Portland mayor blasts ‘addicts who have taken us hostage,’ calls for shift in policy priorities

Blasting “the addicts who have taken us hostage,” Portland Mayor Mark Dion said it is time to hold people who are a danger to the community accountable. He also floated the idea of regulating food distribution by nonprofits and securing more treatment beds. “There’s an air of intimidation and fear, and that’s why we need accountability,” the former sheriff told around 250 registered attendees at a Thursday forum in Portland. Hosted at the University of Southern Maine by the Portland Regional Chamber of Commerce to kick off this season’s Eggs & Issues series, the event focused on public safety challenges in Maine’s largest city. Downtown safety tensions have taken a toll on small businesses, particularly in the Arts District, where the former Renys store is still vacant. City officials said a small group of individuals is responsible for much of the downtown crime and many of those people are repeat offenders with drug addictions. Policy questions Dion was joined on stage by Portland Police Chief Mark Dubois and Cumberland County District Attorney Jackie Sartoris in a panel discussion moderated by Quincy Hentzel, the chamber’s president and CEO. While touting the Downtown Ambassadors program for making the city’s central district a more inviting space, Dion called for a shift in policy priorities, acknowledging that policymakers may have gotten the balance wrong. “Moving forward, every policy consideration — whether it’s then undertaken by state legislators, by the city council, or others — we need to be the primary constituency. The people in this room. Our community needs to be primary. The problem should have a secondary consideration.” He also argued that compassion has led to too many exceptions for people who break the law. “You don’t get a pass," Dion said. "We give too many passes as an act of compassion, and that’s why we have what we have. It’s really time to say, ‘No, enough.’” Describing the strains on law enforcement resources, Dubois said that five patrol teams are on duty 24/7 and that, so far this year, 48,000 calls have been made, covering situations from traffic stops to bodily injury and other serious crimes. In response to a question from an audience member about whether the hands of the police are tied when it comes to preventing crimes, Dubois said that officers are doing as well as they can. He also said that while the department is budgeted for 158 officers, “we probably need about 200 to do everything that’s asked of us.” Offering a criminal justice perspective, Sartoris lamented the fact that half the people on a list of the top 13 offenders are currently in jail, only to return to their previous behavior when they are released. "We're left with the people who will refuse help every time it's being offered," she said. She also noted that the problem is nationwide and said that other communities have Medicaid-funded facilities that force drug-addicted individuals to stay and get treatment. Hentzel agreed with Dion's calls to regulate food distribution and have more treatment beds for addicted individuals. "We can care deeply about people experiencing homelessness while also being thoughtful about where services are delivered — protecting both those receiving help and the surrounding community," Hentzel told Mainebiz on Friday. "We also absolutely need more treatment beds," she added. "Continuing to cycle people struggling with addiction through life on the streets, without a path to treatment, is a disservice to them and our community. Compassion has to mean creating a path to a better outcome."