Board pursues neighborhood cleanups, community marches, housing solutions

May 2, 2022

Commissioner Vega Pederson, right, with Peace on the Streets organizers.

Commissioner Jessica Vega Pederson at the April 28 Board meeting.

Commissioner Jessica Vega Pederson

Commissioner Jessica Vega Pederson was a panelist at The Street Trust’s Active Transportation Summit in April. She laid out her priorities for a transportation system that’s focused on safety, builds community, provides multimodal and transit options, and reduces carbon emissions. Other panelists included Nafisa Fai, Washington County Commissioner; Libra Forde, North Clackamas School District Board; JC Vannatta, Executive Director of Public Affairs for TriMet; and Karyn Criswell, Public Transportation Division Administrator for the Oregon Department of Transportation.

On April 30, she attended Peace in the Streets, a celebration put on by Love is Stronger and other community partners at Dawson Park. The event was aimed at reducing the surge of gun violence. The Commissioner has attended several events hosted by Love is Stronger and other community partners focused on reducing gun violence. As a result of these meetings, conversations and events, she published her public safety priorities for the upcoming budget in her April newsletter, which can be found here.

The Commissioner also toured the Bybee Lakes Hope Center and learned about the people being served, the services offered, and opportunities for growth. 

She also met with members of the Hazelwood Neighborhood Association to discuss the Menlo Park Village, a Safe Rest Village opening in the Hazelwood neighborhood, and Portland Commissioner Carmen Rubio to discuss the city’s budget, homelessness and public safety.

Commissioner Lori Stegmann, left, with Chair Deborah Kafoury at the April 23 March against Murder .

Commissioner Stegmann and March organizer Royal Harris.

Commissioner Lori Stegmann

As each department has submitted their budget requests, Commissioner Stegmann has met with Department heads to discuss their staffing needs and program offers. She met with District Attorney Mike Schmidt to discuss gun violence and how we can work together to reduce violence in our community.  Commissioner Stegmann joined Royal Harris at the March Against Murder on April 23rd.  Residents expressed their concerns about gun violence in our community, and spoke of their personal experiences with violence and its impact on them and their families.  Working together, they hope to end the use of violence and murder as a form of conflict resolution.


In addition to addressing gun violence, providing access to behavioral health resources is critical to reducing violence.  Commissioner Stegmann met with Ebony Clark, the Director of the Multnomah County Health Department to discuss their budget program offers and  the Behavioral Health Resource Center, which will open this fall to serve people experiencing homelessness with peer-led behavioral services, transitional housing and shelter beds.  Commissioner Stegmann joined Fora Health and LifeWorks NW in recognizing their commitments to providing behavioral health services to individuals and families struggling with mental illness and addiction. In late April, Commissioner Stegmann was honored to join 4D Recovery at the grand opening of the Smit Recovery Center in Gresham.

Commissioner Sharon Meieran celebrating Lao New Year with community members.

Commissioner Meieran volunteering with SOLVE on Earth Day.

Commissioner Sharon Meieran

In April, Commissioner Meieran joined SOLVE for their Earth Day clean up in Multnomah Village. Caring for the environment is a small step that anyone can take to make a visible difference in their community. If you missed out on joining a clean up for Earth Day, there are plenty of other opportunities to get involved, just check out the website for SOLVE and Adopt One Block to learn more about what you can do in your neighborhood. 

After two years of social distancing, celebrating in person is a heartwarming experience. Commissioner Meieran joined hundreds of Lao community members in celebration of the new year at the Lao Buddhist Temple and cultural center in East County. The Lao New Year is traditionally a time for cleansing and renewal and Commissioner Meieran was in awe of how it felt to be welcomed into the joy and beauty of the tradition. She also celebrated fast breaking with the Muslim Educational Trust (MET) during their event “We Choose Love Ramadan Iftar”. Commissioner Meieran is grateful to Wajdi Said and so many other partners for continuing the process of building a Beloved Community and looks forward to many more years of partnership, bridge-building.

In response to an unprecedented level of gun violence and homicides across the Portland metro area, peace activists, family members of gun violence victims, and community members gathered to call on the violence to stop. Commissioner Meieran joined the recent March Against Murder and is deeply grateful for the community advocates who have been organizing marches since May 2021 and for the Multnomah County Health Department who fight to address this public health crisis and help to make our community a safer place with upstream approaches and post-violence support.

Commissioner Meieran also leaned into community at the 47th Black April Remembrance event hosted by The Vietnamese Community of Oregon (VNCO). The Vietnam War seems like a distant memory to many but the loss of life can never be forgotten. The combined United States and South Vietnamese fatalities among service people during the Vietnam War reached more than 300,000, with approximately 1,000,000 additional troops being wounded in combat. Millions of Vietnamese civilians suffered casualties and death as a result of the extended conflict. Commissioner Meieran gathered with community to remember the lives of those who died in the fight for liberty, freedom, and a better future. 

Do you have an event you would like Commissioner Meieran to attend? If so, you can request the Commissioner’s presence by completing this form

Commissioner Susheela Jayapal, third from right, with community members at the Dawson Park cleanup..

Commissioner Jayapal joins volunteers at a clean up near Arbor Lodge.

Commissioner Susheela Jayapal

Commissioner Jayapal took part in several neighborhood cleanups in late April in District 2. Neighborhood cleanups are an integral part of place-making, empowering the community, and adding a sense of belonging. The dedicated people who organize community cleanups know that these events do much more than just remove trash off the streets.  Ginger Edwards, with the Arbor Lodge Neighborhood Association, brings together housed neighbors and Arbor Lodge shelter residents to partner up, get to know one another, and remove the litter around the shelter together. It’s a simple, yet powerful way for people to share stories about their lives and hopes for the future.  Lionel Irving, founder at Love is Stronger, an anti-violence organization, engages neighbors and people who spend time in Dawson Park to work together for a park cleanup.  He feels strongly that these events are an important way for people that are newer to the neighborhood to connect with people whose families have lived there for generations, in order to understand the rich history of the Eliot neighborhood.  Community organizers from Living Cully partnered with SOLVE, and a host of other organizations, on Saturday for a Cully neighborhood cleanup.  

In addition, Commissioner Jayapal participated in the statewide Commercial Sexual Expoitation of Children workgroup to discuss anti-sex trafficking strategies for the upcoming legislative session, and met with several County partners working on houselessness, youth services, and air quality to hear their needs for the FY2023 County budget.

Upcoming

Multnomah County Employee Recognition. May 4, 2022, 3pm.  Join the Board of Commissioners as they honor Multnomah County employees who have gone above and beyond in their service to the county and our community.  The recognition event can be viewed on the County’s YouTube Channel


East County Issue Forum. May 12, 2022, 6 - 7:30.  Join Commissioner Stegmann for an Issue Forum on Homeless Services in East County. Commissioner Stegmann will be joined by members of the Joint Office of Homeless Services, Cultivate Initiatives and the Sheriff’s HOPE Team. We want to hear your ideas as we discuss how we can better meet the needs of residents. Register here.