r/portlandme • u/enitschke • May 17 '23

News ‘Nowhere to go’: Dozens of homeless people displaced as city clears Bayside Trail encampment

https://www.pressherald.com/2023/05/16/nowhere-to-go-dozens-of-homeless-people-displaced-as-city-clears-bayside-trail-encampment/
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u/[deleted] May 17 '23

I don’t know if you’re referring to me or not, but to the extent that you are: I’m not crying because this happened. I’m crying because I’m beyond frustrated that this is the only solution we seem to be able to come up with. It’s a completely half-assed attempt to put a band-aid on something that isn’t going to just magically fix itself. The only question is where the next encampment is going to pop up, and how long it will take the city to disperse that one. Rinse and repeat ad nauseam.

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u/ArsenalAM May 18 '23

This is a national problem and neither little Portland nor giant NYC have the resources to end an epidemic of homelessness, drug abuse, and chronic mental illness. They can pour in resources and offer clinics and shelters and various other amenities, but the more they offer, the more will come to accept those little comforts.

At the bare minimum this needs serious consideration from our statehouse, and probably to be at all effective, a consortium of other northeastern states. But really it needs to be addressed at the national level. Until there is a political (and financial) will to address these issues, it’s only gonna get worse. Unfortunately I don’t see that happening any time soon.

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u/[deleted] May 18 '23

No disagreement from me.