PORTLAND, Ore. (KATU) — The owner of StormBreaker Brewing in the St. Johns area has raised concerns about safety issues affecting his business.
Rob Lutz, the brewery’s owner, reported that homeless individuals frequently occupy the brewery’s patio. While Lutz said he has no problem with people who just need a place to lay their heads, he mentioned some of them have weapons.
READ ALSO | Portland police seek information on deadly convenience store shooting, identify victim
“My staff comes into people on the patio every morning, or at least remnants of people on the patio every morning,” Lutz said. “Sometimes it’s just people trying to stay dry and sleep, and they’re fine. They clean up after themselves. And other times, there are people who are aggressive and carry weapons. We’ve had people on our patios with bats, machetes. I’ve been accosted twice in the morning when I show up at 8 a.m. in the last two, three months.”
That’s not all. He explained the kinds of damage his business gets stuck dealing with.
“I had someone cut the window out of my tent wall. It cost me $1,000 to repair them. They ripped one of my heaters apart trying to get it on to heat themselves and then broke it,” said Lutz.
Lutz expressed concern that the city is not providing adequate support to address these issues.
“You know, we did do some research recently for the meeting and, you know, with the state tax and the city tax and the county tax, we fall somewhere at like a 21% tax rate,” said Lutz. “And people wonder why it’s so unaffordable in Portland. It’s because we’re taxed to death and we have to then pass that on to just be able to survive.”
Despite their efforts, Lutz says there is only so much they can do.
“I had someone reach out this morning, and they walked by and saw a group of people on the patio with their family and their daughter, and they were like, ‘What are you doing about this? You know, ‘How are we safe?’ And you know, my answer to that is like, look, my team is out there. We bleach, mop, we bleach, wipe down all the tables as much as possible. But the answer is I’ve done absolutely everything I possibly could within my power, and it falls on deaf ears,” said Lutz.
He recounted an experience with the city’s security grant program, which offers financial assistance for security measures.
“I got a quote about three weeks ago for security gates and it was like $27,000,” Lutz said. “And I was like, ‘Can you help me out with this?’ and they’re like, ‘Yeah, sure, as soon as you pay for that, if there’s money left in the fund, and if we approve you, we’ll give you $25,000 towards it.’”
Despite efforts to maintain a clean and welcoming environment, Lutz noted that the presence of homeless individuals has led to customer complaints. He emphasized the need for a more effective response from the city to support local businesses and address the safety concerns in the area.
A city spokesperson sent KATU the following statement:
“The City of Portland recognizes the ongoing challenges StormBreaker Brewing has faced and we remain deeply concerned about their impact. Over the years, we have been in regular contact with owner Rob Lutz to explore solutions together. Both the Public Environment Management Office (PEMO) and the Portland Police Bureau have engaged extensively, offering guidance and recommendations. PEMO has even offered financial assistance to support measures such as exterior screening or gating. While we have not yet been able to implement a lasting solution in partnership, our commitment to StormBreaker Brewing has not wavered. We will continue to bring forward resources, ideas, and opportunities for collaboration, with the goal of ensuring meaningful progress and tangible improvements.”
