A ‘third place’ for Bayside residents would be a revitalizing force | Opinion
The Bayside neighborhood in Portland is grappling with a growing crisis along Portland Street, where 18% of all police calls for service, 30% of arrests and 40% of overdoses in the surrounding area are concentrated. The street has become a focal point of substance use, mental health struggles and the social disorder that follows, prompting many residents and visitors to avoid the area altogether.
People who live and work in Bayside describe a daily scene that is difficult to ignore. Sidewalks are frequently lined with people who are unconscious, visibly high or in the throes of withdrawal. Groups gather in a bus shelter near the post office, sometimes using drugs in the open and preventing ordinary travelers from using the space. Fentanyl is a recurring presence, as are needles — both used and unused — scattered across the pavement. Trash piles up quickly, including bags of food left behind by volunteers whose intentions are good but whose efforts often fall short.
The conditions extend beyond the individuals directly affected. The open drug scene has drawn predators and dealers who target vulnerable people in active addiction. Agitation and unpredictable behavior are common, with some individuals shouting at unseen figures or approaching passersby for money. Assaults on pedestrians remain rare, but the perception of danger is strong enough to keep most people from engaging with anyone on the street.
Local businesses have suffered as a result. What was once a walkable corridor connecting neighborhoods like Deering Oaks and the shops known as "Little Africa" now feels inhospitable. Residents who might otherwise stroll to Dyer's Market or Big Apple stay away, and the everyday rhythm of a healthy neighborhood — pedestrians, foot traffic, casual encounters — has largely disappeared.
City policy has played a role in shaping the landscape. Portland's practice of distributing up to 100 needles per person has contributed to the proliferation of litter, with sharps turning up across the area. Preble Street, which manages the nearby Elena's Way facility, has committed to daily sweeps of Portland Street for trash removal and to discourage loitering. Trash pickup has generally been carried out as promised, especially when prompted by the Bayside Neighborhood Association, but clearing loiterers has proven nearly impossible given the number of people involved and their mobility. They move between gathering spots including Dyer's Variety Store, the Lost Coin Café, Elena's Way, 55 Portland St., the post office and the busy intersection of Oxford, Alder and Portland streets. Only bad weather reliably disperses the crowds.
In response to these challenges, a group of residents and advocates is pushing for a new community center at 28 Portland St., a 17,000-square-foot storage space they want converted into what they are calling the Bayside Opportunity Center. The proposal envisions a welcoming, safe space that could offer English-language classes continuing the work of the former Immigrant Welcome Center, homework help for students, an international café, flexible space for cultural events and celebrations, a marketplace for buying and selling goods, affordable offices for other nonprofits, and job training and referral services.
Supporters say the center would give residents a positive alternative to the street environment, draw neighbors out of their homes to meet one another, and begin to restore a sense of normalcy to a darkened stretch of Portland. They compare the need to community spaces already serving other parts of the city — the West End's Reiche Community Room, Munjoy Hill's East End Community Center, Riverton's Community Center, Stevens Square in Deering and the Peaks Island Community Center.
The effort is led in part by New Mainers of Bayside, an organization whose members have built a village in the neighborhood after arriving in the United States, often after long and difficult journeys. The group lost its previous gathering place when the Immigrant Welcome Center closed, and the proposed Bayside Opportunity Center is intended to carry that work forward while serving the broader neighborhood. Organizers argue that the center would not only support immigrant families but also help stabilize Portland Street, making it a place where people once again feel safe to walk, work and live.
