FLIGHT OF THE EAGLES

RE: “The Eagles Lodge on Hawthorne May Soon Be Sold, Members Say” [Blogtown, Dec 5]. “After 51 years in the middle of the Hawthorne District, the East Portland Eagles Lodge may soon be sold by the national Fraternal Order of Eagles,” wrote News Reporter Doug Brown. One Eagles member cited the lodge’s valuable real estate and decreasing membership—from 144 to 88 members—as reasons those at the Eagles’ Ohio headquarters plan to sell.

What a shame! Another iconic building down the drain.

Dirty Mike

If 56 of us joined the Fraternal Order of Eagles on Monday, would the Ohioans be willing to let this little slice of low-rent Portland stay put? What does one have to do to be an Eagle these days anyway? Highway litter pickup in July and a charity dinner in December?

MichaelAndersen

FRIENDLY REMINDER: STOP GIVING AMAZON MONEY

RE: “Amazon Plans to *Disrupt* the Bodega Industry with ‘Amazon Go’” [Blogtown, Dec 5]. “If these smartstores or phonemarts or whatever really cool name we start calling them begin to proliferate, guess who might be disproportionately affected?” asked Rich Smith. “According the Ethnic Business Coalition, immigrants and refugees own 53 percent of the country’s grocery stores.”

Amazon is evil. Make better choices, because your choices matter.

lahar lahar

I’m all for it. The less I have to talk to annoying clerks the better.

Imcryingcrying

Really? “Annoying clerks”? Trump called. He wants his asshole back.

Aurelius141

AROUND THE CAMPFIRE

RE: “Officials Plan to Clear North Portland’s Forgotten Realms Camp After Monday Fire” [Blogtown, Dec 7]. “For nearly a year, the organized homeless camp has sat on a city-owned lot at North Kerby and Graham,” wrote News Editor Dirk VanderHart. City officials will move the camp’s residents following “a fire that engulfed a small structure and damaged an adjacent home.”

“Organized” camp? Did you ever drive by this so-called “organized” camp before the fire? I drove by it all the time and the thing was a mess. It was so cluttered with junk that it’s not surprising something like this happened.

I’m all for sanctioned camps with oversight. It seems to me, and no one has yet to prove otherwise, that the people at these camps are just lingering there. I’ve heard nothing of efforts to get them off the streets, get them jobs, or get them back on their feet. They simply live there, building un-permitted structures, hoarding junk, and remaining in a perpetual state of camping.

Don’t believe me? Take a drive past Hazelnut Grove or pay a visit to Dignity Village. See for yourself how these camps are operated. Forgotten Realms is gone, but you should have seen it before the fire.

Douglas_Banter

I can only imagine how pissed I would be if I had to put up with bunch of hoarders piling garbage up next to my house for a year only to light it on fire, damaging my home in the process. If the city is going to enforce their codes—including fire codes—on taxpaying residents, they need to enforce them on these people too!

econoline

MORALE POLICE

RE: “Higher Scrutiny Leads to Lower Morale For Local Cops” [News, Dec 7], in which Doug Brown examined a survey of Portland police officers. According to the survey, Brown wrote, Portland’s cops feel “burned out, emotionally hardened, and increasingly unsatisfied working for the Portland Police Bureau (PPB). Most feel they are more disrespected by the public and the media compared to 2015, and nearly all feel more reluctant, because of criticism, to use force when ‘appropriate.’”

I’m pretty sure this applies to every job ever. Except most people don’t get guns and pensions at their jobs. But what they do get are bosses and customers who demand the very best.

pollo

GOOD POINT, pollo. And while we can’t give you a pension (sorry!), we can give you the Mercury letter of the week—which comes with two passes to the Laurelhurst Theater (you’re welcome!).

Letters and comments may be edited for space. Email us at lovenotes@portlandmercury.com.