- Jen Wang
INTENT AND BENIGN NEGLECT
RE: “How We Got Here” [Feature, Aug 5], an overview of Portland’s history of planning decisions leading up to the current population influx and ensuing affordable housing crisis.
DEAR MERCURY—Is there a crisis? Certainly. Was it the result of poor leadership, inadequate resources, and out-of-whack policies by a generation of leaders at the city and state? Fuck yeah, it was. But intent and benign neglect are two different things. So if you want some real Portland history, here it is: A couple of decades ago, this community embraced a bold new strategy for urban living. We are national leaders in carbon reduction, car-free lifestyles, and natural protection. We all did that, not the developers or the landlords or the politicians, and it’s not theirs to sell. It doesn’t work if it’s just something wealthy people can purchase while the poor and people of color get forced into something else.