Hundreds gathered Monday night at the Acadian Ballroom to vent their feelings, frustrations and curious allegories on the increasingly popular Last Thursday event on Alberta Street. A line of attendees snaked around the corner from the ballroom’s entrance, leaving standing room only for many inside.

The meeting sought to address how to reduce the event’s negative impact on the neighborhood, and how to decrease the staggering price tag the city claims is paid for each summer month — $14,194, primarily paid by the taxpayers.

For well over two hours, Mayor Adams and Commissioner Fritz heard testimony from scores of supporters of the street festival, with only a handful of critics taking the mic in front of the energized crowd.

“Tonight is just about airing out the positives and negatives and everything in between,” explained Fritz before the testimony began. She added that no vote would take place at the end of the meeting or anything decided immediately.  

Adams kept encouraging the rowdy crowd to use “jazz fingers,” or waving of hands, instead of traditional applause with the hope of speeding along the testimony and making testimony easier for anyone with opposing views.  

Speakers focused on repeated stories of recent arrivals to Portland who moved here after seeing the creative energy found at Last Thursday. An occasional critic lamented the event’s chronic problems of litter, noise, public urination, and parking, but very little was offered in terms of any solutions.

“It is the zeitgeist of our time!” said one passionate speaker, followed by a swirling sea of jazz fingers.

A few others said the city should appreciate the benefits of Last Thursday and allocate even more funds to the street festival. Another emphasized the importance of maintaining stability and managing the event as it grows past its current crowds of 10,000 or more. 

“Personally I think it’s a pain, but it adds a lot to our city,” said one pragmatic resident of the neighborhood.

One speaker, who identified himself as an outsider but a supporter nonetheless, had another idea. “It’s like it’s Brad Pitt and we’re complaining he has dandruff!” Miles Davis practically shot from every digit in the crowd.

“How many here would volunteer to pick up trash?” asked Adams to the crowd. Most of the crowd immediately shot their hands jazzily into the air.

Both the mayor and Commissioner Fritz invite those who could not attend the event to send their ideas and testimony to their offices listed below:

Mayor Sam Adams
1221 SW 4th Avenue, Room 340
Portland, Oregon 97204
Phone: (503) 823-4120
E-mail: Samadams@ci.portland.or.us

Commissioner Amanda Fritz
1221 SW 4th Avenue, Room 220
Portland, Oregon 97204
Phone: (503) 823-3008
E-mail: amanda@ci.portland.or.us