(Unfortunately) Another Statement from Andrew Hoan, President and CEO of Portland Metro Chamber, on County Chair Inaction on Central Library Violence
If Chair Vega Pederson would dedicate herself as much to enforcing the Central Library’s own rules on weapons and illegal drug use as she has pointing fingers and avoiding responsibility since she was first made aware of the problem in early 2024, then this string of violent incidents may have been prevented.
This isn’t a single incident problem; this is a systemic failure of the Chair and the county. In just the past six months, people have been murdered, beaten, whipped, stabbed, and groped inside and outside the library; and library staff and visitors alike have been repeatedly exposed to fentanyl.
We need immediate, urgent, accountable action from the county to put an end to the violent attacks and public health crises that have taken root at the library since it was reopened. We urgently implore the county to solve the problem by enforcing its existing policies banning weapons and drug activity from county facilities.
Below is the letter written by the Downtown Retail Council on behalf of the businesses surrounding the Multnomah County Central Library, sent to the Multnomah County Commission in July 2025.
Below is a letter sent to the Multnomah County Commission in response to the Chair’s Central Library Safety Plan.