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.

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 and has not yet heard back.

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