It wasn't like this when I moved here (to NE in the 90s)

That's not some cliche'd old timer rant either - the Po po did a good job of cleaning up the 80s-early 90s gang sh!+.

The city under Vera, Potter and Adams has become far more dirty, expensive, dangerous and complicated.

Except for the elite few who live off of taxpayer money.

I worked HARD with my own sweat and capital to make property better in this city for almost 20 years. So those that now cite NYT headline fawning can gloat and enjoy what I helped build.

In 2012 I hate to, but must say 'Good riddance to Portland FOREVER.'

Suggested solution?

Dunno, Kari. Why don't you take a stab/shot at it?

More and better crime prevention, gang intervention and law enforcement, for openers. And a real fare collection and security system for Tri-Met -- not the jokes we have now.

But those steps would mean no Milwaukie mystery train, no legion of la-la sustainability bureaucrats, no more handouts to Edlen and Williams and Winkler and the rest. So they're off the table. Go by streetcar!

TriMet's answer to the crime problem on the Max is raise rates, cut the free zone then no one will be riding the thing, problem solved.

http://blog.oregonlive.com/commuting/2012/01/trimet_considering_major_fare.html

"Suggested solution?"

Expand MAX. That way we can spread the density of small-time criminals throughout the system and lower their density in any one place.

Based on the ability to get money for any mass transit project and the lack of money for schools or enforcement, I'd say that is the politicians approach.

Solution? Maybe a shift in priorities. The mayor has said he is focused on the city's image to the world. Maybe focus on the people who have to live here for a while.

Sadly, this does not surprise me in the slightest. Que the "I've ridden MAX for years and never had a problem" crowd.

Go by armored car!

Too bad the putzes at TriMet are still too lame to install some type of turnstile system for all of their choochoo trains. It seems to work real well in cities like New York, Atlanta and Los Angeles - where they dumped the "honor system" so time ago. That alone would discourage 80-90% of the problem makers and bums. Also, having a continuous transit police presence at all stations during operating hours - as they have at BART stations in the Bay Area - would make things a lot safer.
Of course, that would mean eliminating 90% of Mary Fetsch's job of proving lies to cover up TriMet's constant screw ups. And would require a complete change in the worthless management of TriMet.

Jack, you know that story's not true.

Sam Adams had a gun buy-back program that got all those guns off the streets.

Dave A-

I'm 67 yoa.

Grew up in NYC and used the buses and subways from age about 6, with parents, until I left to go to college at about 18. Rode alone since I was about 12. Always a turnstyle at the subway or "el" stations, and always a bus driver who wanted coins in the fare box every time.

For at least 60 years, NYC never had an "Honor system" on fares back then.

NYC did have "bus passes" for students, and "subway passes" as well. Two separate items and you had to buy each separately.
High school, I had to ride two separate buses with a subway trip in the middle.

You're leaving out the possibility that these two kids might be part of a well regulated militia.

Kari,

Really? Boy that was some kind of deep blue.

There is no mystery here or anywhere else deep blue rules.

The only solution is to remove from office as many of the
too blue Sam Adams et al breed as possible. That's the entire Portland city council of course.

It's this defectively blue type progressive who chronically devalues public safety in favor of every cockamamie enviro and socio program and boondoggle they dream up. While providing a perpetual stream of excuses for everything.

The criminal justice system has many long established approaches to greatly diminish this problem.

But it requires public safety to be the priority it should be.

Apparently, the delinquents' parent(s) is AWOL. One solution may be a tad un-PC; but if two persons need a license to marry, then maybe they should be required to take parenting training toward a license to have kids--even if they're not married. Your turn, Karl.

Obviously we haven't built enough light-rail if the gang bangers are still fighting over it. Once we finish the Milwaukie, Barbur Blvd., Forest Grove and Oregon City lines (there may be others in the planning documents I'm forgetting) all the gang bangers should be able to have their own turf and these problems will just go away. Like TriMet with fair-enforcement, I like to give people the benefit of the doubt.

Kari : you enforce current laws. Criminals always slip up. Someone breaking rule by smoking on platform? Run their background and check for warrents. Check fares more often. Criminals don't pay fare. You do simple things and find people with warrents and clean up. I see so much crime on Max every day. Yesterday I overheard two gang bangers arranging a gun sale.
I

I wonder how many fare inspectors and transit cops $1 billion would buy? Oh well, who cares? We gotta build a train to Milwaukie! We just build the things, we don't worry about making them safe, pleasant things to ride.

I don't believe this is specifically a Tri-Met problem any more that it's specifically a Sam Adams problem. It's an endemic problem... Metro, PDC, CoP, now PSU, what else? Things here are very, very broken. People don't matter here, we're just ATMs and headcounts.

Suggested solution?

Posted by Kari Chisholm | January 27, 2012 12:06 AM

We all know that the "Democratic Solution" is to rid Portland of all of the undesirable peoples, fill up Portland with a utopian society of the do-gooder yuppie, childless couples that have questionable sources of income from the "creative class" and make their incomes from selling "hand-made" items at Saturday Market (and probably some other stuff on the side that isn't quite legal, but isn't quite illegal, as long as you have a card from a Quack doctor certifying that you need that stuff for some questionable ailment), who does everything the "Democratic" way of riding their bikes and the streetcar everywhere with a big smile on their face, just like in Portlandia...

I think the Simpsons parodied both the Monorail and the utopian society very well, and even before Portland copied it. Kind of sad...

This is why I stopped voting Democratic. They claim to be your best friend and all about you and everyone else, but then they backstab you the first chance they can. At least the Republicans make it known they aren't your friend up front.

Of course Kari has to ask for solutions. He is a liberal and therefore he can't quite figure out how to treat criminals. He probably knows that criminals are bad, but his is just so full of liberal love that he really wants to coddle them, give them some food stamps, help them with their rent, and build them a street car. I understand Kari, it really is so confusing isn't it? You take money away from hard working folks and give it to worthless scum and then the worthless scum don't even appreciate it. Tough being a big hearted, lame brained, liberal isn't it? I'd be asking for solutions if I was you too.

Solution?

More concealed carry. Some day, one of these little gang-banging turds is going to flash their gun at a CCW holder and get sent to a celestial dirt nap.

The 'Bernie Goetz' incident is coming...each time something like this or the beat down happens we get a little bit closer.

By ignoring this Tri-Met is begging for it to happen. Maybe someone in the media should ask Mary why next time they interview her.

Disclaimer:

I built the websites of all the Democratic office holders who are responsible for the demise of Portland, but I speak only for myself.

That's some impressive police work. And good for the passenger for calling 911 instead of just taking the advice to "shut the heck up and get off at the next stop".

"Suggested solution?"

Easy! Build the Portland Sustainability Center! The Sustainability Center will inspire our young people, so they won't carry guns onto public transit!

The 11-year-old suspect cried in court today. Oh, but we need to keep him out of the system... it's dangerous there!

http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2012/01/11-year-old_portland_boy_accus.html

Interesting to note that murder victim Yashanee Vaughn was also the daughter of this boy's mother.

If memory serves, Yashanee was murdered by her boyfriend -- also an underage gang-banger -- whom she was (to some degree) shacking up with at the ripe old age of 14:

http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2011/03/teenage_friend_of_missing_port.html

Who then will teach the children of Shaquita Louis right from wrong?

And that's why my private car will be headed across the river tonight for a dinner date.

I don't know the Bucklands, but I imagine that if it were my daughter being brutally beaten in public my feeling about all of those bystanders would not be, "That sure is a smart move on their part, to shut the heck up and get off at the next stop."

"This is why I stopped voting Democratic. They claim to be your best friend and all about you and everyone else, but then they backstab you the first chance they can. At least the Republicans make it known they aren't your friend up front."

Erik - Just for the record I've been an Independent for years, ever since the Republicans leaned right with an extreme social agenda. After decades I think I am going back. I hope enough moderate take hold of some party and have this country make sense, and it is my perception that the Republicans are better at saying no. Read on.

I don't just think, I know, that certainty in rule enforcement works. I know that people need to be responsible for themselves in all aspects of their lives if we are to be a free society. Nothing is ever without exceptions, but the exception seems to be the rule these days - no one wants to say NO. The word coddle comes to mind, followed by entitled, then resentful, then angry, and finally helpless and angry. Anarchy would be next, but I can't imagine that.

Governmental help or interference in individual's lives (in general and over time) weakens our social bonds and creates a people who are and act like children. Hence, "Occupy Portland" and and the lame response to it. It is not unkind to say NO, in fact, in many cases it is the kindest thing we can do. No one likes to do it, but following psycho-trendy thinking mixed with PC rather than doing what works is worse, and we are seeing the results of decades of this. What we have is a society of victims (and survivors).

Solution? A mayor who puts politics and sustainability and any other trendy, PC-driven program aside and does what works. Follow the data. Be strong in one's heart, and not just a bully or a puppet. But here's the kicker for me. It isn't the politicians' fault so much as the big backers who drive the political engines that are calling the shots who pick weak leaders they can manipulate, rather than strong people who can really make this a better place to live. Who controls politicians? Change that, and we can change things just about anywhere. At least there would be hope (I don't want to get ahead of myself, but hope is better than giving up or giving in). We had a great thing here - we took it for granted. Weasels and ne're do wells moved in and we need to make them feel like they would be happier somewhere else.

Downtown D. - And let's not forget that the father of Yashawnee Vaughn's older half-brother, Marcus Deangelo Miller, was shot and killed in Oldtown in June 2011. Miller had gang ties and was previously convicted of Attempted Murder.

This is simply a gang family, nothing more. Where else would an 11 yr old learn to emulate such activity?

HMLA-1267, thanks for pointing that out; but you can't possibly be right. Mayor Adams unilaterally declared that youth gang violence in Portland was "unacceptable". That left a mark!

TriMet spokesperson Mary Fetsch reminds us after each totally unrelated violent incident on (or near) transit that it was a total surprise and completely atypical, and that you shouldn't think twice about your safety.

My new transit route is a bit better than before, but I grow increasingly reluctant to use TriMet at all. The operators are made toothless -- they aren't allowed to strictly enforce proof of fare, nor otherwise maintain order. They aren't exactly encouraged to call for help, either (although this seems to be less a problem now that incidents are on the rise).

If operators did crack down, they would likely be punished by management for doing so -- and probably discouraged by the union as well (it's not in the contract). It's an impossible position.

The transit police are all on MAX, and stretched thin at that. The riders this time around were lucky that there were officers available downtown.

What does that leave? Guardian Angels? Vigilantism? Cowardice? I try to sit by the door, and just get off when a "character" boards. To be fair, this isn't frequent -- but when it happens, I think about all the above.

There are plenty more riders out there who (like some individuals from this family) feel completely free from any obligation to meet a minimum societal standard of behavior. They ride your bus daily...

Leaving wrote:
In 2012 I hate to, but must say 'Good riddance to Portland FOREVER.'

This. When I bought in NE, things were still getting better, and then they plateaued and headed downhill around the time that Chief Kroeker left.

There were two homicides within sight of my property just a short while before we headed out of the old neighborhood. What once improved can slip back again, and quickly.

I know that I'm still sustaining the city by working there, but that's not going to last forever. I will seek to change it, just as I finally made good on my long-standing desire to move away.

I have regrets, but they are far outweighed by the benefits. I explained this to some people earlier, and one of the consensus-bubble types gave me a quizzical look.

I could see them thinking, "but how could you possibly object to paying more and more? Why don't you just go get more to pay them with? The temporary relief of guilt is worth any sacrifice."

The folks who better understood my point of view were those whom had never lived in the city proper, or those who moved away before '60s urban renewal.

Leaving, I hope that you are in a position to make good on your plans. Good luck, and no regrets.

Downtown Denizen,
What would be your guesstimate as to the percentage of people who have lived in this community for a long time who:
1. Have already left?
2. Are planning to leave?
3. Are going to have to stay, no way out?
....or any other category you can think of?

clinamen, I don't know that I'm insightful enough to make interesting guesses. Part of my problem is that I've long avoided discussing politics openly with the folks whom I have to work with or live near. This seems silly in retrospect.

I don't think this strategy bought me much goodwill. People (even myopic bubble-believers) are pretty perceptive, and they can tell that I'm not getting with the green dream. Maybe my concerned-sounding questions weren't as carefully couched as I thought.

It takes years of data to see trends, but I still feel like measures 66 and 67 hurt Oregon. More of these job creators would have moved (or stayed) here but for the majority trend towards higher taxation. Perhaps it makes little difference during a global economic downturn.

The area has grown quite a bit, so all sorts of actual somebodies continue to find the area desirable. Many of them move right into the suburbs. Are things better here, or merely worse elsewhere? If the latter, then it must really be awful out there. The real unemployment (U6) rate is still very high.

In my circle, the folks who left were more or less destined to leave, and did so during good times. There is more money and prestige in Seattle, the Bay Area, or NYC. I don't think the local politics or culture made any difference to their life and career choices. They make great tax-payers over there, and they aren't likely to come back.

One could argue that local or state policies prevented Portland from becoming such a place, but I think our size and location make these factors less relevant. I don't know many people in the second category. Those still here seem to be survivors, or they're just happy make-your-own-luck types.

I guess I fall into the third category, but my ego claims that it's a choice rather than a necessity. I could do better career-wise, but it's easier to stay for family harmony. I don't mind all that much, because I'm not a big career guy (too lazy and just satisfied enough).

Also, I need something to grumble about. To occasionally allow me to feel superior and correct in my world view. So I'm in a much smaller consensus bubble, but I'm still human. I like to think I live in a cool place, even when I'm very much on the outs with the controlling interest.

My apologies if this lacks conclusion, but I think that decisions such as where to live are hard to pin down. After over-thinking my own move for years, I'm still somewhat surprised at where I ended up.

Downtown Denizen,

Thanks for your response.
I ponder about what to do.

Are things better here, or merely worse elsewhere? If the latter, then it must really be awful out there.

I have paid attention to the national scene and am very worried about our country, in this sense, no matter where one goes, there will be difficulties. My concern is that with any economic collapse, would it be better to live in a smaller community? However, at this date, to move and leave family and friends, being a support system, a daunting move it would be, but the city we live in now, has been incrementally installing more control over the citizenry. The crime element and there again this may be on the rise no matter where one goes.

Most likely only the tip of the iceberg as to what we may all be thinking here.

I find particularly onerous lack of leadership, have lost respect for those who are making decisions for the rest of us. I do not like living in what I perceive to be living under an agenda in our city that is increasingly feeling more uncomfortable, and then also living in our nation under more governmental control. Many people fought and died for our liberty and freedom, I weep for what has transpired.

Can it be that the very idea that one can leave may be helpful as a psychological measure to survive in this type of culture, as it would feel unduly negative to know one could not get away?

What does sustain us then in these times?
I know that with Jack's blog, I find it helpful to share with others who I see as more aware/sensitive to the situation, or may be that some are more willing to share in a blog such as this. It helps to have positive in life to counterbalance the scene here, and my hope is that those who write on this blog do, despite our carrying on.

One of the secondary reasons I left years ago.
You think the taxpayers of Lake O are willing to risk their Benjamins and put up with the new breed of rail riders on a little choo choo from Portland?
Not in spades; not in this lifetime.
First time someone takes a bullet in the 'Wego the rails will be ripped up and delivered just across the city limits to the north.