AMAC Magazine: Volume 17, Issue 4

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cle, “What’s the Matter with Port- land? Shootings, Thefts, and Other Crime Test the City’s Progressive Strain.” Indeed . That article, noting the city’s parallel economic demise, reported home- lessness “jumped [ . . . from] 4,000 to at least 6,600,” while “shootings [ . . . ] tripled,” and crime of all kinds “spiked” in three years. “Progressive” San Francisco, mean- time, recorded 20,000 homeless last year, a spike attributed to job losses, drug abuse, and  like Portland, Oregon  its status as a sanctuary, or pro-illegal alien, city. What about places prioritizing safety  those pro-police, anti-drug, pro-business, anti-illegal immigration

while smaller ones have collegiality advantages. The key  what decides if a city thrives or dies  is arguably not size, age, industry, geography, demography, ethnicity, climate, or other peripheral factors. It is leadership  the integrity, priorities, and accountability of lead- ers. Are safety, harmony, and growth promoted or eroded? Contrasts are illustrative and shock- ing. “Woke” Portland, Oregon, and San Francisco, California, stand in sharp contrast to traditional, fami- ly-friendly, and fiscally conservative cities like Naperville, Illinois, and Glen- dale, Arizona. The facts are riveting and hard to deny.

Portland, Oregon  a self-proclaimed “hotbed of progressivism”  has more crime than 99 percent of the coun- try based on national data and set another homicide record in 2022. San Francisco has higher crime than 98 percent of the country and twice the property crime of all of California. Not surprisingly, Portland’s and San Francisco’s police suffer low recruit- ment and retention, budget cuts, and disrespect from “progressive” lead- ers. When safety matters, “progressiv- ism” fails. Notably, public discontent precedes change, and 82 percent of Portland voters want change. If any city is a poster child for failure, Portland may be it. Forbes called it the “Death of a City,” while the Los Angeles Times entitled a 2023 arti-

Volume 17 Issue 4 • 33

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