Campaign Update:
As this campaign continues my thinking through different issues has shifted. After an interesting bus/MAX trip the other day I am wondering if the City and County are out of their depth to fix the problems of our day. I saw some things that really shook me.
I took the #2 bus from Division to 82nd and then transferred to the 72 bus going North. So far so good. Then, I got on the Blue Line MAX and headed East to 122nd. The # of homeless people on the train with their belongings was something I'd never seen before. And looking out the window there are fewer tents than I expected, but still a lot of tents along the 205 freeway. I got off the MAX at 122nd and transferred to the 73 bus going South. While waiting for the bus just about everybody that was outside was either high, or getting high, or buying or selling drugs. A long firetruck pulled up and parked nearby - it turned out that they were not needed, and then an ambulance showed up for whatever the fire truck had been called for. I'd heard from the Fire Fighters union that this is happening too often - that they're being called to come to a scene where they are not needed. Seeing it in action I realize what a big mistake this is.
Standing at 122nd and Burnside waiting for the 73 bus I felt like I was taking my life in my hands. And this was during the day! I had to shift where I was standing often to keep an eye on the people around me who I felt were looking me over to judge whether I was there to buy drugs or possibly to jump me. After 5 minutes which felt like an hour, the bus came and I got on. After the ride to Foster (about 15 minutes), I ended up having a conversation with the bus driver who shared with me what life was like for him. He actually followed me into The Refuge, a coffee shop that was at his last stop to talk further. I really was happy to land at this coffee shop for a chance to decompress. The last ride was from there to Hinterland, a food cart pod near my house on the 14 bus. A couple of the bus riders had obviously been sleeping outside and there was an air of - well, the air smelled bad, let's just put it that way.
Overall, I think it was good for me to try this out and I'll probably do it again. It really led me to wonder if our local government is up to the task of turning the tide on homelessness and drug addiction which is happening in Portland right now. I have a few thoughts about ways we might move things in the right direction - perhaps using one or both of the closing Wal-Marts for large-scale shelters. And luckily, I'll be having a few interviews this week with the WWeek and League of Women Voters. So, I and the other candidates will get a chance to share our views. That's what my life looks like for the next 2 weeks - various candidate forums and our ballots get mailed out on April 25th!
