Mikey's thin skin
The real estate tycoons of Portland are holding a public safety "forum" downtown this afternoon. The feckless Multnomah County district attorney, Mikey Schmidt, was supposed to speak, but then he found out that his assistant and political rival, Nathan Vasquez, was also invited to say some things. And so what did Mikey do? Gird up for a fair fight? Heck no.
First he backed out of the event. Then he arm-twisted the Portland police chief, Bob Day, not to show up. When Day called the real estate boys to say he wasn't coming, they called Vasquez and told him he was no longer welcome.
And so now, as best I can tell, neither Schmidt nor Vasquez will be speaking. But apparently Day is back on the schedule to appear. Also ready to gab are Sharon Meieran, the out-shouted voice of reason on the county commission; and Rene Gonzalez, who's running for mayor. The county commission chair, Jessica Chevy Vega, is staying home.
Why are the way-out lefties scared to show up at this thing? Well, they know the old-money real estate people have had it up to here with their tomfoolery, which has contributed greatly to the utter downfall of downtown. And the extreme-left politicians won't have their followers in attendance to cheer on all of their bromides about "housing first" and "equity."
But it's hard to get over the fact that the sitting D.A. can't face the music. He "complained that the gathering was a thinly veiled attempt to spotlight his opponent." Man, at this point nobody needs a spotlight. Sending Mikey back to the defense lawyer ranks can't happen soon enough.
“The way-out lefty’s” earned every bit of the scorn.
ReplyDeletemight be good to have some PPB around for when our local Khemer Rogue Reserve starts throwing Molotov cocktails at grownups trying to have a calm civil discourse.
ReplyDeleteHey, don'tcha know? Read the graffiti: "Eat the Rich." "End Civ." And the other day I came across "Abolish Amerika."
DeleteMikey is a jerk! He can’t/won’t even Stan up for himself…pathetic!
ReplyDeleteIt's classic Oregon politics: don't allow the public any time for questions unless the questions are stacked.
ReplyDeleteOk, so first I think you might want to read up on the history of who was hosting this event and why the guy you refer to as "Mikey" might not want to show up at this forum. (See the Oregonian, "Portland power brokers pressured DA Mike Schmidt during private club lunch" published: Jul. 22, 2021). Pretend you are Marty McFly in "Back to the Future" and Biff has invited you to meet him and a few of his friends behind the bleachers for a "friendly chat." Would you go? What idiot would? I'm glad "Mikey" didn't go because I voted for the guy and I want to know that I didn't vote for a fool. I listened to the streamed event entitled "The Future of Crime and Safety in the Tri-County Area" on KOIN 6 (which was hosted partly by NAIOP, an organization of real estate developers) and was first struck by the lack of insight from the very entities responsible for the price-gouging of simple folks trying to pay their rent, who were then forced into some lower priced housing, who were then priced out of that into some other survival arrangement that then led to life on the streets, which then left them in a stressed-induced "help me I'm in crisis" situation which then led to a mental health catastrophe that led to drug use then to crime related incidents and you know the scenario, and at this "Future of Crime and Safety" BS, the panelists are being asked "what are YOU going to do about it?" Who is really responsible for this House That Jack Built? Is it really the DA? Is it the Cops? Is it Sharon Meieran who continues to offer the kind of short term solutions that are most pertinent to an "emergency" since that is what the people in charge want to call it, only to have her sensible solutions be shut down? Give us all a break. "Mikey" should get extra votes for not wasting his time with this attempted hit job that only fell flat because he didn't show up. At the end of this event, the panelists were asked what their final thoughts or solutions were and, what I heard was "I think it would help if all the agencies could get along." OK. Yes. Or they could have just played clips of Rodney King from years past who said exactly the same thing but with much more emotional sincerety and at a much more profound moment. And then I would bet you the equivalent of all of the profits made by all of the members representing NAIOP at that meeting (I would bet my own funds but sorry, I'm broke from rental increases) that Rodney's and Sharon's plea fell on completely deaf ears, the same deaf ears that, afterward, got up from their tables, finished their drinks, BS'd for awhile, then got in their cars and went home to an actual house with a roof and central heating. The future of crime, they would have been thinking, is elsewhere for now, not here, and who can we blame for it tomorrow.
ReplyDelete