The City of Salem shared updates about its short-term Safety and Livability plan on Wednesday, October 1, during a State of Downtown meeting. The event was hosted by the Salem Main Street Association at the historic Elsinore Theatre.
More than 100 people attended the session and asked questions about a variety of issues impacting downtown, including paid parking, mental health, drug addiction services and unmanaged camping.
Police Chief Trevor Womack explained what his department has been doing since July to focus more resources on downtown and northeast Salem. Money saved from unfilled job positions has been used to pay for overtime, allowing officers to have more interactions, give warnings and connect people to services.
A new recommendation will be discussed at the October 13 City Council meeting. It would add two officers to the Homelessness Response Team and increase the hours of the Salem Outreach and Livability Services Team.
Chief Womack was joined by Marion County Commissioner Colm Willis, District Attorney Paige Clarkson, and Salem Mayor Julie Hoy. Some downtown business owners shared positive feedback with the panel.
“I have seen an improvement,” said Tiffany Bulgin, owner of Ike Box and Isaac’s Downtown, who also provided coffee for the meeting. “It’s noticeable.”
However, others talked about ongoing challenges with Salem’s unsheltered population.
“We’re talking about human beings here,” Womack said. “They have rights, and we need to treat them with dignity and respect. You cannot force people into services.”
