Portland preschool pushes back against 'ill-designed' deflection center opening

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) -- Lawyers for a Southeast Portland preschool plan on going before a judge to block the planned opening of a Multnomah County deflection center located just a block away from them.

Originally set to open Sept. 1 — when Oregon’s hard drug recriminalization act went into effect — the center is currently slated to start operating on Monday, Oct. 14. Lawyers representing the nearby preschool Escuela Viva tell KOIN 6 News this has prompted them to officially file a temporary restraining order to halt the opening of the coordinated care pathway.

Lawyers for the preschool previously filed a lawsuit against the planned center back in late August, accusing county officials of violating Oregon’s public meetings law by discussing the deflection center without more input from other county leaders or community members.

“This closed-door process has resulted in the County’s plan to open an ill-defined and ill-designed drug ‘deflection center’ one block from a preschool, among other controversial decisions,” wrote Attorney David Watnick with Perkins Coie LLP. “If the County intends to proceed with this or any deflection plan, it must do so in accordance with the Public Meetings Law or not at all.”

Central Eastside residents previously told KOIN 6 they weren’t notified the facility would open in the Buckman neighborhood. Some Multnomah County commissioners, namely Sharon Meieran and Julia Brim-Edwards, have also expressed their frustrations with the lack of transparency surrounding its opening.

The center, located at 900 SE Sandy Boulevard, will serve as a 24-hour facility where law enforcement will drop off individuals who are caught with small amounts of illicit substances, in lieu of booking them into jail. 

However, Brim-Edwards toured the facility on Tuesday and offered some thoughts.

"Physically, the infrastructure looks like it's ready to start receiving individuals so that's good news," she said. "But at this point, it's not complete, so the 24/7 aspect of it is not where it should be."

With no neighborhood agreement in place, Buckman residents told KOIN 6 News they feel unheard and worried about the deflection center's impact. But others, like Ricky Garcia remain optimistic.

"I think there's solutions and it's about resources and getting people on track," he noted.

Brim-Edwards acknowledged the lingering concerns and explained if there's another delay, the county can still provide mobile deflection services. She emphasized the main goal is a sobering center - delayed until at least 2026 - which could help thousands transition to detox and treatment:

"We really need to keep our eyes on and continue to push the county on opening a sobering center, because that's what's going to make a real measurable difference," she stressed.

In the meantime, Watnick told KOIN 6 News he will argue the new motion to prevent the deflection center's opening in court on Friday.

KOIN 6 has reached out to the county for comment on the motion and has not yet heard back.