Portland will begin recovery only if and when its leaders will recognize and address the many roots of its problems, (“Downtown Portland’s recovery: Better than advertised?” Aug. 27).
When Gov. Tina Kotek points to the pandemic as the cause but does not address the 2020 street riots, the non-enforcement of the criminal code, the permissiveness toward street drug use, the hostile business environment, the misguided pandemic response measures and the ineffective city response to those with mental illness, no headway will be made.