“I want to criticize the Right for finally getting in power, and then spending their political capital going ape-shit and culture-warring over what a woman is instead of passing laws to protect tax-paying, law-abiding citizens from random acts of violence by mentally ill, drug-addicted homeless people.” The right is fighting about what a woman is because the left keeps allowing men in women’s spaces and in women only homeless shelters. Until that is solved how can the right fix the problem?
Fair enough- but the issue of “what is a woman” is a real thing. There are too many men being placed in women only spaces causing significant problems(physical, mental, emotional) . I think the republicans are at least trying to work on the problem.
If you open a woman-only shelter, men will barge in "as trans." What is the point? And the right wants to address the issue of the mentally ill roaming and attacking at will, but cannot, because the left insists that taking seriously mentally ill off the streets is a free will issue and its' authoritarian to even suggest it. I know, I am trying to talk to lefties about this and get blocked for my troubles.
Because it is settled science that XX is female and XY is male, and this is the classification of male and female, and the left STARTED the fight by saying that now male or female is based on feelings.
What’s interesting is that the left cried about the non-vaxxers during Covid, saying they were science deniers, claiming that vaccines are always safe science and that the companies had presented a safe product. The exact opposite was true.
Now, the left is actually denying science themselves, claiming that feelings determine whether one is female or male, instead of biology.
Government is not a solution to this problem, or to any other social or economic problem. Its infantilizing and enabling welfare schemes, morally bankrupt due to them being funded by tax-theft--legalized theft, but theft nonetheless--are not a solution. Government's control of money and its control over every sector of the economy and wages and other prices, and their impact on employment is not a solution. Government control of medical care of every type, and insurance is not a solution.
Since the primary unit in any society is the individual, not any group qua group; since human beings possess the essentially-human-defining faculties of reason and volition, thus are autonomous, self-owning, self-governing, and self-responsible agents of self-determination and personal well-being, the foundation of the solution to one's hardships, self-created or not, is the individual.
Since no one is a slave to any other human being, the only morally sound (i.e. sound by an objective, factually based standard or morality) and just assistance one may receive, the only one that is conducive to a free and civilized society, is charity--and only charity--i.e. assistance that is 100% privately and voluntarily funded, and voluntarily offered, in whatever form it may take, in accord with the giver's private property rights, and personal standards of giving.
Government operators and their fellow employees, whether on the "left" or the "right" (meaningless terms, as Ludwig von Mises noted), have no rational or realistic solutions to offer because government is a tri-level (local, state, federal), massively bureaucratized and politicized Leviathan that, like all of its employees, is funded by tax-theft and inflation, thus not-answerable and not accountable to the civilian population. Its mismanagement and waste of resources, negligence, and inefficiencies are features, not bugs; so pointing accusatory fingers at its operators is childish folly.
Since truly free markets and self-determination and self-responsibility are anathema to government operators on the "left" and "right", and to their citizen supporters, the status quo, with all of its wreckage, and waste, and human tragedies will continue unabated.
I'm curious. Why focus on women-only shelters? The prioritization of one sex over another is just another half-measure. ALL homeless are vulnerable. As a person who lived on N. Lombard Street in a bus for three years, I can say that I am one of the ones, contrary to your opening statement that came out looking at least better than when I was in Portland.
I sued the city in federal court without a lawyer for ADA violations, and they settled with me in 2019. Things have greatly improved since then, although my core distrust of the system (all parts) has resulted in my own CPTSD mitigation being permanently transient in the way that I choose.
I am safe and can go anywhere I like. I am thankful for people like you and Kevin, who give so freely of parts of yourself to the public so that we can all grow and learn.
I learned of you when I was leaving Portland, by reading about the university article submission fiasco. I LOUDLY applauded you for exposing the absence of sustainability of higher education as a propaganda machine.
I know you paid greatly for this, but I hope the price paled in comparison to the impact you've made on society.
I've wanted to sit down with you for years. I'd love to meet Kevin also, and share insights from my time in PDX and other places as someone lost, who cannot, due to the absence of truth in the system, lock down in a stick-built house.
It may change at some point in the future, but for now, this is my life, and I've made the very best of it.
I've been through more shit than Charmin, and I've learned every step of the way. I'd call that an asset.
Enjoyed the interview. Kevin's presentation seems genuine & makes a lot of sense. I want to like & trust the guy.
I had never heard of him before so I Googled him. Up comes WTF Portland with series of posts & images that accuses him of theft of funds from Gresham in 2021 to which he pleaded guilty. And a report of his arrest by Multnomah County Sheriff's office Oct 31, 2023. I'd love to hear Kevin's response to these charges.
This has absolutely no bearing on his ability to expose the homelessness crisis. You're just flinging mud. You don't have to trust "him". He videos his interactions, and the camera does not lie.
It’s interesting that you’re making this about him instead of the problem he is focused on getting in front of the public. That says more about you, than it does him.
It's not that simple. Kevin banned me for responding to someone on his stubstack, just saying, yeah, I looked it up and it's true. Which counts against him, as does the fact that he never talks to the people on his stack.
But I follow him religiously. His reports are amazing. Nobody else has the guts and experience to do what he does. So kudos for that, absolutely.
"I want to criticize the Right for finally getting in power..."
Coming from Seattle and Washington State, the Right is never going to get in power to affect change on issues like homelessness. The recently ousted DA in Seattle was a Republican in name only, and her more sensible approach to crime was rejected in favor of the usual nonsense.
A far-Left cabal of Democrats-in-name-only run much of the local political apparatus to the point where the State Supreme Court can ignore voter initiatives ($30 car tabs) and trample the State's constitution (income tax). Moderates of the past and even kooky but independent-of-thought politicians (Dixy Lee Ray) are long gone.
What a fascinating and challenging discussion! Thank you to you both!
First, kudos to that homeless dude who built a shelter for himself so his dog could have a safe place to live—you can tell that that dog loves the heck out of his human.
That said, I’ll admit that the more I see these women doing drugs while pregnant, the more I feel that automatic sterilization at the hospital after giving birth (or at the first healthcare interaction after giving birth if birth occurs outside of a hospital) should be mandatory. They just cannot be allowed to continue to hurt innocent children. I can hear the feminists (and conservatives) screeching about bodily autonomy and eugenics, and, I guess, the sanctity of life, but women like that cannot be allowed to ruin a series of children’s lives because they’re irresponsible. Someone has to be the adult in the room and step up to stop the cycle.
I also completely agree that a lot of people need direction. I just had a similar chat with a friend who said that her cousin, whom everyone calls Prison Bob, agrees himself that his latest (and longest) stint in prison after he got into a bar fight and nearly killed a man was the best thing that's ever happened to him at 40+ years old—he finally got treatment for his alcoholism and medication for his ADHD, and really benefited from the structured environment. In a previous generation, the military would have been a good alternative for providing him with the structure that he needs, since he GENUINELY cannot do it himself because he never developed those key executive functioning skills.
As for alcoholism, as someone with an entire branch of my family tree filled with Irish drunks, I found Andrew Huberman’s description of the dichotomy among drinkers that I’ve seen played out repeatedly among my own family members fantastic—if one starts to get tired after a few drinks, they are less likely to become an alcoholic; however, if one gets stimulated, they are more likely to become an alcoholic. https://youtu.be/DkS1pkKpILY?si=up9yCdSyjtAYG8ut&t=2013
As for homelessness and progressives, it would be fascinating to have Peter discuss the issue with someone like Misha Collins, who was homeless part of his childhood thanks to his activist parents who decided that politics were more important than providing a safe and stable home for their children, yet has always been a radical progressive himself, despite admitting to battling depression his entire life and going through years of therapy to recover from his childhood trauma. He’s the poster child for suicidal empathy and mental illness among progressives. Peter and Misha are both very smart, but only one is completely detached from reality (in case I wasn't clear, Misha is the one who's detached). It would be great to see Peter really make Misha defend his beliefs.
There is another piece to this. Like Kevin says, many people refuse help. They like living on the street. Or in the woods. Which they proceed to trash.
I even talked to a person (who said was homeless) who refused any idea that homeless people should show some responsibility. He thought we all owed him an apartment, but he did not owe back keeping the place livable for others.
Also, we have a situation where huge numbers of people are making a living off of the system called homessless-industrial complex. They want more money for the system that feeds them, and have no incentive to solve homelessness.
And the taxpayer gets screwed twice. His neighborhood gets overrun and ruined, and the money he pays into the system helps homelessness increase. Clown world.
I live in SF on Geary Street about one block north of Tenderloin, (TL). During former Mayor Breed’s term; the northern boundary moved three blocks north, or two blocks north of me. I have observed a perfect-storm around homelessness; SF-Gov in effect made the “Welcome homeless” sign larger by incentivizing new arrivals with policies that are far more tolerant than the 850,000 residents. These policies included decriminalization of crime including theft, drugs and turning the public sidewalk into your private living room. The sub-group of homeless who use drugs were especially incentivized in SF. City Hall also decided to tolerate feces in our neighborhoods. But, Lourie has prioritized feces removal at 311 and via a phone-app.
The DEI blueprint for dystopian police reform views interference with the homeless as “oppression”. In DEI-mode, the public is shut out of City Hall. With a DEI dictator-director in each city department, commission and committee, DEI owns SF almost as if private property.
Thank you elevating Kevin Dahlgren who has been boots on the ground for years and been called names for working with them when the City of Gresham prosecuted him. I still believe the City of Gresham didn't want his truth to be known.
I know, I know, write my own article. But I wanted to say from my personal experience, there is an inherent mistrust in the system, and these people on the streets cannot reconcile this, and putting the "system" in play as a part of the solution will never work. Period.
First I just want to say, obviously there should be a safe and separate space for females and males alike, for the safety of both parties involved. And there should also be a space for those transitioning that also protects them and those around them…
However, how many homeless trans women do you think are out there going into women only shelters specifically to abuse women, and do you think it’s even close to the amount of female on female abuse? And I’m not arguing that the sexes shouldn’t be separate. Just like I believe it’s unfair for trans women to compete against biological females in sports. But do you really think this issue moves the needle, even a tiny bit when it comes to homelessness issues overall? What about for womens safety in general?
Let’s be not lie to ourselves about the statistical relevance of the issue at hand. Just like the far left like to over inflate the amount of trans people that there are in society, the right does the exact same thing when it comes to making trans women the biggest boogeyman of all children and women everywhere. When in reality, we are talking about .06% of the population, maybe? In fact, just like Peter did above in his bet against homelessness cleanup timeframe, I would be willing to bet plenty that abuse against females by other females far outweighs the threat by transwomen, by an absolutely huge margin. Should we ignore the issue? No, but why this is even a major talking point considering I’d be amazed to find out that this issue affects even .001% of women in the US, IF
if that.
It’s literally the same thing as the entire 90’s kidnapping scare that caused parents to stop letting their children go out and play in the suburban neighborhood, when what actually was happening was just over reporting of the few rare instances of kidnapping that actually happened, that led to huge fearmongering and a huge detriment to kids all over the US.
So I apologize for the rambling of my comment, but I just find it so utterly disingenuous that the topic of trans people is even slightly relevant to the homelessness issue in any regard whatsoever. It is so statistically moot, that anyone brining it up as any type of real issue. Just virtue signaling.
I think your point is a good one. My worry is only partially abuse by trans women, more though it's abuse by men who will use pretending to be trans as a trojan horse to get themselves into women-only spaces.
“I want to criticize the Right for finally getting in power, and then spending their political capital going ape-shit and culture-warring over what a woman is instead of passing laws to protect tax-paying, law-abiding citizens from random acts of violence by mentally ill, drug-addicted homeless people.” The right is fighting about what a woman is because the left keeps allowing men in women’s spaces and in women only homeless shelters. Until that is solved how can the right fix the problem?
I stand by my statements. There are clear actions the right could have taken but did not.
Fair enough- but the issue of “what is a woman” is a real thing. There are too many men being placed in women only spaces causing significant problems(physical, mental, emotional) . I think the republicans are at least trying to work on the problem.
If you open a woman-only shelter, men will barge in "as trans." What is the point? And the right wants to address the issue of the mentally ill roaming and attacking at will, but cannot, because the left insists that taking seriously mentally ill off the streets is a free will issue and its' authoritarian to even suggest it. I know, I am trying to talk to lefties about this and get blocked for my troubles.
The right is not fighting about what a woman is. The right is merely pointing out that the left cannot answer this question.
Get your "facts" straight.
If they aren’t “fighting” why is this question being looked at by the Supreme Court regarding boys in girls sports etc (title 9) etc.
Because it is settled science that XX is female and XY is male, and this is the classification of male and female, and the left STARTED the fight by saying that now male or female is based on feelings.
What’s interesting is that the left cried about the non-vaxxers during Covid, saying they were science deniers, claiming that vaccines are always safe science and that the companies had presented a safe product. The exact opposite was true.
Now, the left is actually denying science themselves, claiming that feelings determine whether one is female or male, instead of biology.
We agree on all of this!
Government is not a solution to this problem, or to any other social or economic problem. Its infantilizing and enabling welfare schemes, morally bankrupt due to them being funded by tax-theft--legalized theft, but theft nonetheless--are not a solution. Government's control of money and its control over every sector of the economy and wages and other prices, and their impact on employment is not a solution. Government control of medical care of every type, and insurance is not a solution.
Since the primary unit in any society is the individual, not any group qua group; since human beings possess the essentially-human-defining faculties of reason and volition, thus are autonomous, self-owning, self-governing, and self-responsible agents of self-determination and personal well-being, the foundation of the solution to one's hardships, self-created or not, is the individual.
Since no one is a slave to any other human being, the only morally sound (i.e. sound by an objective, factually based standard or morality) and just assistance one may receive, the only one that is conducive to a free and civilized society, is charity--and only charity--i.e. assistance that is 100% privately and voluntarily funded, and voluntarily offered, in whatever form it may take, in accord with the giver's private property rights, and personal standards of giving.
Government operators and their fellow employees, whether on the "left" or the "right" (meaningless terms, as Ludwig von Mises noted), have no rational or realistic solutions to offer because government is a tri-level (local, state, federal), massively bureaucratized and politicized Leviathan that, like all of its employees, is funded by tax-theft and inflation, thus not-answerable and not accountable to the civilian population. Its mismanagement and waste of resources, negligence, and inefficiencies are features, not bugs; so pointing accusatory fingers at its operators is childish folly.
Since truly free markets and self-determination and self-responsibility are anathema to government operators on the "left" and "right", and to their citizen supporters, the status quo, with all of its wreckage, and waste, and human tragedies will continue unabated.
You think in a true-libertarian society there would be no homelessness?
Under east European socialism (communism) there were no homeless.
I'm curious. Why focus on women-only shelters? The prioritization of one sex over another is just another half-measure. ALL homeless are vulnerable. As a person who lived on N. Lombard Street in a bus for three years, I can say that I am one of the ones, contrary to your opening statement that came out looking at least better than when I was in Portland.
I sued the city in federal court without a lawyer for ADA violations, and they settled with me in 2019. Things have greatly improved since then, although my core distrust of the system (all parts) has resulted in my own CPTSD mitigation being permanently transient in the way that I choose.
I am safe and can go anywhere I like. I am thankful for people like you and Kevin, who give so freely of parts of yourself to the public so that we can all grow and learn.
I learned of you when I was leaving Portland, by reading about the university article submission fiasco. I LOUDLY applauded you for exposing the absence of sustainability of higher education as a propaganda machine.
I know you paid greatly for this, but I hope the price paled in comparison to the impact you've made on society.
I've wanted to sit down with you for years. I'd love to meet Kevin also, and share insights from my time in PDX and other places as someone lost, who cannot, due to the absence of truth in the system, lock down in a stick-built house.
It may change at some point in the future, but for now, this is my life, and I've made the very best of it.
I've been through more shit than Charmin, and I've learned every step of the way. I'd call that an asset.
Enjoyed the interview. Kevin's presentation seems genuine & makes a lot of sense. I want to like & trust the guy.
I had never heard of him before so I Googled him. Up comes WTF Portland with series of posts & images that accuses him of theft of funds from Gresham in 2021 to which he pleaded guilty. And a report of his arrest by Multnomah County Sheriff's office Oct 31, 2023. I'd love to hear Kevin's response to these charges.
This has absolutely no bearing on his ability to expose the homelessness crisis. You're just flinging mud. You don't have to trust "him". He videos his interactions, and the camera does not lie.
Not flinging mud nor intentionally trying to discredit Kevin. I just like to know my sources; trust but verify.
While I don't have much trust in WTF Portland, I do have confidence in this source: https://www.oregonlive.com/crime/2025/01/kevin-dahlgren-prominent-critic-of-portland-homeless-services-admits-to-stealing-from-them.html
So, given the fact that Kevin violated his previous position of trust damages his cred in my mind.
I'd love to hear what he has to say & why we should trust him now.
It’s interesting that you’re making this about him instead of the problem he is focused on getting in front of the public. That says more about you, than it does him.
Keep doing that as long as it serves you.
It's not that simple. Kevin banned me for responding to someone on his stubstack, just saying, yeah, I looked it up and it's true. Which counts against him, as does the fact that he never talks to the people on his stack.
But I follow him religiously. His reports are amazing. Nobody else has the guts and experience to do what he does. So kudos for that, absolutely.
"I want to criticize the Right for finally getting in power..."
Coming from Seattle and Washington State, the Right is never going to get in power to affect change on issues like homelessness. The recently ousted DA in Seattle was a Republican in name only, and her more sensible approach to crime was rejected in favor of the usual nonsense.
A far-Left cabal of Democrats-in-name-only run much of the local political apparatus to the point where the State Supreme Court can ignore voter initiatives ($30 car tabs) and trample the State's constitution (income tax). Moderates of the past and even kooky but independent-of-thought politicians (Dixy Lee Ray) are long gone.
True enough. There's been a total death of the moderate in America.
What a fascinating and challenging discussion! Thank you to you both!
First, kudos to that homeless dude who built a shelter for himself so his dog could have a safe place to live—you can tell that that dog loves the heck out of his human.
That said, I’ll admit that the more I see these women doing drugs while pregnant, the more I feel that automatic sterilization at the hospital after giving birth (or at the first healthcare interaction after giving birth if birth occurs outside of a hospital) should be mandatory. They just cannot be allowed to continue to hurt innocent children. I can hear the feminists (and conservatives) screeching about bodily autonomy and eugenics, and, I guess, the sanctity of life, but women like that cannot be allowed to ruin a series of children’s lives because they’re irresponsible. Someone has to be the adult in the room and step up to stop the cycle.
I also completely agree that a lot of people need direction. I just had a similar chat with a friend who said that her cousin, whom everyone calls Prison Bob, agrees himself that his latest (and longest) stint in prison after he got into a bar fight and nearly killed a man was the best thing that's ever happened to him at 40+ years old—he finally got treatment for his alcoholism and medication for his ADHD, and really benefited from the structured environment. In a previous generation, the military would have been a good alternative for providing him with the structure that he needs, since he GENUINELY cannot do it himself because he never developed those key executive functioning skills.
As for alcoholism, as someone with an entire branch of my family tree filled with Irish drunks, I found Andrew Huberman’s description of the dichotomy among drinkers that I’ve seen played out repeatedly among my own family members fantastic—if one starts to get tired after a few drinks, they are less likely to become an alcoholic; however, if one gets stimulated, they are more likely to become an alcoholic. https://youtu.be/DkS1pkKpILY?si=up9yCdSyjtAYG8ut&t=2013
As for homelessness and progressives, it would be fascinating to have Peter discuss the issue with someone like Misha Collins, who was homeless part of his childhood thanks to his activist parents who decided that politics were more important than providing a safe and stable home for their children, yet has always been a radical progressive himself, despite admitting to battling depression his entire life and going through years of therapy to recover from his childhood trauma. He’s the poster child for suicidal empathy and mental illness among progressives. Peter and Misha are both very smart, but only one is completely detached from reality (in case I wasn't clear, Misha is the one who's detached). It would be great to see Peter really make Misha defend his beliefs.
There is another piece to this. Like Kevin says, many people refuse help. They like living on the street. Or in the woods. Which they proceed to trash.
I even talked to a person (who said was homeless) who refused any idea that homeless people should show some responsibility. He thought we all owed him an apartment, but he did not owe back keeping the place livable for others.
Also, we have a situation where huge numbers of people are making a living off of the system called homessless-industrial complex. They want more money for the system that feeds them, and have no incentive to solve homelessness.
And the taxpayer gets screwed twice. His neighborhood gets overrun and ruined, and the money he pays into the system helps homelessness increase. Clown world.
Thank you for writing about Dahlgren. His reports are in a class of their own.
I live in SF on Geary Street about one block north of Tenderloin, (TL). During former Mayor Breed’s term; the northern boundary moved three blocks north, or two blocks north of me. I have observed a perfect-storm around homelessness; SF-Gov in effect made the “Welcome homeless” sign larger by incentivizing new arrivals with policies that are far more tolerant than the 850,000 residents. These policies included decriminalization of crime including theft, drugs and turning the public sidewalk into your private living room. The sub-group of homeless who use drugs were especially incentivized in SF. City Hall also decided to tolerate feces in our neighborhoods. But, Lourie has prioritized feces removal at 311 and via a phone-app.
The DEI blueprint for dystopian police reform views interference with the homeless as “oppression”. In DEI-mode, the public is shut out of City Hall. With a DEI dictator-director in each city department, commission and committee, DEI owns SF almost as if private property.
Thank you elevating Kevin Dahlgren who has been boots on the ground for years and been called names for working with them when the City of Gresham prosecuted him. I still believe the City of Gresham didn't want his truth to be known.
I know, I know, write my own article. But I wanted to say from my personal experience, there is an inherent mistrust in the system, and these people on the streets cannot reconcile this, and putting the "system" in play as a part of the solution will never work. Period.
BTW, I never shoplifted. LOL. I was crime free as an unhoused individual from 2005 to the current day.
First I just want to say, obviously there should be a safe and separate space for females and males alike, for the safety of both parties involved. And there should also be a space for those transitioning that also protects them and those around them…
However, how many homeless trans women do you think are out there going into women only shelters specifically to abuse women, and do you think it’s even close to the amount of female on female abuse? And I’m not arguing that the sexes shouldn’t be separate. Just like I believe it’s unfair for trans women to compete against biological females in sports. But do you really think this issue moves the needle, even a tiny bit when it comes to homelessness issues overall? What about for womens safety in general?
Let’s be not lie to ourselves about the statistical relevance of the issue at hand. Just like the far left like to over inflate the amount of trans people that there are in society, the right does the exact same thing when it comes to making trans women the biggest boogeyman of all children and women everywhere. When in reality, we are talking about .06% of the population, maybe? In fact, just like Peter did above in his bet against homelessness cleanup timeframe, I would be willing to bet plenty that abuse against females by other females far outweighs the threat by transwomen, by an absolutely huge margin. Should we ignore the issue? No, but why this is even a major talking point considering I’d be amazed to find out that this issue affects even .001% of women in the US, IF
if that.
It’s literally the same thing as the entire 90’s kidnapping scare that caused parents to stop letting their children go out and play in the suburban neighborhood, when what actually was happening was just over reporting of the few rare instances of kidnapping that actually happened, that led to huge fearmongering and a huge detriment to kids all over the US.
So I apologize for the rambling of my comment, but I just find it so utterly disingenuous that the topic of trans people is even slightly relevant to the homelessness issue in any regard whatsoever. It is so statistically moot, that anyone brining it up as any type of real issue. Just virtue signaling.
I think your point is a good one. My worry is only partially abuse by trans women, more though it's abuse by men who will use pretending to be trans as a trojan horse to get themselves into women-only spaces.
What is truth?