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Portland Cracker Barrel closed unexpectedly this week. Employees report that this is due to security issues in the area.
When news of the closure spread through the city, local man Steve Goodwin told KGW that "thefts are rampant." ``People on drugs''
Cracker Barrel confirmed to Fox News Digital on Wednesday that the store inside the Jantzen Beach mall has closed, a decision made after assessing the store's "performance."
"As a standard business course, we continually evaluate store performance using a variety of criteria to ensure that we meet customer and business needs." As a result, we have made the difficult decision to close the Cracker Barrel store in Jansen Beach, Oregon," a representative told Fox News Digital.
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Cracker Barrel Old Country Store Storefront (iStock) (iStock)
The statement did not say what criteria were used to evaluate stores, but the chain is now focused on "supporting its employees during this transition."
However, employees were able to shed more light on the closure.
According to a local outlet, the Portland area had drug paraphernalia, clothing tags on the street, Littered with abandoned shopping carts.
Closures were dissuaded by diners who tried to visit the location on Tuesday and other locals who thoughtnonviolent crimes would not affect their business.
"I don't think retail restaurants will be affected as much by things like crime and the drug problem," neighbor Ron Schmidt told KGW.
Portland has suffered rampant crime in recent years.
Researchers from the California Partnership for Safe Communities compiled Portland crime data earlier this year. Specifically, it looks at homicides and nonfatal shootings from 2019 to 2021.
Portland, site of mass George Floyd protests,
Violent crime began to rise in 2019. , there were 36 murders that year, compared with 26 in 2018. In 2004 he was an outlier with 29 murders.
Portland faces rising gang murders. Violence at work. (Portland Police Bureau/Facebook)(Portland Police Bureau/Facebook)
Data showed he had a 58% increase in homicides in 2020 When that mean quickly disappeared. With 57 deaths year-over-year, he has 88 recorded murders in 2021, an increase of 54%. The number of homicides in 2021 is up 238% from the numbers recorded in 2018.
Crime problems have caused other businesses in the city to close or move to safer areas. traffic of people.
"Being downtown was a big part of the store's identity," Jason Lavian, owner of Floating World Comics, told KPTV this week. rice field. in the city.
Ravian said he has seen an increase in crime in downtown Portland since 2020, noting that foot traffic has also declined, which has inspired him. Motivated me to move.
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"Don't think I'll be back anytime soon, maybe in a few years or so," Ravian said. This is where we are now."
Oregon Portland, State skyline (David Papazian via Getty Images) (David Papazian via Getty Images)
Crime also hits some business owners in the city. have a direct impact. The owner of restaurant Hello India described how thieves broke into her store earlier this summer and stole everything from electronics, cash and alcohol to her serving tray. Already dealing with setbacks from the coronavirus, this crime has left her struggling.
"Coming back from COVID has been very difficult. On top of that, this kind of activity" means restaurants will either "close their doors" or have solid backups to survive. It means you have to plan. , Meher Ali told KATU earlier this month. }
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