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Nike is based in Beaverton, Oregon, which is a substantial inner-ring suburb of Portland. It is the fourth-largest employer in the area and only one out of two large employers that is not a health care system.So it was a big deal when the corporation temporarily closed its flagship store due to safety concerns. It was a huge symbolic hit to the reputation of the city and an economic hit to the neighborhood in which it was based.After months of negotiations with the Mayor of Portland Ted Wheeler that failed to result in any promises to improve public safety, Nike has announced that the temporary closure has become permanent....Nike has, in effect, given up on the idea that Portland is going to recover any time soon. It has become a crime and drug-infested zone filled with homeless people in tents whose big goal for any given day is not overdosing on fentanyl.
I understand this was the store on MLK Jr. Blvd., but others in whiter neighborhoods remain.
Which brings to mind a sad, but true joke: "How do you find the worst neighborhood in any city"?
Nike permanently closes flagship store in Portlandhttps://hotair.com/david-strom/2023/09/11/nike-permanently-closes-flagship-store-in-portland-n577027I wonder what Wheeler's position was in the negotiations. Did he claim the problems were exaggerated? Did he admit the problems are so far out of hand that he couldn't do much? As the article points out, Nike stores are all over. Losing one is not a big deal. But to Portland, it's a significant closing.
