PORTLAND, Ore. — Early Wednesday morning, a Northeast Portland brewpub was broken into for the fifth time in recent years. Security camera footage shows the moment two thieves smashed a window and stole roughly $3,000 from Migration Brewing off Northeast Glisan Street.
Last month, the brewpub was just named Oregon small business of the year.
“To wake up and have somebody be able to walk out in broad daylight after breaking in is kind of ridiculous,” said Colin Rath, the brewery’s co-founder.
He showed a KGW crew the damaged safe and described it as if someone cut through it with a hot knife through butter.
“I mean, I just think — yet again — this is the fifth time in less than three years that this particular location has been broken into,” Rath added.
Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler’s office told KGW they have been in contact with the brewery and are working to connect them with a small business repair grant, which covers up to $10,000 dollars in physical damages. That does not include stolen cash.
“I think it’s a Band-Aid over a bullet hole,” said Rath.
Inside city council chambers Wednesday, Wheeler proposed adding an additional $500 dollars to the small business repair grants, given how often vandalism and break-ins happen.
“Politicians need to start making some changes; they need to start creating some accountability,” Rath said.
According to the Portland Police Bureau, so far this year, there have been 478 reported businesses burglaries compared to 929 reported business burglaries in the first four months of 2023.
The mayor's office said they are doing everything they can to find who broke into the brewery and hold them accountable.