Portland preschool takes legal action against 'closed-door' deflection center meetings

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — The Southeast Portland preschool located near where a deflection center is set to open this fall has followed through on its threat to sue Multnomah County.

Escuela Viva Community School filed a complaint against the county, Chair Jessica Vega Pederson, District Attorney Mike Schmidt and Sheriff Nicole Morrissey O’Donnell on Monday.

The Perkins Coie attorney representing the preschool, David Watnick, accused the officials of violating Oregon’s public meetings law by discussing the deflection center without more input from other county leaders or community members.

“This closed-door process has resulted in the County’s plan to open an ill-defined and ill-designed drug ‘deflection center’ one block from a preschool, among other controversial decisions,” Watnick wrote. “If the County intends to proceed with this or any deflection plan, it must do so in accordance with the Public Meetings Law or not at all.”

Central Eastside residents previously told KOIN 6 they weren’t notified the facility would open in the Buckman neighborhood. Some Multnomah County commissioners, namely Sharon Meieran and Julia Brim-Edwards, have also expressed their frustrations with the lack of transparency surrounding the opening of what has been dubbed the Coordinated Care Pathway Center.

It will serve as a 24-hour facility where law enforcement will drop off individuals who are caught with small amounts of illicit substances, in lieu of booking them into jail. The center was initially set to open on 900 SE Sandy Blvd. on Sept. 1, when Oregon’s hard drug recriminalization act goes into effect.

But last week, Vega Pederson announced the center is now likely to open in mid-to-late October. The county chair said the facility needs more time to hire and train staff, and more time for “neighborhood and community engagement in the process.”

Prior to this announcement, Watnick had already threatened to sue the county if it moved forward with its original deadline. In the letter he sent to officials on Aug. 8, he also noted the safety concerns of parents and staff in the Escuela Viva community.

Multnomah County and the Sheriff’s Office said they do not comment on pending litigation. KOIN 6 has also reached out to the District Attorney’s Office for a statement on the complaint.