PORTLAND, Ore. (KATU) — Several Portland business owners are speaking out against the deployment of federal troops to the city, citing concerns that their presence could affect business operations.
“My fear is that the National Guard troops coming here would just be another headwind to economic recovery,” Kristin Van Buskirk, the owner of Woonwinkle in downtown Portland, said. “Certainly, Washington, D.C. saw that. They saw measurable decreases in foot traffic and restaurant reservations, and I would expect it to happen the same way here.”
This comes as the city of Portland has been introducing a number of initiatives to revitalize Portland and bring more life to the downtown area, especially as many businesses continue to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Van Buskirk said the deployment of federal troops would likely set revitalization efforts back.
“I’m super, super proud to have survived the pandemic and, you know, all these kind of once-in-a-lifetime crises that hit the nation and hit Portland especially hard, and I’m super proud of the recovery of our city, but we’re not 100% economically stable yet, and I’ve really seen that, especially this year,” Van Buskirk said. “We just don’t need any more headwinds in addition to the things that we’re facing.”
FACT FOCUS: Trump paints a grim portrait of Portland. The reality is much less extreme
Another concern of local business owners is that an increase in federal presence will perpetuate claims made by President Donald Trump of Portland being a “war zone,” which many say has already impacted foot traffic.
“I just don’t like that there are claims that we’re having to prepare our streets and that we’re at war, when it’s a couple of people in animal costumes down on the waterfront,” Christine Hogo, co-owner of Care Instruction in Southeast Portland said.
Trump reiterated those claims this week, saying in one news conference, “Every time I look at that place, the place is burning down. There’s fires all over the place. When a storeowner — there are very few of them left — but when a store owner rebuilds a store, they build it out of plywood, and they don’t put up storefronts anymore, they just put wood up, because they know it’s going to be ripped down, and then I hear how wonderful it is. It’s not wonderful, it’s a disaster.”
“If they [federal troops] come, the kind of things that people are worried about and asking about online that aren’t happening will actually be happening. I don’t see people visiting here then,” Casey Szot, co-owner of Care Instruction, said. “Especially normally at a time of year when this is kind of our most beautiful time of year, people want to come here, but not if our streets are full of the National Guard.”
RELATED: Trump says Portland ‘almost an insurrection’
Thomas Gatley, the co-founder of Lone Fir Fitness in Southeast Portland, commended the efforts of local tourism industries to try and keep Portland in travelers’ good graces.
“I really hope that some of the strategies that Travel Portland and Travel Oregon are putting out, which I think are extremely good, kind of help to counteract that narrative and show people, ‘hey, this is, you know, downtown is safe. Like, it’s fun, but it’s not just downtown. This is a city of villages and neighborhoods. I think the more that we can show people that that’s what they can get if they come here, the better, because I think so many people around the country, around the world really, crave that, and we don’t want that to be affected by it.”
Van Buskirk said she’s thankful for local and state leaders who are working to stop the deployment of federal troops.
“I’ve been so happy to see the city, the chief of police, the head of the Oregon National Guard, the mayor, the governor, all coming together, unified with a strong message, not just a message, but actual action in the courts to prevent this from happening,” Van Buskirk said.
KATU reached out to the city of Portland with business concerns and asked if there is any discussion about supporting businesses, should federal troops be deployed.
We received a written response from the city of Portland’s press officer stating, “The potential impacts of federal troop deployment on our community have been a topic of ongoing discussion among City of Portland leadership. At this time, we don’t have any additional information to share beyond what has already been publicly communicated.”
KATU also reached out to Portland City Councilor Olivia Clark to talk about concerns of business owners and were emailed a past statement reading in part, “Portland remains a peaceful community that neither wants nor needs intervention from the federal government to address a non-existent emergency.”
If federal troops are deployed, Van Buskirk emphasized it will be extremely important to support local business.
“It’s something like 94% of businesses in Multnomah County are small businesses. That’s an incredible statistic, and if we fail, the whole county, the whole, I mean, really the region, stands to lose from small businesses suffering,” Van Buskirk said. “Small businesses are a really hearty lot. The small business owners I know are working so hard and are so happy to just be part of the fabric of the community, but boy, we would love to have a little bit of ease.”
