Portland Democrats slammed for telling people where they can and can’t smoke while allowing open-air drug taking

Portland Democrats are being criticized for enforcing strict rules on where people can and cannot smoke while tolerating open-air drug use across the city.

Despite passing major ordinances in the past year to address drug use and homelessness, the city faces barriers to dealing with addiction and unapproved camps.

The Portland City Council unanimously approved an ordinance banning drug use in public in September, but implementation depends on state lawmakers approving supportive measures.

In response to the ordinance, the Oregon Law Center filed a lawsuit, claiming the restrictions violated the state Constitution and existing laws — resulting in a state court judge blocking the city from enforcing the rule.

Meanwhile, legislation was passed in 2015 banning people from using e-cigarettes and other inhalant delivery systems in workplaces, restaurants, bars and other indoor public places – with no exceptions.

Commissioner Mingus Mapps called the situation “insane” and emphasized the city’s ability to regulate cigarette smoking but lacked authority over drug use.

“It’s crazy,” said Commissioner Mingus Mapps, who is running to succeed Wheeler as mayor, to Fox News digital.

“The city of Portland can make rules about where you can smoke a cigarette, but I can’t make binding rules about where you smoke fentanyl. That’s one of the reasons why Portland looks the way it does, and it needs to change.”

In 2017, Governor Brown signed a law banning the distribution and sale of tobacco products and inhalation devices to people under the age of 21.

Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler emphasized the need for change in Portland’s approach to tackling the problem, calling the situation “extremely frustrating.”

“It is extremely frustrating for us to take the steps that we think and, quite frankly, that we know we need to take as a municipal government to address open drug use, to address addiction or to address unsanctioned, dangerous and to tackle dirty camps in our society. community,” Wheeler told Fox News Digital.

“And yet we don’t have all the tools we need at the municipal level to do what we need to do,” he added.

Democratic and Republican lawmakers are divided on the proposed proposals.

The Democratic-controlled Joint Committee on Addiction and Community Safety Response is proposing to make drug possession a Class C misdemeanor — the state’s lowest crime classification.

The penalty is a maximum of 30 days in jail, a $1,250 fine, or both.

Oregon Republicans, on the other hand, are pushing to make possession of drugs like fentanyl, heroin and meth in Portland a Class A misdemeanor.

This would require treatment to avoid jail time and those convicted under their proposal could face up to a year in prison, a $6,250 fine, or both.

With just 35 days left to reach a conclusion, the pressure is on for Portland lawmakers to reach an agreement.

In December, a majority of Portland voters said they would move to another city if given the chance, a poll shows, after defunding the city’s police led to spikes in homelessness and crime in the city on the west coast.

The issue became so dire that the owner of Oregon’s largest office building, US Bancorp Tower, had to turn to a security robot to guard his property.

The autonomous device named “Rob” is 6 feet tall, weighs 420 pounds and patrols the perimeter of the parking garage next to the downtown building 24/7.

The device can’t call 911, but it has 4K cameras, thermal imaging, can read license plates, provides alerts “when prohibited persons are on scene” and has a two-way intercom system that allows the public to speak to the security desk.

Unico Properties, the tower’s landlord, declined to disclose how much Rob costs, but a similar K5 robot, made by the same California robotics company, costs as much as $1,200 per week to operate.

After a rise in crime, homelessness and drugs in the city, Portland officials changed course and increased the city’s $230 million police budget by $5.2 million a year later.

More than half of Portland voters nevertheless said they would consider leaving the city if they could afford to, according to a poll commissioned by Portland’s police union.

The survey also found that almost two-thirds of people believe the city is “on the wrong track” and 68 percent say it is “losing what made it special.”

While 74 percent worry that they or their family members will become victims of crime in the city, 87 percent are dissatisfied with the state of public safety.

About 70 percent said the city needs more police officers and nearly 80 percent said crime has increased in Portland.

Mayor Ted Wheeler emphasized at the time that crime has decreased in most categories this year.

“This city has been through a lot of trauma,” he said. “My message to people who are disillusioned is twofold.

“First, I hear you and I sympathize with your frustration with what the city has been through.

“I would also encourage you to stay, because the tide has already turned.”

Between October 2022 and October 2023, 71,216 crimes were committed, including 96 murders, 544 sexual offences, 25,233 theft offenses and 1,352 robberies.

While 66,038 crimes were committed between October 2019 and October 2020, including 54 murders, 640 sexual offences, 25,623 theft offenses and 1,105 robberies.