One Day With the Squad That Removes Needles and Feces From Downtown Portland

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Every weekday morning, shortly before dawn, a squadron of men arrives downtown to serve as an alarm clock.

These security officers roust people who are sleeping against buildings or in the middle of the sidewalk. They tell them it's time to wake up—and stand watch until they do.

That's the cue for Cindi Shipley.

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Along with the officers, Shipley, 41, works for the Clean and Safe program at Central City Concern, which in turn has a contract with the downtown businesses that tax themselves to clean the sidewalks every day.

It's not work most people would want. Shipley's grateful for it.

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n downtown, according to statistics compiled by the Clean and Safe District, the number of hypodermic needles picked up off the streets grew from 2,817 in 2012 to 38,394 in 2018. "Sometimes I think it's getting better, sometimes I feel like it's getting worse," says Jay McIntyre, business director for the Clean Start program at the nonprofit Central City Concern.

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Person 1: Let that shite pile up. frick those business and real estate goofs.

Person 2: Darling Patrick poor choice. Use something that doesn’t spread diseases we can catch..

Person 1: I'd take shite and used rigs over yuppie boutiques and gentrifying real estate scum any day. The later isn't really reversible.

Person 3: the damages feces does, public health hazards, yes unfortunately outweigh the ugly gentifying apartments everywhere

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