration of her neighborhood in the last few weeks, one law enforcement source told KOIN 6 News they just dealt with a case in which a teenager was chased by someone with a needle.
That incident, along with fires sparking up against the buildings, people unable to use the sidewalks and drug problems prompted a cleanup along Southwest Jefferson Street that neighbors say was badly needed.