What's the matter with Portland?

[WVK]

1 hour ago, Gromdor said:

I still think that liberalism/conservatism based on population density.

People like Myles have repeatedly pointed out that even cities in red states are democrat controlled but have yet offered a reason why that is.  I believe that it is because conservative ideas and values don't resonate with the public after a certain density.

In the case of Portland the liberals have turned it over to the radicals. Portlands demographics are different than most urban  areas. Different demographics different crime?

https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/portlandcityoregon

[WVK]

16 minutes ago, WVK said:

In the case of Portland the liberals have turned it over to the radicals. Portlands demographics are different than most urban  areas. Different demographics different crime?

https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/portlandcityoregon

Interesting to note that while Portland is one of the least racially diverse cities, it was the most violent and vocal in their support for BLM.

https://www.usnews.com/news/cities/slideshows/the-10-least-racially-diverse-big-cities-in-the-us?slide=12

[Gromdor]

1 hour ago, WVK said:

Interesting to note that while Portland is one of the least racially diverse cities, it was the most violent and vocal in their support for BLM.

https://www.usnews.com/news/cities/slideshows/the-10-least-racially-diverse-big-cities-in-the-us?slide=12

Oregon has a bad history with racism in regards to blacks.  They were illegal in Oregon and got whipped 39 times for every six months they stayed there.  Oregon black exclusion laws - Wikipedia

So the protestors might go a bit above and beyond to make up for that history.

[WVK]

1 hour ago, Gromdor said:

Oregon has a bad history with racism in regards to blacks.  They were illegal in Oregon and got whipped 39 times for every six months they stayed there.  Oregon black exclusion laws - Wikipedia

So the protestors might go a bit above and beyond to make up for that history.

Made up for that history by ruining a city?

[Gromdor]

10 minutes ago, WVK said:

Made up for that history by ruining a city?

I take it you have never been to Portland.  It may not be as good as it was before, but it is far better than many other cities that I have been to. 

As for BLM, the more extreme something was in the past, the further things swing the other way.

[WVK]

1 hour ago, Gromdor said:

I take it you have never been to Portland.  It may not be as good as it was before, but it is far better than many other cities that I have been to. 

As for BLM, the more extreme something was in the past, the further things swing the other way.

Been there twice, once in the rainy season dismal , once in the summer beautiful. This was in the late 1990s.

[psyche101]

On 2/12/2023 at 8:15 AM, DieChecker said:

A pretty average overpass near downtown.

Not even anyone living there, just general accumulation of trash not being picked up.

https://www.koin.com/local/multnomah-county/trash-graffiti-becoming-growing-concern-on-portland-area-freeways/

 

Do you not have and volunteer community clean up groups or organisation of community service to better the city? 

[Gromdor]

6 hours ago, WVK said:

Been there twice, once in the rainy season dismal , once in the summer beautiful. This was in the late 1990s.

Ah, so you were there 30yrs ago when the crime rate was higher.  Portland OR Crime Rate 1999-2018 | MacroTrends

[Tatetopa]

You want to make everything about politics.  There are homeless people, people on drugs, unemployed people, and barely employed people.  If the major industry and employer in a neighborhood is  stealing catalytic converters to trade for Sudafed to be cooked, it is not a prosperous neighborhood, doesn't much matter what color anybody is.  When the riots started getting violent, it was hard to spot a Black in the crowd.  Most of the violent ones looked like 30 year old skanky street people. 

But of course it is not your problem is it?  Your towns are safe and peaceful, count your blessings. Somehow we have to revitalize a huge area of town to get rid of this cancer.  We have to figure out how to do that.  We can't just flip out some platitude like "Its just woke mayors" or some such.  We actually have to fix it.

[+OverSword]

The problem with Portland is crappy government.  Local governments first priority must be the interest and safety of the majority of their citizens.  Portland's first priority are activists and homeless junkies.  The same thing happened here but we have had the good sense to get most of these people out of office and it's turning around.  We are still way too far left for my tastes but it's getting better.

Edited February 13, 2023 by OverSword

[+DieChecker]

 

 

[+DieChecker]

16 hours ago, Tatetopa said:

You want to make everything about politics.  There are homeless people, people on drugs, unemployed people, and barely employed people.  If the major industry and employer in a neighborhood is  stealing catalytic converters to trade for Sudafed to be cooked, it is not a prosperous neighborhood, doesn't much matter what color anybody is.  When the riots started getting violent, it was hard to spot a Black in the crowd.  Most of the violent ones looked like 30 year old skanky street people. 

But of course it is not your problem is it?  Your towns are safe and peaceful, count your blessings. Somehow we have to revitalize a huge area of town to get rid of this cancer.  We have to figure out how to do that.  We can't just flip out some platitude like "Its just woke mayors" or some such.  We actually have to fix it.

It's my opinion that most of the rioters came down out of the PSU dorms. The place is ultra liberal and the kids are ultra entitled.

 

[+DieChecker]

17 hours ago, psyche101 said:

Do you not have and volunteer community clean up groups or organisation of community service to better the city? 

There are, but in many situations it's not safe. Such as along these trench like freeway areas. High walls on both sides and barely any side to pull off if necessary.

Areas like the one pictured are impossible to get to on foot. Would need to block off a lane and that means government help.

The City at one point (650,000 people) had only four people, and one truck, employed to go around and pick up trash. Was a Budget cut maybe, but it was a big part of why the town went to trash everywhere.

[+DieChecker]

On 2/11/2023 at 7:46 PM, Tatetopa said:

You are correct sir.  It is rioters I dislike as well.  Big mistake for a liberal like me confusing protestors with rioters.

 

Man, that seems cruel, but  highly accurate.

My church attendance has fallen off, but my wife still goes.  Our church gave a portion of our parking lot to a homeless charity.  They built 10 tiny house type rooms.  The area is fenced and has a shower, trash cans, a phone, and a washing machine.  There are two or three volunteers that feed these people lunch out of the church basement and assist with health and job searches.  It got ten people out of the winter weather and three now I think  have moved on to assisted housing and jobs.  Without donations of land and materials and volunteers, I have no idea what that would cost, but its not cheap.  There is one person who is paid staff and runs the program.  She also goes to the homeless camps to try to hook up people with health and other services. I think it is important that the willing  community of private citizens handle as much of this as we can, it is our city and these are our neighbors, but some government assistance is also needed.

I've seen, just my own experiences, that churches, and other charities, are by far the most helpful in regard to the homeless. It seems the cities (suburbs) around Portland, and Portland itself, are more focused on policing the homeless and moving them along, rather then trying to honestly help. The cities have programs, but often it's the church/charity that gets the homeless and the programs to meet each other.

That might just be because the mentally unwell are so visible on the streets. And since they often won't submit to anything. They end up just being pushed into the next neighborhood. They don't really get any help, despite being the ones who likely need it the most. 

 

[Tatetopa]

On 2/12/2023 at 6:31 AM, Gromdor said:

I still think that liberalism/conservatism based on population density.

People like Myles have repeatedly pointed out that even cities in red states are democrat controlled but have yet offered a reason why that is.  I believe that it is because conservative ideas and values don't resonate with the public after a certain density.

 If a city in a red state has enough population to drive the crime statistics for the entire state and that city is Democrat controlled, one might be forgiven for thinking the majority of voters in the state, who live in that city would be Democrats too and would make it a blue state.

On the other hand, Democrat controlled cities might not be responsible for all high crime rates.   I was a country boy when meth labs started appearing in rural areas with low employment and dependence on government assistance.   Some of my neighbors worked in the woods or mills like I did, but  as mills shut down and unemployment got higher, some turned to other activities for income.  I had a gate and a hundred yards or so of driveway, but some of my neighbors had their pickups or tool boxes pilfered.  You can bet there would have been some violence if the thieves were caught in the act. There was a house about 2 miles from me the feds tore down and hauled off because it was so contaminated by meth production.  That was the reason I got from coworkers and neighbors anyway. 

People that live in the country are accustomed to being somewhat independent, looking after themselves, and helping each other out.   You can ask them, and they will tell you that some neighbors are loners and shun contact, have unusual amounts of traffic, and are creepy enough to avoid.  Crime is not restricted to cities.

[Tatetopa]

30 minutes ago, DieChecker said:

It's my opinion that most of the rioters came down out of the PSU dorms. The place is ultra liberal and the kids are ultra entitled.

 

PSU is like that, no doubt some did.  My pastor went along with others to support the BLM protest, but did not go back when it transitioned into violence.  I know some grannies that went out and then stopped for the same reason.  Based on their accounts and news footage, the hard core were white and had the appearance of street people or druggies. I expect a lot of the PSU types left about the same time when things got gritty. Looked to me like the remainders thought of themselves as  disenfranchised rather than entitled.  My kid got his computer science degree from PSU, but lived at home.  He still has a couple of friends from High School, but none from PSU. A dorm room costs about $10k a year, that is more than tuition.

[+Desertrat56]

On 2/10/2023 at 7:56 PM, and-then said:

An inevitable natural disaster has naught to do with this thread, joc.  I stand by my statement.  Portland is just one of many American cities that are undergoing controlled demolition by the Left.  It will continue until an equilibrium of misery prevails for all there.

You missed @Tatetopa's point about Portland crime not being the worst and he names some cities that are definitely NOT ruined/run by liberal politicians.   Get over it, left, right, they are both wrong when it comes to politics and yes, there seems to be a movement in some cities to disregard, defund, disrepsect etc the police, but the police cheif is driving the boat when it comes to what the police do.   

[+DieChecker]

21 hours ago, Tatetopa said:

PSU is like that, no doubt some did.  My pastor went along with others to support the BLM protest, but did not go back when it transitioned into violence.  I know some grannies that went out and then stopped for the same reason.  Based on their accounts and news footage, the hard core were white and had the appearance of street people or druggies. I expect a lot of the PSU types left about the same time when things got gritty. Looked to me like the remainders thought of themselves as  disenfranchised rather than entitled.  My kid got his computer science degree from PSU, but lived at home.  He still has a couple of friends from High School, but none from PSU. A dorm room costs about $10k a year, that is more than tuition.

I've just noticed over like 15 years that whenever there's trouble in Portland, it's usually in the downtown, and usually on the south side. And I've seen news video of the students returning (before 2020) to PSU after a big Antifa event.

Black Lives Matters was a step up from that, ad it was city wide. But the biggest rioting was in the south of downtown.

If, say, a Proud Boys event happens somewhere nearby, and Antifa shows up, go look at the PSU parking lots, and dorm buildings. I imagine they'll be empty.

[Gromdor]

11 minutes ago, DieChecker said:

I've just noticed over like 15 years that whenever there's trouble in Portland, it's usually in the downtown, and usually on the south side. And I've seen news video of the students returning (before 2020) to PSU after a big Antifa event.

Black Lives Matters was a step up from that, ad it was city wide. But the biggest rioting was in the south of downtown.

If, say, a Proud Boys event happens somewhere nearby, and Antifa shows up, go look at the PSU parking lots, and dorm buildings. I imagine they'll be empty.

Trouble in Des Moines is localized in certain regions too.  It's easy to point fingers at the "types" of people in those areas too.  Be it the poor working class on the East side, the hispanics on the south side, the younger people in the clubs on Court Ave, or the yuppies in the suburbs, they all have crimes associated with their areas.  

[+DieChecker]

2 minutes ago, Gromdor said:

Trouble in Des Moines is localized in certain regions too.  It's easy to point fingers at the "types" of people in those areas too.  Be it the poor working class on the East side, the hispanics on the south side, the younger people in the clubs on Court Ave, or the yuppies in the suburbs, they all have crimes associated with their areas.  

I'd agree correlation isn't causation, but seeing correlation can be a first step in determining truth.