Delta Park
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Delta Park is a public municipal park complex in north
Portland Portland most commonly refers to: *Portland, Oregon, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon *Portland, Maine, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine *Isle of Portland, a tied island in the English Channel Portland may also r ...
in the
U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...
of
Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...
. Delta Park is composed of two distinct sections referred to as East and West Delta Park. The Owens Sports Complex is a notable attraction of East Delta Park, bringing teams from across the West Coast to compete in an array of sports.


Description

Delta Park straddles
Interstate 5 Interstate 5 (I-5) is the main north–south Interstate Highway System, Interstate Highway on the West Coast of the United States, running largely parallel to the Pacific coast of the contiguous U.S. from Mexico to Canada. It travels thro ...
, between the
Columbia Slough The Columbia Slough is a narrow waterway, about long, in the floodplain of the Columbia River in the U.S. state of Oregon. From its source in the Portland, Oregon, Portland suburb of Fairview, Oregon, Fairview, the Columbia Slough meanders west ...
to the south and the
Columbia River The Columbia River (Upper Chinook language, Upper Chinook: ' or '; Sahaptin language, Sahaptin: ''Nch’i-Wàna'' or ''Nchi wana''; Sinixt dialect'' '') is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river headwater ...
to the north. The section east of the Interstate is known as East Delta Park, and to the west is West Delta Park. The latter area was formerly known as the city of Vanport, created during
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
to house shipbuilders and was destroyed by a flood in 1948.
Henry Kaiser Henry John Kaiser (May 9, 1882 – August 24, 1967) was an American industrialist who became known for his shipbuilding and construction projects, then later for his involvement in fostering modern American health care. Prior to World War II, ...
built the World War II city of Vanport adjacent to Delta Park, helping house thousands who worked the shipyards. At its peak, the then second-largest city in the state included schools, libraries, and a theater. After the flood in 1948, part of the area was transformed into Delta Park in the 1950s.


East Delta Park

The Owens Sports Complex, a large part of East Delta Park, includes seven
softball Softball is a Variations of baseball, variation of baseball, the difference being that it is played with a larger ball, on a smaller field, and with only underhand pitches (where the ball is released while the hand is primarily below the ball) ...
fields, nine soccer fields, a number of beach volleyball courts, and a concessions building. The complex is named for William V. Owens, a former park superintendent who developed and managed the city's softball program. East Delta Park also has a dog off-leash area, a football field, paved paths, picnic tables, a playground, and a
volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Summ ...
court. The
Portland Parks & Recreation Portland Parks & Recreation (PP&R) is a Bureau of the City of Portland, Oregon that manages the city parks, natural areas, recreational facilities, gardens, and trails; properties that occupy more than in total. The bureau employs a total of 4,36 ...
Department operates the park, which is open from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. The Urban Forestry Division of the Portland Parks Department maintains a street-tree
arboretum An arboretum (: arboreta) is a botanical collection composed exclusively of trees and shrubs of a variety of species. Originally mostly created as a section in a larger garden or park for specimens of mostly non-local species, many modern arbor ...
in East Delta Park. The trees are the varieties the division recommends for planting in public rights-of-way between curbs and sidewalks. Headquartered in the park, the division uses the arboretum to teach tree identification to members of Friends of Trees and similar community organizations.


West Delta Park

Portland International Raceway Portland International Raceway (PIR) is a motorsport facility in Portland in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is part of the Delta Park complex on the former site of Vanport, just south of the Columbia River. It lies west of the Delta Park/Van ...
, for car, motorcycle and bicycle racing, is part of West Delta Park. Sharing the park with the raceway are the Heron Lakes Golf Course, a dog off-leash area, and natural areas. Force Lake at 45°36′17″N 122°41′37″W in the northwest corner of the golf course attracts many species of birds. Signs around the lake describe the wildlife and explain the history of Vanport.


History


Homelessness crisis

The homeless epidemic facing Portland has increased in previous years, particularly after the spread of
COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...
. Following the George Floyd protests in the summer of 2020, Portland had cut $26.9 million dollars from the police force’s budget.Hart, Angela. "Sobering Lessons in Untying the Knot of a Homeless Crisis." ''TCA News Service'', June 23, 2022''. ProQuest.'' Furthermore, the Portland Police Bureau had specified responding to high-priority calls because of the declined budget. Officer positions aligned with fighting narcotics and organizing neighborhood safety were eliminated. Less attention was given to the homelessness crisis in Portland and unhoused areas like East Delta Park began to sprawl. As of May 2021, Portland had put a pause on routine sweeps of homeless camps. North Union Court separates the Owens Sports Complex of East Delta Park and the encroaching encampments. Increasing illegal site access has intruded onto North Union Court and employees in the area were disabled from working on the area due to the obstructions of the encampments. News organizations have interviewed people living in the encampments, and it has been reported that many of the inhabitants have been parked in their recreational vehicles (RVs) for years. The people living in RVs around East Delta Park have developed into a community, one with leaders and rules. Some residents of this area, which is across the street from the Owens Sports Complex, have described what those guidelines are. There are tidiness guidelines in part to keep the community in line with city code.


Proud Boys rally

On September 26, 2020, inside of the Owens Sports Complex of East Delta Park, the grass soccer fields were the location of a
Proud Boys The Proud Boys is an American far-right politics, far-right, Neo-fascism, neo-fascist militant organization that promotes and engages in political violence.Far-right: * * Fascist: * * * * * Men only: * * * Political violence and militancy: ...
rally of over 300 people. It was expected that there would be over 1,000 members in attendance. Governor
Kate Brown Katherine Brown (born June 21, 1960) is an American politician and attorney who served as the 38th governor of Oregon from 2015 to 2023. A member of the Democratic Party, she served three terms as the state representative from the 13th distr ...
sent state troopers in anticipation of the Proud Boys and counter-protests. The group present at the Owens Sports Complex could be identified as MOSD, or the “Ministry of Self Defense”, a western group organized by
Enrique Tarrio Henry "Enrique" Tarrio (  ;  ; born ) is an American convicted seditionist and far-right activist. From 2018 to 2021, he was the chairman of the Proud Boys, a neo-fascist organization that promotes and engages in political violence ...
. Enrique Tarrio, a national figure and leader of the Proud Boys, organized the event. He and other Proud Boys activists were charged later that year for plotting the Capital storming of January 6, 2021. The Proud Boys rally of the Owens Sports Complex sparked a separate counter protest that gathered near Delta Park at the Vanport site in North Portland. After around 90 minutes at the Owens Sports Complex, the rally group of 300 began to disperse. The city of Portland and their Parks & Recreation team did not grant the Proud Boys a permit.


Portland Urban Forestry Headquarters

East Delta Park and has also been subjected to theft and vandalism. Outside of the Owens Sports Complex of East Delta Park, but still inside East Delta Park, is the Portland Urban Forestry Headquarters. Preceding 2022, the headquarters had been broken into, and more than a dozen incidents of vandalism have been recorded since the summer of 2021. A vehicle had been stolen for a short amount of time and subsequently it now costs the city $261,000 annually to have someone guard the site.


Delta Park Center

The Delta Park shopping center is located alongside the Owens Sports Complex of East Delta Park. The shopping center is separated from the fields by a tree line and parking lot. Homeplace Furniture and Design is located within it. Personal accounts from the manager of the store describe an increase in garbage, cars, camps, and structures piling up since the start of the pandemic. On May 29, 2021, private security guard Logan Gimbal was involved in a fatal shooting in the parking lot at the Delta Park Center shopping plaza. Logan Gimbal faced charges, and was subsequently convicted, and sentenced to life in prison with a possibility of parole.


References

{{Sports venues in Portland, Oregon , collapsed Arboreta in Oregon East Columbia, Portland, Oregon Kenton, Portland, Oregon Parks in North Portland, Oregon Softball venues in Portland, Oregon Sports venues in Portland, Oregon Urban public parks