While one does not normally expect the police to be pals of local citizens, until recently there was a place in Portland for just that. However, budget cuts forced the closure of the Portland Police Activities League office in Northeast Portland, just south of Glisan on 172nd Avenue. This particular building, located in the somewhat impoverished area of Rosewood, offered a place where young people could enjoy activities in a safe place and avoid petty crime. However, without the money even to match donations to repair its roof, and lacking the funds to continue, the center closed down in February.
There is a second PAL center that remains open at present, with operating expenses paid for by the City of Beaverton, but when queried about what it would take for the Rosewood center to be reopened, there was no comment from the Portland Police Department. For now a center that used to host activities for children now sits vacant as children trudge from school along the deserted sidewalk in front. Even the website for the Police Activities League now links to an anti-drunk driving website rather than providing any alternative means for activities for the children it once served.
Fortunately, the Boys & Girls Club of Portland has offered to continue providing services for the young people of the area, even if the PAL building remains vacant and closed with no plans for reopening. Given the generally lackluster state of budgets in the Portland area, which are all experiencing shotfalls at present, it remains unlikely that the city of Portland will have any discretionary income to provide to helping its children until tax revenues increase. A stagnant tax base, rising expenses, and lessening federal grants would appear to mean that there is less investment in local infrastructure, whether in Rosewood or the rest of Portland.
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