(Corine Gatti, Headline USA) Under the woke leadership of Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler, Oregon’s largest city has become a hotbed of violent crime and now resembles a Third-World country.
As residents fear for their lives and businesses close, even left-wing celebrities are starting to take note, the Gateway Pundit reported.
Classic 1980s rocker John Mellencamp, who has unapologetically said he’s “as left-wing as you can get,” recently penned a song called “The Eyes of Portland” that slammed the city’s homeless crisis and failed leadership.
“As I saw through the eyes of Portland one day, / There were so many homeless; they’d all gone astray. / They slept on the corners during the day,” Mellencamp, 71, croons in the opening verse—his signature rasp going even gruffer with age.
“… All of these homeless, where do they come from / In this land of plenty, where nothing gets done?” the “Jack and Diane” singer continues in the song’s chorus.
The socialist city, which had witnessed continuous population growth for three decades, saw a decrease of 0.04% on the most recent census, Fox News Digital reported.
Despite this, the number of homeless people in the city has skyrocketed. According to Wheeler’s office, there was a staggering 50% increase in homelessness from 2019 to 2022.
The Oregon legislature recently canceled a hearing to debate House Bill 3501, dubbed the “Right to Rest” Act, which would allow homeless individuals to sue those asking them to leave their properties. The bill has received widespread criticism from property owners and business leaders alike.
Meanwhile, under Wheeler, Portland has become an absolute cesspool of crime.
An 82-year-old man was beaten to death at a bus stop, while Antifa militants have attacked innocent bystanders and even staged a mass shooting at an anti-police rally.
The city is also still reeling from a violent attack by Antifa terrorists in April. The incident left several participants of the People’s Convoy injured as they were hit with paint-filled balloons and rocks hurled from an overpass along the 205 North.
