Portland is Clearing Out the Homeless Camps

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Now that the election is over the city of Portland is clearing out the homeless camps.

Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler is touting the recent clearing of a homeless encampment as a "humane response" that's part of a model he would like to see replicated throughout the city.

“Right now, we have to address the reality that we have hundreds, if not thousands, of tents choking virtually every public space in this city and that does not comport with the public’s expectations of what a humane response should be,” Wheeler said in an interview with the newspaper.

“To have this happen on the week of Thanksgiving, to come through here to take away someone’s home — that’s soul damage."

Source: Portland sweeping homeless camps

I once took a Greyhound bus and saw a bunch of homeless tents on an onramp.

I’m curious about this problem. I’m on the East Coast though and know nothing about that area. Does anyone here live in or close to Portland? I’m wondering what is the general deal with this population. Is it drugs? High cost of living there? Mental or emotional problems?

Like what can be practically done to fix this?

I also live on the East Coast but I know that Portland has a "mild" climate and is probably a better place for somebody to survive in that mode than most large cities. In addition, there would seem to be a large demographic there that feels morally obligated to at least tolerate their presence (although not necessarily wanting to be reminded).

I don't know where the mayor intends these people to go. If there were somewhere else they'd rather be, they'd have gone on their own. They'll be back the instant people stop paying attention.

I feel like there must be some way to make them useful. For themselves and for our greater society. I wonder what would happen if some of these old school hippies with commune experience could form some sort of loose structure for them.

We have some commune ex pats here where I am. They run wineries and make goat milk soap and whatnot.

Having once been homeless, and having lived among other homeless people, there are some things about "The Homeless" that you can count on -- they hate structure, and you cannot "make" them be or do anything they do not want to be or do.

Several communities around here have tried the rehabilitative approach: "We will give you a small place to live, and all you have to do is stay off drugs, stay sober, stay out of trouble, get a job, and check in regularly with your social worker."

Simple, right?

Wrong.

A place fit for one person soon becomes a flop-house for many, with the original tenant charging "rent" in whatever form he or she can collect from the other tenants, many of whom are parole violators, junkies, dealers, prostitutes, and pimps.  These flop-houses often become "Shooting Galleries" where junkies go to buy and use illegal narcotics.  Some turn into "Love Shacks" where local prostitutes take their customers to engage in their business.  If the cops want to locate a parole violator, one of the first places they will look is one of these "Homeless Projects".

My city convinced a national hotel chain to let them rent an entire building for just such a project.  It was cancelled after about 8 months.  Once everyone inside was relocated, it was found that most of the appliances and fixtures were either missing or damaged.  Much of the copper wiring had been removed (and likely sold as scrap).  Holes had been kicked or punched into walls, there was human waste and used drug paraphernalia everywhere, and it took almost two years for the hotel chain to bring it all back up to code (at the city's expense, of course).

So if you want to help the homeless, not only do you have to provide shelter, food, clothing, and medical care, you also have to "re-educate" them into behaving respectfully toward rules, laws, and other people's property.

'Behave',Respect towards the current society that is wrong.

There,there,good dog,relent,submit and do as your told.

Being a free spirit myself and a non conformist,there is no way,you can reform free spirited people to conform to this unjust system built solely and to serve the cog of greed.

Until this system is overhauled and dissected,

problems like this and others,will remain unresolved.

Sorry,

Fact.

Haha @ humane response.

Lets be seen as being humane,

but to get these people off the camps and back into enslavement.

and back into this sorry game of 'greed'.

I personally don't fall for two faced dogooders.

Who use 'humane',but are 'inhumane' underneath.

Double agenda and not aligned with 'light',

but dark 'greed'.

I have seen increase in homeless since around 2013 when rents skyrocketed.

Portland has done to help the homeless and it's brought in more homeless people because of what the city offers for them.

It's a double edge sword. We want to help the homeless so they get off the streets and get a place to live, give them shelter so they can get a job and save money and move into a place to live. But then more just come here because of what we do for them so we have even more homeless people. But if we don't help them, then they never get off the streets.


I see people living in their cars and I am happy when they don't leave trash all over and they haul it all away and they live so close to the grocery store so they can walk there and buy food. I assume these people all have jobs but they a can't afford a place to live right now. I was happy when the city left them a portable potty on that street since they have the park restrooms closed. Want to keep urine and feces off the streets and keep it from smelling like stench, give them a porta potty. Our bodies don't care if there are no restrooms available.

My brother is lucky he even has a place to stay, he got his wages cut and couldn't afford his home anymore so he decided to sell it and he is staying with us and has so much of his stuff in our garage. More and more keeps appearing in our garage I am at a point now of me saying "no more, we don't have room, he can either store more out at the cottage he is sleeping in it rent himself a storage unit because anything more I see I am tossing out." I just don't want it to get so crowded I can't get the lawn mower out anymore or get up to the attic.

We also have ended up having his dog full time now and we don't mind that dog because we love her and so do my kids. Me and my husband might adopt her because he doesn't know what he is going to do with her and says it wouldn't be fair to her and our kids if he comes takes her back few years later. He got her for his birthday and that was the same time when places shut down from Corona so he did not expect this.

They need to offer a drug rehab program because the problem is it's hard to quit drugs when you are addicted to them because of the bad side affects. Homeless people want help but if they are not welcome because of their drug issue, they don't get help at all and don't quit being homeless.

I am harsh about drugs as well like "don't start them to begin with, there are other things you can do to be happy than drink and do drugs." This is why we have DARE in school so kids don't start them to begin with and become druggies. But people will still do them.

But however if someone got addicted to their prescription they are on, that is another story. Some just become a addicted this way because of a prescription their doctor put them on, eg. for pain.


War on drugs is real.

@league_girl,

The problem is,society does not deal with the root cause of a messy mind.

They do,but there way is just putting people on medication,

which in turn is just a bandaid fix.

Deal with the root cause,then give them shelter.

Otherwise,the dog will always chase the tail.

No offense against dogs,i love,love,love my animals.: )

As an ex drug addict myself,drug addicts,self medicate.

Pointing to my previous post,deal with the messy mind first.

Rehab is all well and good,never used them myself btw.

But getting people off drugs,is just only one step forward.

If we don't deal with the root cause of the messy mind,

someone coming off drugs,either relapses or substitutes,

and so forth,remains none the wiser.

They also live in a state of suffering per se,

trying and staying to remain clean,

which is resistance,oppressive,cognitive dissonance,dissociative states etc etc.

And remaining none the wiser,why they can't abstain.

An unresolved,unhealed mind is one,lack of will is another.

That said,and for good reason i found for myself,

relapsing back and forth,strengthens will.

The hardest drug i've found to quit is nicotine.

and relapsing back and forth on nicotine,not only strengthens the will,
but you then 'see this underlying habitual driver'
and you then become the master over this underlying habitual driver.

If i was a 'professional',i would have every addict on nicotine relapse therapy.

To see and silence the monkey on there back.

And what i love to call it 'the taming of the shrew'.

'Alchemy'

The lion(father)eats the sun(son) and aligns with spirit.
In reference to 'lion eating the sun'-Alchemy-go0gle if unknown.

In the going down of the sun and the holy spirit.

azen.

There is more to an addictions,in regards to spiritual growth and evolving.
Same goes with those who are afflicted by the mind.

Society,with it's ties to the material,fails to see,the unseen,
unknowing,unconditional love that resides within us all.

Lifting the clouds,brings us back home.

Last edited by ElabR8Aspie on 28 Nov 2020, 7:45 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Being on this forum for over ten years, I have noticed that when you look at the root cause of anything, you are accused of being an apologist because many people cannot seem to tell between justifying something and trying to find the root cause to end it. My mom taught me this way of thinking; finding the root cause of a problem to fix it. That is something she had to do with me growing up, what is the root cause behind my behavior, how did I come up with the idea I have in my head.

Sadly lot of people don't do this, even teachers don't do this so they just punish the student instead than trying to find the root cause of their behavior and this isn't the same as allowing it to happen.

It's a blind double edged sword league_girl for many.

Either,there are those who live in denial and those who think there right,such as a teacher in a head role.

A three edged sword,resides between these two.

After a while of living on the street, what one learns there comes to dominate how one relates to people, property, and institutions.

• People are mere bodies to exploit, to steal from, to fight with, and to loot after they have died.

• Property that can be stolen will be stolen; and if it cannot be stolen, it will be defaced and vandalized.

• Institutions that support the homeless way of life are well-favored among the homeless; institutions that try to impose rules and behavioral changes upon the homeless are either exploited for all they are worth or avoided whenever possible.

I did everything I could to avoid falling into these homelessness traps: I avoided drugs and alcohol, I stayed out of trouble, I hustled every honest job I could, and when the opportunity finally presented itself, I committed to it and got out of being homeless -- it only took a six-year military enlistment; but I came out of it with a bankroll, a clean bill of health, and an Honorable Discharge (which granted me privileges in education, employment, and housing).

It can be done, but not everyone can do it -- some just seem "destined" for homelessness and poverty.

Fnord, I am shocked that you were ever homeless. There must have been extreme circumstances at play.

I would try to find out what the biggest number of the homeless are trying to achieve and then I’d manipulate conditions so they would do what I wanted while thinking it was their own idea.

It’s a good thing I’m not I’m charge. I feel like I would rule society like Anakin Skywalker.