Portland Police Crack Down on Drug Activity in the City

The Portland Police Bureau cleared out and boarded up the Washington Center building in downtown Portland, which had become an open-air drug dealing site. The building was filled with litter, mold, and feces, and people were living inside. The move came after concerns about safety and a surge in overdose calls across the city. Mayor Ted Wheeler ordered around-the-clock patrol around the building, and Governor Kotek called the open-air drug market unacceptable. The police used battering rams to break down locked doors to see if there were squatters still living inside the former retail and office building.