Conversations with Peter Boghossian The Realities In Portland Oregon | Angela Todd
Mar 16, 2026
Angela Todd, Portland-based citizen journalist and founder of PDX Real, covers local politics, crime, and daily life in Portland. She discusses progressive policies and their effects on homelessness and public safety. She explains housing-first outcomes, decriminalization, nonprofit incentives, media narratives, retail theft, neighborhood decline, and grassroots organizing to push back.
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Housing First Linked To Increased Overdose And Crime
- Portland's housing-first policy and Measure 110 decriminalization correlate with rising overdoses and organized crime in subsidized units.
- Angela Todd cites county data (~70% of unsheltered have mental health/substance issues) and says housing without treatment created environments traffickers exploit.
Funding Incentives Sustain Harmful Programs
- Angela argues political and nonprofit capture creates perverse incentives that profit from suffering.
- She describes a loop where growing government, unions, and funded nonprofits benefit financially, undermining accountability.
When Someone Is Ready Treatment Access Often Fails
- Angela tried engaging harm-reduction services with a partner seeking treatment and found long waits and poor referrals.
- She reports people ready for rehab face multi-week waits, 5 a.m. lines, and dealers waiting outside treatment access points.