Local officials made big claims for a policy aimed at finding housing for a large and vulnerable population. There are a lot of barriers to ending homelessness for Portland veterans. Darrell L. Snook, for instance, is both a Vietnam Navy … Continue reading Has Portland Really Gotten All Its Homeless Veterans Off the Streets?
Timothy Allen Ferrell is the kind of person officials and advocates argue about. Despite a lifelong history of trauma—born with drugs in his system to a 15-year-old mom, then foster care, heroin and meth use, and drug-related criminal convictions—Ferrell insists … Continue reading Is There an Ethnic Group More Likely to Be Homeless in Portland Than Others?
This city has never before seen so many recreational vehicles parked on its streets. There is a stretch of North Lombard Street called the Strip: a line of 12 RVs parked snout to bumper on the west side of the … Continue reading Portland is Towing Caravans of RVs Off the Streets. Here’s What It’s Like Inside Those Motor Homes.
Homeless people say they must choose between a ticket to ride and eating. So why is the train so crucial? For most Portlanders, high temperatures inspire cold drinks, or a jump in a river. For Nathan Lewallea, who has epilepsy, … Continue reading Why Do Homeless People Ride the MAX Green Line All Day?
One of the faith leaders who has worked closely with the most vulnerable people on the streets has a theory. The paradox jumps out from the latest homelessness numbers released by Multnomah County: The number of people sleeping on the … Continue reading Why Are So Many of the People Sleeping on Downtown Streets So Damaged?
The animals provide emotional support and four-legged security for people on the streets. You’re not paranoid: The number of Portland dogs with homeless owners is growing rapidly. Local animal hospital Dove Lewis says the number of homeless people getting veterinary … Continue reading Why Am I Seeing So Many Homeless People With Dogs?
Many already have jobs—not easy ones, either. The refrain of “Get a job!” is as old as poverty and panhandling. But one of the hard truths of homelessness is that many people who qualify as homeless work hard and still … Continue reading Why Don’t Homeless People Just Get Jobs?
What do homeless people say about reports that the men suspected in shocking crimes lived on the street? The two men are among the most notorious criminal suspects in recent Portland history. Jeremy Christian is accused of fatally stabbing two … Continue reading In Aftermath of Notorious MAX Crimes, Portland’s Homeless Fear Reprisals
Some artists engage audiences by bringing the funk and getting booties shaking. Roots pop ensemble Joseph doesn’t do much of that. But during its sold-out show at Crystal Ballroom on April 28, it did something even more amazing: Singing sister … Continue reading Joseph Raise Their Voices—and the Crowd’s—at Crystal Ballroom
In his opening remarks this morning, Mayor Ted Wheeler hit the bright themes of TechFestNW 2017: success, growth and opportunity. Portland’s tech industry employs 10,500 people, he noted. During her chat with Arizona State University’s G. Pascal Zachary, New York … Continue reading New York Times Cybersecurity Reporter: United States Has Few Defenses Against Damaging Hacks
At Portland Center Stage, during a positioning-focused tech rehearsal for its upcoming Wild and Reckless theater production, Blitzen Trapper guitarist Erik Menteer starts gyrating his hips. His whammy bar squeaks as it dangles and bounces. During any of Blitzen Trapper’s … Continue reading Blitzen Trapper Connects Rock ‘N’ Roll With Theater
A record label headquartered on Northeast Portland’s Alberta Street has been declared a racist organization by the nation’s leading watchdog of white-supremacist and hate groups. On Feb. 15, the Southern Poverty Law Center listed Soleilmoon Recordings among 25 new hate … Continue reading Portland Record Label Lands on Hate-Group Registry
At the Crystal Ballroom on Feb. 6, Run The Jewels’ Killer Mike and El-P delivered an early contender for concert of the year, marching through an indefatigable 70-minute set in delirious lockstep with a riveted Crystal Ballroom crowd. Yeah. It … Continue reading Run the Jewels Deliver an Early Concert of the Year Contender at Crystal Ballroom
Portland might soon be getting a new large-scale music venue. Documents show that homegrown entertainment company Monqui Presents is seeking to build a 3,000-capacity concert venue where a couple of aging warehouses sit in industrially-zoned Northwest Portland, across the street from Montgomery Park. … Continue reading Portland could be getting a major new music venue
By Thacher Schmid The turning point of the sold-out Shy Girls show at Doug Fir Lounge on Jan. 25 came during the start of the next-to-last song, “What If I Can.” “This is one of my favorite songs on the … Continue reading Shy Girls’ Minimalist Electro R&B Silences Chatty Doug Fir
Writing in the Flat Keys: Thacher Schmid's Portfolio 