I’m so sorry you and your neighbors have to tolerate this. As you know Portland voters by and large support these type of activities. Our recent elections show that…instead of pragmatists we elected extreme ideologues (JVP, Singleton, Moyer,
Kanal, Morillo, Green, Avalos, Koyama-Lane, etc). Unfortunately you and your neighbors aren’t going to be helped. Portland is a lawless city…it will stay that way until we vote differently.
The major issue in homelessness is not the lack of housing. It's the refusal of society to say no. No, you can't camp in this city. No, you can't shit in the streets. No, you can't panhandle aggressively. No, you can't shoot up publicly and leave your used needles lying around. The fact that we are not going to allow you to destroy our city by doing these things is not our problem. It's your problem. You can solve your problem by not doing drugs, getting help for your mental problems, getting a job, and sharing rent with others so inclined until you can afford a place of your own, probably in a lower cost community.
This is not going to happen because the people we have elected allow the homeless to wallow in their victimhood rather than accept personal responsibility for their self destructiveness.
What specific steps should be taken by cities to deal with the problem? Cities should use all existing shelters and further provide simple shelter space with surplus military tents with mess and recreational tents, a medical tent and restroom and shower facilities (the way I lived in the army) on leased or purchased unused commercial or industrial sites on the outskirts of the city. As many who want to and are able to work should be hired to help feed others and to maintain the facilities. Individuals could use surplus military squad tents or their own for sleeping. When those facilities are available the city should send in crews to clean up existing encampments, without arresting anyone who does not physically resist.
Custodial care should be mandatory for those who are so mentally or drug addicted that they cannot care for themselves. We did a huge disservice to the mentally ill when we closed rather than reform our state mental hospitals. We need them back. This approach actually would cost far less and be far more effective than the current housing first attempts to fix the problem. Most of the homeless lack the capacity to live unassisted in modern society but that is not an excuse to destroy our beautiful cities and drive out our productive citizens.
Well said Jesse👍🏼. You are one of my heroes and I can’t tell you how important you are to me and the people who believe in rules that help us live together in harmony, even though we might dislike our fellow Portlanders immensely. Our City is on a downward spiral and in imminent danger of becoming another Detroit, or Gary Indiana, or Baltimore. If we start losing people like you, I see no hope whatsoever for us to ever return to the roots of our greatness 😢.
Thanks for all you have done, you are a very special person ❤️
These are the same who destroyed downtown's business community with over 100 days of rioting. The James Beard Public Market and the Diamond Project are not going to turn things around if this lawless behavior is allowed to continue.
It’s fascinating watching the complete submission of people who, at some point, must have been productive citizens. The simplicity of someone calling taxpayers “racist” and it working 100% of the time is a result of the beliefs Portland residents prided themselves on for decades.
I have been trying to explain to my friends on the East Coast about thugs on the left. People who are standing up for the homeless or the oppressed, and yet they use racial slurs, intimidation, and violence to prove their point. It is unethical and illegal.
I support you, Jessie. I am sorry that you are going through this.
Unless you can change the government policies, it will not change. The people of Portland clearly want this. The city may have to bottom out. Productive people may have to leave. Take your tax dollars elsewhere.
Thank you for the full accounting, Jessie! Council members Morillo and Kanal demonstrated incompetence and disregard for their district constituencies by bringing up concerns about how the police handled the event described herein at this week's Council safety committee committee meeting. Portland has real issues to solve!
All crime is legal for those with the “correct” thinking. If these clowns had MAGA hats they’d be rotting in jail nursing wounds from non lethal ammunition and severe beat downs. Extremist ideology is all that matters. All normal people need to get out. It will never get any better. It is hopeless.
What the hell is wrong with your police and leaders? This is insane! I wouldn't wait for any elections, get your community association to hire some goons and be done with it.
Here’s the problem. A large percentage of residents here support the vile actions of these “mutual aid” groups. And they vote for leaders that feel the same.
The most important takeaway from this is that when Police talked to the group the first time…. “Law enforcement first went to talk to them in the fall of 2024, and determined the group was going to be aggressive with any sort of enforcement. .”.
The current reputation of Portland is that these people have been allowed to flaunt the laws the rest of us have agreed to follow, and 98% of the time they have not been arrested or prosecuted, even when innocent bystanders have been physically assaulted and private and public property losses are in the millions! When your Police are not able to take firm command of these situations, and citizens don’t feel that they have to follow their lawful orders, society is broken. We are clearly living in a “broken” society and no one can feel safe when criminals are allowed to attack us without fear of repercussions!
Sadly the leftist’s have been getting elected for the past few decades and everything I read, see, and hear gives me great fear that this community will never recover until our voters grow up!
When I was a kid they called them bums and threw them in jail. You simply cannot reason with a demoralized person. I am sorry for all the decent hard working people who have to put up with this. The loonies are now in charge of the insane asylum.
This article is riddled with lies and exaggerations that are putting real peoples lives in danger, it’s sad to see the same misinformation campaign used by the totalitarian regime in the federal government mimicked by low level officials in a city with MUCH bigger problems to solve than mutual aid community serving hot food to Houseless folks on the street. This is insane. You act like the unhoused community are not also constituents served by the city who have rights and needs as well. The analysis in this article completely lacks empathy and heart for the most vulnerable in this city.
Don't want to grow up. Don't want to take responsibility. Despise those who do. See the US in the oppressor / oppressed frame that was handed to them. Can't think for themselves.
There are many orderly places in the U.S. but a few places where you can experience this unique level of empathy. I suspect Portland people are addicted to it.
Jessie,
I’m so sorry you and your neighbors have to tolerate this. As you know Portland voters by and large support these type of activities. Our recent elections show that…instead of pragmatists we elected extreme ideologues (JVP, Singleton, Moyer,
Kanal, Morillo, Green, Avalos, Koyama-Lane, etc). Unfortunately you and your neighbors aren’t going to be helped. Portland is a lawless city…it will stay that way until we vote differently.
Right on the money as usual Javier😊👍🏻
Portland is The Purge combined with Orwell. All crime is legal, unless you commit wrongthink.
The major issue in homelessness is not the lack of housing. It's the refusal of society to say no. No, you can't camp in this city. No, you can't shit in the streets. No, you can't panhandle aggressively. No, you can't shoot up publicly and leave your used needles lying around. The fact that we are not going to allow you to destroy our city by doing these things is not our problem. It's your problem. You can solve your problem by not doing drugs, getting help for your mental problems, getting a job, and sharing rent with others so inclined until you can afford a place of your own, probably in a lower cost community.
This is not going to happen because the people we have elected allow the homeless to wallow in their victimhood rather than accept personal responsibility for their self destructiveness.
What specific steps should be taken by cities to deal with the problem? Cities should use all existing shelters and further provide simple shelter space with surplus military tents with mess and recreational tents, a medical tent and restroom and shower facilities (the way I lived in the army) on leased or purchased unused commercial or industrial sites on the outskirts of the city. As many who want to and are able to work should be hired to help feed others and to maintain the facilities. Individuals could use surplus military squad tents or their own for sleeping. When those facilities are available the city should send in crews to clean up existing encampments, without arresting anyone who does not physically resist.
Custodial care should be mandatory for those who are so mentally or drug addicted that they cannot care for themselves. We did a huge disservice to the mentally ill when we closed rather than reform our state mental hospitals. We need them back. This approach actually would cost far less and be far more effective than the current housing first attempts to fix the problem. Most of the homeless lack the capacity to live unassisted in modern society but that is not an excuse to destroy our beautiful cities and drive out our productive citizens.
Well said Jesse👍🏼. You are one of my heroes and I can’t tell you how important you are to me and the people who believe in rules that help us live together in harmony, even though we might dislike our fellow Portlanders immensely. Our City is on a downward spiral and in imminent danger of becoming another Detroit, or Gary Indiana, or Baltimore. If we start losing people like you, I see no hope whatsoever for us to ever return to the roots of our greatness 😢.
Thanks for all you have done, you are a very special person ❤️
Tim
These are the same who destroyed downtown's business community with over 100 days of rioting. The James Beard Public Market and the Diamond Project are not going to turn things around if this lawless behavior is allowed to continue.
It’s fascinating watching the complete submission of people who, at some point, must have been productive citizens. The simplicity of someone calling taxpayers “racist” and it working 100% of the time is a result of the beliefs Portland residents prided themselves on for decades.
I have been trying to explain to my friends on the East Coast about thugs on the left. People who are standing up for the homeless or the oppressed, and yet they use racial slurs, intimidation, and violence to prove their point. It is unethical and illegal.
I support you, Jessie. I am sorry that you are going through this.
Unless you can change the government policies, it will not change. The people of Portland clearly want this. The city may have to bottom out. Productive people may have to leave. Take your tax dollars elsewhere.
Thank you for the full accounting, Jessie! Council members Morillo and Kanal demonstrated incompetence and disregard for their district constituencies by bringing up concerns about how the police handled the event described herein at this week's Council safety committee committee meeting. Portland has real issues to solve!
It's called "anarcho-tyranny."
A Russian acquaintance told me exactly the same thing. He said we never had problems like this in Moscow, the offenders just disappeared !
All crime is legal for those with the “correct” thinking. If these clowns had MAGA hats they’d be rotting in jail nursing wounds from non lethal ammunition and severe beat downs. Extremist ideology is all that matters. All normal people need to get out. It will never get any better. It is hopeless.
What the hell is wrong with your police and leaders? This is insane! I wouldn't wait for any elections, get your community association to hire some goons and be done with it.
Here’s the problem. A large percentage of residents here support the vile actions of these “mutual aid” groups. And they vote for leaders that feel the same.
The most important takeaway from this is that when Police talked to the group the first time…. “Law enforcement first went to talk to them in the fall of 2024, and determined the group was going to be aggressive with any sort of enforcement. .”.
The current reputation of Portland is that these people have been allowed to flaunt the laws the rest of us have agreed to follow, and 98% of the time they have not been arrested or prosecuted, even when innocent bystanders have been physically assaulted and private and public property losses are in the millions! When your Police are not able to take firm command of these situations, and citizens don’t feel that they have to follow their lawful orders, society is broken. We are clearly living in a “broken” society and no one can feel safe when criminals are allowed to attack us without fear of repercussions!
Sadly the leftist’s have been getting elected for the past few decades and everything I read, see, and hear gives me great fear that this community will never recover until our voters grow up!
When I was a kid they called them bums and threw them in jail. You simply cannot reason with a demoralized person. I am sorry for all the decent hard working people who have to put up with this. The loonies are now in charge of the insane asylum.
This article is riddled with lies and exaggerations that are putting real peoples lives in danger, it’s sad to see the same misinformation campaign used by the totalitarian regime in the federal government mimicked by low level officials in a city with MUCH bigger problems to solve than mutual aid community serving hot food to Houseless folks on the street. This is insane. You act like the unhoused community are not also constituents served by the city who have rights and needs as well. The analysis in this article completely lacks empathy and heart for the most vulnerable in this city.
This comment sounds like it's coming from someone who has something to gain from the status quo.
Read his name out loud. It speaks for itself.
Don't want to grow up. Don't want to take responsibility. Despise those who do. See the US in the oppressor / oppressed frame that was handed to them. Can't think for themselves.
It's almost boring at this point.
There are many orderly places in the U.S. but a few places where you can experience this unique level of empathy. I suspect Portland people are addicted to it.
It's not empathy, it's cruel enabling.