News
Grants Pass scrambles to meet humanitarian standards at new outdoor homeless sites
The city of Grants Pass is scrambling to meet basic humanitarian standards after it cleared homeless residents from its parks and into its first sanctioned encampment Aug. 24. The J Street site — one of two sites opened in the weeks since Grants Pass City Council approved four total sites earlier this month — is…
Years of data debunk persistent narrative of a recent Portland ‘crime wave’
“Everybody that I know who doesn’t live in Portland is convinced that we burned it to the ground in 2020,” Aaron Roussell, an associate sociology professor at PSU and an expert on policing, said. “That it's some sort of nightmarish hellscape that looks like Mad Max, only with rain. It’s not grounded in anything, and…
Increased police budget and staffing does not prove to decrease crime
Narratives abound describing Portland’s mythical defunding of its police force in 2020. As straw man arguments about the lack of police and increased crime reverberated in the public square, the numbers show Portland Police Bureau, or PPB, remained fully funded year after year with a brief exception, consistent with cuts across the board, in 2020.…
Despite the data, public perception of Portland crime largely impacted by media
Numerous public polls in recent years found crime and public safety are near the top of Portlanders’ concerns. There’s plenty of external validation and fuel for those concerns, namely media outlets near and far making hay of Portland’s perceived struggles with crime. However, media coverage of crime often paints an inaccurate or incomplete picture, according…
Opinion
Kaia Sand | Showers, laundry and mirrors matter for mental health
Your daily routine likely involves plumbing and hygiene. Perhaps you already showered today, shedding your sleep for a clean wakefulness. Maybe you will draw a bath in the evening, calming and cleaning yourself in the warm water. Kaia Sand is the executive director of Street Roots. This column represents her views. All of this is…
