I rode the train to Portland yesterday to check out the riot damage.
My first shock was the train. There's half as many cars and they're only 1/2 full. Ridership must be down at least 50%.
My second shock was that the train doesn't go downtown now, the bridge is under construction so you have to board a shuttle bus.
My third shock was Union station. There are hundreds of homeless tents and people. I've been coming to Portland since 2004 and never seen anything like this.
My fourth shock (which wasn't that much of a shock) is the number of empty and smashed storefronts. The city must be losing a ton of tax revenue.
My fifth shock - you have to swear allegiance to BLM in your storefront if you don't want it smashed. I felt like I was in Nazi Germany with everybody seig heiling to BLM for fear of a firing squad.
My sixth shock - Portland feels dangerous now. My pepperspray and tactical flashlight felt woefully inadequate. Each major stop had a dozen transit police as a show of force.
These are the wages of greed, envy and hubris. Hubris is the most dangerous sin because it often masquerades as a virtue. Like prattling about moral superiority as you burn down someone else's property. I expect City of Portland to go bankrupt.
Comments