Rob Crilly \u2013 DailyMail.com Oct 18, 2022<\/strong><\/h1>\nWhen President Joe Biden<\/strong><\/a> flew into Oregon<\/strong><\/a> to try to shore up his party’s nominee for governor he would not have had far to look to see the problem.<\/p>\nHe spent Friday night at the luxury Duniway Hotel in downtown Portland<\/strong><\/a>, a property at risk of foreclosure as visitors stay away from the city center.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/The_decriminalization_of_hard_drugs_is_blamed_by_many_for_changi-a-3_1666104159797.jpg\")
<\/a>The decriminalization of hard drugs is blamed by many for changing the tone of the city. Drugs are on open display. Click to enlarge<\/p><\/div>\n
And if he had taken a morning stroll, he could have seen for himself the results of the 2020 decision to decriminalize hard drugs such as cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine.<\/p>\n
The casualties were everywhere.\u00a0Two blocks from the hotel lobby a man was folded up on a street corner, his body draped around a rolled-up sleeping bag.<\/p>\n
Shoppers pretended not to notice his unconscious figure as they headed towards a Nordstrom department store.<\/p>\n
‘You walk with blinders,’ said Charlene, a 21-year-old student, who carried a Zara bag. ‘Otherwise you wouldn’t come here at all.’<\/p>\n
Two blocks further on, a woman covered in a gray robe stood frozen at a drinking fountain, her clothing and drug-induced state turning her into a living statue.<\/p>\n
In a small city center park, morning dog walkers strolled past benches filled with droop-headed drug users.<\/p>\n
One man flattened a piece of foil before putting a lighter to it, and inhaling the results through a pipe in plain view of a children’s playground.<\/p>\n
This is Portland, where hipsters line up for at Voodoo Donuts for their world famous confections next to an abandoned theater where rake-thin drug users sit on the sidewalk waiting for their next fix – or for their last one to wear off.<\/p>\n
The hotels are near empty and restaurant owners say their customers don’t feel safe.<\/p>\n
A coffeeshop where an oat milk latte would sell for $5 is closed, its doorway filled with sleeping bodies and the scent or urine in the morning.<\/p>\n
Portland set a record for murders last year. It reported 90 homicides – shattering the previous high of 66 – and could be about to surpass it this year.<\/p>\n
He spent Friday night at the luxury Duniway Hotel in downtown Portland<\/strong><\/a>, a property at risk of foreclosure as visitors stay away from the city center.<\/p>\n The decriminalization of hard drugs is blamed by many for changing the tone of the city. Drugs are on open display. Click to enlarge<\/p><\/div>\n And if he had taken a morning stroll, he could have seen for himself the results of the 2020 decision to decriminalize hard drugs such as cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine.<\/p>\n The casualties were everywhere.\u00a0Two blocks from the hotel lobby a man was folded up on a street corner, his body draped around a rolled-up sleeping bag.<\/p>\n Shoppers pretended not to notice his unconscious figure as they headed towards a Nordstrom department store.<\/p>\n ‘You walk with blinders,’ said Charlene, a 21-year-old student, who carried a Zara bag. ‘Otherwise you wouldn’t come here at all.’<\/p>\n Two blocks further on, a woman covered in a gray robe stood frozen at a drinking fountain, her clothing and drug-induced state turning her into a living statue.<\/p>\n In a small city center park, morning dog walkers strolled past benches filled with droop-headed drug users.<\/p>\n One man flattened a piece of foil before putting a lighter to it, and inhaling the results through a pipe in plain view of a children’s playground.<\/p>\n This is Portland, where hipsters line up for at Voodoo Donuts for their world famous confections next to an abandoned theater where rake-thin drug users sit on the sidewalk waiting for their next fix – or for their last one to wear off.<\/p>\n The hotels are near empty and restaurant owners say their customers don’t feel safe.<\/p>\n A coffeeshop where an oat milk latte would sell for $5 is closed, its doorway filled with sleeping bodies and the scent or urine in the morning.<\/p>\n Portland set a record for murders last year. It reported 90 homicides – shattering the previous high of 66 – and could be about to surpass it this year.<\/p>\n<\/a>
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Street_sleepers_dot_the_Pearl_District_known_for_its_fancy_resta-a-6_1666104160188.jpg\")
<\/a>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Clusters-of-tents-dot-the-city-centre.jpg\")
<\/a>He said he did not want to see a Republican take power, but could not bring himself to vote Democrat this time around.<\/p>\n