Portland bars step up safety training to help put customers at ease

Though the closing time in Oregon is 2:30 a.m. for bars, many watering holes in Portland shut their doors much sooner these days due to customers saying they don't feel safe.

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Though the closing time in Oregon is 2:30 a.m. for bars, many watering holes in Portland shut their doors much sooner these days due to customers saying they don't feel safe.

Now business owners are trying to change that by having their workers undergo special safety training with an organization called the SAFE Bar Network.

“The training goes beyond individual active bystander skills and focuses on teaching the staff at bars, restaurants, and nightclubs how to have an ongoing conversation about noticing concerning behavior, interrupting effectively, and providing each other support,” said Haleigh Harrold, the executive director of SAFE Bar Network.

It's no secret that Portland is still trying to bounce back economically from the years-long repercussions brought on by the coronavirus pandemic, lockdowns, social unrest and riots.

Bradley Thomas Stephens, the co-owner of the Northeast Portland bar Cereus, said it can be an uphill battle just trying to predict how busy the restaurant will be on a given night.

"I never know when customers are coming. I'll have Friday business on a Tuesday and Tuesday business on a Friday. And so I'm either understaffed or overstaffed all the time," Stephens said.

Apart from staffing and inflation issues, safety is another growing concern for not only bar owners but employees and customers, as well. That's partly why Emily Roose doesn't go downtown anymore.

"The homeless population and then, like, drug use and all that, and it just doesn't feel it's safe out anymore," Roose said.

Stephens is now arming his staff with the improved training provided by SAFE Bar Network. The national non-profit teaches workers how to handle sensitive situations like sexual harassment, hate crimes and other violent activity.

The movement is growing, too, as Cereus is only one of eight bars around the metro area that have signed up. Cooper Mountain Ale Works, Suki's, Suki's II, Deadshot, Teardrop Lounge, Too Soon and The Sports Bra all participated in the trainings with the Safe Bar Network this week.

The bar managers described the training as invaluable.

“Conversations about the safety of our guests and our staff in complicated and nuanced situations is important in order to be successful,” said Jackson Levy, the bar manager at Teardrop Lounge in Northwest Portland. “This training provided an opportunity to create a base of dialogue and skills to refer to in situations that may be harmful and tools to de-escalate situations.”

Levy is committed to investing in trainings like this to foster a good experience for employees and guests.

"A component of that is ensuring that they are safe in our care," he said.

Roose said the idea of a bar having extra safety training may just be the thing to get her to explore more of the Rose City.

"I feel a lot better about staying late at night and knowing that I have people who have my back," she said.

For Stephens, that's a glimmer of hope that he'll get to continue living out his dream job.

"You know, no matter how tough it is, I think a lot of us are going to stick with it forever," he said.

Visit Safe Bar Network's website for a list of bars in your area.