LA GRANDE — About 10 downtown La Grande business owners, city and police leaders and other community members met Tuesday, Dec. 14, to discuss concerns over a rise in crime and homelessness in the downtown area.

The hour-long meeting, which was open to the public, was organized by the city of La Grande and was held at Brother Bear Cafe. City Manager Robert Strope, Police Chief Gary Bell, Parks and Recreation Director Stu Spence and Economic Development Director Timothy Bishop attended the meeting to open a dialogue for solutions to recent concerns.

“It’s an interesting dynamic. I think the mission tonight is that we treat these people as humans, which is what they are,” Spence said. “They have a right to do certain things, but they don’t have a right to do criminal activity.”

The meeting follows a letter of concern signed by numerous downtown entities over reports of crime and loitering, as well as a letter in response from Bell on Nov. 29. The issues have been brought up at city council meetings and have caught the attention of a number of downtown residents.

“We genuinely have a safe community. It’s safe for you to take a walk at night. But, a component of public safety is also perception and what is felt,” Bell said. “That contributes to what we talk about as ‘livability.’”

The downtown business owners in attendance gave examples of negative interactions that their business or its customers have experienced.

A handful said they have witnessed drug usage at Max Square, which they found alarming. One business owner mentioned that a car was broken into, while another spoke about a time in which a car was stolen. While those in attendance agreed on supporting resources for those in need, they collectively emphasized that the issue is negatively impacting their businesses and the overall state of downtown La Grande. In addition, several spoke up regarding ways the city can address the worries.

Aaron Grigg, the mental health director for the Center for Human Development, gave input and took questions at the meeting. Grigg discussed trends within the community that CHD has observed as well as local resources and options available for homeless individual.

“One thing we’ve learned is that if, over time, we can develop that relationship with those individuals, oftentimes it will come to the point where they decide that it’s time to get help,” he said. “Who are they going to go to when they need help? They’re going to go to the ones that they trust.”

Grigg and Bell both said the majority of homeless individuals in La Grande are local to the area. A common trend in the meeting was Bell and Grigg pointing out ways that CHD and law enforcement are looking to encourage the use of local resources to individuals who may be causing concern in La Grande.

“We have more resources locally, in the span of my career, than we’ve ever had,” Bell said. “But, we also have more social issues in the span of my career than we’ve ever had.”

Strope explained that Bell and Spence engage regularly with the League of Oregon Cities to gather input and feedback from other cities that have similar issues. Grigg also detailed future plans within CHD to increase resources for mental health issues that are believed to be a large cause of homelessness and drug abuse.

“I think we’re at a stage now in our society where we need a behavioral response in the community,” Grigg said.

Bell voiced concern that the city has a number of resources available, but some individuals are not prone to accepting the help.

“We try to get people to utilize resources that are available to better their situations,” he said. “The facts are that sometimes the people we communicate with don’t want the help.”

The city officials and business owners on hand mutually emphasized a need for continued communication. Bell said people should call the police department if they feel unsafe at any time and report any issues downtown.