Last week, I attributed another “flash mob” of kids—this one in Montavilla, around NE 82nd and Mill—to bored youth (duh). This week, the mayor’s office concurs, in a note to the neighbors.

Thank you for emailing about the “flash mob” that emerged in the vicinity of 82nd and Mill. Mayor Potter has asked me to respond on his behalf.

The incident you describe was reported by the police to our Office of Youth Violence Prevention. According to that report, all the youths were displaced from a nearby party. Police were dispatched to the area after it was reported, and they assisted all of the youths in finding TriMet transportation out of the area. No arrests were made, and no damage was reported.

To answer your question - the incident itself is isolated, but the nature of the incident is not. Unfortunately, so called “flash mobs” - large and sometimes aggressive groups of teens and young adults emerging unexpectedly - are becoming more and more common. We can tie much of the impetus for flash mobs to the proliferation of text messaging and MySpace, but the root causes are familiar - disaffected and unengaged youth. Most of the participants themselves are regular kids with no intention of causing trouble, but we have seen flash mobs attract and amplify gang activity. For this reason, the Office of Youth Violence Prevention is taking the lead on addressing the problem. You can learn more about the Office at http://www.portlandonline.com/mayor/index.cfm?c=43522.

I hope this response addresses your concerns. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have questions or further comments.

Sincerely,
Jeremy Van Keuren, Public Advocate
Office of Mayor Tom Potter

I’d really love to hear what the Office of Youth Violence Prevention plans to do to engage and affect Portland’s kids. I think pushing for more all-ages music venues would be a good place to start (in other words, give kids a better place to hang out than Lloyd Center). Any other ideas?