PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – The three suspects accused in August’s stabbing attack near Downtown Portland’s Central Library made their first appearance in court Tuesday, just one day after Chair Jessica Vega Pederson released video of the incident.
Anthony Nicholas, Ja’Riyah Williams, and Daviana Anderson are each charged with eleven counts, including felonies like assault and unlawful use of a weapon. Anderson is facing two more charges, for a total of 13. Each entered a not guilty plea at their arraignment on Tuesday morning.
The newly released video shows what led up to the August 25 incident, where Zebulin Hannon said three people attacked and stabbed him. That stabbing prompted a back-and-forth between county leaders as calls for more security ramped up.
KOIN 6 talked with Dessmen Pooler, a former Central Library security guard. He said he left the role because violence was an all too frequent occurrence.
“I feel like there’s always things happening,” he said. “I don’t feel that anybody’s actually, like, moving forward with, with the sought-after plan. I feel like everything’s predictable when you go in each day. You know, you see the same thing occur, same individuals in the same situations.”
On top of violence, Pooler said drugs are a recurring problem. He said he wants to see leaders above the county level get involved.
“I do feel like the state can do a better job of being more assertive on the measures that should be taken by the county,” he said. “I feel that the county has a lot of leniency, a lot of open ends, that they’re allowed to do what it is they want to do, rather than doing what is needed to be done.”
Pooler said if the county wants the problems to go away, they need more strict policies for people in the area.
“Individuals are very comfortable to come there and do what they do because they feel that, you know, there’s no real consequences to their actions ultimately,” he said. “It should be an area free to all as a state. But, you know, there definitely should be some conditions into what that means, as it’s a library and it’s open to the public.”
People who live in and around the area also said the problem is beyond the one-block radius that surrounds the library at Southwest 10th Avenue and Southwest Yamhill Street.
Sandeep Divekar lives in downtown Portland. He told KOIN 6 News he knows the streets well.
“You see people slumped over during, you know, the fentanyl slump,” Divekar said.
He said the blocks surrounding his apartment are filled with drug use and people experiencing homelessness and mental health issues.
“It makes me sad because this is such a beautiful place. And what is happening here is self-inflicted,” Divekar said.
During a Portland City Council Public Safety Committee meeting on Tuesday, Portland City Councilor Sameer Kanal and his colleagues talked about the drug crisis in downtown. Divekar has also taken Kanal and other city councilors on walking tours in the area to see the problem unfolding in real time.
“To see that live, super helpful in terms of, what I saw on that tour. I think we’re seeing a, a place where we’re providing services in terms of shelters and some of the adjacent services around it, but not all the wraparound has fully come online yet,” Kanal said.
Members of the public made their voices heard during the city council meeting, including from business owners near the Central Library who said it’s become a hub for deadly shootings and drug use.
“Just two days ago, I had to bang on the window to stop a drug deal from happening in front of my guests and customers,” said Amber Jobe, owner of The Skeleton Key Odditorium.
KOIN 6 News Reporter Ariel Iacobazzi also went on a tour with Divekar and ran into a man who said he’s been homeless and addicted to drugs for more than six years.
“There’s too many addicts and not enough places to go,” said Jon Carlo Gianni. “There’s not enough housing. There’s not enough budget. There’s just not enough for people to get help right now.”
During the city council meeting, Portland police said even though they’re cracking down on drug-related crimes, they’re still investigating 40 active drug-related death cases.
Another Public Safety Committee meeting is scheduled at City Hall later this month.
Joey Vacca
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