Hales Mandates Security Guards, Port-a-Potties at Last Thursday

REGULATORY NIGHTMARE: This may look wholesome, but some Alberta Street locals say Last Thursday gets out of hand after dark.
By AARON MESH

Mayor Charlie Hales keeps showing up to neighborhood messes with a shovel.

First he went after big apartments without parking spaces, then tried to set curfews for loud bar patios.

The mayor's latest target for increased quality control? It's Last Thursday, the 15-block Alberta Street bohemian free-for-all that never even had to apply for a city permit until last year.

When the festival returns on May 30, Hales' office says the permit issued to Friends of Last Thursday will come with lots of new requirements. 

"It is difficult to organize an event that already exists," Hales spokesman Dana Haynes says. "But we have faith that they can."

These include 15 certified security guards, two port-a-potties every other block, all musicians complying with city noise ordinances, and a shutdown promptly at 10 pm. (The festival will need separate permits from the Portland Fire Marshall if it wants any fire performers, the deal notes.)

Hales will see if that plan works to soothe irritated neighbors, and adjust it for June. But he risks alienating the artists who give the fest its zest. 

"This is what makes Portland Portland,”  Sammy Eath, an 18-year-old artist, told WW in 2011. “If you start regulating and charging people, it will be Seattle."

Here's the full list of the mayor's requirements for Friends of Last Thursday to get their May 30 permit.

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