The Democrats who run Portland can whine all they want about President Donald Trump’s characterization of their community, but there is no doubt that it remains a failing city where things continue to fall apart at the seams.
Portland police say the city is seeing a surge in copper wire thefts, which have resulted in more than $2 million in losses and damages over the past six months, with internet service provider CenturyLink reporting at least 98 “large-scale” copper wire thefts. This problem has been growing worse since September, with detectives saying that phone lines in the city are being “cut and split apart” by thieves nearly every other day.
PORTLAND POLICE HAMSTRUNG BY 2020-ERA REFORMS
Meanwhile, homelessness in Portland’s Multnomah County has increased by 67% over the past two years to a total of more than 10,500 people. The Portland metro area spent upwards of $724 million on homeless programs in 2024, with Multnomah County accounting for half a billion dollars on its own.
Despite this, Portland is focused on keeping the National Guard out of its city. Portland police were barred from helping federal law enforcement maintain order when Portland’s rioting hobbyists chose to riot at federal facilities. The city attorney has been tasked with bringing legal action against the federal government over crowd control. Portland’s police chief has dismissed the rioting because it is only happening on one city block, while Mayor Keith Wilson has complained that ICE has boarded up the windows of its facility in Portland, ignoring that it had to do so because of the regular vandalism that Portland police allow to happen.
ANTIFA POSTS ‘HIT LIST’ IN PORTLAND TARGETING JOURNALISTS
This has resulted in federal attempts to maintain law and order, with the latest rule from the Department of Homeland Security for conduct on or near federal property being a ban on masks. DHS has fast-tracked this rule change, which was supposed to take effect on Jan. 1, 2026, thanks to Portland’s refusal to enforce the law. The rule instead went into effect on Wednesday.
BREAKING: DHS agents at the ICE facility in Portland notified protesters that a new policy regarding concealing identities behind facial coverings has gone into effect, starting today.
Wearing a mask on and/or near federal property is now prohibited, allowing federal agents… pic.twitter.com/tpTYvIFFjP
— Katie Daviscourt
(@KatieDaviscourt) November 6, 2025
Portland is not a serious city, as evidenced by the fact that its population has dropped by about 17,000 people since 2020. Portland’s “leaders” have spent the last several years ignoring crime, failing on homelessness, and launching performative acts of protest against the federal government while allowing rioters to control whichever streets on which they decide to congregate. Portland is not a serious city, precisely because its leaders are not serious about running a functioning city.