RECENTLY, neighbors in the Montavilla neighborhood have
noticed a sharp increase in the number of sex workers along 82nd Avenue
between SE Powell and NE Sandy.
Most residents attribute the influx to one thing: the end of
Portland’s Prostitute-Free Zones (PFZs).
Together with Drug-Free Zones (DFZs), the “free zones” gave police
the authority to “exclude” a repeat offender from a designated area for
up to 90 days. If caught in the zone during the
allotted time
without court approval, officers could simply arrest the offender on a
criminal trespass violation.
But Mayor Tom Potter and city council allowed the PFZ ordinance to
expire this past fall. In September 2007, an independent study
sponsored by the mayor’s office concluded that the DFZs were unfairly
targeting African Americans. Shortly afterward, Potter declared he
would not renew the zones, saying, “Both programs are no longer serving
their intended purpose and act only to suppress a serious community
problem rather than solving it.”
But many are still wondering why the PFZs—widely considered an
effective law enforcement tool—were thrown out with the DFZs.
“The people that allowed the two programs to expire didn’t really
understand that the PFZs didn’t have the same racial-profiling problems
as the DFZs,” Officer Leslie Pintarich said at the May 12 Montavilla
Neighborhood Association general meeting. “There is now very little we
can do to bust those we absolutely know are pimps and prostitutes.
Since the PFZs went out of effect, the pendulum has definitely swung in
their favor.”
But Maria Rubio, Potter’s public safety policy advisor, says the
PFZs did in fact show evidence of racial bias and only worked “to move
the problem to different areas.” Rubio says the mayor is taking a more
holistic approach, providing more services and resources to the sex
workers. She says the mayor will not be considering a reinstatement of
the PFZs.
Meanwhile, residents in Montavilla are getting more vocal about the
problem.
“There’s a general consensus that something needs to be done. It’s a
huge livability issue, it drives business away, and people are angry
about it,” neighborhood activist Stephen Sequeira said after this
Monday’s neighborhood association meeting. “It’s starting to seep into
the side streets.”
Montavilla residents are now exploring courses of action for a
post-PFZ
neighborhood.
“We’re hoping to coordinate a community-based approach to the
problem, involving churches, businesses, the city,” says Justin Cutler,
vice-chair of the neighborhood association. “We need to give it time
and do it right.”
In the meantime, many residents say they want the issue taken more
seriously and plan on using the election year to press city council
about the PFZ suspension.
Ex-cellent!