The neighborhood of St. Johns asked for action from local leaders Wednesday night.

Small business owners said they are suffering under the weight of crime and vandalism.

The St. Johns Boosters organization hosted the listening session.

They said businesses in the neighborhood are experiencing repeat break-ins and vandalism.

A sampling they took of 32 businesses reported over $660,000 in costs related to those crimes.

They also expressed frustrations over issues like street racing, homeless camps, drug use, slow or no 911 response and overall safety.

"Starting the day after Christmas last year to the day after Christmas this year, my business has been broken into six times," said Anna Romano, owner of RoM. “People come and they help us, but that is not their job. And the people whose job it is to come and help us, they aren't coming, and they aren't responding."

Representatives from the city attended to listen to the community, including Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt, members of the Portland Police Bureau, two city commissioners and others.

A 90-day reset plan drafted by the business district was also presented to the city panel.

After the event, KATU caught up with Tanya Hartnett, Venture Portland district manager, and asked her how she felt the session went.

“I feel wonderful about this meeting. The elected officials listened; the district business owners were able to have a voice and tell their story,” she said. "And as all of the elected officials were leaving, they were all very thankful, and they are all very excited about the 90-day reset plan, about hearing what our solutions are, and they want to take action, so it's very exciting."

The city officials did not speak at the event.