I met a young mother this week who had just fled Portland, Ore., with her husband and toddler. She revealed in hushed tones in case someone on the street might hear that she had to get out because drug addicts had set up a squat in her yard and the city wouldn’t get rid of these dangerous people.
She’s not the only one who has fled this city. Businesses have bailed, middle-class families have gotten the hell out, and others who thought it was a safe place to live have reevaluated their priorities, quietly sold their homes, and moved.
Do you know what will fix that? A mayor and a police force willing to do it. What’s not going to fix it is a turd-polishing ad campaign, borrowed state police, more government fentanyl camps, consequence-free open-air drug markets, and tax breaks for friends in high places.
Naturally, those are some of the ideas being promoted by Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler, who along with the unfortunately-named Tina Kotek, Oregon’s governor, are working on a secret-blue-ribbon-task-force-committee-to-end-all-committees-we’re-really-gonna-fix-it-this-time confab to “revive” Portland, which was a perfectly fine city before they took over and ran it into the ground.
Portland’s on the doom loop trail like San Francisco. There’s now a 30% commercial real estate vacancy rate in the same downtown area riven by Antifa and BLM riots. The bluest areas of Oregon were closed down during the pandemic, but the riots were encouraged — by the same people.
She’s not the only one who has fled this city. Businesses have bailed, middle-class families have gotten the hell out, and others who thought it was a safe place to live have reevaluated their priorities, quietly sold their homes, and moved.
Do you know what will fix that? A mayor and a police force willing to do it. What’s not going to fix it is a turd-polishing ad campaign, borrowed state police, more government fentanyl camps, consequence-free open-air drug markets, and tax breaks for friends in high places.
Naturally, those are some of the ideas being promoted by Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler, who along with the unfortunately-named Tina Kotek, Oregon’s governor, are working on a secret-blue-ribbon-task-force-committee-to-end-all-committees-we’re-really-gonna-fix-it-this-time confab to “revive” Portland, which was a perfectly fine city before they took over and ran it into the ground.
Portland’s on the doom loop trail like San Francisco. There’s now a 30% commercial real estate vacancy rate in the same downtown area riven by Antifa and BLM riots. The bluest areas of Oregon were closed down during the pandemic, but the riots were encouraged — by the same people.
Game over, Portlanders! Late last week, the Oregonian ran a story headlined, “Nike to permanently close NE Portland factory store, business district says.” Nike is shutting down its 40-year-old flagship store and scampering out of downtown Portland on its fastest sneakers.
