Homeless Homicides Are On the Rise
Homeless homicides are on the rise. This data-visualization story for The Nation explores this terrible trend. Continue reading Homeless Homicides Are On the Rise
Author: Thacher Schmid
Thacher Schmid is a writer, musician and former social services worker in Portland, Oregon.
Unsheltered: Eric Tars On The Human Right To Housing
Eric Tars, the legal director of the National Homelessness Law Center, on U.S. homelessness and issues including network impoverishment, the racialized view of public assistance, Martin v Boise, polarization, Unhoused Bill of Rights, the criminalization of homelessness. Continue reading Unsheltered: Eric Tars On The Human Right To Housing
Rap v. United States
The Young Thug case could prove a watershed moment in the fight for Black artists to own the power of metaphor. Continue reading Rap v. United States
‘I Made My ADHD Into My Strength’: Understanding The Link Between Rap & Neurodivergence
While a growing number of rap songs address mental health, little attention has been paid to the connection between hip-hop and ADHD. GRAMMY.com explores the discussion of neurodivergent artists, from Nicki Minaj and Diddy, to underground rappers. Continue reading ‘I Made My ADHD Into My Strength’: Understanding The Link Between Rap & Neurodivergence
‘Top Gun: Maverick’ Is Just a High-Budget Military Recruitment Tool
On May 24, the same day the blockbuster “military-entertainment complex” film Top Gun: Maverick came out, a man shot and killed nineteen students and two teachers in Uvalde, Texas. Continue reading ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ Is Just a High-Budget Military Recruitment Tool
Old Town Homeless Village Will Close After Nonprofit Operator Says Conditions Too Dangerous
The news of the closing raises questions about a dozen existing and planned officially-sanctioned homeless villages in the region, as well as a key local services provider. By Thacher Schmid May 28, 2022 at 4:35 pm PDT in Willamette Week Old Town’s homeless village is permanently closing, Multnomah County officials say, after its services provider, All Good Northwest, decided it could not continue running the site. The director of the nonprofit, Andy Goebel, blames its decision on “daily and nightly gunfire and gun activity” in the area. The decommissioning, which officials confirmed after an inquiry from WW, also comes a … Continue reading Old Town Homeless Village Will Close After Nonprofit Operator Says Conditions Too Dangerous
Homeless People in the US Are Being Murdered at a Horrific Rate
Homelessness is one of the most grotesque horrors of US capitalism. And even worse, according to new reporting by Jacobin, the rate of murders of homeless people has spiked to appalling new highs. Continue reading Homeless People in the US Are Being Murdered at a Horrific Rate
‘Portland Goes Harder’: How PDX’s Disparate, Diverse Music Scene Has Coalesced Around Progressive Politics
The city’s scene may not have a coherent sound, but from hip-hop to alternative, and jazz to reggae, Portland music packs a protest-fueled punch THACHER SCHMID | GRAMMYS | APR 18, 2022 – 10:51 AM In front of a Black … Continue reading ‘Portland Goes Harder’: How PDX’s Disparate, Diverse Music Scene Has Coalesced Around Progressive Politics
Homelessless is a moral and societal failure. Here’s how I’d fix it.
Homelessness is a moral and societal failure. Here’s how I’d fix it. Continue reading Homelessless is a moral and societal failure. Here’s how I’d fix it.
Hundreds of Portlanders Are Living in Their Cars. Here’s How They Do It.
Even as the numbers keep growing, Portland and Multnomah County officials have repeatedly failed to create a program or location where people living in vehicles can legally park overnight. Continue reading Hundreds of Portlanders Are Living in Their Cars. Here’s How They Do It.
Vehicle Residency: Homelessness We Struggle to Talk About
Rendered statistically invisible and targeted by restrictive laws, those living in cars are the fastest-growing segment of the unhoused US population. Their voices shatter when Sara Kuust and Jake Blackburn talk about Kuust’s miscarriage while residing in a Chevy Blazer. … Continue reading Vehicle Residency: Homelessness We Struggle to Talk About
Displaced
Graham Pruss On Why More People Are Living In Cars And RVs BY THACHER SCHMID • OCTOBER 2021 By some accounts individuals who reside in vehicles make up the fastest-growing subpopulation of homeless people in the U.S. They occupy an ambiguous public space, … Continue reading Displaced
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King Chaos, Queen Cricket and One Long, Strange Year in a Roadside Homeless Camp
At this lawless encampment of rickety RVs, residents face eviction, addiction and machete battles, but their self-made community is the only thing they have. Continue reading King Chaos, Queen Cricket and One Long, Strange Year in a Roadside Homeless Camp
The Village Alternative: Andrew Heben and Tim McCormick Have a Democratic Solution to Houselessness
By Thacher Schmid In recent years, American homelessness has been on the rise again. In 2015, West Coast cities declared homeless “emergencies.” Since 2017, “Point in Time” counts have risen; some measures see unhoused populations at all-time highs. Now, due to Covid-19, the numbers could … Continue reading The Village Alternative: Andrew Heben and Tim McCormick Have a Democratic Solution to Houselessness
An American Tragedy: The Colorful Life and Shocking Death of Ovid Neal III
On the dark streets of a college town, two teenagers hoisted a rock and ended a man’s life. His loved ones want to know when we’ll finally value the lives of homeless people. Continue reading An American Tragedy: The Colorful Life and Shocking Death of Ovid Neal III
Writing in the Flat Keys: Thacher Schmid's Portfolio 