To “JK Crumrine” - please read the comment above yours. Many of us have tried to move, but have been unable to sell our properties at even 30-40% off what we paid for them. How do you propose the poor actual residents of the Pearl somehow make an obviously out of control drug/crime problem that the city has dumped at our door better? You are exactly the sort of person who has allowed the city to become a cesspool run by posturing clowns.
@Greg — I’d push back on the claim that the city has cleaned up downtown. The South Park Blocks aren’t much better than the North Blocks, and the Jefferson Safeway still lives up to its “Psycho Safeway” reputation.
Just the other day, I saw a woman urinating in the Nordstrom employee entrance on Park. The area around the Plaid Pantry at 11th and Jefferson is still dominated by drug activity, and the Park Block between Jefferson and Columbia is largely unusable for most people throughout much of the day. I will say, the City is more responsive to removing sidewalk camps but agree it's become a whack-a-mole problem.
This whole 72 hour notice of campsite eviction has got to go in my opinion. While it won't solve the problem of illegal squatting in the public square, it will make it harder for the itinerant campers to settle in and create such messes. We've coddled the campers for way too long, and everybody with an ounce of common sense knows it.
@KJ Crumrine, I agree the Pearl District should help host shelters and affordable housing—every Portland neighborhood should share that responsibility. But it’s also reasonable for residents to expect the city to follow through on its commitments to manage safety and disorderly behavior. Homelessness, addiction, and mental illness are complex social issues, but in a representative democracy we elect leaders to address these problems—and allowing people to live and die on the street isn’t a humane solution. Allowing property values to decline helps no one; it makes residents, the city, and the county worse off. Holding city officials accountable isn’t “bitching”; it’s exactly what engaged residents are supposed to do.
To “JK Crumrine” - please read the comment above yours. Many of us have tried to move, but have been unable to sell our properties at even 30-40% off what we paid for them. How do you propose the poor actual residents of the Pearl somehow make an obviously out of control drug/crime problem that the city has dumped at our door better? You are exactly the sort of person who has allowed the city to become a cesspool run by posturing clowns.
@Greg — I’d push back on the claim that the city has cleaned up downtown. The South Park Blocks aren’t much better than the North Blocks, and the Jefferson Safeway still lives up to its “Psycho Safeway” reputation.
Just the other day, I saw a woman urinating in the Nordstrom employee entrance on Park. The area around the Plaid Pantry at 11th and Jefferson is still dominated by drug activity, and the Park Block between Jefferson and Columbia is largely unusable for most people throughout much of the day. I will say, the City is more responsive to removing sidewalk camps but agree it's become a whack-a-mole problem.
This whole 72 hour notice of campsite eviction has got to go in my opinion. While it won't solve the problem of illegal squatting in the public square, it will make it harder for the itinerant campers to settle in and create such messes. We've coddled the campers for way too long, and everybody with an ounce of common sense knows it.
@KJ Crumrine, I agree the Pearl District should help host shelters and affordable housing—every Portland neighborhood should share that responsibility. But it’s also reasonable for residents to expect the city to follow through on its commitments to manage safety and disorderly behavior. Homelessness, addiction, and mental illness are complex social issues, but in a representative democracy we elect leaders to address these problems—and allowing people to live and die on the street isn’t a humane solution. Allowing property values to decline helps no one; it makes residents, the city, and the county worse off. Holding city officials accountable isn’t “bitching”; it’s exactly what engaged residents are supposed to do.