10/06/2024
Posted on the River Road FB Group, but wanted to share here as well:
LONG POST BUT PLEASE READ!!
Hey Fellow River Road Neighbors!
My name is Zena, and I am one-half of The Kind Hop, a small craft beer bar here in the Riviera Shopping Center, sandwiched in between Lil’s Deli and the Dollar Tree. My husband, Nick, and I opened The Kind Hop in March 2022 and love being a part of this North Eugene community. Since being open, we have become more than just a beer bar. We have been fortunate enough to foster one of the coolest, most welcoming community atmospheres here at the Hop; neighbors who otherwise wouldn’t have met have become friends right here sitting in our bar stools. We love being able to host our Monday board game nights, pro-wrestling and soccer watch parties, Crokinole tournaments, chili cook-offs, local organization fundraisers, and of course we love being able to pour everyone awesome beer from local spots like Arable Brewing, The Wheel, Oakshire, Coldfire, etc.
I’m sure by now you’ve all seen the recent post on this group page about the individuals doing drugs in the Riviera Shopping Center parking lot. Unfortunately, this is just a sliver of what we, as business owners, observe on a daily basis in this shopping center. Ever since the Navigation Center opened behind the shopping center, the criminal activity has exponentially grown. The businesses here were assured that there would be no negative impact on the day-to-day activity of the shopping center. Obviously, this was not the case. The use and distribution of drugs in the shopping center has become rampant, and the number of drug users and distributers has grown. It has gotten to the point where we felt like these people owned the parking lot and us business owners had no say in what they did. Time and time again we’ve had to politely ask these people not to do drugs right in front of our business, and we’re met with aggressive confrontation.
We totally get that the criminal activity is an ongoing issue in the Riviera Shopping Center. That’s the reality of it. But what is disheartening for us is to see the comments on the post from our neighbors like, “keep yourselves and loved ones away from that area,” or “This neighborhood is becoming skid row. I am considering where else to move,” and other comments about warning others to stay away from this shopping center. It’s hard for us to read those comments and not take them personal when we’ve put our blood, sweat, and tears into achieving our meager dream of owning a beer bar and community gathering spot here in Eugene.
But rather than giving everything up and closing our business, we are determined to fight for our business and others here. We want to take back the Riviera Shopping Center from these individuals and the ongoing criminal activity.
So, what are we, Nick and Zena, doing to help turn this situation around? For months, Nick and I have been documenting the parking lot activity, observing the various suspicious vehicles and individuals that frequent the shopping center. We’ve also been working closely with Southstar Property Management and Eugene Police Department and their Community Volunteers to monitor the activity and pursue action against the criminal activity now that the rollback of Measure 110 is in effect. We also have a Community Outreach Officer assigned specifically to this shopping center as of September 2024, helping us to reduce the level of crime here. In the past few weeks, there has been an increase in police presence and a decrease in suspicious activity. It's not gone, but we've seen marked improvements so far.
Finally, what can you, our fellow River Road neighbor, do to help us out if you see suspicious or criminal activity?
· Call Eugene PD’s crime report line at 541-682-5111.
· Submit an online tip here: https://ceapps.eugene-or.gov/epdcoplogic/
· Contact Southstar Property Management at 503-251-4888 and report criminal activity.
· Come into The Kind Hop and let’s brainstorm ideas together! Did I mention we have beer??
We really want to be around for this community and for you all for years to come, so let’s turn the Riviera back into a shopping center where we all feel safe to live, work, play, and drink beer!
Thanks for reading everyone! Cheers 🍻🍺
Zena & Nick
The Kind Hop
