
Lars Larson: ‘When even the presence of police doesn’t deter criminal violence … you know it’s bad’
Lars Larson
The Northwest Nonsense
I guess you could say Portland and Seattle are doing a “bang up” job of making their downtowns safe … lots of bangs if you’re foolish enough to go there.

This past weekend, two people shot in Portland’s Old Town-Chinatown, a man and a woman. They’ll survive, we’re told.
In Seattle a few days earlier, a man in a wheelchair, shot in the chest. He’s on the mend too. That shooting happened on the shiny new waterfront development that Seattle just spent 800 million bucks on.
Prospects for the two cities seem dim lately.
The “Big Pink” bank tower in Portland fire-saled at a nearly 90 percent discount from its value just ten years ago. The new Ritz Carlton hotel and condos in bankruptcy. Big retailers fleeing and those who can’t afford to leave boarding up their storefronts against Antifa terrorists who have friends at City Hall.
Nordstrom hints it may not keep its signature store at Pioneer Courthouse Square much longer because of crime and filth.
Police have been defunded. And this seems telling to me…police were actually watching the crowd where that shooting happened over the weekend.
When even the presence of police doesn’t deter criminal violence … you know it’s bad.
Also read:
- Letter: Interstate Bridge Replacement $13.6 billion estimate is too low! Bob Ortblad argues the Interstate Bridge Replacement Program’s $13.6 billion cost estimate understates the true expense, citing comparable projects, construction challenges, and engineering assumptions.
- Opinion: ‘The drama and the waste of taxpayer money continues’Rep. John Ley outlines his objections to the approved fixed-span I-5 Bridge design, citing cost concerns, engineering standards, funding uncertainty, and opposition to light rail and tolls.
- Opinion: Why vote no on the Battle Ground School District levy?Dick Rylander outlines why he believes voters should reject the Battle Ground School District levy, citing costs, enrollment trends, test results, and district spending priorities.
- Letter: The multi-million dollar cash grab in Washington schoolsYacolt resident Mark Rose argues that rising superintendent salaries conflict with classroom cuts and repeated levy requests in Clark County school districts.
- Opinion: When fast feels slowDoug Dahl explains why drivers often misjudge their speed, especially when using cruise control or transitioning from freeway to city streets.







