Is it really this bad in Portland? (I've never been)
Based on the number of people moving there and the hype, I can't believe open defecation and rampant crime are tolerated? Is it really so bad? (And is it getting worse?)
Based on the number of people moving there and the hype, I can't believe open defecation and rampant crime are tolerated? Is it really so bad? (And is it getting worse?)
Portland has established itself as a safe haven for homeless and down trodden folks due to it's mild weather, abundance of services, and general lack of enforcement. I've lived here under two mayor's and both have been horribly ineffective at tackling this issue. I'm not sure there is another downtown metro area as bad as Portland when it comes to homelessness.
I think the issue here is Portland used to be a small-ish "big city" and now it's a medium-ish city and the growth has happened incredibly fast. For people on the ground, it feels like everything's spiraling out of control. Growing pains and the challenges the come with being a major American city that people want to move to (both middle-class and transient groups) are to some extent inevitable. But I'm optimistic that progress can and will be made.
(But I could easily be wrong. As I said, I've only lived here for a few months.)