Comments

1

Zero respect for Thacher. He's an enabler. I've witnessed first-hand where he's tried to flip statements into his narrative -- truth be damned -- and had to be firmly told he was inaccurately spinning the story and to immediately retract. As an example, how many statements did he have to retract in that Montavilla yarn he wrote? Was it two or three?

2

Although this incident is bad, why never a long-form article about the negative impacts that homeless people's behaviors create? The piles of stripped bike frames, the rampant drug use, the garbage, the assaults, the human waste, the thievery, the used needles discarded around this city... all of which you never hear about in the Portland Mercury. It's all about the homeless... or houseless... they can't even get that straight.

Whatever.

3

Agree with Jamie Green - Lazy Lazy Lazy Journalism, almost as bad as something Zielinski would write. Next time can you please actually perform a modicum of journalism and find out what is really going on around the "Pillars"? Perhaps even rent/buy a house nearby and write about your experience on what its like to feel like you can't leave your house during the day to go to work, because many of your neighbors homes were invaded by people who care only about one thing - stealing for the sake of feeding their habit. You have the platform, lets see some real money-where-your-mouth-is material.

4

Spoke directly with Sabina Urdes of the LNA. Found out that she had several good things to say about our non-profit the LNLA. Appears that Thatcher only wanted the conflict that USE to exist between the two organizations aired. Stated nothing about the good the LNLA is doing. The LNLA has done more cleanups and helped more neighbors than I can mention here. Check out our projects here...https://www.lentsneighborhoodlivabilityassociation.org/projects
And if you are curious about the BLOG please remember this area is about an alley that runs from Ramona to Foster behind housing. These criminals disrupt and threaten the lives of the residents living in the housing that backs this alley.

5

Rapid response is simply cleaning up after people who are either unable or unwilling to clean up after themselves. Until a more permanent solution is reached for homelessness we have to control don’t waste it produces
Turning every overpass and bike trail into biohazard laden landfills is simply not an option.

6

This sad excuse for journalism doesn't even touch on one thing that these companies are doing that is good for the city. How about the 300 TONS of garbage pulled out of these camps PER MONTH? How about the tens of THOUSANDS of needles collected, or even the tons of stolen property found? How about the fact that over 80% of the people out on the trail are needle using addicts? You won't see this mentioned in this article. Why not talk to any of the neighbors that surround the area you mentioned? I think it's because you will get not one positive thing to write about, right? Do you think any of those neighbors who paid top Portland dollar to live on the MUP or SWCT feel safe riding a bike there or letting their children play outside? I think if you would have written about any of those things you would have exposed exactly what your "news" story is, a thinly veiled hit piece making Rapid Response and the other companies look bad. I'm actually surprised The Mercury would publish this biased garbage. Maybe they have no idea what is really going on. At any rate, Thatcher is a hack that is good at only one thing. Acting like an advocate, but ultimately using these people just to make the program look bad. A program that is desperately trying to keep this city clean. How would this city look if those companies stopped doing what they do for one month? This beautiful city would be a giant trash heap! Nice job Thatcher!

7

WELL SAID Turtle M. We spend almost every Friday out picking up trash in our neighborhood. I can't even imagine what this area would look like without Rapid & Central City Concern.

8

Thatcher continues to show the amount of effort required to write a fair and balanced article. Hell, one minute he is complaining about new houses being built next to his and the next he is a homeless advocate. Which is it Thatcher? Do you agree with housing people or not? Also, it seems that you have some twisted idea that the LNLA is a problem. Maybe you are the problem Thatch. How could I say that? They clearly do more to help the community then you can even dream of doing. Please do better.

10

While I appreciate that Thacher Schmid interviewed so many people and tried to capture what each of them have said, and I appreciate the time spent on gathering this info and effort that went into it, I feel that some statements were taken out of context. Thacher and I spoke for at least an hour total, and it's beyond me why the only thing he shared from what I've said is a blurb about a private incident in the background of a cleanup that did happen, despite challenges, and did serve our community. My quote lacks context and I feel that it was used to construct a pre-conceived narrative that conveniently leaves out the full picture. I wish you'd spend time getting to know our community if you're going to speak with such certainty about us.
There are many people and groups here who do a lot of invisible work, completely unpaid and in fact spending their own money, to make our neighborhood more beautiful and livable. The LNLA is one such group -- and since your story is about "cleanups", wouldn't it have made more sense to share more about what they and others like them do, instead of only sharing a disagreement and leaving out info about actual cleanup(s)? Yes, community organizing is messy and there are disagreements -- is this news to anyone? But our community is actively trying to find solutions to what city and state employees aren't able to solve. We do a lot of cleaning up, but it seems like you only wanted to get the dirt.

13

I'm concerned about how we move the unhoused around, as well as what the city is -not- offering them by "allowing" them (forcing them really) to camp in public spaces. I'm concerned about what's happening to neighbors around the 205 camps, only slightly less than I am about the well-being of the campers, who are too frequently crime victims themselves.

I'm also concerned about what I perceive to be the Merc's journalistic slide. Do these entry level reporters get to work with more seasoned reporters and editors?


Please wait...

and remember to be decent to everyone
all of the time.

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