PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – In 2020, Portland joined nationwide racial justice protests, saw some violent clashes, witnessed the homelessness and fentanyl crises grow and the downtown office vacancy rate skyrocketed, leaving downtown pedestrian traffic a fraction of what it was.

Now, Travel

Portland – a nonprofit primarily funded by a lodging tax to boost tourism in the city – is working to revamp Portland’s image. This work includes Travel Portland collaborating with a public relations firm, EMC Communications.

According to Travel Portland, the collaboration began around late 2023.

“The goal of this project was to bring more media attention to the positive developments and progress that we’ve been seeing in the City of Portland, both to a local audience and to a national audience. There’s lots of great things happening in the city, and we’re just trying to amplify those,” Travel Portland Vice President of Communications and International Tourism Marcus Hibdon told KOIN 6 News on Friday.

This work included a recent press release issued by EMC Communications that included a statement from Portland Mayor Keith Wilson regarding the June 14 nationwide “No Kings” protest, in which tens of thousands of Portlanders took part in. The protest was against the Trump administration ahead of a Washington military parade marking the Army’s 250th anniversary as well as the president’s birthday.

In the press release, EMC Communications said an estimated 50,000 Portlanders “marched peacefully,” and recognized a separate protest outside of a Portland Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility, describing it as a “separate incident at the ICE facility that resulted in limited arrests.”

EMC also noted that “Portland police effectively managed both situations without federal assistance,” adding the “mayor reaffirms Portland’s commitment to free speech while enforcing laws against violence.”

The mayor’s statement, included in the press release, stated in part, “An estimated 50,000 Portlanders marched together in solidarity and protest yesterday, joining demonstrations from across the nation. We celebrate all those who peacefully and powerfully raised their voices against Federal overreach, which are deeply held values in both Portland and our nation.”

Wilson also addressed the ICE protest, explaining, “Miles from the planned demonstration, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility was damaged by fireworks and other materials. The Incident Command team learned of one federal officer being injured and sent resources to assist, but learned he did not require medical treatment. Later in the evening, PPB was notified that two additional officers received minor injuries and they, too, did not require treatment. The Portland Police Bureau responded swiftly, arrested one person, and cleared a path for a medical evacuation, which was ultimately not required. Later in the evening, a small group of demonstrators remained at the facility and the majority were exercising their constitutional right to free speech while remaining law abiding. However, PPB did step in to make targeted arrests when they had probable cause of criminal behavior.”

Amplifying the mayor’s message is part of EMC and Travel Portland’s strategy to help boost the city’s image since 2020 by highlighting the peaceful “No Kings” protest.

“What we’re trying to do is speak to a local audience and also national news media to say, ‘Look, there’s a lot of progress that’s happened in the city of Portland,’ and people need to know about it, whether that’s on the economic front, whether that’s the city’s progress in livability issues, how far we’ve come with cleanliness in the city, graffiti, things like that, that we were getting really negative attention several years ago. Now we’re drawing attention to the positive progress that we’ve made, and how far we’ve come,” Hibdon told KOIN 6.

Describing the decision to amplify the mayor’s message, Hibdon explained, “What we felt was thousands of people protesting peacefully in the city of Portland, there were no arrests, there were no injuries, there was nothing negative about that at all.”

“Just people freely expressing their First Amendment rights together was something that was worth getting media attention, so we linked in that communication to the statement that the mayor had published on the city’s website, and just said, ‘Hey, we’re making sure that everybody sees this,'” Hibdon added.

This isn’t the first time Travel Portland has worked with a communications firm, according to Hibdon, who said Travel Portland has “always worked with various (public relations) firms to tell communication stories.”

This comes after Hibdon joined KOIN 6 News’ Eye on Northwest Politics in March 2024, describing Travel Portland’s efforts to fuel Portland’s comeback amid the homelessness and drug crises.

“Our reputation’s been affected,” Hibdon previously told KOIN 6. “The national media stories that came out starting after the murder of George Floyd, covering the protests that happened downtown and throughout the city, it really changed people’s opinion of Portland. Follow that up with some crime numbers, look at how Measure 110 affected things. But really what happened is national media were covering national issues, and they were setting stories in Portland that it seems our city was more affected than other places or that we were the only city experiencing a lot of these issues and we know that’s not true.”

When asked what he would say to Portland visitors who see homelessness and drug use in the city as Travel Portland tries to bolster the city’s image, Hibdon previously explained, “These are issues people are going to see when they go to any city. And so, when working with meeting planners, for example, and we bring them into the streets of Portland, they say, ‘This city looks very similar to the city where I’m from or the city that I fly out of.’ I think what happened here is there is a national fentanyl crisis here in the United States of America, there is a houseless crisis in the United States of America. Portland is a city in the United States of America and we’re facing those same challenges at similar levels.”

“What’s different with Portland though, is we are searching for those solutions based on the values of our city,” Hibdon added.

Now, Hibdon says Travel Portland is trying to tell stories of Portland’s recovery.

“What we’re trying to tell is stories of progress, stories of investment, stories of positive development. So, for example, (EMC Communications will) be talking to a lot of media about where we’re moving forward on potentially having a Major League Baseball team in Portland, and the investment that comes with that, our new WNBA team that everybody’s super excited about, but also just other things that have happened in the city,” Hibdon said. “We know crime is down. We know cleanliness is better than it’s been before. And really what we’re saying to people, both near and far, is if you haven’t seen Portland for yourself recently, come on down and take a look. The city’s doing great. It feels great, and it’s time to come back to the city you love.”

“We had a big peaceful protest in the city of Portland and that shows how far our community has come over the last several years when Portland was getting a lot of negativity based on the protests that were happening in 2020 but really small parts of those protests that were happening late at night after most protesters had gone home,” Hibdon said.

“So, we were saying ‘We’ve turned out in a big way.’ I think across the country 11 million people protested, something like that. Portland participated in that in a very positive way where there was no negativity at all, no injuries, nothing to be concerned about, really showing an American value and the core values of our community, which is we support the things that make this country great and are willing to speak out about the things that we disagree with. So, we thought that was noteworthy for media, and just wanted to make sure everyone had seen that communication from the mayor’s office,” he added.

The contract between Travel Portland and EMC ends June 30, Hibdon said, noting the future of the contract is to be determined.

In a statement to KOIN 6 News regarding EMC’s work with Travel Portland, a spokesperson for EMC explained, “EMC Communications is collaborating with Travel Portland to communicate Portland’s efforts to address the local impacts of nationwide challenges, such as homelessness, drug addiction and the economy. Stakeholders across Portland are committed to finding effective solutions grounded in compassion. We’re here to make sure the news of their progress reaches people who live in the city, as well as those across the country who can benefit from what Portland is learning.”

The spokesperson noted that EMC Communications is not based in Portland, rather, the company is headquartered in San Francisco – and said the firm is able to provide a fresh perspective on Portland.

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Mayor Wilson’s office told KOIN 6 News that the office is supportive of the work between Travel Portland and EMC, noting the contract is only between those two groups and the City is not financially involved.

“This work was launched collaboratively by local partners to strengthen strategic communications around economic vitality, tourism, and community engagement, particularly at the national level. The effort aims to align messaging and elevate Portland’s regional identity. We’re grateful for Travel Portland’s partnership and leadership in advancing this effort,” the spokesman for the mayor’s office told KOIN 6.