PORTLAND, Ore. — Multnomah County prosecutors are investigating Alberta Main Street, a Northeast Portland nonprofit, following accusations that former leadership withdrew tens of thousands of dollars without proper authorization.
Portland’s Alberta neighborhood is known for its art community, rich Black history and festive street fairs. Alberta Main Street is the organization that put on those fairs for many years.
The Oregon Department of Justice confirms they launched an investigation into Alberta Main Street and it's been passed off to the Multnomah County District Attorney's Office, which is conducting a criminal investigation.
Recent Alberta Main Street financial filings from 2021 to 2022 show an unauthorized withdrawal of over $64,000 cash in June 2022. No criminal charges have been filed.
Formed over a decade ago, the nonprofit focused on supporting Alberta businesses and organizing community events, such as trick-or-treating or Christmas tree lightings. Now, the nonprofit's office building near the intersection of Northeast Alberta Street and 18th Avenue is quiet.
“It would be like a ghost town. Everyone would come in here and ask what happened to Alberta Main Street,” said Allison Chown, owner of Mimosa Studios.
Chown said when she was on the Alberta Main Street board, from 2011 to 2016, she never saw a withdrawal as large as $64,000.
"That was really surprising. As a nonprofit and with other nonprofits I've volunteered with, you don't really do any type of withdrawals," she said. “There were regular bills, like payroll for the executive director, but that was maybe $1,400 at the time.”
The new interim board president, James Armstrong, said they are cooperating with investigators and operating the organization virtually for the time being.
Neighbors said they are trying to make sure they don't lose any of the events that the organization used to run, such as the Alberta Street Fair, the Christmas tree lighting and community clean-up days.
Editor's note: An image initially published with this story showed a mural on an organization that is unrelated to Alberta Main Street.