Wow thanks Ken this article is spot on for what I just replied to numerous government agencies in an email:
ADA Non-Compliance Within 1,000’ Radius of Northrop Shelter NW NORTHROP/NW 18t
How many City, County, or State employees does it take to deal with one encampment? Apparently too many—because even within the 1,000-foot radius of newly opened shelters, sidewalks remain blocked, ADA compliance is ignored, and no one will say who’s responsible: City, County, or ODOT.
This failure isn’t just frustrating—it’s dangerous. Without visible, cohesive leadership, the shelter rollout risks collapsing as it begins. Worse, Portland’s inaction could trigger federal intervention under the July 2025 executive order, “Ending Crime and Disorder on America’s Streets.” Losing control of our own city to federal agents because local leaders can’t resolve basic issues should alarm every resident.
Has any government official even conducted a true proof of concept—working through aspects internally before the shelter rollout? Who is responsible for what, who holds ownership, what is the expected turnaround timeframe for corrections, and how will accountability be enforced? Without these fundamentals in place, the promises made to neighborhood residents and businesses cannot be delivered and is a failure!
We, the reporting public, also need clear guidelines for reporting. The current system is not working for the community—and it appears to be failing internally as well as it ping pong email back and forth! The shelter rollout seems to have been launched far too quickly, leaving critical issues, reporting and accountability processes untested for viability.
Please get a handle on all of this before the federal government is possibly deployed and takes oversight — or just maybe that’s what we need to finally cleanup Portland Oregon?
Solutions to this epidemic have been offered by some I respect and agree with. Eli Arnold is one. Ken's assessment is another.
These well thought out, experienced solutions are not opaque, or private information.
I am curious to see how actively our city, county, state and associated non-profits are interested, in putting themselves out of the "exploitation of pain and suffering" business.
I am always hopeful. I am always braced for dissapointment.
Thank you Mr. Thrasher for a substantive, thoughtful and pragmatic approach to dealing with Portland's problems. Although I might disagree with your comment that 'unsheltered homelessness' is our #1 problem, it is a nunaced disagreement at best. Crime and lawlessness get the top spot in my ranking but the overlap with our homeless situation is significant. It is vital that we keep the pressure on our Mayor and City Council to tackle to the City's problems pragmatically rather than ideologically or as an ill-conceived metric. I hope that you keep pushing. I will gladly support your efforts.
Ken Thrasher, please run for mayor! We need to remove the current one.
Wow thanks Ken this article is spot on for what I just replied to numerous government agencies in an email:
ADA Non-Compliance Within 1,000’ Radius of Northrop Shelter NW NORTHROP/NW 18t
How many City, County, or State employees does it take to deal with one encampment? Apparently too many—because even within the 1,000-foot radius of newly opened shelters, sidewalks remain blocked, ADA compliance is ignored, and no one will say who’s responsible: City, County, or ODOT.
This failure isn’t just frustrating—it’s dangerous. Without visible, cohesive leadership, the shelter rollout risks collapsing as it begins. Worse, Portland’s inaction could trigger federal intervention under the July 2025 executive order, “Ending Crime and Disorder on America’s Streets.” Losing control of our own city to federal agents because local leaders can’t resolve basic issues should alarm every resident.
Has any government official even conducted a true proof of concept—working through aspects internally before the shelter rollout? Who is responsible for what, who holds ownership, what is the expected turnaround timeframe for corrections, and how will accountability be enforced? Without these fundamentals in place, the promises made to neighborhood residents and businesses cannot be delivered and is a failure!
We, the reporting public, also need clear guidelines for reporting. The current system is not working for the community—and it appears to be failing internally as well as it ping pong email back and forth! The shelter rollout seems to have been launched far too quickly, leaving critical issues, reporting and accountability processes untested for viability.
Please get a handle on all of this before the federal government is possibly deployed and takes oversight — or just maybe that’s what we need to finally cleanup Portland Oregon?
A concerned Pearl District resident
Bravo!
Solutions to this epidemic have been offered by some I respect and agree with. Eli Arnold is one. Ken's assessment is another.
These well thought out, experienced solutions are not opaque, or private information.
I am curious to see how actively our city, county, state and associated non-profits are interested, in putting themselves out of the "exploitation of pain and suffering" business.
I am always hopeful. I am always braced for dissapointment.
Thank you for your tireless work on our behalf, Ken Thrasher.
Thank you Mr. Thrasher for a substantive, thoughtful and pragmatic approach to dealing with Portland's problems. Although I might disagree with your comment that 'unsheltered homelessness' is our #1 problem, it is a nunaced disagreement at best. Crime and lawlessness get the top spot in my ranking but the overlap with our homeless situation is significant. It is vital that we keep the pressure on our Mayor and City Council to tackle to the City's problems pragmatically rather than ideologically or as an ill-conceived metric. I hope that you keep pushing. I will gladly support your efforts.
what can us individual residents do to implement these steps Ken Thrasher has given us?