Portland's Homeless Epidemic – what if there was an expert with a track record?
Posted By : szortyka1/
Have you noticed Portland's homeless epidemic getting even worse? Have you asked yourself why?
Today we spoke with Dr. Robert Marbut the "Homeless Czar" who has worked for three United States Presidents, founded Haven of Hope in San Antonio and is now a consultant with cities all over the country.
His results are remarkable, and he has also been controversial to some. What if our policies are not only aiding in the problem persisting, but growing the issue?
Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler's attempt at gaslighting Portland citizens
COALITION TO SAVE PORTLAND DENOUNCES MAYOR TED WHEELER'S ACCUSATIONS OF RACISM, CALLING THEM CYNICAL AND BASELESS
Portland, OR – The Oregonian reported on Friday evening that Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler called for an inquisition into the report that City Councilor Jo Ann Hardesty may have been involved in a hit-and-run accident, and blamed systemic racism for the report. The Coalition to Save Portland vehemently denies any racial motivation behind the news story and condemns Wheeler and Hardesty for their cynical attempts to make this story about race.
Gabe Johnson, the co-founder of the Coalition to Save Portland, blasted Wheeler's remarks, saying, "It's outrageous that he would bring race into this. We reported a legitimate news story that affected an elected official. We demand accountability, transparency, and responsibility from every elected offical—values Hardesty herself claims to espouse. For either Hardesty or Wheeler to call this racist indicates that they are trying to bully our organization into silence. As a Black man, I cannot in good conscience let this go."
Angela Todd, also a co-founder of the coalition, said, "Why is it okay for government officials to use their positions of power against private citizens that are simply revealing the contents of a police report? As a councilor and the head of the Portland Bureau of Transportation, if Hardesty was involved in a criminal act in a motor vehicle this is of particular interest to voters. Additionally, I believe it is a gross use of taxpayer dollars to launch a systemic racism investigation, instead of our city simply acknowledging and producing, without the current red tape delays, a copy of the police report that identified Councilor Hardesty as a suspect. We will not be intimidated into silence or inaction as our city faces so many entrenched problems with livability and crime. I suggest Mayor Wheeler and Councilor Hardesty put their attention in that direction immediately rather than attacking private citizens."
The Coalition to Save Portland wishes to thank Maxine Bernstein, reporter for The Oregonian, for publishing a portion of the incident report that was also reviewed by the coalition prior to publication:
At least some integrity in local press still exists, even though the vast majority of the questions fielded by the coalition over the past 24 hours have been deeply antagonistic and served to advance the agenda of Jo Ann Hardesty.
As reported by The Oregonian on Friday, March 5:
"Wheeler said he's working with Hardesty, Portland's city attorney and police chief 'to create a thorough, independent review of the facts and actions surrounding the incident.'
"He said he asked Police Chief Chuck Lovell 'to expedite collection of all relevant information and to ensure that every record related to the incident is preserved pending the completion of an independent review.'
"'What happened to Commissioner Hardesty is wrong and unacceptable,' Wheeler said in a statement Friday evening. 'It's a reflection of broader systemic racism and it must be addressed. We need to get to the bottom of it as soon as possible. No one should be subjected to false accusations publicly.'"
The Coalition to Save Portland denounces this race-baiting witch hunt in the strongest possible terms, and implores the leaders of Portland to show actual leadership, and get busy solving Portland's real problems.
The Coalition to Save Portland is an organization of community leaders and regular citizens striving to restore livability, safety, and prosperity to the Rose City by raising awareness, promoting honest dialogue, and advocating for transparent and accountable government with the goal to reverse Portland's downward slide towards violence, crime, corruption, property destruction, and lawlessness. To join our coalition and help us save our beautiful city, go to www.savepdx.org and get involved For media inquiries to the Coalition to Save Portland, please call 503.575.7586 or email media@SavePDX.org
COALITION TO SAVE PORTLAND BREAKS NEWS OF CITY COUNCILOR JO ANN HARDESTY'S INVOLVEMENT IN HIT AND RUN
Portland, OR – On Wednesday, March 3rd, Portland City Councilor Jo Ann Hardesty was reportedly involved in a hit-and-run accident, has learned from law enforcement sources on the condition of anonymity out of concern for retaliation by Councilor Hardesty. According to Incident Report #2021-57962, police responded to a complaint in which a teacher reported Hardesty rear-ended her vehicle earlier in the evening before driving away. The news was broken first by the Coalition to Save Portland. According to law enforcement sources, Hardesty may have been looking at her phone at the time of the accident.
According to the incident report, Hardesty was traveling in a late-model tan-colored sedan, possibly a Toyota Corolla, when she collided with the rear end of another vehicle. Hardesty failed to remain at the scene of the accident. The owner of the second vehicle was able to make it home and call the non-emergency number to file a report with Portland Police.
"This is just another instance where Hardesty thinks she's above the law," said Gabe Johnson, co-founder of the Coalition to Save Portland. "She's been trying to defund the police and turn Portland into an unlivable, lawless hellhole, and yet again she refuses to take responsibility for her actions."
Angela Todd, the second co-founder of the Coalition, agreed. "This is the second time in four months Hardesty has had a situation escalate to the point where police were called. This is becoming a pattern, and it's not the behavior Portlanders expect from their city officials. Of course, we should have expected this after her misadventures with the local chapter of the NAACP."
The Coalition notes that, prior to her election to Portland City Council, Hardesty ran into trouble as the head of the local chapter of the NAACP, including charges of improper payments and fiscal mismanagement. Hardesty lists her goals on her city website as, "Committed to representing all Portlanders with transparency, accountability, and equality." The Coalition to Save Portland demands that Jo Ann Hardesty be transparent and accountable while she treats herself as equally under the law as the Portlanders she claims to represent.
Accused of attempted murder & auto theft – the pre-story of how Portland's policies failed him.
David Dahlen III's story is a microcosm of the insanity of Portland's broken legal and social systems. Many Portlanders found out about David after he had escaped custody from Portland's Central Precinct on January 2nd, 2020 after being arrested for ramming his car into a Portland Police officer on Christmas Eve a little over a week earlier.
By every measure, David Dahlen was given opportunities to turn his life around after having a rough go of it early on due to his drug addicted parents. Living with his grandparents near the Maywood Park area in Portland, many neighbors who knew the grandparents and David for years tried to step in to mentor the young man when he started doing the things that would land him in prison in 2017. One neighbor we spoke to, who says he has known David for nearly 20 years told me that he would bring the young man over to his house to play with and fix RC cars and show him how to work on vehicles. He said that David was bright and very mechanically inclined, and neighbors would give him odd jobs and help him apply for jobs in companies where they had connections. He said he would regularly talk to David about school, about his future plans, and the troubles that he faced in his life. He was only one of four or five other men who tried to be a father figure for a young man whose grandfather was emotionally unavailable and often gone for work.
Apparently, these attempts didn't pay off. According to neighbors, at 16 David began stealing from people around the neighborhood, and eventually worked up to stealing automobiles. After cars began to show up at the house, David would strip them out for parts and then dump the carcasses around the neighborhood. Other not-so-desirables began to hang out at the house, and neighbors began to see the signs of drug dealing and use. One of David's favorite things to do was obtain a junked motor bike, fix it up to the point that was barely running, rip the muffler off of it, and then ride around the neighborhood at all hours of the day and night, revving its muffler-less engine to deafening volume levels.
David would also roam the neighborhood at night and break into homes and garages to steal anything he could get his hands on that he deemed was of value. One neighbor caught David stealing the tires off of his bikes that he had locked up on his back porch. People began to report the shady behavior around David's grandparents' house to the police. Most of the time these reports fell on deaf ears. When a new car showed up in the neighborhood, certain neighbors would run out to the street to take pictures of the license plates before David could switch them out. Since David's friends knew that members of the community were trying to stop the theft and drug dealing, they would get back at the neighbors by throwing used needles in their yards, by super gluing their house locks, or just through straight direct intimidation. One couple who lived next to David got a pit bull dog because they were so afraid of the retribution. David paid them back by hitting the dog with a baseball bat. The dog had to have surgery and lost an eye. These neighbors soon moved away.
All of these things and more were reported to the Portland Police Department without a response. They would take down the information, but nothing would be done. The mentor mentioned earlier decided to escalate his efforts. He befriended a couple of cops and they put him in touch with the DA's office to see what could be done. Former Deputy District Attorney Haley Rayburn took the case and sat on it for a considerable amount of time. After almost constant phone calls from the community, and with Rayburn leaving the DA's office in February of 2017, there was a plea deal struck in February of 2018 for David Dahlen to serve 3 years in state prison after David had been arrested and remanded into custody in September of 2017. At David's sentencing hearing, David spoke about how he was now sober and clear headed and that he was looking forward to his future in sobriety and a possible career working on cars.
At the time of David's arrest and conviction, it was very difficult to prosecute a person in Oregon for car theft. David was actually charged with five counts of "Unauthorized Use of a Motor Vehicle." At the time, a person who was found in possession of a stolen vehicle could just claim that they didn't steal the car and deny knowledge that the vehicle was stolen, and the charges would be dropped. In 2018 the House of Representatives voted in House Bill 4161, which closed this loophole.
Prison can do one of two things to a person. It can either push one to change one's life due to feeling the pain of the consequences of one's actions, or it can send a person further down the hole into criminal oblivion. David was released from custody in November of 2019 after serving 26 of his 36-month sentence. He was facing two years of supervised release through the state probation office. His terms of probation were staying clean, submitting to urine and breath tests, and paying fines leveled by the court. Neighbors were a little concerned about David returning to the neighborhood, but the mentor was more open-minded. Although the mentor mentioned above was largely responsible for getting David charged with his crimes and sent to prison, David stopped by his house and hugged him, telling him that he understood why he had done what he had done and that he understood. It seemed like a good start.
A job that had been waiting for David from one of the neighbors' family businesses in the automotive repair industry fell through due to Covid-19. Within two months, members of the AOB (a white supremacist gang David became affiliated with while incarcerated) began to show up at David's grandparents' home, and the same signs of drug use and car theft began to reappear. David would no longer steal from the neighborhood because he thought he would be safer going outside of it, roaming as far as Clackamas County. In September of 2020, David was arrested in Lake Oswego after he crashed a stolen car into some rocks. Him and an accomplice, Sara Star Furlong, who has multiple arrests for meth and heroin dealing, were arrested, but soon released without charges. David was arrested again in December in an attempt to steal another vehicle.
Q: What city has the worst stolen-car rate per capita in the US?
A: Portland, Oregon
The mentor said that David was beginning to be more and more brazen with his crimes. It is truly amazing that David, while on state probation for crimes that he was currently committing, wouldn't be sent back to prison just on probation violations, which is what probation is supposed to be all about: you break the terms of your release, you go back. The mentor once again began contacting different agencies about what to do. One mentioned that since David was now affiliated with a gang that the grandparents could be threatened with the loss of their home for allowing such crime to occur on their property. However, once the Gun Violence Task Force (formerly the Gang Task Force) was eliminated by a Portland City Council vote, this legal opportunity was lost. The mentor said that he felt it was only a matter of time before David was responsible for someone's death, especially after seeing his AOB buddies openly carrying firearms.
On Christmas Eve David Dahlen rammed a stolen pickup truck, a truck neighbors had seen arrive at David's house just days earlier, into Portland police officer Jennifer Pierce's car at a gas station on Powell and 39th Street. He nearly killed Officer Pierce, who managed to get off a shot after he rammed her. Pierce suffered a broken pelvis. The video of the incident is disturbing in its violence and obvious disregard for human life. As most of Portland now knows, Dahlen escaped police custody on January 2nd after a cleaning crew left the door unlatched to the interview room David was in.
According to neighbors, they have seen David jump the fence into the back yard of his grandparent's house later that evening and possibly the next night. There is currently a stolen SUV in front of his grandparents' home, and at the time of this blog posting, David Dahlen is still at large.
There are so many apparent failings here from the social and legal systems of Portland which could have saved David from himself and officer Pierce from him. Neighbors tried to help a kid who initially seemed willing, but there was no city-funded program to put him into, no contacts to officially mentor him, no job program and/or training to put him into. Perhaps if David had been charged initially for his original crimes when he was younger, he could have gotten more help before courting more dangerous circumstances. Another aspect is that probation programs, which used to send released convicts into job programs, gave them initial funds in order to find housing, and monitored those on probation much more closely, have completely failed in their tasks. Those who serve their time in Portland are commonly released with no money, no job, no net. The probation system is, in theory, supposed to provide an opportunity for those convicted of serious crimes a chance at a better life, as well as protect the community from these same individuals if they don't choose the correct path.
The Coalition to Save Portland is a Political Action Committee fed up with the policies of appeasement that allow our cities livability to deteriorate. Want to get involved in our movement to save Portland? Please register on the front of our site here
New Year's Eve Riots Explode In Violence In Portland
On December 31, a large riot took place in front of the Justice Center in downtown Portland, signaling that the riots that plagued the city in 2020 will continue in the new year.
Mainstream media reporting left out quite a few details. Luckily, the Coalition to Save Portland has several contacts in the law enforcement community, who shared much more detail than the agenda-driven media:
"Last night was the most violent we have seen since July. I would actually say that last night is up there in the top three for most violent encounters we have had yet. Most serious was someone taking a face full of paint mixed with caustic chemical. Most likely OC [the main ingredient in pepper spray] but we are not exactly sure. Chem burns, blunt trauma, lasers, they even threw f***ing fire hydrant at our guys. Yes, you read that right…..a fire hydrant."
This marks the second night in a row that rioters caused significant damage to businesses downtown. On December 30, several dozen rioters smashed windows in over a dozen separate storefronts, and continued to vandalize buildings.
OregonLive reported that 41 windows were busted out at the Standard Insurance building, and replacement costs would be $5,000 each.
If you thought a new president, a new year, or a couple of new city councilors meant the riots would dissipate, you may be in for a rude awakening. Looks like 2021 will be marked by violence in Portland as well, unless someone takes action NOW.
A resident who lives a couple of blocks from the Justice Center took pictures downtown and said, "These were taken about 4 am downtown. I took a short walk through my neighborhood after things quieted down. I'm so tired of being forced to live in this constant fear. My fear comes out as anger. Happy new year from beautiful, prestigious downtown Portland."
Join us today to get involved and turn this around! Sign up on our home page, savepdx.org.
Attempt to Mediate Peaceful Resolution at Mississippi Red House Leads to Threat of Legal Action
Contact: Gabe Johnson, Director
Coalition to Save Portland
media@savepdx.org
Portland, OR – The Coalition to Save Portland (www.savepdx.org) released the following statement today in response to a threat of legal action issued in a voicemail against the coalition's co-founder, Gabe Johnson.
The Coalition received the following message from Coya Crespin of the Community Alliance of Tenants threatening legal action if a press release was not retracted:
"Yes, hello this message is for the Coalition to Save Portland, umm regarding Gabe Johnson. This is Coya from the Red House on Mississippi um we are requesting that you take down your fake news report, your fake news release.That press release is completely false. Gabe Johnson is in no way associated with the Red House on Mississippi, please take that press release down before we will be forced to take legal action. Thank you."
Listen to the voice mail here.
It remains unclear how a press release could be actionable in a court of law. The Coalition described the actions taken by its director, Gabe Johnson, when he visited the Red House Autonomous Zone on Thursday, and followed up with another visit on Friday. Nothing in the statement was false, and at no time did Johnson state that he was associated with the house, the autonomous zone, or any individual or group protesting there.
"I went there to have conversations," Johnson said, "just like I said. Within ten minutes of entering beyond the street barricades, I was directed to Gary Floyd (cousin of George Floyd), who represented himself as a liaison working with the family. After a productive conversation, I put him in touch with my contacts at Portland Police Bureau to work on peacefully deescalating the situation and clearing city streets. For this effort to bring about a peaceful resolution, the Coalition is being threatened with a lawsuit? Come on."
The Coalition to Save Portland is a collection of concerned Portlanders who have had enough and are tired of the lawlessness in Portland streets. We are coming together to find positive, equitable, productive solutions to Portland's problems while restoring livability to every neighborhood. At our core, we believe that the violent riots plaguing our city have been counterproductive and should give way to positive solutions that rebuild our communities. For more information, please visit www.savepdx.org.
Coalition To Save Portland Leader Continues Efforts to Assist Dialogue, Build Trust To De-escalate Confrontation At Red House Autonomous Zone
Portland, OR – The Coalition to Save Portland (www.savepdx.org) released the following statement the violent action taking place at the Red House Autonomous Zone:
"I returned to the Red House Autonomous Zone today to resume assisting all parties communicate and clarify a way to de-escalate the situation there," said Gabe Johnson, the director of the coalition. "I spoke with two individuals who appeared to be from the indigenous community and told me that they can speak for the family that had been evicted from the home. They conveyed their wish that they want the protesters to be permitted to depart without arrest from the area if a resolution can be arranged, which, in turn, I passed along to my contacts with the Portland Police Bureau."
"I also reached out to the real estate developers that legally own the home," explained Johnson. "I remain hopeful that direct discussions will begin soon between all the parties involved and that violence can be avoided while still resolving the situation."
"Adding to what I said yesterday, what this situation requires is leadership on both sides of the discussion," added Johnson. "Hopefully everyone now realizes that Portlanders have had enough of these types of violent confrontations. Now I strongly believe that it is time for all parties involved to coordinate some concrete confidence building steps that both sides can follow so they can stand down from a violent situation and get back to reasoned dialogue that returns the neighborhood to the residents once again."
To join the Coalition to Save Portland and help us speak out to Portland's leaders on behalf of public safety, economic prosperity, livable streets, and peaceful dialogue that solves problems, visit and register at SavePDX.org and get involved today.
https://video.foxnews.com/v/embed.js?id=6215631110001&w=466&h=263
https://www.kptv.com/news/police-chief-asks-for-barricades-to-come-down-at-portland-red-house-protest-mayor-s/article_f69b7108-3c1b-11eb-92ee-2b243fd47bcf.html
Leader of Coalition To Save Portland Finds Opening For Dialogue Where City Leaders Failed At Red House Autonomous Zone
Portland, OR – The group of Portland community leaders and concerned residents, known as the Coalition to Save Portland (www.savepdx.org) released the following statement today in response to the events surrounding the violent action taking place at the Red House Autonomous Zone:
"I had heard frightening details of a mounting confrontation at this location and went to survey the situation for myself," said Gabe Johnson, the director of the coalition. "I didn't see any of our city leaders there. In just 10 minutes, I found myself talking to someone representing the family facing eviction and began brokering a dialogue to deescalate the situation and return this neighborhood to the peaceful citizens living there. I spoke with Gary Floyd, cousin of George Floyd who was eager for such a dialogue."
"I have a good relationship with the Portland Police Bureau, so I immediately contacted Chief Lovell. We had an urgent dialogue, the goal of which is to clear the occupied zone so neighbors can return to a livable situation without the violence that no one wants," Johnson said.
"What this situation requires is leadership," added Johnson. "We've seen this movie before. Where are Jo Ann Hardesty and other community leaders? Time and time again, violence escalates unnecessarily as protests rage across Portland. City leaders have failed to uphold the law and keep order. We can solve our social problems without destroying people's daily lives. All it takes is genuine leadership, and a recognition that Portlanders have had enough."
To join the Coalition to Save Portland and help us speak out to Portland's leaders on behalf of public safety, economic prosperity, livable streets, and peaceful dialogue that solves problems, visit SavePDX.org and get involved today.
Our first 8 weeks:
If not us, who? We began this journey to save the wonderful city we call home in late October. Here is a short list of progress in our first 8 weeks:
We have signed up dozens of volunteers! Want to get involved? We are currently looking for volunteers for outreach, fundraising, events, administrative and marketing, to name a few.
We are building relationships with other likeminded groups, and setting goals, initiatives and 'asks' for our city leaders. One for example includes Portland Safety Action Coalition a type of sister group to our coalition. We will be meeting with them monthly as an executive committee.
We have set up weekly Facebook live events, currently Friday at 4pm. This week will be speaking with two small business owners downtown to hear their stories. Here is a link to our Facebook page and Facebook group. Please note to join our group, please register on the front page of this website here.
We have provided written and verbal testimony to City Council successfully postponing voting and swaying a vote of NO, to defund Portland's police by an additional 18 million dollars.
We have made dozens of appearances in local, national and international news sources as the Coalition to Save Portland.
We launched a petition to city and county leadership demanding action. Please read and support our petition here.
Our goal is to influence the political process and public opinion in Portland to end violence, reduce crime, restore law and order, reverse defunding of the police, end the decay of livability, and bring the community together. Let's find real solutions to Portland's challenges and problems. We can solve our social problems and make Portland livable again.
Want to help Save Portland? Join us.
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