PDN Letter to the Editor: “Nothing Left”
I think I've finally figured out the PDN's policy for publishing letters to the editor. If you have a valid point to make — a constructive solution to a local problem — the PDN might or might not print your letter. Probably not though.
But if you spew out a page full of incoherent pointless venom, the PDN will happily print your letter. If a pile of vomit could be translated into words, it would look like the letter in the 5/26 PDN titled “Nothing Left.”
Most people find a constructive outlet for their pent-up rage: a vigorous workout, cranking up the stereo, a hobby, screaming into a pillow; something. Or you can just hurl into the PDN letters section, as follows:
But if you spew out a page full of incoherent pointless venom, the PDN will happily print your letter. If a pile of vomit could be translated into words, it would look like the letter in the 5/26 PDN titled “Nothing Left.”
Most people find a constructive outlet for their pent-up rage: a vigorous workout, cranking up the stereo, a hobby, screaming into a pillow; something. Or you can just hurl into the PDN letters section, as follows:
“As I pen this letter, I can't find the proper words to tell my disgust with whomever is responsible for the decay of downtown Port Angeles. I came here in 1941...Downtown was booming with banks, clothing stores, cages, jewelry stores.
Now because someone is responsible for people closing up shop, I was so embarrassed to see cruise ship people coming to see what? Port Angeles is dead. Even the big oil rig would have been something to look at. My God, city fathers, open your eyes. What do you see that I don't to bring people here? I've been in Ketchikan, Alaska, where cruise ships come in up to five at a time. The paper there said 10,000 passengers there on a Thursday, with money pouring in.
So passengers walked down Front Street. What, dear God, did they see? Wake up, Port Angeles: there is nothing left here. Anything new, someone votes it out.”
posted by Tom Harper at 11:22 AM
13 Comments:
How sad this woman must be, to be so negative. Lady, times have changed. Every town in America is going through exactly this process. Just because it isn't like it used to be, doesn't mean it's not thriving in its own way.
Your letter was extremely disrespectful to the many people who are making a huge effort to bring Port Angeles back from the worldwide recession -- many towns haven't come as far back as we have. Try to appreciate what is happening, instead of carping about the past. It's now, not then.
Also, I hope you feel better soon. Apparently you're in a world of hurt.
Anon 11:43..
What drugs are you on? They must be very powerful, to create such hallucinations.
"Bring Port Angeles back from the world wide recession"? Is that the Revitalize Port Angeles party line? Were you here, in Port Angeles, in 2008? Or before? As if things were going so great, then.
Do you remember that local governments, with the support of the local business groups, formed "Harborworks", and spent over a million dollars to attract retail, commercial, residential and industrial developers to Port Angeles. All said they were not interested.
If you look beyond your own happy talk, and see what is going on in other communities, you will see they are moving along. Seattle is in a boom phase.
Here, the sidewalks are still empty. Even this weekend, with a long holiday and a festival going on, the streets and sidewalks were empty. They were empty last week, before the holiday.
Did you notice most of the people on that cruise ship that came here a week or two ago, didn't even bother to get off the boat? They looked out their windows and said "Why bother?"
Stand on the corner of Lincoln and First, a few minutes after the Coho brings another load of passengers to down town Port Angeles. You will see them head right out of town. No stopping.
"Come back as far as we have"?? Really?? How can you possibly believe such poppycock and self delusion is helpful? In the last few months, Nippon has shut down half it's operations, laying off dozens. The Port speaks of declining revenues because timber sales are falling. The city is asking we decide which programs for the needy should be cut, because the city is essentially broke. The police chief says the city can no longer enforce traffic laws. Young people are appearing at city council to speak about the heroin problems in the schools, and pleading for "hope". All in the last couple of months.
Now, the city is facing a water crisis, with rapidly declining water levels, and no plans to build reservoirs.
"Try to appreciate what is happening..."?? Yes. Quit those drugs (or what ever you're on) and look at what is really going on, instead of living in your fantasy world that thinks everything is fine, and getting better.
Being concerned about the state of your community, and acknowledging it's problems gets you a lot further than childish happy talk and ignoring the problems.
But, you can keep steam cleaning the sidewalks, if you really think that is why people just drive on by, by the thousands. And why our children are overdosing on heroin in the intersections of our streets, in broad daylight.
Tom, how can you characterize the observations of someone who has lived in Port Angeles since 1941 as: "If a pile of vomit could be translated into words, it would look like the letter in the 5/26 PDN titled “Nothing Left.”
Looking around, it looks like that letter writer hit the mark, spot on.
"And why our children are overdosing on heroin in the intersections of our streets, in broad daylight."
When did that happen? Missed that one. Holy shit, that's horrible. Which intersection? When? And cops did nothing? Unbelievable.
Anon 2:21 - You're making 2 separate points that are not related. Yes the PA powers that be are corrupt and f'ed up. Budget deficits, refusing to deal with the water shortage this summer, squandering millions on useless projects - they could f### up a wet dream. Agreed.
But then: "Here, the sidewalks are still empty. Even this weekend, with a long holiday and a festival going on, the streets and sidewalks were empty."
WTF? I was in town all weekend. Downtown, the waterfront and Lincoln Street were all crowded, and the nightclubs were all packed during that music in the clubs part of the festival.
There are a lot of new upscale cutting edge businesses downtown, bring a lot of shoppers and lookers, in spite of the corrupt PA government.
To "Anonymous" at 2:21 who seemed to call me a completely delusional drug addict, I believe you missed my point. I was indeed here in 2008; as an economist, now retired, I saw this recession coming since 1999, unable to do anything about it. It took a long time for this country to go into a complete tailspin; something most of you don't know and don't believe if told. 2008 is the drop-dead date economists use, not the beginning but the absolute bottom.
So, yes, Port Angeles has come a long way. I'm not saying there isn't a long road back still to climb, but progress is being made.
The point I made, which you completely ignored, is that many people are trying hard downtown, with success, and to call it all a completely empty deserted wasteland is a monumental slap in the face to people who are actually doing something -- I would bet you any amount of money you care to name that the writer of the letter to the editor has not doing ONE THING to help. All she wants to do is spew. Not admirable.
To Anon 3:44
I have the police report:
"On May 2, 2015 at approximately 3:55 PM officers and Fire Department personnel responded to a report of an unconscious male behind the wheel of a vehicle in the 700 block South Pine Street Corporal Josh Powless arrived to find a male subject in the driver’s seat and behind the wheel of a Honda sedan. He was told by witnesses that the subject had visible injection marks on his arms. The male was unresponsive, did not have a detectable pulse and was displaying very slow respirations. Corporal Powless administered one dose of naloxone via auto injector. A detectable pulse quickly returned and the subject regained consciousness while on scene. He was treated by Port Angeles Fire Department paramedics and transported by ambulance to the Olympic Medical Center.
Additional investigation by Corporal Powless and Officer Sky Sexton revealed that witnesses had found the vehicle moving slowly and were forced to remove the keys and engage the vehicle into park."
A young woman found this overdosing young man rolling through an intersection unconscious, and saved his life. And others that might have been killed or injured as the car rolled on.
She stood up and told the city council about the incident during the public comment period, asked if the council wanted to know why heroin use was so high among Port Angeles youth and in the schools, asked for help and hope... and was completely ignored. In the audience were representatives from Revitalize Port Angeles, the Port Angeles Chamber of Commerce, the Port Angeles Downtown Association, and others. None said a word.
That night, we all saw how much these people really care. Sicken, and appalling.
For Anon 4:10
I don't know where you were. I was so astonished by the empty streets and sidewalks, I photographed them. Those photos are date and time stamped. The photos show empty sidewalks and streets on the waterfront, Railroad Ave, Front Street and First Street.
I'll send them to Tom to post, if he is interested.
To Screamin' Mimi,
Okay, so we both have been here for a time spanning previous to 2008. That seems to be the common ground.
But, both the writer with a perspective of Port Angeles from 1941, and myself see that there is more decline than progress. As an economist, you can't say that the city admitting it has "taxed to the limits" it's residents is progress. That the city has spent so much money on stupid projects, that residents now carry a extremely heavy debt load. That is not "progress".
You may not want to see it, or admit it, but the downtown IS a deserted wasteland. (And I have the pictures to prove it). It has been, for years. That is why so many different consultants have been hired and brought in to suggest ways of fixing it. The cruise ship passengers DIDN'T get off the boat, OR buy anything. The daily Coho ferry passengers DO just turn left, and drive out of town without stopping. The millions that visit the Olympic National Park DO just drive right past Port Angeles, throughout the year.
All that is FACT. Not nice. I don't like it, either. But we have to face reality. Steam cleaning the sidewalks is not going to change why people are just driving by.
And, I would take you up on that bet. In the 70 years that woman who wrote that letter has lived in this community, I believe she has earned her right to express her dismay at what she has seen her community turn into. If she didn't care about her community, why would she bother to write anything at all?
Port Angeles has a string of very serious issues to solve, but the attitude that is being shown by the city and it's leaders doing everything they can to get people here to spend hours voting for that silly on-line "contest" shows why the problems don't get solved.
Saying you are "The Best" doesn't make you "The Best". You have to BE "The Best". And, to BE "The Best", you can't choose to ignore your problems, problems clearly seen by anyone looking.
People who are excited by this current silly "contest" think it will bring attention to Port Angeles, and then more people will come to Port Angeles, and then the local businesses will prosper. That Port Angeles will get "Bragging rights as the being the "Best Town, Ever".
Sadly, all this shows is a willingness to engage in self delusion. And, as this thread shows, a willingness to actively dismiss anyone that points out that the city still has the same problems it had, before the on-line contest started.
Much like building pocket beaches at the same time the city looks to cut programs for the needy. Cutting the programs doesn't make the concerns of the community's needy go away. Ignoring that young woman pleading for help and hope didn't make the heroin problems in our community's schools and among our youth go away.
But what gets the community's interest and action? Voting for itself as "The Best".
Why WOULD anyone go downtown? What are they going to do window shop all the empty buildings? Shop for junque at the "antique" stores? Peruse some rusted pieces of metal that we call art? Oh, maybe they can go to a restaurant that barely rates on Yelp. Or they can go to our new fake beaches and get blasted by the wind. Maybe if they're lucky they can smell all the sewage pumped into the harbor becuase the turd tank wasn't working that day.
Downtown is empty. Like the previous commenter said it's a wasteland. We all know it. What we don't know is why people are still surprised no one goes there. Give it up already.
I've said for years that it is just a gateway to other places. So I decided to move to Texas and the fucking rains followed me here, but at least it is warmer here.
Anyone interested in seeing pictures of how empty the streets of Port Angeles were over the Memorial Day holiday weekend can see them here: http://portangelesunearthed.blogspot.com/
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