Jun 7, 2023·edited Jun 7, 2023Liked by Kevin Dahlgren
"A few months later a majority of the leaders in a very coordinated effort did not come up with a plan to end homelessness, but instead changed the messaging of why they were unable to. Homelessness they declared had less to do with mental illness, chemical dependency, poor choices, etc. The real culprit was capitalism. Capitalism is what sent people to the streets and made them addicts. Capitalism is why there was crime. Capitalism was the reason for everything bad in the world."
That explains a lot about the small but very vocal group of well-connected homeless activists who are often in the periphery of news stories about homeless politics and policy but are almost never the main subject of the reporting. For that reason and others, the public knows next to nothing about homeless activists' politics. We're left to figure out their politics indirectly, for example, by their responses to local government's initiatives to regulate the homeless in order to make life better for them and to aid Portland's businesses, workers, residents and visitors who have been harmed by uncontrolled homelessness.
Three things are clear from activists' comments at public hearings, in the news and on social media. The first is that most of the vocal homeless activists have an animosity toward business bordering on outright hatred. They do not believe business has a legitimate place in politics, especially when it comes to formulating homeless policy or seeking government assistance in dealing with the negative impact of homelessness on customers and revenues.
Secondly, some homeless activists who defend encampments in affluent areas such as Laurelhurst routinely dismiss neighborhood residents' legitimate objections to encampments by calling them "rich," the message being that they are unworthy of having their grievances heard and responded to.
The tactic is an attempt to undermine homeowners' credibility, shame them into silence and paint them as class enemies. It's a perplexing move. For one thing, it's likely that many of the residents of Laurelhurst who are or were being harmed by the campers in the park bought their homes before the sharp price increases of recent years put the neighborhood out of reach for all but the affluent. The current value of their home may make them look rich, but when their income and other assets are taken into consideration they are decidedly not. Also, it's unlikely that the general public would be responsive to activists' efforts to stoke class resentment. Unlike activists, most grownups don't consider home ownership, even in Laurelhurst, a sign that a person is a member of the idle rich. Efforts to discredit homeowners because they're allegedly affluent are more likely intended for other members of the activist community as a way of reinforcing the righteousness of their cause.
Finally, news coverage of City Hall shows that homeless activists almost always object to any measure that the city commissioners propose as a way of aiding the houseless and reducing the negative impact of encampments on the city, its residents and its businesses. They reject all criticism of campers' behavior, painting them as traumatized victims.
The three characteristics are consistent with a far-left agenda that blames all of society's woes on capitalism. Unfortunately, recently Trump, MAGA and leading Republicans have decided to accuse progressive Democrats of being "communists" or "socialists" despite having no facts to support the claims. While the charges are no more true than any of Trump's thousands of other lies, the redbaiting on the right makes it difficult for centrists, especially Democrats, to confront the actual extremists on the left for fear of being discredited.
For that reason, it would be great to have more specifics about the Homeless-Industrial Complex's embrace of an anti-capitalist ideology. That would include giving the who, what, when, where, why and how of the turn towards the far left among activists working in the homeless sector. Until then, this outburst by the notorious activist Demetria Hester at a recent City Council hearing will be the closest thing we have to a statement of activists' politics in their own words:
“July 1st, when this comes in effect, be ready for what you have to deal with — us in 2020, us in the streets. Be ready, be ready. We’re coming for your jobs, your houses, your cars. What are you going to do then? Decide, because we’re coming for you Ted Wheeler. Fuck you."
Demetria is a very mentally ill person. She needs psychiatric care and evaluation because from everything I have seen she suffers from some kind of delusional disorder bordering on psychotic paranoia. I do believe SHE thinks she is engaging in some kind of holy war. Would be good to get her medicated somehow.
Take a look at the writings of Marx and Mao. There is definitely a very substantial dose of communist ideology in the progressive movement. To make all equal, to blame capitalism and to create dependency on the government are all hallmarks. Most people fear confronting the progressive activists because they could face doxxing, social alienation and/or real violence. In other words, struggle sessions, which are a communist tactic. Not to say that some politicians don’t use that fact as a war cry to their advantage but, unfortunately, the premise is correct. The homeless are a pawn in the game. It’s distressing and I am thankful for people like Kevin who truly care. More of us need to stand up for the voiceless.
The approach here in Hawaii, especially Oahu, is same same. Feed and clothe, we have mobile shower trucks, but little to segway out of the homeless lifestyle. Here it is a widely chosen preference and widely accepted choice. General society here tend to rely on the false notion that you can’t force them, which to me is an indication of ineptitude and inexperience with homeless communities. Here it is abuse, addiction, mental illness, and widespread unwillingness to stay in shelters or abide by rules of engagement with programs created for job services and housing assistance. It is an enabling system that perpetuates and confounds the spread and further degradation of homeless camps and communities. Hawaii is dripping in money but neglects to include or even expect these individuals to do better, there’s no incentive and no reprimand for what is expected from the rest of society, resulting in high rise condos with units going for $5M, with homeless camps literally on the sidewalk below. The cognitive dissonance of society is reflected on the street for all to see.
"General society here tend to rely on the false notion that you can’t force them, which to me is an indication of ineptitude and inexperience with homeless communities."
I have always believed that homeless activists have implanted the view among the general public that it's borderline fascistic to "coerce" the homeless into doing anything they're not inclined to do on their own. That philosophy, if you want to honor it with such a lofty term, is the same as harm-reductionists' irrational insistence that society respect addicts' autonomy and not force them into rehab when they're not ready. It's a nonsensical proposition because addiction to drugs strips addicts of their autonomy.
What I've never understood is how those activists reconcile their professed concern for people's autonomy with the prolongation of their misery that results from their activism. Are they so bone-headedly libertarian that ideological purity trumps human welfare, or do they have an unspoken agenda? Portland is a hotbed of anarchist activity, so it wouldn't surprise me if the chaos stemming from rampant homelessness and public drug use and drug dealing suits some activists just fine.
Quick question: If an ordinary person, say a senior citizen, who just now becomes aware of this crisis and wants to know what they can do to help, what would be your advice? The problem seems so big, so complex, so nuanced, it becomes impossible and yet, it can't be. Can it?
It's been tried before and failed. It will fail again. Capitalism, of all systems, has been responsible for improving the quality of life of more people, and lifting more people out of poverty than any other system. It's obvious.
Just as obvious as the leftists who've co-opted homeless services where this poster is.
It never occurred to me that this is an industry. It’s unconscionable. Thank you for writing these pieces and raising awareness. Thank you for being there for these folks and treating them with caring and dignity. Keep going.
Now isn't that an interesting pattern, deflecting from childhood trauma as a/the major cause of an aggrevious and very visible problem plagueing society towards the abstract concept of capitalism. That's what freud did for much of mental illness when he abandoned the so called "seduction theory", thereby aligning himself with the consensus of psychiatry in deflecting from childhood trauma as the source of mental illness
"A few months later a majority of the leaders in a very coordinated effort did not come up with a plan to end homelessness, but instead changed the messaging of why they were unable to. Homelessness they declared had less to do with mental illness, chemical dependency, poor choices, etc. The real culprit was capitalism. Capitalism is what sent people to the streets and made them addicts. Capitalism is why there was crime. Capitalism was the reason for everything bad in the world."
That explains a lot about the small but very vocal group of well-connected homeless activists who are often in the periphery of news stories about homeless politics and policy but are almost never the main subject of the reporting. For that reason and others, the public knows next to nothing about homeless activists' politics. We're left to figure out their politics indirectly, for example, by their responses to local government's initiatives to regulate the homeless in order to make life better for them and to aid Portland's businesses, workers, residents and visitors who have been harmed by uncontrolled homelessness.
Three things are clear from activists' comments at public hearings, in the news and on social media. The first is that most of the vocal homeless activists have an animosity toward business bordering on outright hatred. They do not believe business has a legitimate place in politics, especially when it comes to formulating homeless policy or seeking government assistance in dealing with the negative impact of homelessness on customers and revenues.
Secondly, some homeless activists who defend encampments in affluent areas such as Laurelhurst routinely dismiss neighborhood residents' legitimate objections to encampments by calling them "rich," the message being that they are unworthy of having their grievances heard and responded to.
The tactic is an attempt to undermine homeowners' credibility, shame them into silence and paint them as class enemies. It's a perplexing move. For one thing, it's likely that many of the residents of Laurelhurst who are or were being harmed by the campers in the park bought their homes before the sharp price increases of recent years put the neighborhood out of reach for all but the affluent. The current value of their home may make them look rich, but when their income and other assets are taken into consideration they are decidedly not. Also, it's unlikely that the general public would be responsive to activists' efforts to stoke class resentment. Unlike activists, most grownups don't consider home ownership, even in Laurelhurst, a sign that a person is a member of the idle rich. Efforts to discredit homeowners because they're allegedly affluent are more likely intended for other members of the activist community as a way of reinforcing the righteousness of their cause.
Finally, news coverage of City Hall shows that homeless activists almost always object to any measure that the city commissioners propose as a way of aiding the houseless and reducing the negative impact of encampments on the city, its residents and its businesses. They reject all criticism of campers' behavior, painting them as traumatized victims.
The three characteristics are consistent with a far-left agenda that blames all of society's woes on capitalism. Unfortunately, recently Trump, MAGA and leading Republicans have decided to accuse progressive Democrats of being "communists" or "socialists" despite having no facts to support the claims. While the charges are no more true than any of Trump's thousands of other lies, the redbaiting on the right makes it difficult for centrists, especially Democrats, to confront the actual extremists on the left for fear of being discredited.
For that reason, it would be great to have more specifics about the Homeless-Industrial Complex's embrace of an anti-capitalist ideology. That would include giving the who, what, when, where, why and how of the turn towards the far left among activists working in the homeless sector. Until then, this outburst by the notorious activist Demetria Hester at a recent City Council hearing will be the closest thing we have to a statement of activists' politics in their own words:
“July 1st, when this comes in effect, be ready for what you have to deal with — us in 2020, us in the streets. Be ready, be ready. We’re coming for your jobs, your houses, your cars. What are you going to do then? Decide, because we’re coming for you Ted Wheeler. Fuck you."
https://portlanddissent.substack.com/p/fighting-the-homeless-ghetto?utm_campaign=reaction&utm_medium=email&utm_source=substack&utm_content=post
I have never successfully got through to an activist.
Demetria is a very mentally ill person. She needs psychiatric care and evaluation because from everything I have seen she suffers from some kind of delusional disorder bordering on psychotic paranoia. I do believe SHE thinks she is engaging in some kind of holy war. Would be good to get her medicated somehow.
Take a look at the writings of Marx and Mao. There is definitely a very substantial dose of communist ideology in the progressive movement. To make all equal, to blame capitalism and to create dependency on the government are all hallmarks. Most people fear confronting the progressive activists because they could face doxxing, social alienation and/or real violence. In other words, struggle sessions, which are a communist tactic. Not to say that some politicians don’t use that fact as a war cry to their advantage but, unfortunately, the premise is correct. The homeless are a pawn in the game. It’s distressing and I am thankful for people like Kevin who truly care. More of us need to stand up for the voiceless.
Another hallmark is the use of the phrase "late stage capitalism."
So I think there are some studies
cited as the basis for Housing First vs Treatment First… but this is from 2020…
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7427255/
The approach here in Hawaii, especially Oahu, is same same. Feed and clothe, we have mobile shower trucks, but little to segway out of the homeless lifestyle. Here it is a widely chosen preference and widely accepted choice. General society here tend to rely on the false notion that you can’t force them, which to me is an indication of ineptitude and inexperience with homeless communities. Here it is abuse, addiction, mental illness, and widespread unwillingness to stay in shelters or abide by rules of engagement with programs created for job services and housing assistance. It is an enabling system that perpetuates and confounds the spread and further degradation of homeless camps and communities. Hawaii is dripping in money but neglects to include or even expect these individuals to do better, there’s no incentive and no reprimand for what is expected from the rest of society, resulting in high rise condos with units going for $5M, with homeless camps literally on the sidewalk below. The cognitive dissonance of society is reflected on the street for all to see.
"General society here tend to rely on the false notion that you can’t force them, which to me is an indication of ineptitude and inexperience with homeless communities."
I have always believed that homeless activists have implanted the view among the general public that it's borderline fascistic to "coerce" the homeless into doing anything they're not inclined to do on their own. That philosophy, if you want to honor it with such a lofty term, is the same as harm-reductionists' irrational insistence that society respect addicts' autonomy and not force them into rehab when they're not ready. It's a nonsensical proposition because addiction to drugs strips addicts of their autonomy.
What I've never understood is how those activists reconcile their professed concern for people's autonomy with the prolongation of their misery that results from their activism. Are they so bone-headedly libertarian that ideological purity trumps human welfare, or do they have an unspoken agenda? Portland is a hotbed of anarchist activity, so it wouldn't surprise me if the chaos stemming from rampant homelessness and public drug use and drug dealing suits some activists just fine.
Quick question: If an ordinary person, say a senior citizen, who just now becomes aware of this crisis and wants to know what they can do to help, what would be your advice? The problem seems so big, so complex, so nuanced, it becomes impossible and yet, it can't be. Can it?
Thank you for bringing up outcome markers/metrics. There is absolutely no way to modify and improve without information indicating success/failure.
Funny how capitalism gets the blame despite the government being chin deep in control of everything.
Unfortunately, with all the money being thrown around, the solution will always be more money.
It's been tried before and failed. It will fail again. Capitalism, of all systems, has been responsible for improving the quality of life of more people, and lifting more people out of poverty than any other system. It's obvious.
Just as obvious as the leftists who've co-opted homeless services where this poster is.
Immigration is the cause of homelessness. The solution is to treat immigrants as invaders.
It never occurred to me that this is an industry. It’s unconscionable. Thank you for writing these pieces and raising awareness. Thank you for being there for these folks and treating them with caring and dignity. Keep going.
Now isn't that an interesting pattern, deflecting from childhood trauma as a/the major cause of an aggrevious and very visible problem plagueing society towards the abstract concept of capitalism. That's what freud did for much of mental illness when he abandoned the so called "seduction theory", thereby aligning himself with the consensus of psychiatry in deflecting from childhood trauma as the source of mental illness
https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1984/02/freud-and-the-seduction-theory/376313/