Was the Measure 110 repeal fake?
The day when you can say that Portland has bottomed out is not here, and honestly, it's nowhere in sight. We were all reeling from the Multnomah County chair's insistence on continuing to hand out tents, tarps, and free needles to all the street junkies who have descended upon the city. Now we find out that she and the lame-duck district attorney are also about to subvert the repeal of Oregon's failed drug decriminalization law, Measure 110.
The Oregonian was first to report Tuesday on the Multnomah County plan, citing a policy advisor to Chair Jessica Vega Pederson. Under the framework, someone caught with drugs would not need to undergo a substance abuse screening or agree to treatment. Instead, they'd check in at a drop-off center, then be free to go without threat of jail time or prosecution.
Law enforcement will be empowered to seize drugs that they find, but they'd otherwise have no other discretion in low-level drug possession cases, The Oregonian reported. Police would need to take drug users to the drop-off center, as long as the person agrees to go in lieu of arrest.
Chevy Vega and D.A. Mikey Schmidt are not listening. Mikey's been voted out; he collects his fat paycheck only until the new year. But the Vega will be in charge for another two and half more years unless she quits, dies, or gets recalled. I hope the new county commissioners will force-feed her some common sense, but I doubt that will happen.
Given the bad judgment of the voters of Portland, it's going to take forever to clean the place up. Nick Kristof wrote last weekend about how liberalism has failed the West Coast's cities. You couldn't find a better example of the failure than the antics of that Multnomah County chair. And unlike Kristof, she'll never admit failure. Everything's fine. More tents, more needles, untill all the injustices of capitalism are undone.
Don't blame me. I told you not to vote for her.
People in Multnomah County need to wake up and realize how terrible JVP is, and recall her. At this point I would say she is criminally inept.
ReplyDeleteThe Goldschmidt saga needs to be aired with enough regularly that the intoxication of his charm wears off and the damage caused by his policies becomes obvious to his sycophants
ReplyDeleteGoldschmidt! Holy cow, that's a reach. There's plenty of mess in front of us now without having to dig up old skeletons.
DeleteIf the “mess” started in this decade, I’d agree with you. Hell, if it started in this century
DeleteI tell everyone who asks, “Don’t visit Portland. Fly in rent a car and get out of town.”
ReplyDeleteSome of us new it was fake when it was proposed. Sure, let's allow the counties to work out the details! You should have figured it out.
ReplyDeleteBest take yet.
DeleteOregon is choking on one-size-fits-all diktaks. We need more local control options for drugs, homelesness and land use. Let the counties be laboratories for policy.
The more that Portland voters dictate policy statewide, the more attractive Greater Idaho becomes.
Knew
ReplyDeleteSame here - knew it was not going to accomplish what it was sold as.
ReplyDeleteGood for Nicolas Kristof. Although it's taken too long and I am not completely convinced he is being genuine rather than manipulative. As I do not trust any of these people (government and media) any longer. I've seen them in action for too long. I wonder if he is still angling to be governor of Oregon.
There is too much money for NFPs and Government to repeal 110 or to do anything about the druggie apocalypse. It's like all that money the US is printing to send to the Ukraine. Lots of kickbacks. Senators and Representatives are billionaires from a relatively modest salary - how do these things happen?
An honest media would be a good start to changing things. But that is like expecting a mobster or the cartel to be law abiding.
The faith some have that dropping someone at a "drop off center" who is addicted (or even committed to selling) hard drugs that can be 100 times more powerful than heroin and they will choose to go in is mind boggling. And even if they do, is peer counseling effective when the drug addict can simply walk out? I know AA/NA can be effective for some, but isn't less so for meth/fentanyl without involuntary holds? This is up there with handing out bibles. Sure, may be a life changer for that 1%, but as a policy?
ReplyDeleteIt's funny how when you move out of PDX all these problems - for the most part - just go away...
ReplyDeleteOld Nick is picking up what I have been laying down for years now- all idealists and no pragmatists. As for the Soros crowd defying the overturn of 110, is anyone surprised? The amount of ignoring the law and reality is the new normal. Hell, since we're dropping them off at a "doped-up center", we might as well give them drugs and camping supplies. Sort of like Fred Meyer, your one stop doping experience...
ReplyDelete