The owner of a Portland-based chain says he may shut down the company’s office due to rampant crime, panhandling and even death threats.
Tim Boyle, CEO of Columbia Sportswear, which is based in the Oregon city, opened the company’s new office in downtown Portland in May.
But trouble began immediately, with employees reporting being ‘hassled’ on the street, he told The Oregonian – issues that escalated until one female employee was threatened with death earlier this month.
Columbia Sportswear’s new office (pictured) opened in May but could close within months due to rampant crime and ‘menacing’ homeless population, its CEO has announced
In a guest op-ed piece, Boyle told how, just after the new office opened, his employees were already suffering.
He said they were ‘hassled, harassed and threatened by individuals near our office’ or ‘menaced by individuals camping in the doorway’.
Tim Boyle, CEO of the company, says his staff have received death threats and are routinely subjected to abuse and theft. He blames a lack of police officers on the beat
‘A few days ago, one of our employees had to run into traffic when a stranger outside our office followed her and threatened to kill her,’ he said.
He added that the company’s employees have suffered so many break-ins that they’ve started referring to parking in the area as a ‘laptop donation program.’
‘Given these experiences, it is a relief when the only thing we are dealing with is the garbage and human waste by our front door,’ he wrote.
‘Think about that for a minute.’
He said that new security doors are inbound, and they’ve beefed up the number of security guards at the building.
But ultimately, he said, the area needs more police – certainly more than the 80 new officers promised by new mayor Ted Wheeler.
And now he is ‘so concerned about the safety of our employees… that we are taking the next 90 days to re-evaluate our location decision,’ he said.
His fears have been echoed by other downtown Portland business owners, according to Fox News.
Judith Arnell, owner of Judith Arnell Jewelers, closed down her business earlier this month because she was worried about the safety of her employees, and falling sales.
She has been at the location for 20 years, she said, but the number of customers has fallen as the homeless population has grown.
‘It’s very difficult to do business here right now. Our customers are afraid to come in,’ she said.
Anne Bocci, the owner of Anne Bocci Boutique, told Fox that when she tried to stop a man stealing clothing from a rack outside her store, he threatened to hurt her – and came back to repeat his threat later.
‘Everybody saw it, everybody saw it and everybody called the police,’ Bocci said, adding: ‘It’s just really hard for businesses. It’s just really hard for everybody.’
Judith Arnell (left) closed her jewelry store (right) this month because customers were too scared to venture into downtown Portland, she said. She said crime has grown in line with the homeless population