"Yeah, gentrification is totally the story of what's big in Portland right now."
This is where the conversation usually goes when talking to people who've left town for a few years. This young woman has been in Argentina, and is one of an increasingly rare breed—the Portland native. She also understands that the Pearl isn't the problem, it's what's going on in the inner east side.
"Yeah, that's the thing," I tell her. "I was actually pro-Pearl at the time. The way I saw it, it would be like a ghetto for those people—they'd have their little neighborhood with all the same architecture and little restaurants and boutiques and never have to leave, and the rest of the city could be left in peace."
"Yeah!" she says. "But now they're building those same fucking buildings all over town!"
"Exactly, and it drives up housing costs at all the existing places, because now the neighborhood's 'on the rise' or whatever."
"At least the little coffee shops and galleries and shit showcase local artists..." she offers.
"Yeah, but how many of those 'local' artists do you think have lived here longer than two or three years?"
"And they take over these neighborhoods and are so self-righteous about it, they figure everyone with a blue collar should live in Gresham, like what Portland needs is more baristas and bartenders with indie rock bands," she says. "I mean, look at the neighborhood I grew up in!"
We pull up to her Hawthorne address. She sighs.
So, what do Gen X and Y ers do? They go buy houses in the "hood". They do this because its all they could/can afford. Then, when they fix up the crap ass houses, everyone hates them for it. This is laughable. As far as row houses/condos are concerned, that's another issue. Take that up with those who are trying to balance urban sprawl vs. density issues. Our city planning is the envy of the country. That's one of the reasons why all the hipsters from the Midwest move here?! You know who you are you dirty, want-to-be-in a band, bartending complainers. Besides, they aren't the ones the condos are being built for anyway. And, since when has Hawthorne been gentrified. Hawthorne has been the same for 30+ years. It's always been an arts/shopping district.
Look, I remember locking my car doors when crossing NE Broadway going north on MLK. This is pre Nike store outlet, Alberta Arts, Wild Oats, and Kennedy School Days. This is when gangs and drugs ruled corners like MLK and NE Fremont. I've done just fine by gentrification, thank you very much, and I think Portland has too. I know, I know..."subvert the dominant paradigm", and "Keep Portland Wierd"..yeah yeah. Whatever.
Of course the people complaining about gentrification are those who aren't benefiting from it! Wouldn't you? What the hell kind of argument is that? That's like saying, "It seems like only the people who don't have health insurance are complaining about the health care system. Quit whining and deal!" I'm sure the families that were crushed by crack in Alberta get down on their knees and thank God for Wild Oats and Nike and the McMenamins brothers for running out all the riff-raff. Now: If only we could get a Macintosh store, a L'Occitane, and a fucking Yankee Candle over there in Felony Flats, we could get a grip on this meth thing.
"Our city planning is the envy of the country." Yes, because we have pretty bike lanes, and pretty Pearl, and pretty Max, and pretty parks. What about our schools that have had cancer for 17 years? What about the african americans that get pushed out of NoPo neighborhoods? And the homeless that lost out on the Pearl deal? Where'd they go? Where's the enviable social policy? Where's the enviable city/state planning that takes education and poverty into account? Don't be fooled by the mask Portland wears, my friends. It's gotten better for a few, and worse for lots.
HAWTHORNE HAS BEEN THE SAME FOR 30 YEARS? KLo, you must have gotten your hands on some of that Oregonic outside Smokin Glass. Hawthorne was the blue collar Tu-Be Tavern, adult video stores, etc. The only shit still on Hawthorne (east of 35th) that has been there for at least 20 years is Fred's Sound of Music, Oasis Pizza, Nick's Coney Island, and Fred Meyers. Everything else has turned over. I know because I've lived there since 1987. I hope the rest of Portland natives don't do what you do and hole themselves up in some fake-ass fixer-upper built on nostalgia and a "screw-you-unhappy-people-because-I-got-mine" attitude. Lend a hand, partner, and open your eyes. Don't just call it quits because you've arrived.
I'm sorry but your arguements are invalid. You use analogies that are false comparisons. People without healthcare are primary those who don't work, or are too uneducated to get a job that has decent healthcare. That has nothing to do with gentrification. And yes, I owned a house in Hawthorne too until a few years ago. I could't afford to buy a house by myself there so I bought an old house that was a fixer and rented half of it out. I put alot of money and work into fixing that house myself. Guess what, I struggled, worked hard and made alot of money while improving that house. And, Hawthorne district has been roughly the same for a long long time. I went to Oasis Pizza for lunch in high school circa 1988. The shops looked about the same then asshole. Oh, and the school problem is a result of gentrification too? Get real. The reality is those neighborhoods are nicer and they are that way because working people like myself have worked hard to improve them. So yes, those who haven't benefited can kiss my ass for not working hard enough to care and to improve things. So the answer is that working class people should be responsible for the homeless and the black people of the city? The topic is gentrification, not socialism.