Paradise gets better
I see they're opening up free storage lockers for homeless people downtown. KGW thinks it's a wonderful idea, as its breathless headline makes clear.
I'm of two minds about this sort of thing. On the one hand, I feel sorry for people who are living on the street and sincerely trying to get off it and back into the mainstream. And at least this facility is being run by Central City Concern, one of the more responsible nonprofits that actually have some connection to reality.
But on the other hand, Portland is making itself the addiction capital of the world with all the handouts. Every junkie who gets off the bus here, from anywhere, gets a free tent and a free tarp from Jessica Vega Pedersen, free clean needles from the "harm reduction" people if they're shooting up, three free meals a day at Blanchet, the Deadly Deborah day spa for the occasional shower, unlimited fetty at two bucks a pill tops, freedom to use it anywhere, any time, with no consequences, and a law enforcement system that looks the other way from property crime and expunges your record if you do get caught doing anything. We've normalized the tent life at the expense of our civic life.
And now, free lockers. You'll pardon me if I'm not applauding.
Hope it works. It’ll keep some of the homeless from lugging their stuff around all day. But, I’m not optimistic that it’ll play a significant role in really helping the homeless off the streets.
ReplyDeleteAre they allowing folks to sleep there, or just drop off their myriad of backpack packrat items?
ReplyDeleteI wonder if I could stash some stuff there for a few weeks? Why pay for Self Storage when the city will foot the bill?
ReplyDeletehttps://m.youtube.com/@Channel5YouTube/videos
ReplyDeleteAs with so many things, SF bay is 7-10 years ahead of us on current trends, often times…
I find his channel interesting & less spectacle & hate filled than most with the SF series pretty similar to us?
They have a much bigger budget, former dedicated right of way street car with tunnels + BART that got a lot of federal funding 2 decades earlier that didn’t get town out with row houses already (in various conditions), 2 more decades of protect tax frozen in amber (in good ways & bad), lots of restrictions, fees & fines with a lot of resentment (understandably) for all the tech bros & development plan ruining their city…
This said, idk where the balance is of preventing attracting free loaders, too many cooks/planners & red tape for the little guy or Pruitt-Igoe sorts of public housing form factors that are not built to last nor be adapted over time & start small or too up-tight NIMBY where we create HOAs to emulate the English country home, historic district preserved in amber etc?
Some aspects of the non-profits & harm reduction people get worse rap?
They recalled Chesa Boudin there.
Much as I find Schmidt annoying & Krasner seems more competent in Philadelphia, some of the worst people were behind recalling boudin & our own Rene Gonzales is a total suburban dad creep/nazi.
Give it a rest already with the inappropriate use of Nazi.
DeleteI got lost in the sentence structure
DeleteBoudin, the son of cop killers trying to rob an armored car. Now they are trying to keep killers out of jail so they don't miss out on the life of their children. Well the dead cops kids will never have a dad. So screw all these people.
DeleteJack, you forgot to mention immediate food stamps and total immunity from shoplifting.
ReplyDeleteHarbor of Hope, Homer Williams project, is now going to close. Homer and Central City Concern are not getting along so another 100 or so hopeless folks will be on the street again full time. Not that anyone will notice.
ReplyDeleteI hope someone can expand on “not getting along”. Pointing fingers without explaining doesn’t help.
ReplyDelete