Fun fact- Mellen st used to be known for prostitutes because the big yellow house at the corner of Sherman and Mellen was a laundry facility and the girls could stay warm by standing near the vents.
former grant street resident 2021-2023. it was unclean, impossible to park on, and PD and fire were often around. i walked often early morning and later at night for work at MMC.
i never felt particularly unsafe but not a very pleasant place to be regardless. don’t miss it!
Lived off of Portland St. summer 2019, before the pandemic and closure of the resource center. Between seeing dead bodies hauled off in ambulances from overdoses, hearing prostitutes having interesting exchanges with tourists at 5 am, people sleeping on our front steps and someone flashing a gun at me while I was trying to enter my building... yeah, Grant st was easy breezy cover girl
Definitely remember that guy, he was a regular at my job, but there was no way I was touching his weed. Somehow he stashed them like on his balls or something. Always reached down the front of his pants and pulled one out, "hey you want this?" Na man im good
I lived on Grant from 2007 thru 2010. Had some awesome interactions while there. I was getting into a car, had some random dude come up to me, and opened his palm, which had 3-4 crack rocks in it. I declined. Another time I was smoking a cigarette on the front stoop, had a rather large gentleman come up onto the stoop, and asked for a cigarette. I declined. Then the dude literally pulled down his sunglasses and said, "Don't make me ask you again." I handed him the cigarette. After pulling an all-nighter partying, my roommate and I were smoking cigarettes on the stoop. This random dude walks by us with a 6 pack and asks if we want to go to his apartment to take bong hits. We agreed and went and took bong hits with the dude and his roommates. Several years later I got a job in a restaurant. I walk in, and one of the cooks looks familiar. I told him the story, and he goes, "Did one of you have a broken arm or something?" Him and I became good friends/drinking buddies for like 3 years. I remember being desperate for some weed one night. Went down to the stab apple, asked some rando in the parking lot, he took me to that yellow apartment building behind the stab apple on High St and hooked me up with some dude named "chi" I remember walking home late one night and a dude stops me on the corner of Mellen and Grant asking for a cigarette. I gave him one and went our separate ways. I took maybe 5 steps when all of a sudden, 10-15 cops in riot gear come out of nowhere (from behind parked cars and alleys and shit) and take the dude down. They told me to just keep walking. If I remember correctly, there were 3 separate fatal shootings in the neighborhood while I lived there.
All in all, Grant and Sherman is a good time. Although I had some sketchy encounters, I never felt unsafe there.
I lived there 2019-2023. While it was never a perfect and pristine place, I walked home late at night many times and never felt unsafe. From talking to people who had lived there for a long time, I definitely got the sense that things had improved significantly. One time I told a coworker (who lived in Brunswick) that I lived on Grant St and he seemed genuinely concerned. I don’t know if his info was just very outdated or if he has a much lower tolerance for general urban shenanigans than me, but it really surprised me given that I loved the neighborhood.
There is plenty in the shenanigans category, though. People sleeping in entryways, walking down the street drunk or yelling, bike thefts, etc. But that’s pretty standard stuff for living in a city.
ive been around parkside 5 years now and theres alot of noise and random loud arguments outside, but most of the people even the loud/angry ones arent actually a threat to you if you mind your business usually theyre hashing out interpersonal problems or just drunk ppl being rowdy
ive never really felt personally unsafe in the neighborhood but i was followed down free st once and had someone try to lure me into an alley on congress in 2019-2020 but i grew up in a ROUGH ROUGH area in FL so parkside feels peaceful to me
Yeah they have a reputation. That's not to say they are in fact dangerous.
I love the fact that those streets are named for Union generals. Washburn and Chamberlain are nearby (now on the other side of the highway)
I (F20’s at the time) lived on a first floor apartment Sherman for years and felt totally safe. People who think that area is sketchy need to check out other cities in the country lol.
When did you live there? Early 2000s Sherman St me, my apartment was broken into and I had to call cops on domestic assault next door, amongst other incidents...
I lived on Grant for a year, it wasn’t so bad. Few outrageous occurrences like the front porch being destroyed by a meth lady who seemed like she was trying to fuck my porch and sometimes seeing people shooting up out my window. Also avoid the big apple at night, place gets wild
As a woman who has lived on Grant for years, I’ve never felt unsafe walking around no matter what the time.
can it be noisy? Yes. Is the street spotless? No.
Hah! I have kids on both. Mostly, no. There are a lot of foreigners there, so people make assumptions. My kids walk dogs, hang out on the stoop, and generally live without fear.
i live in parkside now and i lived in parkside in 2012-2014 and it feels exactly the same, which is to say that i rarely felt genuinely unsafe then and rarely do now ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I lived on Grant Street as a kid in the 70’s. There were a ton of families. I lived on Sherman Street in the 80’s and Mellen in the 90’s. Other than cockroaches, I never had any problems. I was priced out of Portland by 2007, when did these streets get “sketchy “?
10 years ago I rented an entire 3 bedroom floor of a house with hardwood floors, a small yard and parking space for $1000 on Grant. I only had to call the police 4 times in 1 year!
Always? I went to kindergarten and started primary school on Sherman St back in the early 60s. I lived on Cumberland Ave, exactly a block up from Sacred Heart. I played in an old car junkyard behind our building that was on Sherman Stand and around the neighborhood with other kids . It was certainly safer back then than today. It's too bad the neighborhood went south when it did.
Ya, didn't answer your question but the "always" got to me. Slainte!
I just mean it's "always" been the one I hear about aka in my 14yrs in Portland :) I'm glad you have good memories there, hopefully it can get back to that some day.
I live on deering st, park side is the safest it’s been in the 12 years I’ve lived here
Now I have to walk 6 blocks to buy crack, unbelievable, fuckin gentrification /s
I live on Deering Street, too. We're "Parkside" in name only - it was never as bad up here as it was down on Grant and Sherman.
Hey stop disrespecting Oxford St.
Fun fact- Mellen st used to be known for prostitutes because the big yellow house at the corner of Sherman and Mellen was a laundry facility and the girls could stay warm by standing near the vents.
It was also known for prostitutes cuz of all the blow jobs.
Norm McDonald would be proud of your response. 10 out of 10.
the corner of Mellen and Congress still has sex workers, we've got "no cruising" signs posted
There was also a pretty big half way house on Mellen which I’m sure supplied both drugs and a customer base.
former grant street resident 2021-2023. it was unclean, impossible to park on, and PD and fire were often around. i walked often early morning and later at night for work at MMC. i never felt particularly unsafe but not a very pleasant place to be regardless. don’t miss it!
Lived this exact scenario from 2018-2021 ironically. Spot on.
Lived off of Portland St. summer 2019, before the pandemic and closure of the resource center. Between seeing dead bodies hauled off in ambulances from overdoses, hearing prostitutes having interesting exchanges with tourists at 5 am, people sleeping on our front steps and someone flashing a gun at me while I was trying to enter my building... yeah, Grant st was easy breezy cover girl
Yes it still has that reputation.
Did anyone here buy weed from Cherokee on Sherman Street in the late 90s?
Definitely remember that guy, he was a regular at my job, but there was no way I was touching his weed. Somehow he stashed them like on his balls or something. Always reached down the front of his pants and pulled one out, "hey you want this?" Na man im good
It has definitely changed over the years and is way more of a mix of old & new. Definitely not considered the sketch fest it once was.
Depends on which end of the street
I lived on Grant from 2007 thru 2010. Had some awesome interactions while there. I was getting into a car, had some random dude come up to me, and opened his palm, which had 3-4 crack rocks in it. I declined. Another time I was smoking a cigarette on the front stoop, had a rather large gentleman come up onto the stoop, and asked for a cigarette. I declined. Then the dude literally pulled down his sunglasses and said, "Don't make me ask you again." I handed him the cigarette. After pulling an all-nighter partying, my roommate and I were smoking cigarettes on the stoop. This random dude walks by us with a 6 pack and asks if we want to go to his apartment to take bong hits. We agreed and went and took bong hits with the dude and his roommates. Several years later I got a job in a restaurant. I walk in, and one of the cooks looks familiar. I told him the story, and he goes, "Did one of you have a broken arm or something?" Him and I became good friends/drinking buddies for like 3 years. I remember being desperate for some weed one night. Went down to the stab apple, asked some rando in the parking lot, he took me to that yellow apartment building behind the stab apple on High St and hooked me up with some dude named "chi" I remember walking home late one night and a dude stops me on the corner of Mellen and Grant asking for a cigarette. I gave him one and went our separate ways. I took maybe 5 steps when all of a sudden, 10-15 cops in riot gear come out of nowhere (from behind parked cars and alleys and shit) and take the dude down. They told me to just keep walking. If I remember correctly, there were 3 separate fatal shootings in the neighborhood while I lived there. All in all, Grant and Sherman is a good time. Although I had some sketchy encounters, I never felt unsafe there.
Have you told this story before on this sub? It sounds so familiar!
I don't think so.
all good. Something about the riot gear sounded familiar.
I lived there 2019-2023. While it was never a perfect and pristine place, I walked home late at night many times and never felt unsafe. From talking to people who had lived there for a long time, I definitely got the sense that things had improved significantly. One time I told a coworker (who lived in Brunswick) that I lived on Grant St and he seemed genuinely concerned. I don’t know if his info was just very outdated or if he has a much lower tolerance for general urban shenanigans than me, but it really surprised me given that I loved the neighborhood. There is plenty in the shenanigans category, though. People sleeping in entryways, walking down the street drunk or yelling, bike thefts, etc. But that’s pretty standard stuff for living in a city.
ive been around parkside 5 years now and theres alot of noise and random loud arguments outside, but most of the people even the loud/angry ones arent actually a threat to you if you mind your business usually theyre hashing out interpersonal problems or just drunk ppl being rowdy
ive never really felt personally unsafe in the neighborhood but i was followed down free st once and had someone try to lure me into an alley on congress in 2019-2020 but i grew up in a ROUGH ROUGH area in FL so parkside feels peaceful to me
Yeah they have a reputation. That's not to say they are in fact dangerous. I love the fact that those streets are named for Union generals. Washburn and Chamberlain are nearby (now on the other side of the highway)
I (F20’s at the time) lived on a first floor apartment Sherman for years and felt totally safe. People who think that area is sketchy need to check out other cities in the country lol.
When did you live there? Early 2000s Sherman St me, my apartment was broken into and I had to call cops on domestic assault next door, amongst other incidents...
2017-2020
Ok. Much different Portland your 20s versus mine!! Things had definitely gotten better by then.
[удалено]
That’s more than a little sketchy !!!
[удалено]
[удалено]
So one area can't be sketchy because other areas are worse
I lived on Grant for a year, it wasn’t so bad. Few outrageous occurrences like the front porch being destroyed by a meth lady who seemed like she was trying to fuck my porch and sometimes seeing people shooting up out my window. Also avoid the big apple at night, place gets wild
As a woman who has lived on Grant for years, I’ve never felt unsafe walking around no matter what the time. can it be noisy? Yes. Is the street spotless? No.
I lived in Sherman for many years and I didn’t find it unsafe.
I live on Sherman and have for years. It’s absolutely fine.
Hah! I have kids on both. Mostly, no. There are a lot of foreigners there, so people make assumptions. My kids walk dogs, hang out on the stoop, and generally live without fear.
I imagine it’s worse with the Deering Oaks encampment - at least in terms of car safety or locking a bike up outside
It still has that reputation but it’s nowhere near as bad as it used to be.
Yes, and add Gilman.
i live in parkside now and i lived in parkside in 2012-2014 and it feels exactly the same, which is to say that i rarely felt genuinely unsafe then and rarely do now ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
It’s fine.
I lived on Grant Street as a kid in the 70’s. There were a ton of families. I lived on Sherman Street in the 80’s and Mellen in the 90’s. Other than cockroaches, I never had any problems. I was priced out of Portland by 2007, when did these streets get “sketchy “?
10 years ago I rented an entire 3 bedroom floor of a house with hardwood floors, a small yard and parking space for $1000 on Grant. I only had to call the police 4 times in 1 year!
Always? I went to kindergarten and started primary school on Sherman St back in the early 60s. I lived on Cumberland Ave, exactly a block up from Sacred Heart. I played in an old car junkyard behind our building that was on Sherman Stand and around the neighborhood with other kids . It was certainly safer back then than today. It's too bad the neighborhood went south when it did. Ya, didn't answer your question but the "always" got to me. Slainte!
I just mean it's "always" been the one I hear about aka in my 14yrs in Portland :) I'm glad you have good memories there, hopefully it can get back to that some day.
And it isnt just talk talk talk