A group of artists hopes to form a new nonprofit to manage Last Thursday.

The formation is a "direct response to the mayor's recent changes," organizer Michael O'Connor said

, to the event that draws between 15,000 and 20,000 visitors a month to the Northeast neighborhood.

Alberta-area residents have complained for years that the street fair has become more of a street party, with all-night revelers partying too loud and drunken people peeing on neighborhood yards.

This year, Mayor Charlie Hales

at 9 p.m. and has said he is considering fees for some vendors. In May, staff began writing up people drinking or smoking pot in the right-of-way. Last month, the mayor announced city workers will cite musicians for noise violations at the event.

Hales' new policies "cause harm to good people," said O'Connor, a Southeast Portland man who also created the street fair

. "These decisions have been made without our vote and it's not okay with us."

O'Connor was a member of Friends of Last Thursday, the volunteer group that ran the festival for a few years then

after negotiations with Hales' office about permits broke down. He left the group in 2012 to form a nonprofit to manage Hump Day.

O'Connor said the new Last Thursday organization would be membership-based. Musicians, artists and performers could join for free. O'Connor also wants the group to plan new events for other neighborhoods.

The artists are hosting a fundraiser Thursday evening at Alberta Street bars The Knock Back and The Cruzroom to raise $600 to pay for state registration, IRS filing and for a website. Deejays will play music in both locations, with a "special live music performance" happening between the bars at an unset time.

-- Casey Parks