Portland’s homeless people are not the same as the homeless in NYC. They have a real chip on their shoulder, a lot of hatred. They do this thing where they bump into you sidways to show their antagonism and can’t be called on it because they can claim it was an accident. Here they are just down-and-out, rather humble, stay out of your way except to ask for money. In Portland, they are not allowed to beg, not allowed to sit or lie on the sidewalk, not allowed to use the public restroom in the bus/train station. The do-gooders have organized them and provided a program where they can sell their printed stories and poetry on the streets—can’t stop that, it’s the 1st Amendment. They are a different kind of homeless person, mostly white, usually a kind of slightly aging previously addicted hippie, but some are fairly young.
It’s a real problem there. I left my table at a Starbucks and caught a woman getting ready to steal my sandwich. A chef-owner told me not to come back on foot that evening—take a cab—because it’s dangerous. People on this forum call NYC a hellhole but that would be unthinkable here, that you can’t walk to your restaurant after dark.
"Sorry, I thought I was being attacked."