Portland's hapless mayor sends groveling email for voters to hand over their belongings to fix homeless crisis
The Mayor of Portland issued a mass email to residents asking them to hand over their time, money and household items to combat homelessness.
Keith Wilson, a Democrat, warned locals that they would need to chip in over fears that President Donald Trump would turn his attention to cleaning up the beleaguered city.
The unusual message came in the form of an email sent to 17,000 recipients on the City Hall email list.
It said: 'I need your help. We're delivering real change to Portland, and if you can contribute a bag of snacks, an hour of your time as an artist, teacher, or builder, or even a small show of financial support to our emergency shelter system, I want to connect.
'Recent events in Washington, D.C. show us what will happen to Portland if we don't move with speed, purpose, and compassion to address the humanitarian crisis on our streets.
'The federal administration deploys bulldozers and mass arrests by masked agents, the opposite of our outreach worker and emergency shelter strategy.
'Let's work together by volunteering and donating, and prove the administration's heavy-handed tactics are not needed in our city.'
Donations listed include household items like phone charges, chairs, tables, clothing, blankets and food.
Keith Wilson, a Democrat , warned locals that they would need to chip in over fears that President Donald Trump would turn his attention to cleaning up the city
A person pushes a cart along Southwest 3rd Avenue in Portland, Oregon on January 24, 2024
In a statement, The White House welcomed his pitch to locals with spokeswoman Abigail Jackson saying: 'All local leaders should see the tremendous results achieved by President Trump in D.C. and look to emulate them in their own cities.
'President Trump's actions to get homeless people off the street makes the city safer for residents, visitors and the homeless people themselves.
'This is common sense and should be embraced by others around the country.'
The Oregon Lane County Republicans however said Wilson was showcasing poor leadership with his email.
A statement shared to their social media said: 'Keith Wilson is out of touch with his constituents.
'Keith Wilson allows the destruction of 'his' city. Very poor leadership and very embarrassing for our great state.'
Senior program manager on the city's homeless response team Bryan Aptekar told OregonLive that his team was swamped with donations after the email.
He said: 'It's been less than an hour [since the email went out] and I've had a dozen calls and emails already,
'We wanted to provide a connection between those that are asking, and those that are providing services. It's exciting.'
The downtown area of Portland has suffered a decline in the last few years, with tent encampments and drug use running rampant
Earlier this week the Meals on Wheels charity announced they would stop operating in the city as they can't keep their staff safe
Taylor Zajonc, Wilson's deputy chief of staff, told the outlet: 'In this case, we're acting primarily as a switchboard.
'The city of Portland is not accepting any kinds of donations directly but trying to connect people to nonprofit providers.'
Zajonc added that the mayor was drawing a 'clear distinction' between how he wants to handle the problem, rather than having Trump try and deal with it.
Trump has sent the National Guard into Washington DC in a bid to 'rescue our nation's capital from crime, bloodshed, bedlam and squalor'.
The president also vowed to clear out camps of homeless people from Washington, DC parks and public lands.
Trump wants to replicate this military takeover in other Democratic cities that he sees as having issues with crime.
The president previously said he was considering sending troops into Chicago and New York to conduct a similar crackdown operation.
The downtown area of Portland has suffered a decline in the last few years, with tent encampments and drug use running rampant.
The downturn was accelerated by the state's experiment with drug decriminalization, which reduced possession of heroin, fentanyl and methamphetamine to the level of a parking ticket.
What was meant as a progressive reform instead fueled an overdose crisis and entrenched open-air drug markets across the city.
By 2023, Oregon counted more than 20,000 homeless people, nearly two-thirds of them unsheltered, as overdose deaths surged.
The state has since reversed course, recriminalizing hard drug possession, but downtown Portland has struggled to recover.
Earlier this week the Meals on Wheels charity announced they would stop operating in the city as they can't keep their staff safe.
Daily Mail has contacted the Oregon Republican Party for comment.
