Portland Oregon

[hunterjmj]

Had to go to Portland for a few days this week for a family medical emergency and I saw first hand what a s&@%hole it is. I've seen news stories on it but to see it in person is surreal. I saw two crackheads chipping away at a concrete retaining wall along the freeway with hammers. Saw a lady on a street corner passed out sleeping with her arse hanging out. Graffiti on windows and doors of open businesses and tent camps literally everywhere including sidewalks in front of houses. I'm still a bit in shock from seeing all that. I'm sure some of you have seen this but it was eye opening.
Not sure the point of this post except I still can't believe it's real.

 

[Michael Rankin]

I live elsewhere, but work on the eastside of Portland.

I feel like I’m in Gotham City!

This is what failure of leadership looks like!!!

 

[NRA4LIFE]

Seattle isn't far behind, if not the same. We used to love going down into the city. I will not anymore.

 

[87TT]

Legalize drugs they say. It won't hurt any one the say.
Don't feed the animals. they won't learn to feed themselves.
Defund the police!

 

[def90]

It's what happens when you shut down the national mental health system, it catches up to you 30 years later, and then you politcize the results.

Drug addiction, homelessness, violent crime, over crowded prisons, it all goes back to mental health.

 

[xsn10s]

Seattle isn't far behind, if not the same. We used to love going down into the city. I will not anymore.

I think Seattle might be worse. Twenty years ago when I visited Seattle PD's training division there were dirty needles blanketing the parking lot.

 

[MCS]

I saw a guy on Powell Blvd under the I205 over pass with a broad sword freaking out the week before I moved out of Oregon. It's really sad to see what happened to that town.

 

[Michael Rankin]

It's what happens when you shut down the national mental health system, it catches up to you 30 years later, and then you politcize the results.

Drug addiction, homelessness, violent crime, over crowded prisons, it all goes back to mental health.

Could all be due to mental health.

My own personal opinion is that it is mostly due to a lack of law enforcement(NOT DUE TO THE POLICE OFFICERS).

Residents vote for for stupid stuff that has backfired, city commissioners pass rules that have backfired, the mayor has implemented rules that have backfired. The amount of laws the police are ordered to not enforce by the higher powers are mind boggling.

Allow people to take extremely powerful mind altering drugs, and you end up with people with mental problems. I think all the crazies are a symptom, not the cause of lots of the issues!

The Portland police were ordered to not enforce a huge amount of traffic violations (due to racism!). Lo and behold people have been driving around like complete maniacs. No license plates, no problem! Surprise suprise traffic deaths hit a record high. Me and several close friends have been crashed into by unlicensed, uninsured drug addicts. My truck brand new Tacoma was totaled. Zero consequences for the Dbag.

Anyways, yes the place is a disaster!

Sorry for the semi political rant, Rokslides not the place for that

 

[def90]

Could all be due to mental health.

My own personal opinion is that it is mostly due to a lack of law enforcement(NOT DUE TO THE POLICE OFFICERS).

Residents vote for for stupid stuff that has backfired, city commissioners pass rules that have backfired, the mayor has implemented rules that have backfired. The amount of laws the police are ordered to not enforce by the higher powers are mind boggling.

Allow people to take extremely powerful mind altering drugs, and you end up with people with mental problems. I think all the crazies are a symptom, not the cause of lots of the issues!

The Portland police were ordered to not enforce a huge amount of traffic violations (due to racism!). Lo and behold people have been driving around like complete maniacs. No license plates, no problem! Surprise suprise traffic deaths hit a record high. Me and several close friends have been crashed into by unlicensed, uninsured drug addicts. My truck brand new Tacoma was totaled. Zero consequences for the Dbag.

Anyways, yes the place is a disaster!

Sorry for the semi political rant, Rokslides not the place for that

The age old question.. Do people do drugs and become crazy or are they crazy and do drugs as a means to self medicate?

I've known plenty of people in my 53 years on this planet to come to a conclusion that people have mental issues and chose alcohol or drugs as a means to cope with their issues more so than a perfectly happy and functional human being just decides to go off the rails in to deep alcoholism or drug dependancy for the sake of it.

 

[Michael Rankin]

The age old question.. Do people do drugs and become crazy or are they crazy and do drugs as a means to self medicate?

I've known plenty of people in my 53 years on this planet to come to a conclusion that people have mental issues and chose alcohol or drugs as a means to cope with their issues more so than a perfectly happy and functional human being just decides to go off the rails in to deep alcoholism or drug dependancy for the sake of it.

Good point

 

[87TT]

People do drugs for a lot of reasons. Mental health issues is one but not the only one. Lack of personal responsibility is the main one.

 

[hunterjmj]

We go to Salt Lake every February and the difference is night and day. We've walked all over downtown at dark in Salt Lake and to our hotel in Salt Lake without feeling unsafe. I would never take my family to Portland and walk around in the daytime. Interesting think about the differences in those two cities.

 

[NW Hunt€r]

I avoid Portland at all costs. I worked there for 30 years and the lawlessness is unbelievable now.

 

[NRA4LIFE]

They outlaw "assault weapons" that kill a few people every year yet nearly 1000 people die of drug overdoses in king county alone here every year. And then what do they do? They decriminalize drug use. And defund the police.

 

[hunterjmj]

They outlaw "assault weapons" that kill a few people every year yet nearly 1000 people die of drug overdoses in king county alone here every year. And then what do they do? They decriminalize drug use. And defund the police

They outlaw "assault weapons" that kill a few people every year yet nearly 1000 people die of drug overdoses in king county alone here every year. And then what do they do? They decriminalize drug use. And defund the police.

But they made a eutopia. Ist everything they wanted.

 

[LoneStar]

The age old question.. Do people do drugs and become crazy or are they crazy and do drugs as a means to self medicate?

I've known plenty of people in my 53 years on this planet to come to a conclusion that people have mental issues and chose alcohol or drugs as a means to cope with their issues more so than a perfectly happy and functional human being just decides to go off the rails in to deep alcoholism or drug dependancy for the sake of it.

Using this philosophy, I guess the crazy people that self medicate just happen to choose Portland! Or are we just making it easier to obtain the chemicals for them to self medicate?

I don't live in Portland, but used to enjoy going there once in a while. I haven't been in 10 years and avoid it at all costs. I've even chosen to not use PDX and pay the higher costs to fly out of Eugene.

 

[Desk Jockey]

Business I was working with moved out of downtown to lake Oswego. Crime, safety, between Covid and the protests it shut a lot of businesses in downtown. Had to walk two blocks to find coffee. It was rough.

 

[eltaco]

We go to Salt Lake every February and the difference is night and day. We've walked all over downtown at dark in Salt Lake and to our hotel in Salt Lake without feeling unsafe. I would never take my family to Portland and walk around in the daytime. Interesting think about the differences in those two cities.

I lived in SLC for a few years and travel to Portland regularly for work. Those two cities and cultures are polar opposites, and it doesn’t take 5 minutes in each to recognize it either.

Yes, Portland is a trainwreck, and it’s unfortunate because the little I have seen of the rest of Oregon has been pretty great. Absolutely beautiful state, and great hunting and fishing to be had everywhere.

 

[bbell]

I’ve talked with quite a few homeless people and a lot of them came from out of state. They came to Oregon because of all the benefits they get there. Different drugs legalized and making a small living doing nothing. Sad, but true.

 

[2531usmc]

People do drugs for a lot of reasons. Mental health issues is one but not the only one. Lack of personal responsibility is the main one.

The opioids and synthetic opioids are so powerful, one should not be suprised that addicts destroy their minds and emotions. Living on the street is their only real option if the state does not incarcerate them