Their residents voted for all this: the crime, riots and burning buildings; the tax increases, the feckless milquetoast mayor and city clown-cils. All of it.
2008 banks decided they cant lose, and effectively ended all free markets in the west, turning to state communism as the future solution. Here are the trappings of communism.
@@JustMeNoOther yep, thank the Portland voters who pass every single measure that hits the ballot. Then they are dumbfounded when everyone moves across the bridge to Vancouver, WA and downtown PDX is a ghost city.
When I was buying a new house back in 18, I wanted Portland metro ( Washington/ Clackamas county). I told my realtor that anything in Multnomah County is a no-go. Dont bother showing me .
You get what you vote for. Tribalism is so strong in Portland it is doomed forever. The voters will never change. That would require a look in the mirror and they’re too arrogant for that. So glad we left 20 years ago.
If the same Portland Oregon residents who voted for the same shitty politicians and decided to move to republican states like Mississippi, let’s hope for their sakes they don’t piss off the southern locals with their HORRIBLY OPINIONATED, ARROGANT, DESPICABLE , radical left wing liberal views and forcing them to adapt to their california like political policies.
In 2008 banks decided no more losses for themselves, and ended free market capitalism in the west. they are communists, thats why productivity is gone.
I grew up in the suburbs of Portland, but worked, shopped and walked around in Downtown Portland in my adult life. It was a beautiful clean city. I left 25 years ago, and live in Arizona now. I had no idea this had happened to the city I once loved. Who knew it would actually be true about Portland, that it had become a Democrat wasteland? I believe this is intentional. The party has an Agenda. They have been rigging elections for years, as no one in Multnomah Country or any of the others, for that matter, would continue to vote for the same people that did this to their cities! That allowed Portland to be the headquarters for ANTIFA! Progressive idealism has been infiltrated and is now just a sick Marxist Leftist Extremist self-destructive ideology.
I moved out of N.E. Portland in 2000, I had worked a field service job that took me around downtown (busy, clean, beautiful) every day, but took a high-tech Mfg. job west of the city. I had suspicions that PDX would tailspin due to the stupid anti-capitalist, pseudo-environmentalist socialist-fascist mindset of the cretins that were getting elected (most of the hired bureaucrat jobs had already been taken by Leftist Fascists)... The Portland Water Bureau sent me a bill for $16,476.37 in the months after I moved out, before I was able to sell, a mistake made by their brand-new $25 million dollar billing and meter-reading SW package. From afar I watched Multnomah County pass its very own 'income tax' and the city do their 'art tax' thing... saw Rose City Antifa (Fascist Thugs) shut down the century-old Rose Festival parade because a Republican Party group walked in it (as they always had), so they threatened 'violence'... a precursor to the later atrocities they would commit for years on end.
Imagine the investors, business owners, architects, masons, iron workers, Carpenters, road workers, gardeners and anyone else who poured their time, money, hopes, dreams and life into making portland the beautiful city it once was. And for what? For it to all be sold away in less than two decades, All in perfect condition. With the goal of appeasing the idealogical ideals of "equity" and "tolerance" for the least productive and most spiritually bankrupt caste of our society.
I moved to Portland in 92 from Tacoma, Wa, and fell in love with Portland. It was so bright, prosperous, clean, and vibrant compared to Tacoma. My favorite thing in the 90s was during the holidays to bundle up with friends and family, and walk around pioneer square, drink coffee, do some shopping, just enjoy the vibe. In 03, I moved about 30 miles south of portland but still pass through a few times a year. The city is dead. Trash, druggies, boarded windows, homeless, crime. Everything is dirty and run down. I won't go into the city for any reason without my .38
Seattle has gotten just as bad. I just posted the same thing - If I have to drive thru downtown Seattle I keep my .38 tucked under my leg with the safety off. I also refuse to drive my convertible in downtown now because it's too easy to get robbed in a ragtop. Saw it happen to a car in front of me next to the Space Needle. We were stuck at a red light. Too much cross traffic so the guy in front of me couldn't go anywhere. If you have to stop for a red light you're a sitting duck. What part of Tacoma are you from? I grew up in Gig Harbor. Lived in Tacoma for awhile. When I was young we used to cruise Highland Hill & Point Defiance (Owens Beach) back in the " Olden Days". LOL
I left Portland about the time you arrived for a job in Chicago, and also lived in Tacoma prior to PDX. I remember well the experiences you described living there. So sad. I'm glad for you & yours you got out. BTW, you may want to upgrade that S&W (or whatever) for a .44 Bulldog. You might need that stopping power. Kidding of course. But not really.
Man, when I visited about 20 years ago, "clean" would be the last adjective I'd have used to describe it. There were cigarette butts and needles EvErYwhere. It was awful. So many junkies crawling all over the place.
As a 75 yr old I can say Portland used to be a beautiful, vibrant place. Like all the Pacific West Coast cities it has been deliberately politically wrecked. It's enough to make you cry. What a waste.
Yeah but keep in mind nobody forced anyone to do any of this. They purposely chose and wanted all of this. You ask them today and they'll STILL blame everyone else but themselves who caused all of it. They insist they know better and insist there is no god... Payback is a b!tch!!! You reap what you sow what you grow.
Funny all you west coasters were constantly s**tting on where I live with your superiority now you’re worse. Karma is a bch isn’t it? But the weather is great 😂😂😂😂
There are still plenty good people around. They just leave cities because democrats have designed a way of completely ignoring reality while still wanting to participate.
I bet it was great area. I drove to Mt St Helens from Rochester, NY in July. I saw the best parts of the area. LoL. Swam in Mt runoff for a bath then drove home to NYS, which Im leaving soon.
Looks can be deceiving. People look nice and healthy prosperous attractive and happy on the outside but they could be doing drugs, doing nasty stuff behind closed doors with numerous people... 👀
It really was. I left in 2009. I came back in 2018 excited to see its growth and was shocked at how it wasn't even recognizable. Really sad. One of the best west coast cities back in the day. Hidden gem.
This makes me cry. I’ve lived in Oregon my whole life (72 years), lived in the Portland area for 50 years. I used to love spending time here, it was such a vibrant, beautiful city. We’d spend the day shopping, exploring the museums, taking the trolly or Max to the zoo, or tour the underground city. Now it’s ruined, ugly. Max is not safe. When I have to drive downtown, I keep my doors locked and my windows closed. It looks like they have cleaned up the streets, gotten rid of the tents and drugs, but the city has been ruined. Just makes me cry.
More people should have voted republican. I know that sounds crazy but we have a two party aystem for a reason, if you dont do what the people want then the other guys will threaten to do it. If you have a tribal, one party system that calls the other side the worst things you can think of. So at this point yea, its all the democrats fault.
@NoctilucentArts yeah Omaha, Nebraska, it's at 93% commercial occupancy. In fact Douglas County, county part of Omaha had the highest GDP tying with Austin Texas as the highest GDP during the covid pandemic. Also Omaha funded the police and now has the model Omaha 365 crime program that other cities are trying to model because of how successful. Oh and the Omaha mayor Jean Stothert is a Republican who voted for Trump.
I went to Portland with my dad on a business trip when I was young and I remember it being such a beautiful and vibrant city. This was in 1999 or so…it’s amazing what leftist policies and soros bought DAs can do to nice cities.
I really really hate being forced to entertain conspiracy theories, but DAMN, the decimation of these cities has happened so fast it could only be achieved with deliberate intent, from a plan, by trained saboteurs. (Lot of reasons to doubt that last). Or am I just crazy?
Meier & Frank building (became Macy’s) was Christmas perfection. Families would drive in to shop/walk/enjoy awesome themed Christmas windows and up on top floor was Christmas Land- ornaments, tree decor, Santa and a train kids could ride in suspended from ceiling! GONE SO SAD
I used to have a number of restaurants I called on in downtown Portland as a Salesman. I walked to Meir & Frank (lunch bar), Lipman's (lunch bar), Oyster Bar, Fish Grotto and Huber's. It was a lot of fun every other Friday. I was downtown with my grandkids last Friday. It is a shell of the Portland I used to know. All the businesses I called on are gone with the exception of Oyster Bar and Hubers. I'm sure they will not survive long. It used to be so much fun to go downtown at Christmas time. I didn't hear any Christmas carols being played. Thank you liberals for killing all things good, fun and wholesome. And Portland keeps voting in radical liberals year after year.
@@IvorThomas What was weird about the closed businesses that had been there? Is Macys, Nike (well there's probs there), an independent brewery and restaurant, restaurants, Chicken Wings restaurant, banks, Payless Shoe store, or the open ones still hanging on like: T Mobile, Nordstrom Rack, maybe Sushi weird to you?
*All of the Walmarts in Portland are gone, they all had to shut down due to rampant shoplifting which is still legal in Portland. Now those Walmarts are rotting husks of dead real estate and empty mega parking lots with no future. You can thank anti-capitalist liberals voters for that mess as well.* 😮😂😢
5 years ago downtown Portland was busy, prosperous and full of activity. So sad what has happened. Progressive politics = total ruin. I had to leave and its not even worth visiting any more.
100 days or riots downtown in 2020, many of them very violent, and an open invitation from local governments to homeless from all over the country during the COVID era, and a completely broken local criminal justice system created perfect conditions for the ruination of downtown.
I was born and raised in Portland, 67 now. Walked the police beat in downtown for decades . There was rarely a vacant business or doorway in my time. Liberal B.S., tolerance of criminal behavior and lack of new ideas have destroyed the city. I moved to small town Arizona 8 years ago. Nice, small conservative city. I have great memories of downtown Portland, that's all that's left. Downtown used to be crazy busy. So sad.
15 years ago I started carrying every time I had to go downtown Portland. 10 years ago I stopped going downtown entirely. 8 years ago I left Oregon entirely. Liberals turned Portland into a wasteland.
You can feel the despair in the air in Portland now, everything echoes in the silence. It has always been and has had its problem areas, but now it feels post apocalyptic and very somber. You can feel it through the screen, that feeling is much worse in person.
@@Bf26fge Voting isn't going to fix this problem because it's multi-systemic on purpose. They have their ideas of how they want things to be everywhere and this is only the beginning.
I was stationed at Seattle Sandpoint in the mid to late 80s. Every year I looked forward to going to Portland for the Rose Festival. It was such a beautiful City. It's so sad to see what it's become.
I lived on NW 19th & Irving 1990-94 and walked from one end of the city to the other and no matter the time of day or night, it was safe and clean. Lower Burnside was eyes up while strolling but even so, nothing terrible. What a wonderful time to have experienced Portland. Beautiful memories.
@@LamelKendrick Really says it all because Nike is Oregon's huge business success story. Their shoes fall apart. Asics, New Balance and others are so much better. Keen sandals are also from OR. Super comfortable but they fall apart due to crappy glue.
I live in a Portland suburb and you're right about the ghost town downtown has become. The big marker was 2020. In that year due to protests the Mayor defunded the police, then there were riots and looting of businesses which destroyed (bankrupted) lots of small businesses. Due to the lockdowns there was a huge surge in homeless population, not just downtown, but there too. More recently city leaders are picking up the pieces, they have made some effort to remove homeless people, but they are still cleaning up. Firing police and letting all those small businesses get looted and vandalized really hurt the city. I miss Rock Bottom Brewery too.
The police were never actually defunded. It was smoke & mirrors to appeal to the leftists. For years there was a budget for bodycams, which year after year was not spent. So - since that money wasn't going to spent still, they removed it from that year's budget and then claimed they "defunded" the police. PPB has never gotten anything less than what they request. Police were never fired. Nothing you're saying, aside from the homeless surge, is true.
I’m 10 miles SW of downtown and only go into the city to play pinball, hit up Music Millennium and see concerts. That’s it. Lol. Portland is dead otherwise. It’ll take a very long time for the rebirth to take place, if it happens at all.
@@sadboi7537 What music venues did you go to before downtown? They're all still operating - Dante's, Star Theater, Crystal Ballroom, Lola's Room, etc. The Jack London Review is one of the best jazz rooms in the PNW. Most venues aren't downtown anyway, they're on the east side - Mississippi Studios, Miss Pizza, Alberta Street Pub, Wonder Ballroom, Moda Center, Laurelthirst... Sounds like you never actually went to shows at all and are weirdly complaining about something that hasn't changed.
15 years ago, I loved going to portland. It was an absolute treat... in just the last 6 years alone, progressive policies have turned it into a dystopian nightmare. This is what happens when you essentially legalize crime. The city is more concerned with making criminals comfortable, than keeping the citizens safe. That's not even counting the taxes. Hell, every several months there's new taxes on the West coast. Washington just got a brand new tax to pay for each studded tire in winter. And who drives most? The poor and lower middle class, because they cannot afford to live where they work. Every single new tax is a slap in the face to people who are barely scraping by on the west coast. And yet, if I was an illegal immigrant I could get a prepaid debit card and healthcare. But, I guess since I'm a citizen I don't get any of that. Sub 30k per year, in a state where a 100K is considered middle-class. And yet, somehow they continue to raise the cost of living even when prices of goods go down. I don't know how much of this crap needs to happen before people realize the Democrat Party is not doing anything for us in the lower and lower middle class.? In fact, it appears as though they are doing everything they can to make sure we never get out of poverty. Then taking our money and giving it to people who aren't even citizens. I would rather my money go to support veteran programs, that I would support. Then again, when you look at the people Marching In the streets, none of them are poor. They're all entitled rich kids who went to university, got radicalized, then run around complaining about the policies the poor are attempting to enact to get them out of poverty. The party claiming to be "the party of love and inclusiveness", Are the ones spewing hatred towards anyone who disagrees with them. I don't see hate coming from the other side of the aisle, I see the hate coming from one specific side. And unfortunately, the rich and title college kids have made it very apparent that they hate the poor. They don't dislike them, they hate them. And they are the only party endorsing violence.
Businesses can’t survive with the crime. Broadway dispensary opened, one week later was broken into and trashed. Two weeks later the building is for sale. They couldn’t even last a month.
@@thurstonrider had no clue there were republicans ruling in Portland in the last decade? The last one was a soy boy fruity weirdo and now a butchy lesbian. I think a Antifa supporter was running too before?
Greetings from Germany…. All over the Same…worse in the US but Europe is always later, but you can see it already over here.. especially Germany, France and Italy…. Everything known is gone….we have to fasten our belt very tight.. difficult times ahead
Hi from Bavaria Germany, I can definitely confirm that. The increase in business closures is reaching alarming proportions, even in small towns. There are many construction projects that have been started, often all that remains is a full construction pit and then no progress can be seen. In Bavaria there are still no problems with homeless people camping in tents and drugs are not a big problem in the woke cities of Berlin, Hamburg and Frankfurt However, that is an issue. In some places, the lost youth are already trying to recreate street takeovers; insurance contracts for cars are currently rising immeasurably. Since Corona, a wave of bankruptcies has been rolling in, which is gaining momentum, short-time work and unemployment are increasing. Our incompetent government has just dismantled it, the next one will only accelerate the decline. There are definitely difficult times ahead...  Feedback
@@marcjohnson9270 It's called "leading economic indicators" Things like inverted yield curves, new building permits, manufacturing orders, etc. Currently the leading indicators are pointing to a weak economy in the near term.
I remember how our downtown looked like this in the 80s. The restaurants were only open for breakfast snd lunch and closed on the weekend because nobody hung around after work. It took a long time to revitalize downtown and together people to want to live there.
As we all watched the riots (oh, excuse me, peaceful protests) persist, and allowed to persist, for as much as a year, about half of the U.S. population knew this would be the result. What exactly the other half was thinking is beyond me.
The other half lack absolute moral. It is considered beneficial and compassionate in those corners, but over time they fail to act on and correct problems.
After 17 years in Lake Oswego, my wife and I left for Eastern Washington. Taxes are lower, traffic much better, nicer people, better homes and on and on. Portland is a shit hole and Oregon as a state is way over rated. Have lived in Kennewick for 15 months now and love it more and more.
I remember taking the ferry from Bremerton to Seattle as a child ( I am 62) and having a ball with other 9-10 year old friends . It was completely safe .
Seattle has turned into a total CHIT HOLE. I won't even drive my convertible in downtown Seattle anymore because it's too easy to get robbed in a ragtop. Now If I have to drive thru downtown I ALWAYS keep my .38 tucked under my leg with the safety off. Gone are the days of taking the ferry to Seattle & walking to one of the stadiums to catch a Mariners or Seahawks game (unless you've got a personal bodyguard that's 6'8" & 350 lbs). I worked in downtown in the 80's & 90's. After work and on weekends there was NO PROBLEM hiking around on foot to go bar hopping from Pike Place to the Space Needle, Pioneer Square, the comedy clubs on 3rd, the Waterfront & even as far as Lake Union. Even after the bars closed at 2-3 AM wearing all my expensive jewelry and NEVER ONCE ever felt unsafe or had a problem. Libtards have DESTROYED this once beautiful State. 😢 Most of the State is red. Unfortunately King County (Seattle) keeps voting blue. If we got rid of the mail in ballots I have a feeling Libtards wouldn't keep getting voted in. The corruption is strong here. 😡
I can confirm this. It is a piss filled area now. Walking downtown in the summer especially along 1st Ave in August is excruciating! The aroma of urine is overpowering at times and that’s where all the tourists go for underground city tours! What it must smell like down there considering the direction piss flows… And the mayor and the people who keep voting for the same party will never take responsibility for the situation and just blame others that have nothing to do with how their city is run.
@@williamrowlands1789 SENSE OAR SHIP is still strong! Got notification regarding my comment here but it seems to have pissadeared. Evidently, describing the current state of downtown Seattle is not allowed. 😡🤬😡
As a Native Portlander of 37 yrs. This city is a bit better than a handful years of go. But it seems like its on the brink of collapse. We have been failed by or politicians and ourselves! Too many want to keep the madness going and not to make a hard change. As a city, we need to do a lot of reflection and stop repeating the same mistakes. Portland in the 90s n n 00s was a gem!
I moved here in 96 from LA. I would drive through the city almost every week just to admire the architecture and the vibrancy of the city. It would remind me of the old movies I like to watch of the 30s and 40s in downtown New York City.And then the riots started happening and nobody went to jail. Liberal policies and politicians killed another vibrant city. Just like Detroit, Portland is circling the drain, unfortunately. What a beautiful city, and Democrats killed it.
Early 1960's, dad would sometimes take me to his downtown PDX office on weekdays. I can still see those same streets you're walking BUSTLING with people, window displays everywhere and the smells of the coffee shops and restaurants. Another world.... all GONE!!!!
Albuquerque, New Mexico looks the SAME. I live in a nearby Village that has nothing but, Taco and Fast Food Mexican style. Catalog the owners of these places.
COVID had little to do with it. if portland decided crime was OK it means commerce will cease. the main function of proper governance is keeping the peace and enforcement of contract.
@@kurtgandenberger6139 Eh I think COVID has more to do with it than you think it does. Certainly policy/crime is involved, but A: COVID taught most people they can work from home and B: the market has moved more and more to just shopping online. There is less and less of a reason to exist in cities from a work perspective and from a shopping perspective, and when the workers/shoppers leave the businesses that support them also leave. It is the same reason malls have all been dying out. I think the real problem is a convergence of both things, policy/crime and simply there being a lack of need for cities anymore as we move to a more online society.
I visited a friend I went to High School in Pennsylvania back in 2015 in Portland. There was stores and restaurants every corner then. The only negative place back then was the park in front of Portland State University. There were druggies hanging out and or living most of the time in the park. Blue cities across the country are all failed now. They blew it on a grand scale.
I worked downtown from 2017 until 2020. It wasn't just the riots. A lot of businesses pulled out their office workers during COVID, and have not returned. My employer was one of them. The reality is, most "office" work doesn't require people actually be in a central office, given technology. And retail is dead now that Amazon will bring everything to your door. A lot of those "closed" businesses have moved out to the suburbs, where customers are. And a lot of them left before the riots. Rock Bottom left before the riots, before COVID - driven out by high rent. Dense urban areas are not ever coming back, despite what anyone says.
Pittsburgh is getting to look like this in the downtown section. A lot of the shops are gone/closed up. The major department stores left, and their large buildings have been converted into apartments, some of the hotels have been converted into condos or apartments… It’s not a place you wanna be walking after sunset
Metal Leo, in answer to your question: Vacant retail space is called "2nd generation" when it has already been built out by a previous tenant. Second- generation spaces can be advantageous for new tenants and owners because they come with existing infrastructure items. For example, a restaurant space that was previously occupied may have a hood, ventilation system, grease trap, and plumbing with lots of drains. This can save new tenants time and money on construction and build-out costs. Fyi - The majority of those vacant buildings you passed by on your video tour of downtown Portland, Oregon, are now completely bank owned properties, as the previous owners of them defaulted on their mortgages. This is also true for San Francisco, Los Angeles, and other fiscally declining cities.
@@roarbertbearatheon8565 Keep in mind those banks experienced major red ink in accepting those properties by bankruptcy. The loans they made were from a time when property values were MUCH higher. No bank likes red ink. The collapse of commercial real-estate is drawing several banks to the edge of collapse. Summary: Bank owned does not mean big profits for banks.
@@addertooth1 Don't worry. In the future all banks are Wells Fargo. By the way, Wells Fargo just put Wendy Williams under conservatorship. Yes, you're bank can declare you mentally incompetent now and assign someone else to 'watch' your money.
RIP Portland. Thanks for the video. What happened to a city I once loved? We left 11 years ago. Lived there for 28 years. I no longer recognize Portland. I lived downtown and went to school at Portland State University during the great 1990's. Lived on the park blocks, and I loved it. Cafes, bars, restaurants all hopping and full of people. Portland in 2024 is officially dead. It used to be so nice. Gone is once awesome Rock Bottom Brewery. The Cheerful Tortoise. Spent many a fun evening in Downtown back then. Everything is boarded up and closed.
I lived in Portland for 14 years and moved to Florida in 1990. I could not imagine ever living there again. Portland is just a shell of what it was when I lived there. Kinda sad.
All around the "West" cities are in decline, boundless immigration, woke politics, spending 100s of billions for geostrategic wars instead of spending it for the own society. The decline since the 80s in every regard in every country of Western Europe and Northern America is amazing...
I remember like in 2015 the streets were so crowded during the day that you had to push through to get into the stores. Now there's about 100th the foot traffic, and all the little stores are GONE.
We drive around Portland these days, avoid it like the plague. We used to eat and shop and otherwise recreate in portland at least 2 days a month, often more. For the last 7 years, not a dime of my money or a second of my time spent there. All my friends and family have moved to the suburbs or farther away....or are in the process. Liberal stranglehold, the slow death is almost complete.
Im someone who was born and raised in oakland...recently, i had the opportunity to get out for good ,i feel like ive been tryna escape for years. Ironically, im escaping to Portland. I fell in love because the city seemed clean and safe and relatively healthy, compared to the fever-dream hell oakland has become. Just goes to show how much the bay area can skew your perceptions. Love your videos dude,my dad and i watch them together all the time, anytime we driving around were saying "gone now" and "for lease" lol.
I visited Portland 2 months ago. I couldn't believe how awful it looks now. Back when I lived there 15 years ago it was vibrant, clean, and lively. Now it's covered in graffiti and the downtown is completely empty. It's so eerie.
Downtown Portland used to be a fun place to go out with friends. I used to go maybe 3x a month to eat at restaurants or go shopping. I haven’t been there for over 6 years
Downtowns are toast! here in Boston MA so many high rises are sitting empty and the tax revenue is gone!! They are gonna raise taxes on house holds.....what do you think I'maa do.....move!!
@@JanuaryRapture It sure is a liberal hell hole. I am so sick of seeing men in dresses. Unfortunately I'm trapped here. I have no car, no money and to get on a Greyhound, I would have to give away almost all my clothes because you can't take much when you travel Greyhound.
My mother lived in Portland for nearly 20 years, then moved to Beaverton for safety reasons. Used to a thrilling experience to visit downtown, but never again will I go there.
LOL, but seriously, for the average healthy person, boosters have shown no benefit. You only need them if you're immuno-compromised, which is just a tiny fraction of the population.
@@marcjohnson9270 In 2008 banks decided no more losses for themselves, and ended free market capitalism in the west. your nation went communist. nobody can compete with a bank that can print unlimited money ?
Used to visit Portland regularly, but last visit was shocking - none of the restaurants or stores we used to frequent were left, literally every sidewalk had homeless living in tents on it, and there were non-stop incidents everywhere we went. Sad.
Crime. Organized crime has taken control of most of our governments. They run drugs and traffic women and children and other contraband, like weapons and defense technology. Then they launder those monies through insider stock market trading, funding wars, other government-funded research projects, NGOs, "charity" foundations etc. They pay officials lower down (like the mayor and city council of Portland) to shut up and take orders. And of course, they raise taxes. Ultimately, they DON'T CARE if cities and states "run" or not. They don't care about people at all. The smarter among them know that the end result will be the return of feudal society (with a "1984" surveillance flair.) This will consist of: one, a vast, barely surviving worker class, inured to poverty, numbed, dumbed down and programmed by the state-owned media machine to conform and obey. Two, a small, uberwealthy elite class who control everything, and a slightly larger, slightly privileged servant class (in marxism they're called the "useful idiots") who do their dirty work for them. This situation is further complicated by the presence of various hostile foreign entities--governments, religious fanatics, billionaire oligarchs, criminal syndicates etc., who also have a strong interest in deconstructing the west for their own gain, and who are constantly striving to weaken, exploit, destabilize and plunder us and our resources. The reason why criminals have infiltrated our universities and destroyed creative, critical thinking, and flooded our countries with vast numbers of immigrants from cultures they KNOW to be less humane, less civilized, far more violent and inimical to our western values, is to disrupt our society and destroy our educated, free thinking middle class--those who would most strongly oppose them, maybe even stop them. IMO it's hopeless at this point. I think that individuals like Trump may be able to produce some brief upturns and small victories, but I don't see them winning the war, because they are not ruthless enough. And it IS a war. Make no mistake about that.
The weather every winter is rain and 40 - 50⁰ or clear and cold as shit. Last night my car washing bucket of water was frozen solid on the top inch. I miss the old Portland i grew up in!! Californians moved up here and brought their policies with them.
I was in that area 2 days ago with kids on a school bus to visit PSU after a 2 hour drive. I was too busy trying to navigate the traffic to notice how many of the stores were closed. I remember when portland was a fun place to visit, now I couldn't wait to get out that mess. Thanks for showing how it really is.
During Covid all over Southern California you couldn’t find a restroom to use. Everyone would put signs “out of order” cuz the kids didn’t want to clean them or get sick Those were scary times. It showed the true colors of people.
This was bound to happen regardless of political party. The GOP let a goof in the White House who failed to take action on COV-ID. The Dems thought going soft on crime and defunding the police was a smart move. Both parties are to blame along with the Amazon crowds.
This is proof how important who you vote for is, got to look into their record of service. You need leaders who want to serve and have great common sense and buget knowlege while keeping businesses /ecomomy safe. Another reason you must have laws to enforce and police to carry out against those who want to comitt crimes, and keep places safe and people. You remove law, ecomomic prosperity, and throwing budget away on stupid things. This is what you get left. No one who wants to stay and live here. Want better, change it.
the situation seems to have escalated in many cities in the USA but here in Europe we are a little behind but I am starting to see this more and more in Sweden too, in some of the big shopping malls many shops have closed and this is noticed in the media sometimes where the cause is blamed on high rents and inflation but it will get worse I feel.
Lived in portland since 92, everyone knows how awesome the city used to be. What's most shocking about this, is that no one is talking about it? It's not on the local news at all? This is unbelievable, the city is essentially gone! No business and no people. Crazy!! Used to be bustling!
![Seungmin "그렇게, 천천히, 우리(As we are)" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/kAzmhLHePqU/mqdefault.jpg)
And the best part about Portland, the county keep raising taxes on businesses and residents. I've never seen a city dig its own grave so effectively.
Their residents voted for all this: the crime, riots and burning buildings; the tax increases, the feckless milquetoast mayor and city clown-cils. All of it.
2008 banks decided they cant lose, and effectively ended all free markets in the west,
turning to state communism as the future solution. Here are the trappings of communism.
Detroit in the 80's
@@JustMeNoOther yep, thank the Portland voters who pass every single measure that hits the ballot. Then they are dumbfounded when everyone moves across the bridge to Vancouver, WA and downtown PDX is a ghost city.
When I was buying a new house back in 18, I wanted Portland metro ( Washington/ Clackamas county). I told my realtor that anything in Multnomah County is a no-go. Dont bother showing me .
You get what you vote for. Tribalism is so strong in Portland it is doomed forever. The voters will never change. That would require a look in the mirror and they’re too arrogant for that. So glad we left 20 years ago.
We cannot vote our way out of what they're up to.
If the same Portland Oregon residents who voted for the same shitty politicians and decided to move to republican states like Mississippi, let’s hope for their sakes they don’t piss off the southern locals with their HORRIBLY OPINIONATED, ARROGANT, DESPICABLE , radical left wing liberal views and forcing them to adapt to their california like political policies.
@websurfer5772 No. Evacuate. I did. You can't fix them and they'll never fix themselves.
You have a large number of PSU and other Oregon universities who brainwash students to vote democrat. It will not change!
Tribalism is right. The homeless industrial complex is downtowns largest employer. We've turned the CBD into one giant psyche ward. :/
And the mayor thinks this is fine. No business wants to open in a run down shit hole.
@@MatthewJamesKent Not even the nice new shiny airport terminal will save them.
What is wrong with that guy, I wonder.
In 2008 banks decided no more losses for themselves, and ended free market capitalism in the west. they are communists, thats why productivity is gone.
@@denverdubois5835the new guy seems horrible too
@@Electrodexifyhave you been to PDX? Its trash
I grew up in the suburbs of Portland, but worked, shopped and walked around in Downtown Portland in my adult life. It was a beautiful clean city. I left 25 years ago, and live in Arizona now. I had no idea this had happened to the city I once loved. Who knew it would actually be true about Portland, that it had become a Democrat wasteland? I believe this is intentional. The party has an Agenda. They have been rigging elections for years, as no one in Multnomah Country or any of the others, for that matter, would continue to vote for the same people that did this to their cities! That allowed Portland to be the headquarters for ANTIFA! Progressive idealism has been infiltrated and is now just a sick Marxist Leftist Extremist self-destructive ideology.
I moved out of N.E. Portland in 2000, I had worked a field service job that took me around downtown (busy, clean, beautiful) every day, but took a high-tech Mfg. job west of the city. I had suspicions that PDX would tailspin due to the stupid anti-capitalist, pseudo-environmentalist socialist-fascist mindset of the cretins that were getting elected (most of the hired bureaucrat jobs had already been taken by Leftist Fascists)... The Portland Water Bureau sent me a bill for $16,476.37 in the months after I moved out, before I was able to sell, a mistake made by their brand-new $25 million dollar billing and meter-reading SW package. From afar I watched Multnomah County pass its very own 'income tax' and the city do their 'art tax' thing... saw Rose City Antifa (Fascist Thugs) shut down the century-old Rose Festival parade because a Republican Party group walked in it (as they always had), so they threatened 'violence'... a precursor to the later atrocities they would commit for years on end.
and now Arizona is turning into Portland because the rich democrats moved there
Did you have your head up your azz during the blm riots?
Imagine the investors, business owners, architects, masons, iron workers, Carpenters, road workers, gardeners and anyone else who poured their time, money, hopes, dreams and life into making portland the beautiful city it once was.
And for what?
For it to all be sold away in less than two decades, All in perfect condition. With the goal of appeasing the idealogical ideals of "equity" and "tolerance" for the least productive and most spiritually bankrupt caste of our society.
That is the whole point of the communists who occupy and run the city. Read my comment in the main thread.
No future for the scholars.
NO FUTURE FOR THE W.E.F. PUPPETS.
I moved to Portland in 92 from Tacoma, Wa, and fell in love with Portland. It was so bright, prosperous, clean, and vibrant compared to Tacoma. My favorite thing in the 90s was during the holidays to bundle up with friends and family, and walk around pioneer square, drink coffee, do some shopping, just enjoy the vibe. In 03, I moved about 30 miles south of portland but still pass through a few times a year. The city is dead. Trash, druggies, boarded windows, homeless, crime. Everything is dirty and run down. I won't go into the city for any reason without my .38
Seattle has gotten just as bad.
I just posted the same thing - If I have to drive thru downtown Seattle I keep my .38 tucked under my leg with the safety off.
I also refuse to drive my convertible in downtown now because it's too easy to get robbed in a ragtop. Saw it happen to a car in front of me next to the Space Needle. We were stuck at a red light. Too much cross traffic so the guy in front of me couldn't go anywhere.
If you have to stop for a red light you're a sitting duck.
What part of Tacoma are you from? I grew up in Gig Harbor. Lived in Tacoma for awhile. When I was young we used to cruise Highland Hill & Point Defiance (Owens Beach) back in the " Olden Days". LOL
Dem policies have really ruined many big west coast cities. Inexcusable!
I left Portland about the time you arrived for a job in Chicago, and also lived in Tacoma prior to PDX. I remember well the experiences you described living there. So sad. I'm glad for you & yours you got out. BTW, you may want to upgrade that S&W (or whatever) for a .44 Bulldog. You might need that stopping power. Kidding of course. But not really.
Man, when I visited about 20 years ago, "clean" would be the last adjective I'd have used to describe it. There were cigarette butts and needles EvErYwhere. It was awful. So many junkies crawling all over the place.
@@HeartTurnedToStoneI lived in Burien for the first 10 years of life. I don't wanna know how bad it is now.
As a 75 yr old I can say Portland used to be a beautiful, vibrant place. Like all the Pacific West Coast cities it has been deliberately politically wrecked. It's enough to make you cry. What a waste.
Yeah but keep in mind nobody forced anyone to do any of this. They purposely chose and wanted all of this. You ask them today and they'll STILL blame everyone else but themselves who caused all of it. They insist they know better and insist there is no god...
Payback is a b!tch!!! You reap what you sow what you grow.
Funny all you west coasters were constantly s**tting on where I live with your superiority now you’re worse. Karma is a bch isn’t it?
But the weather is great 😂😂😂😂
There are still plenty good people around. They just leave cities because democrats have designed a way of completely ignoring reality while still wanting to participate.
When I was younger I always wanted to live there. Now at 62 I wouldn't even want to visit.
I bet it was great area. I drove to Mt St Helens from Rochester, NY in July. I saw the best parts of the area. LoL. Swam in Mt runoff for a bath then drove home to NYS, which Im leaving soon.
I used to work there and it was a darling, cheerful, rose-filled little city. Now it looks like a zombie video game.
Every major after Vera Katz helped destroy portland
what do you expect US is being led by Zombie Joe!
Out of 350m americans the best America can do is to choose between a Zombie and a Groper!!!!!!
Looks can be deceiving. People look nice and healthy prosperous attractive and happy on the outside but they could be doing drugs, doing nasty stuff behind closed doors with numerous people... 👀
Democrats did this to us.
It really was. I left in 2009. I came back in 2018 excited to see its growth and was shocked at how it wasn't even recognizable. Really sad. One of the best west coast cities back in the day. Hidden gem.
This makes me cry. I’ve lived in Oregon my whole life (72 years), lived in the Portland area for 50 years. I used to love spending time here, it was such a vibrant, beautiful city. We’d spend the day shopping, exploring the museums, taking the trolly or Max to the zoo, or tour the underground city. Now it’s ruined, ugly. Max is not safe. When I have to drive downtown, I keep my doors locked and my windows closed. It looks like they have cleaned up the streets, gotten rid of the tents and drugs, but the city has been ruined. Just makes me cry.
And yet you still vote DEMOCRAT.
More people should have voted republican. I know that sounds crazy but we have a two party aystem for a reason, if you dont do what the people want then the other guys will threaten to do it. If you have a tribal, one party system that calls the other side the worst things you can think of. So at this point yea, its all the democrats fault.
Downtown is dead for sure. The drug addicts and homeless are mostly on the east side now, and it is a disgusting shit pit.
Looks like Olympia, the blue wave washes away all prosperity.
BINGO, and Yet the Smart People Do NOTHING About It. WHY?
@stevew1851 it is all by design. Someone has much to gain.
Olympia Washington? If so yeah only things to do in Olympia is 1 dollars random tattoos and watch the homeless bath in the artisanal water fountain.
The mainstream media doesn't show this for sure.
Unless a major crime happens in this area.
They caused it
@@ochogeek They are sure showing the shiny new airport terminal of Portland but no word on how "vibrant" Portland is
@@Electrodexify The average vacancy rate in every downtown area in the US is 30%. Can you find a city which has less than 20% post-pandemic?
@NoctilucentArts yeah Omaha, Nebraska, it's at 93% commercial occupancy. In fact Douglas County, county part of Omaha had the highest GDP tying with Austin Texas as the highest GDP during the covid pandemic.
Also Omaha funded the police and now has the model Omaha 365 crime program that other cities are trying to model because of how successful. Oh and the Omaha mayor Jean Stothert is a Republican who voted for Trump.
I went to Portland with my dad on a business trip when I was young and I remember it being such a beautiful and vibrant city. This was in 1999 or so…it’s amazing what leftist policies and soros bought DAs can do to nice cities.
Interesting you say 1999. I always tell people it was Y2K (2000) when humanity/west coast cities abruptly changed- I think it was meth.
@@robotlife2025 Nah- liberal policies for sure. EVERY single place that is controlled by the left is a cesspool
I really really hate being forced to entertain conspiracy theories, but DAMN, the decimation of these cities has happened so fast it could only be achieved with deliberate intent, from a plan, by trained saboteurs. (Lot of reasons to doubt that last).
Or am I just crazy?
Elections have consequences.
Portland is for sure CLOSED NOW!
GONE NOW!
@araonna yup
Watch leftist youtubers say that Portland is vibrant and thar there are no issues
@Electrodexify yep
The average vacancy rate in every downtown area in the US is 30%. There's nothing unique about Portland.
Meier & Frank building (became Macy’s) was Christmas perfection. Families would drive in to shop/walk/enjoy awesome themed Christmas windows and up on top floor was Christmas Land- ornaments, tree decor, Santa and a train kids could ride in suspended from ceiling! GONE
SO SAD
I used to have a number of restaurants I called on in downtown Portland as a Salesman. I walked to Meir & Frank (lunch bar), Lipman's (lunch bar), Oyster Bar, Fish Grotto and Huber's. It was a lot of fun every other Friday. I was downtown with my grandkids last Friday. It is a shell of the Portland I used to know. All the businesses I called on are gone with the exception of Oyster Bar and Hubers. I'm sure they will not survive long. It used to be so much fun to go downtown at Christmas time. I didn't hear any Christmas carols being played. Thank you liberals for killing all things good, fun and wholesome. And Portland keeps voting in radical liberals year after year.
They kept Portland weird. And the sane business owners are GONE.
Weird isn’t working
You can still be weird and functional. Socialism isn't weird, it's whack.
@ if weird is all you got, then it’s a problem
@@IvorThomas What was weird about the closed businesses that had been there?
Is Macys, Nike (well there's probs there), an independent brewery and restaurant, restaurants, Chicken Wings restaurant, banks, Payless Shoe store, or the open ones still hanging on like:
T Mobile, Nordstrom Rack, maybe Sushi weird to you?
*All of the Walmarts in Portland are gone, they all had to shut down due to rampant shoplifting which is still legal in Portland. Now those Walmarts are rotting husks of dead real estate and empty mega parking lots with no future. You can thank anti-capitalist liberals voters for that mess as well.* 😮😂😢
5 years ago downtown Portland was busy, prosperous and full of activity. So sad what has happened. Progressive politics = total ruin. I had to leave and its not even worth visiting any more.
@@dtrain5171 yup
100 days or riots downtown in 2020, many of them very violent, and an open invitation from local governments to homeless from all over the country during the COVID era, and a completely broken local criminal justice system created perfect conditions for the ruination of downtown.
@yelapa999 yup
2019-2022 var med all sannolikhet planerat och enbart subversivt.
Jag hoppas att de flesta vet vad subversivt betyder!!!!.
@@yelapa999that's misinformation. The news outlets say the protests were mostly peaceful and the attack of the government buildings was justified.
I was born and raised in Portland, 67 now. Walked the police beat in downtown for decades . There was rarely a vacant business or doorway in my time. Liberal B.S., tolerance of criminal behavior and lack of new ideas have destroyed the city. I moved to small town Arizona 8 years ago. Nice, small conservative city. I have great memories of downtown Portland, that's all that's left. Downtown used to be crazy busy. So sad.
Don't worry Trumps gonna make it great again
A big-"Salute-for-your-Service"--Sir--people like you are our "Real-Americans"--& sorely missed now-days-!!
@@kenoreyna4593 It's a hell of a lot likelier to happen under Trump than it would have been under Harris, that's for sure.
@@ConfusedCobra-qt1nv Wow, sounds like we were in a lot of the same places!
Like a realtor in a small town in AZ told me what makes his town really nice…”It’s what we don’t have here that makes it nice”
I’m a fifth generation native Oregonian. I hate what the Democrats have done to this state.
Democrats are just dupes of the people who really run the country. We can't talk about who they are, but they wear funny looking little hats
15 years ago I started carrying every time I had to go downtown Portland. 10 years ago I stopped going downtown entirely. 8 years ago I left Oregon entirely. Liberals turned Portland into a wasteland.
You can feel the despair in the air in Portland now, everything echoes in the silence.
It has always been and has had its problem areas, but now it feels post apocalyptic and very somber.
You can feel it through the screen, that feeling is much worse in person.
So why do you all continue to vote for leftists?
@@Bf26fge Voting isn't going to fix this problem because it's multi-systemic on purpose. They have their ideas of how they want things to be everywhere and this is only the beginning.
@Bf26fge Conditioning from academia, reinforced by media to despise "the status quo", in other words, the American middle class and American history.
@@Bf26fgeBecause they are evil.
The liquor store and the Recovery Center is open. A vicious cycle. Happy Holidays to you Metal Leo !!!!🌲
You got that right! Happy holidays!
That sounds like Keyne's pump priming. We pay someone to dig a hole and someone else to fill it in lol
OLCC needs its money!
One thing that amazes me about many of these areas is that the buildings are not old and decrepit. Thay are often in very good shape.
I guess it doesn't take long to destroy a city with woke policies.
For Now
@@Ignas0000 Only 4 years!
search "portland 2020 riots", you will see why
its a lack of foot traffic. The bums dont have money to spend and rents are too high.
I was stationed at Seattle Sandpoint in the mid to late 80s. Every year I looked forward to going to Portland for the Rose Festival. It was such a beautiful City. It's so sad to see what it's become.
I lived on NW 19th & Irving 1990-94 and walked from one end of the city to the other and no matter the time of day or night, it was safe and clean. Lower Burnside was eyes up while strolling but even so, nothing terrible. What a wonderful time to have experienced Portland. Beautiful memories.
Great job Leo. You're making a big difference exposing this reality.Thanks for the content.Sir George from north Idaho.
Thanks, Sir George!
surprised no comments about the Nike store. obviously its not coming soon. its smoke in mirrors
@@LamelKendrick Really says it all because Nike is Oregon's huge business success story. Their shoes fall apart. Asics, New Balance and others are so much better. Keen sandals are also from OR. Super comfortable but they fall apart due to crappy glue.
@@NormanStansfield1 i'm sure they're thriving in eugene
@NormanStansfield1 Love Asics,Bought them to work as Nurse ..awesome.
I live in a Portland suburb and you're right about the ghost town downtown has become. The big marker was 2020. In that year due to protests the Mayor defunded the police, then there were riots and looting of businesses which destroyed (bankrupted) lots of small businesses. Due to the lockdowns there was a huge surge in homeless population, not just downtown, but there too. More recently city leaders are picking up the pieces, they have made some effort to remove homeless people, but they are still cleaning up. Firing police and letting all those small businesses get looted and vandalized really hurt the city. I miss Rock Bottom Brewery too.
The police were never actually defunded. It was smoke & mirrors to appeal to the leftists. For years there was a budget for bodycams, which year after year was not spent. So - since that money wasn't going to spent still, they removed it from that year's budget and then claimed they "defunded" the police. PPB has never gotten anything less than what they request. Police were never fired. Nothing you're saying, aside from the homeless surge, is true.
and the leaders are buying the property cheap, we sold to a shell corp, that tracks back to Wheelers non profit.
@@jacobjackddd You should email Willamette Week with that info, if it's true.
I’m 10 miles SW of downtown and only go into the city to play pinball, hit up Music Millennium and see concerts. That’s it. Lol. Portland is dead otherwise. It’ll take a very long time for the rebirth to take place, if it happens at all.
@@sadboi7537 What music venues did you go to before downtown? They're all still operating - Dante's, Star Theater, Crystal Ballroom, Lola's Room, etc. The Jack London Review is one of the best jazz rooms in the PNW. Most venues aren't downtown anyway, they're on the east side - Mississippi Studios, Miss Pizza, Alberta Street Pub, Wonder Ballroom, Moda Center, Laurelthirst... Sounds like you never actually went to shows at all and are weirdly complaining about something that hasn't changed.
Leo, thank you for the giant dose of reality that your videos bring to us from places that I would never see in person. You are our eyes.
You’re welcome! I’m just trying to point out the truth.
@@LeoMetalTraveler I really appreciate what you're doing too, Leo. Thank you. 🌟
15 years ago, I loved going to portland. It was an absolute treat... in just the last 6 years alone, progressive policies have turned it into a dystopian nightmare. This is what happens when you essentially legalize crime. The city is more concerned with making criminals comfortable, than keeping the citizens safe. That's not even counting the taxes. Hell, every several months there's new taxes on the West coast. Washington just got a brand new tax to pay for each studded tire in winter. And who drives most? The poor and lower middle class, because they cannot afford to live where they work. Every single new tax is a slap in the face to people who are barely scraping by on the west coast. And yet, if I was an illegal immigrant I could get a prepaid debit card and healthcare. But, I guess since I'm a citizen I don't get any of that. Sub 30k per year, in a state where a 100K is considered middle-class. And yet, somehow they continue to raise the cost of living even when prices of goods go down. I don't know how much of this crap needs to happen before people realize the Democrat Party is not doing anything for us in the lower and lower middle class.? In fact, it appears as though they are doing everything they can to make sure we never get out of poverty. Then taking our money and giving it to people who aren't even citizens. I would rather my money go to support veteran programs, that I would support. Then again, when you look at the people Marching In the streets, none of them are poor. They're all entitled rich kids who went to university, got radicalized, then run around complaining about the policies the poor are attempting to enact to get them out of poverty. The party claiming to be "the party of love and inclusiveness", Are the ones spewing hatred towards anyone who disagrees with them. I don't see hate coming from the other side of the aisle, I see the hate coming from one specific side. And unfortunately, the rich and title college kids have made it very apparent that they hate the poor. They don't dislike them, they hate them. And they are the only party endorsing violence.
Democrat or republican,makes no difference,it's unified satanic agenda.voting is an illusion.
Businesses can’t survive with the crime. Broadway dispensary opened, one week later was broken into and trashed. Two weeks later the building is for sale. They couldn’t even last a month.
DEMOCRATS DID THIS!
Fentynal did this, but the Democratics opened the border and let it flood in. The Dems are club Lucy and they serve their dark master.
And some GOPs as well. The main culprits are all online ordering from Amazon.
@thurstonrider nah. They are going to their Masonic meetings.
How is Amazon the reason voting in democrats that allowed drugs and made crimes not criminal that's the problem.
@@thurstonrider had no clue there were republicans ruling in Portland in the last decade? The last one was a soy boy fruity weirdo and now a butchy lesbian. I think a Antifa supporter was running too before?
payless....now pay nothing
😁
joyless
Payless went under before pandemic
@@holyfireholdingspace888 There's a long game afoot.
Greetings from Germany…. All over the Same…worse in the US but Europe is always later, but you can see it already over here.. especially Germany, France and Italy…. Everything known is gone….we have to fasten our belt very tight.. difficult times ahead
Oh wow! Thanks for sharing
Hi from Bavaria Germany, I can definitely confirm that. The increase in business closures is reaching alarming proportions, even in small towns. There are many construction projects that have been started, often all that remains is a full construction pit and then no progress can be seen. In Bavaria there are still no problems with homeless people camping in tents and drugs are not a big problem in the woke cities of Berlin, Hamburg and Frankfurt However, that is an issue. In some places, the lost youth are already trying to recreate street takeovers; insurance contracts for cars are currently rising immeasurably. Since Corona, a wave of bankruptcies has been rolling in, which is gaining momentum, short-time work and unemployment are increasing. Our incompetent government has just dismantled it, the next one will only accelerate the decline. There are definitely difficult times ahead...

Feedback
All NATO member countries infected with Ecumenism and LGBTQA+++++++++
Where can I get one of those crystal balls?
@@marcjohnson9270 It's called "leading economic indicators" Things like inverted yield curves, new building permits, manufacturing orders, etc. Currently the leading indicators are pointing to a weak economy in the near term.
I remember how our downtown looked like this in the 80s. The restaurants were only open for breakfast snd lunch and closed on the weekend because nobody hung around after work. It took a long time to revitalize downtown and together people to want to live there.
"Peaceful protests" and taxes.
As we all watched the riots (oh, excuse me, peaceful protests) persist, and allowed to persist, for as much as a year, about half of the U.S. population knew this would be the result. What exactly the other half was thinking is beyond me.
They were getting their winged monkey Soros and Brown money.
The other half lack absolute moral. It is considered beneficial and compassionate in those corners, but over time they fail to act on and correct problems.
Even the homeless people have left it's that bad.
After 17 years in Lake Oswego, my wife and I left for Eastern Washington. Taxes are lower, traffic much better, nicer people, better homes and on and on. Portland is a shit hole and Oregon as a state is way over rated. Have lived in Kennewick for 15 months now and love it more and more.
For many years, some of my favorite cities to visit were San Francisco, Seattle, and Portland. Today, you could not pay me to visit any of them. 😢😢😢
Should do a report from downtown Seattle. Hear its just as bad and deserted as Portland....but more homeless everywhere.
I remember taking the ferry from Bremerton to Seattle as a child ( I am 62) and having a ball with other 9-10 year old friends . It was completely safe .
Seattle has turned into a total CHIT HOLE.
I won't even drive my convertible in downtown Seattle anymore because it's too easy to get robbed in a ragtop. Now If I have to drive thru downtown I ALWAYS keep my .38 tucked under my leg with the safety off.
Gone are the days of taking the ferry to Seattle & walking to one of the stadiums to catch a Mariners or Seahawks game (unless you've got a personal bodyguard that's 6'8" & 350 lbs).
I worked in downtown in the 80's & 90's. After work and on weekends there was NO PROBLEM hiking around on foot to go bar hopping from Pike Place to the Space Needle, Pioneer Square, the comedy clubs on 3rd, the Waterfront & even as far as Lake Union.
Even after the bars closed at 2-3 AM wearing all my expensive jewelry and NEVER ONCE ever felt unsafe or had a problem.
Libtards have DESTROYED this once beautiful State. 😢
Most of the State is red.
Unfortunately King County (Seattle) keeps voting blue.
If we got rid of the mail in ballots I have a feeling Libtards wouldn't keep getting voted in.
The corruption is strong here. 😡
I can confirm this. It is a piss filled area now. Walking downtown in the summer especially along 1st Ave in August is excruciating! The aroma of urine is overpowering at times and that’s where all the tourists go for underground city tours! What it must smell like down there considering the direction piss flows… And the mayor and the people who keep voting for the same party will never take responsibility for the situation and just blame others that have nothing to do with how their city is run.
Seattle born and raised, born at Seattle General Hospital before it was no more. The beautiful place that we knew is no more. 😢
@@williamrowlands1789
SENSE OAR SHIP
is still strong! Got notification regarding my comment here but it seems to have pissadeared.
Evidently, describing the current state of downtown Seattle is not allowed.
😡🤬😡
As a Native Portlander of 37 yrs. This city is a bit better than a handful years of go. But it seems like its on the brink of collapse. We have been failed by or politicians and ourselves! Too many want to keep the madness going and not to make a hard change. As a city, we need to do a lot of reflection and stop repeating the same mistakes.
Portland in the 90s n n 00s was a gem!
@@burnintrees420 PORTLAND NEEDS A GOOD DOSE OF RED PAINT…AS FOR NOW IT HAS BEEN TURNED INTO A DRUG HOUSE !!!
I moved here in 96 from LA. I would drive through the city almost every week just to admire the architecture and the vibrancy of the city. It would remind me of the old movies I like to watch of the 30s and 40s in downtown New York City.And then the riots started happening and nobody went to jail. Liberal policies and politicians killed another vibrant city. Just like Detroit, Portland is circling the drain, unfortunately. What a beautiful city, and Democrats killed it.
@@Bona19646Spot On
There is no amount of reflection will change a cities trajectory.
History has proven this.
And most of you asked for this over and over again. Tired of it yet?
Early 1960's, dad would sometimes take me to his downtown PDX office on weekdays. I can still see those same streets you're walking BUSTLING with people, window displays everywhere and the smells of the coffee shops and restaurants. Another world.... all GONE!!!!
It is sad to see.
Albuquerque, New Mexico looks the SAME. I live in a nearby Village that has nothing but, Taco and Fast Food Mexican style. Catalog the owners of these places.
Yeah, downtown Portland is a ghost town, ever since COVID-19 and the Summer of Love
@@JDStone20 the summer of love was what the mayor said about Seattle where gangs took over some city blocks.
COVID had little to do with it. if portland decided crime was OK it means commerce will cease. the main function of proper governance is keeping the peace and enforcement of contract.
@@kurtgandenberger6139 Eh I think COVID has more to do with it than you think it does. Certainly policy/crime is involved, but A: COVID taught most people they can work from home and B: the market has moved more and more to just shopping online. There is less and less of a reason to exist in cities from a work perspective and from a shopping perspective, and when the workers/shoppers leave the businesses that support them also leave. It is the same reason malls have all been dying out.
I think the real problem is a convergence of both things, policy/crime and simply there being a lack of need for cities anymore as we move to a more online society.
People opened their minds so much that their brains fell out
I visited a friend I went to High School in Pennsylvania back in 2015 in Portland. There was stores and restaurants every corner then. The only negative place back then was the park in front of Portland State University. There were druggies hanging out and or living most of the time in the park. Blue cities across the country are all failed now. They blew it on a grand scale.
Portlandians will protest themselves into bankruptcy.
Its the politicians enabling it
Who voted for those politicians?
@@Dashtikipchak white unaffected virtue signaling leftists and a good amount of voter fraud
Democrats.
That's the idea our overlords came up with.
It is sad to see how bad policy has made many people jobless that used to work in the stores.
Yet the people jobless still votes for them.
They are all hiding in their houses making TikTok orange man bad videos
Less plooshun if people are not working. There's that...
I worked downtown from 2017 until 2020.
It wasn't just the riots. A lot of businesses pulled out their office workers during COVID, and have not returned. My employer was one of them.
The reality is, most "office" work doesn't require people actually be in a central office, given technology.
And retail is dead now that Amazon will bring everything to your door.
A lot of those "closed" businesses have moved out to the suburbs, where customers are. And a lot of them left before the riots. Rock Bottom left before the riots, before COVID - driven out by high rent.
Dense urban areas are not ever coming back, despite what anyone says.
Pittsburgh is getting to look like this in the downtown section. A lot of the shops are gone/closed up. The major department stores left, and their large buildings have been converted into apartments, some of the hotels have been converted into condos or apartments… It’s not a place you wanna be walking after sunset
Leo, your content is always first-rate. You bring us more news than the s***stream media. Excellent work.
Thank you @oscarmadison8030. It is exactly what I try to point out in my videos the real issues that affects all of us.
@@oscarmadison8530 Even better than the typical democrat youtuber that defends Portland as vibrant and no issues
Metal Leo, in answer to your question: Vacant retail space is called "2nd generation" when it has already been built out by a previous tenant. Second- generation spaces can be advantageous for new tenants and owners because they come with existing infrastructure items. For example, a restaurant space that was previously occupied may have a hood, ventilation system, grease trap, and plumbing with lots of drains. This can save new tenants time and money on construction and build-out costs. Fyi - The majority of those vacant buildings you passed by on your video tour of downtown Portland, Oregon, are now completely bank owned properties, as the previous owners of them defaulted on their mortgages. This is also true for San Francisco, Los Angeles, and other fiscally declining cities.
Good info 👍
Bank owned, huh? Well, that might partly explain why they let this happen
@@roarbertbearatheon8565 Keep in mind those banks experienced major red ink in accepting those properties by bankruptcy. The loans they made were from a time when property values were MUCH higher. No bank likes red ink. The collapse of commercial real-estate is drawing several banks to the edge of collapse.
Summary: Bank owned does not mean big profits for banks.
@@addertooth1 Don't worry. In the future all banks are Wells Fargo.
By the way, Wells Fargo just put Wendy Williams under conservatorship. Yes, you're bank can declare you mentally incompetent now and assign someone else to 'watch' your money.
Wonder if AARP still thinks its one of the top places to retire now?
AARP is a liberal cesspool.
I’m not sure, but I can’t imagine what life would be like in the future if this is the trend.
@@LeoMetalTraveler- Bogata?? 😂
@@LeoMetalTraveleryou saw the local election results. The misery will continue
AARP is a hard-lefty organization, so you can not trust a single word they put out, now or then.
RIP Portland. Thanks for the video. What happened to a city I once loved? We left 11 years ago. Lived there for 28 years. I no longer recognize Portland. I lived downtown and went to school at Portland State University during the great 1990's. Lived on the park blocks, and I loved it. Cafes, bars, restaurants all hopping and full of people. Portland in 2024 is officially dead. It used to be so nice. Gone is once awesome Rock Bottom Brewery. The Cheerful Tortoise. Spent many a fun evening in Downtown back then. Everything is boarded up and closed.
I lived in Portland for 14 years and moved to Florida in 1990. I could not imagine ever living there again. Portland is just a shell of what it was when I lived there. Kinda sad.
All around the "West" cities are in decline, boundless immigration, woke politics, spending 100s of billions for geostrategic wars instead of spending it for the own society.
The decline since the 80s in every regard in every country of Western Europe and Northern America is amazing...
Tampa is still thriving though.Oregon blows
miami is doing well. no progressives in office presently.
IF these stores were REALLY leased, they would not put a sign on the property. More lies.......
Exactly
True, it would only invite damage.
Propaganda!
Commonwealth now common poverty!
Communism.
“Smug” Portland such a shame! Got my wife and my “Gone Now” shirts, we both wear them here in Waco, Texas. Keep up the good work Leo. Merry Christmas
I remember like in 2015 the streets were so crowded during the day that you had to push through to get into the stores. Now there's about 100th the foot traffic, and all the little stores are GONE.
Great work as always, stay safe out there
Thank you! And you too.
We drive around Portland these days, avoid it like the plague. We used to eat and shop and otherwise recreate in portland at least 2 days a month, often more. For the last 7 years, not a dime of my money or a second of my time spent there. All my friends and family have moved to the suburbs or farther away....or are in the process. Liberal stranglehold, the slow death is almost complete.
Vote 🗳️ Blue 😂 that always works out 🎉🤣
@@JayART71 yup
So the homeless are putting all the stores to shut down, not just in Portland 🤬San Francisco is a trash can.
Yes. The last Republican Portland mayor was 1980. So 44 years of working out. 🤣😂😆😄😅😆
@danw2112 ironically that is the same time that Oregon went full mail in voting,
@danw2112 ha
Im someone who was born and raised in oakland...recently, i had the opportunity to get out for good ,i feel like ive been tryna escape for years.
Ironically, im escaping to Portland. I fell in love because the city seemed clean and safe and relatively healthy, compared to the fever-dream hell oakland has become.
Just goes to show how much the bay area can skew your perceptions.
Love your videos dude,my dad and i watch them together all the time, anytime we driving around were saying "gone now" and "for lease" lol.
I visited Portland 2 months ago. I couldn't believe how awful it looks now. Back when I lived there 15 years ago it was vibrant, clean, and lively. Now it's covered in graffiti and the downtown is completely empty. It's so eerie.
I live in a college town. Good mix of people. Even here, when Portland gets mentioned, people laugh. I don’t know anyone who would go there on purpose
buffalo wings took flight, LOL
Less foot traffic and the owner was raising their rent. Not good.
A total "Ghost Town" !!!
👻
Elections have consequences, so do Ideologies. They got what they BEGGED FOR. I pray they learn their lessons well.
They have created so many new republicans.
Downtown Portland used to be a fun place to go out with friends. I used to go maybe 3x a month to eat at restaurants or go shopping. I haven’t been there for over 6 years
No way will retail happen again in downtown everywhere ville.❤
Downtowns are toast! here in Boston MA so many high rises are sitting empty and the tax revenue is gone!! They are gonna raise taxes on house holds.....what do you think I'maa do.....move!!
I live in Portland and it sure is not what it used to be. It's depressing.
Move! I sold my house in Clackamas in AUG 2023, and got the hell out of Dodge! Liberal HELL HOLE
@@JanuaryRapture I read that they want everyone moving everywhere all the time. It's a great way to get what they want. 🐈⬛ & 🐁
@@JanuaryRapture It sure is a liberal hell hole. I am so sick of seeing men in dresses. Unfortunately I'm trapped here. I have no car, no money and to get on a Greyhound, I would have to give away almost all my clothes because you can't take much when you travel Greyhound.
Keep voting blue no matter who...😂😂😂
@jwdory
DEMONRATS BLOW DONKEYS
I think the coming soon signs are a ruse to make people think things are looking up.
Things are looking down if you observed the local election results
My mother lived in Portland for nearly 20 years, then moved to Beaverton for safety reasons. Used to a thrilling experience to visit downtown, but never again will I go there.
I hear you, it's a shame to see what's happened.
I remember walking the Portland downtown as a kid: crystal clear drinking fountains every block, free parking, and clean public restrooms.
People who took the boosters - GONE NOW
😂
lol
Another fairy tale.
LOL, but seriously, for the average healthy person, boosters have shown no benefit. You only need them if you're immuno-compromised, which is just a tiny fraction of the population.
@@marcjohnson9270 In 2008 banks decided no more losses for themselves, and ended free market capitalism in the west. your nation went communist. nobody can compete with a bank that can print unlimited money ?
Used to visit Portland regularly, but last visit was shocking - none of the restaurants or stores we used to frequent were left, literally every sidewalk had homeless living in tents on it, and there were non-stop incidents everywhere we went. Sad.
Thank you Leo for your continued broadcasts.
You are so welcome , thanks for listening
office space is over 30% vacancy rate and that doesn't include contracts expiring soon!
Good. Who wants to work in an office?
Politicians are the ones saying downtown is improving 🙃 reality is that businesses are leaving and not coming back.
Down town Portland is so bad the city changed the route of the Roae Parade. Good job Ted!!
For lease! You won’t own anything. 🎉
My question is.... how are states/cities going to run without all the tax revenue these businesses and their employees generated? Same here in CA
They're cutting services and raising taxes 😅
China has been buying up key city blocks in all of these cities. Coincidence?
@@melissasmess2773 That will only go so far.
@@888jimm Nearly everyone is going homeless in CA, good luck getting that revenue back.
Crime. Organized crime has taken control of most of our governments. They run drugs and traffic women and children and other contraband, like weapons and defense technology. Then they launder those monies through insider stock market trading, funding wars, other government-funded research projects, NGOs, "charity" foundations etc. They pay officials lower down (like the mayor and city council of Portland) to shut up and take orders. And of course, they raise taxes. Ultimately, they DON'T CARE if cities and states "run" or not. They don't care about people at all. The smarter among them know that the end result will be the return of feudal society (with a "1984" surveillance flair.)
This will consist of: one, a vast, barely surviving worker class, inured to poverty, numbed, dumbed down and programmed by the state-owned media machine to conform and obey. Two, a small, uberwealthy elite class who control everything, and a slightly larger, slightly privileged servant class (in marxism they're called the "useful idiots") who do their dirty work for them. This situation is further complicated by the presence of various hostile foreign entities--governments, religious fanatics, billionaire oligarchs, criminal syndicates etc., who also have a strong interest in deconstructing the west for their own gain, and who are constantly striving to weaken, exploit, destabilize and plunder us and our resources.
The reason why criminals have infiltrated our universities and destroyed creative, critical thinking, and flooded our countries with vast numbers of immigrants from cultures they KNOW to be less humane, less civilized, far more violent and inimical to our western values, is to disrupt our society and destroy our educated, free thinking middle class--those who would most strongly oppose them, maybe even stop them.
IMO it's hopeless at this point. I think that individuals like Trump may be able to produce some brief upturns and small victories, but I don't see them winning the war, because they are not ruthless enough. And it IS a war. Make no mistake about that.
The weather every winter is rain and 40 - 50⁰ or clear and cold as shit. Last night my car washing bucket of water was frozen solid on the top inch. I miss the old Portland i grew up in!! Californians moved up here and brought their policies with them.
What does the winter weather have to do bad California policies? I want to understand you cause I think I agree but I’m not seeing the connection
Just caught this, a bit late. Thank you for the work you've done over the past few years. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
Thank you so much, and Happy New Year!
I was in that area 2 days ago with kids on a school bus to visit PSU after a 2 hour drive. I was too busy trying to navigate the traffic to notice how many of the stores were closed. I remember when portland was a fun place to visit, now I couldn't wait to get out that mess. Thanks for showing how it really is.
I used to love this city. But I’ll never set foot in that city again.
During Covid all over Southern California you couldn’t find a restroom to use.
Everyone would put signs “out of order” cuz the kids didn’t want to clean them or get sick
Those were scary times. It showed the true colors of people.
Lame
Scared of absolutely nothing.
Media and politicians planted and fertilized the fear
I'm just glad I live in East Texas instead of Portland.
👍🏻
Do you know if they did the same thing to Austin?
Used to visit many times in the teens before 20 . The river walk was an amazing place. So sad now 😢
I visited and walked downtown Portland in the middle of the day on a Sunday a year or so back. I’m never going back.
even the people look broke and impoverished. keep voting democrat!
They never learn!
This was bound to happen regardless of political party. The GOP let a goof in the White House who failed to take action on COV-ID. The Dems thought going soft on crime and defunding the police was a smart move. Both parties are to blame along with the Amazon crowds.
It's a mental disorder
Portland, Oregon is.....Goonnnne Now!
Leftists youtubers will say that Portland is ok and that there are no issues
PDX gets the government they deserve.
And voted for.
Vote Blue, down the toilet. Trump haters are PSYCHOPATHS
This is proof how important who you vote for is, got to look into their record of service. You need leaders who want to serve and have great common sense and buget knowlege while keeping businesses /ecomomy safe. Another reason you must have laws to enforce and police to carry out against those who want to comitt crimes, and keep places safe and people. You remove law, ecomomic prosperity, and throwing budget away on stupid things. This is what you get left. No one who wants to stay and live here. Want better, change it.
the situation seems to have escalated in many cities in the USA but here in Europe we are a little behind but I am starting to see this more and more in Sweden too, in some of the big shopping malls many shops have closed and this is noticed in the media sometimes where the cause is blamed on high rents and inflation but it will get worse I feel.
Everyone in Portland wants this
Seems like it
Thanks!
Welcome! @kurtfox2481
LOL LOVE THIS CHANNEL ❤️
Left portland in03 and watched it just get worse.. so sad, it was a wonderfully vibrant city to raise a family... so sad...
Lived in portland since 92, everyone knows how awesome the city used to be. What's most shocking about this, is that no one is talking about it? It's not on the local news at all? This is unbelievable, the city is essentially gone! No business and no people. Crazy!! Used to be bustling!
ALL the news - including Local - has been against us for a very long time. They just make it seem like they're not.
It's the embodiment of get woke, go broke.