I met Officer Eric Zajac sipping coffee at the Rossi Farms barn. I expected police might be a bit guarded in this season of being heavily criticized yet undersupported to meet our community's high expectations. Eric struck me as open and down to earth, so it was an honor to interview him.

He shares about growing up in a nomadic military family, studying at New Mexico State, Portland intriguing him because of its community policing model, what it's like policing Portland in this era of distrust and increased homelessness, how these trends have affected him personally, and what it's like working in the Parkrose area specifically.

You can write Eric at [email protected].

In the episode outro, I reference a clash between the Proud Boys and Antifa that happened in August 2021. You can read these articles (linked to in the website show notes) to remember "yes, that actually did happen." It was scary and upsetting, and it could have gone even worse.

You can check out more community stories and get real estate insights at parkroselife.com, and please share this podcast with a neighbor!