Starting today, committing a crime in downtown Eugene could get you banned from the area for 90 days.
The Downtown Public Safety Zone ordinance, which the Eugene City Council approved in September, is a response to residents, downtown businesses, city staff and councilors who reported concern about public safety and threatening behavior downtown.
People cited or arrested for certain offenses in the Downtown Public Safety Zone may be banned from the downtown area for either 90 days or a full year, depending on the severity of the offense. The zone area includes the Eugene Public Library, Lane Transit District Bus Station and downtown mall.
Eugene City Councilor Chris Pryor said the ordinance is not discriminatory and is not targeted toward keeping people who don’t look “the right way” out of downtown – something he said many people have expressed concern about. Instead, the ordinance is focused on reducing the amount of illegal activity in the downtown area, said Pryor, who has been on the council for four years. It is not a new problem, he said.
“I have been hearing about these problems since I have been on the council,” he said. “And we wanted to deal with them in a way that is even handed.”

Criminal activity and intimidating behavior has increased by 30 percent in the downtown area, according to a Eugene Police Department news release.
The ordinance addresses several types of crimes that commonly occur downtown, such as vandalism and drug dealing, Pryor said, and enforcement will focus on repeated criminal offenders. Currently, Pryor said some business owners must clean urine and other forms of vandalism off their business every morning.
University freshman Amy Holt said she thinks the ordinance is a positive development for the downtown area. “It’s a good idea to keep people safe and to help people feel safe, especially since the area is near campus,” she said. “It’s definitely better to take a proactive approach.”
Six full-time EPD patrol officers and two sergeants will be stationed downtown to help enforce the ordinance during its first 30 days. Pryor said he has a strong belief in the police department and its successful implementation of the ordinance.
But University freshman Lauren Berkema doubts the program will be effective.
“I think the crime problem needs to be fixed, but banning someone from an area may not be realistic,” she said. “What are they going to do, post pictures of everyone who isn’t supposed to be down there?”
Berkema also said she always feels safe when she is downtown and thinks the police department is doing its job already.
“I just think there would be other forms of enforcement that would be more appropriate,” she said. “This is just going to cost more money.”
A person cited or arrested for one of the targeted offenses will receive a notice to appear at Eugene Municipal Court within three to five business days after receiving the citation. During an appearance, individuals can request a hearing to explain to a judge why they should not be banned from the downtown area and can represent themselves or hire an attorney at the hearing. People who are found not guilty of the charges, or for whom the charges are dropped, will have the exclusion order also dropped at that time.
Pryor also made it clear that the ordinance is going to be in its pilot stage.
“Everyone wants to have a wait-and-see approach,” he said. “If the ordinance is effective, it is definitely something we want to keep, but if it isn’t, we will be the first to say it isn’t working.”
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