A burger franchise has closed a Portland outlet near Providence Park in downtown Portland because of ongoing safety problems.

Next Level Burger announced the closure of its outlet at 1972 W. Burnside on Wednesday, May 21. The closure was announced five days after the Portland Timber, which plays at Providence Park, urged the City Council to fully fund the Portland Police Bureau in next year’s budget. The council transferred $1.9 million from the proposed PPB budget to Portland Parks and Recreation hour after the closure was announced, anyway.

As reported by KOIN 6 News, Bend-based Next Level Burger blamed ongoing safety problems when it announced the closure.

“At Next Level, we’re committed to creating safe, welcoming spaces for our team, our guests, and the communities we serve. Following a pause in operations due to a significant incident during service, we’ve made the difficult decision to close our West Burnside location due to ongoing security concerns in the surrounding area. This decision was not made lightly, but nothing comes before the safety of our team members and guests,” the announcement said.

PPB data show there were 1,302 offenses reported in the surrounding Goose Hollow Neighborhood from March 2024 to March 2025.

The downtown location was directly across Southwest Morrison Street from Providence Park. The Timbers and Portland Trail Blazers released a joint open public letter to the council supporting public safety funding as it was preparing to consider the next city budget that takes effect on July 1.

“We ask you not to pass a budget that puts new strains on a public safety system that is already stretched thin. Portland is at a crossroads, with the path we choose leading either to a prosperous recovery or a continuation of the negative economic pressures Portland families and businesses have felt since the pandemic,” Timbers chief executive officer Heather Davis and Trail Blazers president of business operations Dewayne Hankins wrote in the letter.

According to the letter, both organizations have seen police response times increase in recent years, threatening public safety throughout Portland.

“The Blazers and Timbers both employ our own security on our campuses and pay overtime for City public safety staff for every game and event at our own expense. Our staff call on Portland’s first responders for aid when appropriate, and in the past year, we have experienced unusually long response times from public first responders on non-event days—some in excess of 10 to 20 minutes—when calling for assistance. We know these response times are caused not by any lack of dedication, but by the current public safety staffing shortages at the City. If public safety staffing levels worsen, response times could be exacerbated. The same extended response times that impact us also impact fans, families, and small businesses across Portland,” Davis and Hankins wrote.

Instead, when the council held a marathon hearing on the proposed $8.5 billion budget on Wednesday, May 21, it voted 7 to 5 to transfer $1.9 million from the police to parks shortly before the midnight deadline to approve a balanced budget.

Mayor Keith Wilson intended the funds to help PPB fill 90 vacant positions. The council approved the transfer despite Police Chief Bob Day wanting it would undermine public safety.

“The reality is that any reduction in funding to the police bureau will be a reduction in services,” Day said.

District 1 Councilor Councilors Candace Avalos, who co-sponsored the amendment, disagreed.  “This is not about reducing police effectiveness. It is about a balanced approach to public safety that includes well-maintained parks where families feel safe gathering,” Avalos said.

After the vote, Wilson said, “We’re looking at how the decision to remove $1.9 million in proposed PPB funding may impede our efforts to recruit a next generation of law enforcement first responders who will represent and serve our community, as well as the critical missions that get pounds of fentanyl and human trafficking victims off our streets. Any option that repairs, restores and revitalizes Portland is on the table, including jurisdictional partnerships and collaborations on the crucial public safety issues our community has asked us to solve. We’ve made improvements, but we can’t let our continuing high crime rates, response times, and livability issues go unaddressed.”

The transfer could be reversed when the council considers minor amendments to the approved budget on Wednesday, June 11. The final vote is scheduled for June 18.

KOIN 6 News is a news partner of the Portland Tribune and contributed to  this story. Their full story can be found at koin.com.