There are a number of things I could say to your response. Apparently you must be under the age of about 40 because I cannot fathom how little you know of history.
Portland is one of the whitest cities in the US It is nothing like Richmond Virginia where not only are the demographics different but the history is vastly different.
The very fact that you would use the old ‘one of my best friends is...’ argument says you just don’t understand. There exists in this country (whether rightly or wrongly) a racial animus that O has stoked and fed. Portland Oregon is full of yuppified folks who wouldn’t recognize a problem if it hit them in the face. The drug use, anarchist action committees, and gang related crimes apparently end up in the trash can. The last time I was in Portland ( a little less than a year ago) it seemed more Like Portlandia than anything else.
Richmond Virginia on the other hand is over 50% African American. The income distribution follows unfortunately the patterns that exist in Washington DC. So you have race and economics playing into the situation.
Sheesh!
I don’t totally understand your race problems in Richmond because I’ve never lived in such a place and I choose not to. Of course Portland is different. However I am fully aware of the racial problems that those such as Sharpton, Obama, Jackson have made careers of - you’d have to be brain dead not to know this.
You say nasty things about Portland but despite it’s liberalism I am happy here and live in a neighborhood where I feel SAFE. I do not want to get hit in the face with race problems - and we have some but they are largely avoidable. You have a lot of opinions about Portland - you were here once within the last year, I’ve spent most of my life here. Funny, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with living in a place you like and feel safe. sigh...