A couple months ago while in Hawaii, I saw a car turn on a red light and ram into the car just ahead of me. I passed by thinking it was some odd "accident" only to see a fist fight break out followed by a shirtless man running down the street. I attempted pursuit in my rental minivan, but lost sight of the guy. Turned out he had robbed an auto parts store, jumped into the getaway car his girlfriend was driving, and when they encountered traffic, he yelled at her to "go", so she rammed into stopped traffic. The clerk went to confront the man and that's when he started throwing punches.
A month ago, a man parked his Blazer directly across from my driveway, and he and his girlfriend spent 40 minutes checking car doors and stealing anything of value.
I won't even get into the insanity I see in just 2 minutes of walking about in Portland. The place is a cesspool of crime, drugs, and unmitigated mental illness.
Tonight, I was picking up burgers to go, and I heard a crash. I heard someone say a guy had smashed out the huge pane window. I didn't see it happen, but asked if it was the man standing outside, and people said yes. Nobody else moved, as if it's normal for mayhem to occur while eating dinner. I ran out and grabbed the guy by the collar as he was about to run across the street. I walked him back to the smashed window and asked what was troubling him, but he wouldn't say. Cops quickly arrived and knew the guy by name immediately, as if he's a "catch and release" criminal.
This is all anecdotal, but what the heck is going on with robbery and vandalism being viewed as a nothing crime? I'm all for rehabilitation, 2nd chances, and redemption, but the first priority is to isolate and contain mayhem. Chaos must be brought into order before release into polite society. The worst 2% are responsible for 95% of the chaos and need to be isolated from broader society.
A month ago, a man parked his Blazer directly across from my driveway, and he and his girlfriend spent 40 minutes checking car doors and stealing anything of value.
I won't even get into the insanity I see in just 2 minutes of walking about in Portland. The place is a cesspool of crime, drugs, and unmitigated mental illness.
Tonight, I was picking up burgers to go, and I heard a crash. I heard someone say a guy had smashed out the huge pane window. I didn't see it happen, but asked if it was the man standing outside, and people said yes. Nobody else moved, as if it's normal for mayhem to occur while eating dinner. I ran out and grabbed the guy by the collar as he was about to run across the street. I walked him back to the smashed window and asked what was troubling him, but he wouldn't say. Cops quickly arrived and knew the guy by name immediately, as if he's a "catch and release" criminal.
This is all anecdotal, but what the heck is going on with robbery and vandalism being viewed as a nothing crime? I'm all for rehabilitation, 2nd chances, and redemption, but the first priority is to isolate and contain mayhem. Chaos must be brought into order before release into polite society. The worst 2% are responsible for 95% of the chaos and need to be isolated from broader society.
