I was in a mood. So was the sky.

Walking down South Moody Avenue and neighboring streets on Wednesday I was raging at yet another decision of our city government that is hostile to the poorer part of humanity: investing half a million dollars in benches strategically placed near parks to make it impossible for the houseless to set up sheltering tents. Wanna bet those benches will have dividers so you can’t stretch out on them either? Even Commissioner Jo Ann Hardest, the most progressive of them all, is in favor, although opting for non-divided benches. So adding heads to a site does not count into size, but adding a tent over that head does? Do we know how often first responders have really been blocked?

Here is an alternative:

Looking around me, towers of glass, with beautiful apartments and gorgeous vies, with a median (!) price of $578.000 per unit. I don’t begrudge anyone who can afford $1,795,000 for a two bed room apartment at the John Ross building (if you look at the realtor ads, most offers are strangely above the median price mentioned earlier,) but I do despair when the city spends money on driving the homeless out of sight so we are spared witnessing humanity’s misery. And don’t get me going on using the tax windfall $$ on the hiring of additional police…

Then again, I do acknowledge that large houseless encampments are a huge burden for neighborhoods, when trash and unsafe interactions reach impact levels that are hard to shoulder. Simple comparisons of what it used to be to what is now do, however, neglect to take Covid into account. Here is a news clip on the Portland situation of neighborhood complaints. Note was is NOT stressed: As long as there is no concerted action to build affordable housing rather than spend money elsewhere, we are not going to find solutions.

To be fair, I walked by a huge construction project, with cranes seemingly drawing lines in the sky, in reality chem trails left by low flying airplanes. Maybe this is the promised Metro Housing project for 176 new, affordable homes. City announcements only vaguely speak of RiverPlace Parcel 3.

“The site is located across from the Portland Streetcar, and in close proximity to the MAX and Tilikum Crossing, in the amenity rich South Portland neighborhood. Of the 176 planned affordable homes, 17 will have rents restricted for extremely low income residents and 48 will be family-sized, including 18 three-bedroom units. Twenty of the units will provide Supportive Housing for veterans experiencing or at risk of homelessness. Through a partnership with Impact NW, the project will also provide on-site resident services to all residents, as well as early childhood development, youth programming, and parenting support.”

No, that was not it. Instead, it looks like I was photographing construction activity for the new Willamette Blocks. A 6 story and 23 story mixed use building, respectively, with hundreds of luxury condos.

The poem for today was written in 1926, Cummings in best form raging about the futility of war and the empty promises of patriotism. Funny how the satirical sonnet fits with thoughts about our treatment of the houseless, and political approaches to fighting (or lack thereof) of the pandemic as well.

Told you, I was in a mood.

next to of course god america i

E. E. CUMMINGS (1894 – 1962)

Then again, maybe we should listen to this one (anyone lived in a pretty how town), read by the poet himself with musical voice. Maybe this is OUR town. However, there are also these folks to be found in PDX – considerably improving my mood.