A mighty mite

Sunday night's horror show in downtown Portland had a feel-good follow-up story yesterday. A homeless man named Oscar donated a dollar to the Oregon Historical Society, whose entrance was destroyed by raging vandals. He did so because the historical society had once given him a free tour of its museum.

The director of the museum, Kerry Tymchuk, was duly gratified.

“We’ve been fortunate to receive many generous donations to OHS over the years – some upwards of a million or more dollars,” he said. “No donation means more to me and to the society than this dollar donation from Oscar.”

What caught my eye about the note the guy left with the dollar is that it included a Twitter handle: @MyHomelessMeals. A homeless guy with a Twitter account? Well, come to think of it, it's 2020, why not?

I'm so troubled by the homelessness problem here in Portland, and in so many cities. Most days, I try not to look. Maybe following this fellow's Twitter account is an easy way for me to look. So I did that.

The other thing I'm going to do today is give a few bucks to the OHS. I have a little bottle money on account at the bottle drop place. The museum can have it.

I think it might also be a good idea to follow what happens in the justice system to the people who were arrested Sunday night. One man, identified as Malik Muhamad, 23, of Portland, was charged with six counts of first-degree criminal mischief and possession of a loaded gun. The other two were Justin Bowen, 25, of Portland, charged with two counts of fourth-degree assault, and unlawful use of pepper spray; and Brandon Bartells, 38, of Washington, charged with first-degree criminal mischief and reckless endangering  It's important that the media keep us informed what consequences there are, if any, for all three of them. Readers, please keep your eyes peeled, as I will, for any news about their cases.