Nike has decided to close its Portland, Oregon factory outlet store permanently after having temporarily closed it last fall due to ongoing issues of theft and concerns for safety.
This move is not unexpected in light of the current situation in Portland.
“Nike had sold discounted and out-of-season items at the Northeast neighborhood factory store since 1984.” OPB reported.
Far-left Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler said he was “very disappointed” Nike permanently shuttered its Portland store.
“I am very disappointed with the closure of the Nike Community Store on Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard,” Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler said in a statement. “My team and City Staff have worked tirelessly and in good faith with Nike for almost a year to offer creative solutions to their safety challenges.”
Nike has reportedly decided not to re-open its factory store in Portland, Oregon, which it closed temporarily last fall due to “theft and safety issues.”
The neighborhood’s business group, the Soul District Business Association (SBDA), said that Nike had confirmed its decision in a phone call with the group’s leaders, the Portland Business Journal reported on Friday.
The SBDA called the decision “a major economic blow.”
“This news has landed like a lead balloon in our district,” John Washington, the SDBA’s executive director, said in a news release. “We had all been holding our breath since last November when the store quietly shuttered its doors due to internal and external theft and safety issues. But, like so many of us riding out the fallout of the pandemic and protests, we held out hope that Nike, city officials and community leaders would recalibrate and realign order. But it looks like it’s game over.”
Although the local reaction to Nike’s decision was one of disappointment, it is important to note that Portland has historically been a city where chaos and violence have been embraced, particularly in regards to Antifa.
As such, Nike has taken steps to reevaluate their decision on potential future store locations.
Watch:
Nike proposed to employ off-duty police officers in order to preserve the security of the store.
However, due to a lack of police personnel, as well as reduced funding for law enforcement from a prior local election result, this plan was not able to be implemented.
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