“A safe and empowered neighborhood is a strong neighborhood.”
That’s what the mayor says — but his actions tell a different story.
Despite the vital role neighborhood activists play, he has yet to face them — or the broader community — directly. Instead, he continues to rely on staff to speak on his behalf, often withholding key information and avoiding full transparency.
We’ve only learned in the past few weeks that 275 individuals are planned to be sheltered in two facilities, for only 10 hours before being released to the streets — even during cold and rain of winter. That is not a humane solution. It’s a revolving door that fails those who need real, lasting support.
The mayor owes it to residents, business owners, and the unhoused to be present, transparent, and accountable. That includes showing up in person and engaging with the Pearl and Northwest neighborhood residents and business owners at the joint meeting on:
🗓 Monday, July 28th
🕠 5:30 PM
📍 Portland Center Stage at The Armory
Unless, of course, he fails to show up — again.
If the mayor truly believes in empowered neighborhoods, it’s time to prove it — by listening, showing up, and leading with integrity!
We see a lot about we're all in this together, it takes all of us to solve this problem, and so on. I'll agree completely to that. Gladly have paid more in taxes, donated to groups, shelters should be small and scattered around not centered in one neighborhood so this might include my neighborhood, clearly this is a humanitarian and health crisis for the homeless. Yet it is also a crisis of a different sort to the rest of the city.
One thing I would like to see is consistent mention from all involved parties that just like the housed and the local businesses have responsibilities, we should also be saying that the homeless themselves also have responsibilities. I have many times written to various agencies working on solving this problem, polite prompt thorough replies every time but always backing away from making that statement...the homeless themselves also have responsibilities to work with the rest of us.
These responsibilities include not behaving in such a manner that it obstructs in any way a business owner's or a customer's access to the site of business. This includes access to doorways, parking spots, sidewalks, all free of trash, hazardous waste, and any threats to one's personal or property safety while accessing that business. Same goes for someone's residence. It should be entirely possible and expected that campers and homeless could be present without being obstructive.
The legal decisions that allow a camper to not be 'criminalized for camping' when no home is available for them have been interpreted to take away the rights of a camper's neighbors when a camper or group of campers decide to set up anything other than a clean and brief residence on that site.
Just as the limit to anyone's property rights is reached when the exercise of those rights prevents a neighbor from exercising theirs, the same would seem to apply to how and to much stuff a homeless camper can set up in front of someone else's home or business.
I appreciate the mayor's attention to this problem, and wish him and all of us every success on this difficult issue.
As a longtime reporter, I’ve never been a fan of pre-written answers to interview questions. And I’m confident that my friend Allan is not either. That said, I’ll say this about the mayor’s written answers. Without in weighing in at all on the specific pros and cons of his homeless shelter plan—and of course there very strong and well-reasoned local views on both sides of this issue—one line of the mayor’s stood out as highly admirable.
“I have a short memory for conflict, and a long memory for compassion and teamwork.”
Our extraordinarily polarized current political climate, especially nationally, would be far healthier if our leaders thought and behaved this way.
I I truly wonder if the mayor will even show up tomorrow nights meeying
It’s deeply disappointing that his leadership approach continues to be one of absence — avoiding the people most affected, avoiding transparency, and refusing to share the full, human story.
If he were truly present, he could walk us through what a day in the life of a homeless human being looks like under this new plan:
• Waiting in line to be processed into one of just two shelters for 275 people…
• Receiving a 10-hour cot rest, possibly a small snack — a single string cheese has even been mentioned…
• Then being sent back out onto the streets until they can line up again the next day.
But here’s what we’re not being told:
Where are they expected to go once released?
Where can they get warm, dry, and out of the weather?
How far are these shelters from any real daytime refuge or basic human services?
This isn’t a solution. It’s a revolving door.
It offers no real stability, no dignity, and no clear path toward healing or housing.
The residents, business owners, and community advocates of the Pearl and Northwest neighborhoods deserve answers — face to face — at the joint meeting on Monday, July 28th at 5:30 PM at Portland Center Stage at The Armory.
We’re not asking for perfection.
We’re asking for presence. For truth. For leadership that sees and hears all of us — housed and unhoused alike
Hope everyone continues to notice how this guy spews teamwork and kindness, meanwhile going out of his way to ignore all entreaties from the neighborhood he’s attempting to destroy to actually engage with him - he couldn’t even be bothered to give a direct interview here. Also please notice his “answer” to the one question pertaining to actual enforcement around camping - he doesn’t plan to enforce anything and when the problem doesn’t get any better (and almost certainly gets much worse after he opens this large low barrier shelter), he’ll most likely blame the police/county. The police/county will blame him. Same old, same old.
Please see the current finger pointing happening between Wilson and District 4 County Commissioner Moyer in regards to something as basic as keeping the Multnomah County Library free from being a drug fueled warzone. These people aren’t fit to do their jobs and should be embarrassed. Expect the same non response and childish lack of leadership if the mayor pushes forward his plan for a shelter in the Pearl. Someday I hope Portland can find some actual competent adults to sit in these seats.
I think these vague Kumbaya answers are completely inadequate, because they do not address a single livability concern or any of the other objections raised by businesses and residents near the potential site. In fact, the prepared answers don't even mention the livability impacts of the proposed shelter, even though it would be the LARGEST low-barrier shelter ever operated by the city, and in the DENSEST neighborhood of Portland. Frankly, Rob Layne lost all his credibility when he showed up at the Zoom meeting attended by nearly 400 people a few weeks ago, and seemed to be COMPLETELY UNAWARE that the city operates the low-barrier River District Navigation Center that is just 7 short blocks from the proposed new shelter. How can we trust the leadership if they go so far as to disavow ownership of one of the most problem-plagued low-barrier shelters in the city to date? Why in the world would we think that a similar new shelter, but twice the size of the "problem child," will be easy on the neighbors, when the smaller shelter has had nonstop problems with camping, loitering, prostitution, assaults, etc. for over 5 years -- the last 8 months of which have been directly the responsibility of the city.
When I read the Mayor's responses a second time, I was left unsatisfied. A lot of cotton candy responses with no real meat there. The Mayor is in a tough position: he's between angry, articulate, taxpaying voters who have felt betrayed by both Portland and Multnomah County (looking at you Jessica) and a DSA-controlled City Council who frankly abhor the thought of taxpayers and middle class people actually having a voice in how their City is run and how that "running" is paid for. Only DSA-Approved™ folks have a right to complain about anything and the rest of us are expected to STFU because of... 'Equity', dontcha know? They don't seriously believe that middle and upper middle class taxpayers will abandon Portlandia (despite the fact that they are) just because life is becoming even more unsafe, overly expensive and constantly aggravating, so they have NO reason to accommodate the Pearl and NW Neighbors, who they view as privileged and entitled whiners who are only good for the tax revenues that they can milk. I suspect that if Keith Wilson shows any sign of appeasing NW Portlanders over this shelter debacle, he will have even less cooperation from Angelita, Mitch, Candace, Tiffany and Jamie than he has now. But maybe I'm being too pessimistic.
If he’s between a rock and a hard place, he firmly lodged himself there by going about securing this horrible location in the most underhanded way possible - in a void of all logic and community engagement. A real leader would listen to the input of thousands of residents over the frankly transparent and harmful agendas of a few (probably short term, based on their performance and popularity thus far) council members, most of whom don’t even represent the impacted district. If they think this shelter model works well, they can offer up their districts first and see how that goes over.
I find the mayor's responses a bit vague so here are a couple more: How many shelter beds are needed in order to start enforcing the law? How many are there now? What metric will you use to start enforcement? If you don't have exact numerical goals, according to a milestone calendar, why not?
Absolutely. The refusal to enforce basic laws against camping, littering, unlicensed vehicles and illegal parking (for people the political elites have deemed victims) has been a persistent slap in the face to those of us who follow the rules and have to navigate around their behavior. And at the end of the day, we get to pay for the privilege... more and more each year!
TONIGHT (Monday, July 28th) at Portland Center Stage at the Armory (128 NW 11th Ave, Portland, OR 97209). Doors open at 5:00pm and the meeting starts at 5:30pm. Seating will be provided on a first-come, first-served basis.
This is the FIRST public and in-person meeting that Mayor Wilson's team has agreed to attend. They have been invited to detail their plan for the neighborhood, and address the myriad of concerns about the new Northwest Portland shelter locations. The Portland Police Bureau will also be on-hand to explain their safety and security plan.
Councilor Zimmerman, Councilor Clark, and Councilor Green have also each confirmed that they will attend, and will respond to questions from the room. Though not the architects of the plan, they understand that the community is exasperated with the crisis on our streets.
“A safe and empowered neighborhood is a strong neighborhood.”
That’s what the mayor says — but his actions tell a different story.
Despite the vital role neighborhood activists play, he has yet to face them — or the broader community — directly. Instead, he continues to rely on staff to speak on his behalf, often withholding key information and avoiding full transparency.
We’ve only learned in the past few weeks that 275 individuals are planned to be sheltered in two facilities, for only 10 hours before being released to the streets — even during cold and rain of winter. That is not a humane solution. It’s a revolving door that fails those who need real, lasting support.
The mayor owes it to residents, business owners, and the unhoused to be present, transparent, and accountable. That includes showing up in person and engaging with the Pearl and Northwest neighborhood residents and business owners at the joint meeting on:
🗓 Monday, July 28th
🕠 5:30 PM
📍 Portland Center Stage at The Armory
Unless, of course, he fails to show up — again.
If the mayor truly believes in empowered neighborhoods, it’s time to prove it — by listening, showing up, and leading with integrity!
We see a lot about we're all in this together, it takes all of us to solve this problem, and so on. I'll agree completely to that. Gladly have paid more in taxes, donated to groups, shelters should be small and scattered around not centered in one neighborhood so this might include my neighborhood, clearly this is a humanitarian and health crisis for the homeless. Yet it is also a crisis of a different sort to the rest of the city.
One thing I would like to see is consistent mention from all involved parties that just like the housed and the local businesses have responsibilities, we should also be saying that the homeless themselves also have responsibilities. I have many times written to various agencies working on solving this problem, polite prompt thorough replies every time but always backing away from making that statement...the homeless themselves also have responsibilities to work with the rest of us.
These responsibilities include not behaving in such a manner that it obstructs in any way a business owner's or a customer's access to the site of business. This includes access to doorways, parking spots, sidewalks, all free of trash, hazardous waste, and any threats to one's personal or property safety while accessing that business. Same goes for someone's residence. It should be entirely possible and expected that campers and homeless could be present without being obstructive.
The legal decisions that allow a camper to not be 'criminalized for camping' when no home is available for them have been interpreted to take away the rights of a camper's neighbors when a camper or group of campers decide to set up anything other than a clean and brief residence on that site.
Just as the limit to anyone's property rights is reached when the exercise of those rights prevents a neighbor from exercising theirs, the same would seem to apply to how and to much stuff a homeless camper can set up in front of someone else's home or business.
I appreciate the mayor's attention to this problem, and wish him and all of us every success on this difficult issue.
As a longtime reporter, I’ve never been a fan of pre-written answers to interview questions. And I’m confident that my friend Allan is not either. That said, I’ll say this about the mayor’s written answers. Without in weighing in at all on the specific pros and cons of his homeless shelter plan—and of course there very strong and well-reasoned local views on both sides of this issue—one line of the mayor’s stood out as highly admirable.
“I have a short memory for conflict, and a long memory for compassion and teamwork.”
Our extraordinarily polarized current political climate, especially nationally, would be far healthier if our leaders thought and behaved this way.
I I truly wonder if the mayor will even show up tomorrow nights meeying
It’s deeply disappointing that his leadership approach continues to be one of absence — avoiding the people most affected, avoiding transparency, and refusing to share the full, human story.
If he were truly present, he could walk us through what a day in the life of a homeless human being looks like under this new plan:
• Waiting in line to be processed into one of just two shelters for 275 people…
• Receiving a 10-hour cot rest, possibly a small snack — a single string cheese has even been mentioned…
• Then being sent back out onto the streets until they can line up again the next day.
But here’s what we’re not being told:
Where are they expected to go once released?
Where can they get warm, dry, and out of the weather?
How far are these shelters from any real daytime refuge or basic human services?
This isn’t a solution. It’s a revolving door.
It offers no real stability, no dignity, and no clear path toward healing or housing.
The residents, business owners, and community advocates of the Pearl and Northwest neighborhoods deserve answers — face to face — at the joint meeting on Monday, July 28th at 5:30 PM at Portland Center Stage at The Armory.
We’re not asking for perfection.
We’re asking for presence. For truth. For leadership that sees and hears all of us — housed and unhoused alike
Hope everyone continues to notice how this guy spews teamwork and kindness, meanwhile going out of his way to ignore all entreaties from the neighborhood he’s attempting to destroy to actually engage with him - he couldn’t even be bothered to give a direct interview here. Also please notice his “answer” to the one question pertaining to actual enforcement around camping - he doesn’t plan to enforce anything and when the problem doesn’t get any better (and almost certainly gets much worse after he opens this large low barrier shelter), he’ll most likely blame the police/county. The police/county will blame him. Same old, same old.
Please see the current finger pointing happening between Wilson and District 4 County Commissioner Moyer in regards to something as basic as keeping the Multnomah County Library free from being a drug fueled warzone. These people aren’t fit to do their jobs and should be embarrassed. Expect the same non response and childish lack of leadership if the mayor pushes forward his plan for a shelter in the Pearl. Someday I hope Portland can find some actual competent adults to sit in these seats.
https://www.oregonlive.com/politics/2025/07/a-hotbed-of-illegal-activity-county-commissioner-calls-on-portland-officials-to-bolster-security-outside-central-library.html
I think these vague Kumbaya answers are completely inadequate, because they do not address a single livability concern or any of the other objections raised by businesses and residents near the potential site. In fact, the prepared answers don't even mention the livability impacts of the proposed shelter, even though it would be the LARGEST low-barrier shelter ever operated by the city, and in the DENSEST neighborhood of Portland. Frankly, Rob Layne lost all his credibility when he showed up at the Zoom meeting attended by nearly 400 people a few weeks ago, and seemed to be COMPLETELY UNAWARE that the city operates the low-barrier River District Navigation Center that is just 7 short blocks from the proposed new shelter. How can we trust the leadership if they go so far as to disavow ownership of one of the most problem-plagued low-barrier shelters in the city to date? Why in the world would we think that a similar new shelter, but twice the size of the "problem child," will be easy on the neighbors, when the smaller shelter has had nonstop problems with camping, loitering, prostitution, assaults, etc. for over 5 years -- the last 8 months of which have been directly the responsibility of the city.
When I read the Mayor's responses a second time, I was left unsatisfied. A lot of cotton candy responses with no real meat there. The Mayor is in a tough position: he's between angry, articulate, taxpaying voters who have felt betrayed by both Portland and Multnomah County (looking at you Jessica) and a DSA-controlled City Council who frankly abhor the thought of taxpayers and middle class people actually having a voice in how their City is run and how that "running" is paid for. Only DSA-Approved™ folks have a right to complain about anything and the rest of us are expected to STFU because of... 'Equity', dontcha know? They don't seriously believe that middle and upper middle class taxpayers will abandon Portlandia (despite the fact that they are) just because life is becoming even more unsafe, overly expensive and constantly aggravating, so they have NO reason to accommodate the Pearl and NW Neighbors, who they view as privileged and entitled whiners who are only good for the tax revenues that they can milk. I suspect that if Keith Wilson shows any sign of appeasing NW Portlanders over this shelter debacle, he will have even less cooperation from Angelita, Mitch, Candace, Tiffany and Jamie than he has now. But maybe I'm being too pessimistic.
Between a rock and a hard place is our Mayor.
If he’s between a rock and a hard place, he firmly lodged himself there by going about securing this horrible location in the most underhanded way possible - in a void of all logic and community engagement. A real leader would listen to the input of thousands of residents over the frankly transparent and harmful agendas of a few (probably short term, based on their performance and popularity thus far) council members, most of whom don’t even represent the impacted district. If they think this shelter model works well, they can offer up their districts first and see how that goes over.
I find the mayor's responses a bit vague so here are a couple more: How many shelter beds are needed in order to start enforcing the law? How many are there now? What metric will you use to start enforcement? If you don't have exact numerical goals, according to a milestone calendar, why not?
Absolutely. The refusal to enforce basic laws against camping, littering, unlicensed vehicles and illegal parking (for people the political elites have deemed victims) has been a persistent slap in the face to those of us who follow the rules and have to navigate around their behavior. And at the end of the day, we get to pay for the privilege... more and more each year!
Since 2015.
TONIGHT (Monday, July 28th) at Portland Center Stage at the Armory (128 NW 11th Ave, Portland, OR 97209). Doors open at 5:00pm and the meeting starts at 5:30pm. Seating will be provided on a first-come, first-served basis.
This is the FIRST public and in-person meeting that Mayor Wilson's team has agreed to attend. They have been invited to detail their plan for the neighborhood, and address the myriad of concerns about the new Northwest Portland shelter locations. The Portland Police Bureau will also be on-hand to explain their safety and security plan.
Councilor Zimmerman, Councilor Clark, and Councilor Green have also each confirmed that they will attend, and will respond to questions from the room. Though not the architects of the plan, they understand that the community is exasperated with the crisis on our streets.