Potential Anarchy in NYC: A Comparison with Portland

A month ago, I found myself in Portland, Oregon, ostensibly to report on a protest outside an ICE facility. What struck me even more, though, was the chaotic state of downtown. Some might say that a similar kind of disorder could soon hit New York City.

Looking back four years, when Bill de Blasio was trying to reverse eight years of poor leadership in New York, the New York Post had me wandering midtown to document the fallout from his tenure. Let’s be honest here; while New York in 2021 wasn’t at the current levels of chaos seen in Portland or San Francisco, things were pretty troubling.

At the time, I described it like this:

“Some lie half-naked on the concrete, while others wear odd gags and pool together what little money they have for questionable purchases. A few roam the streets, yelling nonsensically, reminiscent of street preachers in Times Square. I even saw a man in a long dress dancing across traffic on Eighth Avenue as if he were performing a striptease on a telephone pole.”

“The city’s response? Well, it didn’t seem like there was one.”

When Eric Adams took office in 2022, he did make efforts to address these concerns, working closely with the NYPD. In the early days of his administration, while the smell of marijuana lingered in certain areas, at least it wasn’t being sold openly in cardboard boxes anymore.

Adams, as a former police officer, knows firsthand that low-level crime can really harm urban life. Although he avoided calling it “broken windows enforcement,” he established a quality-of-life team to tackle these street issues. Yet, Zoran Mamdani, a leading mayoral candidate, proposes to eliminate such initiatives, suggesting instead that social workers handle these situations—much like what led to Portland’s downfall.

This week, an intriguing post by writer Sophie Vershbow caught my attention. She remarked, “None of Zoran’s grand proposals, like free buses or rent freezes, will directly change my life because I’m relatively unaffected and privileged. But I’ll vote for him because every New Yorker deserves their basic needs met.”

This mindset is precisely what contributed to Portland’s decline. Sure, Vershbow remains largely untroubled. She’ll continue enjoying brunch and cocktails, and use Uber to bypass any subway encounters. But what about those drug users she’ll occasionally pass by? It’s a reality that’s undoubtedly hard to explain to kids, yet it’s so easy for some adults to overlook.

Under de Blasio, New York was inching closer to breaking point by 2021. Times Square wasn’t exactly a kid-friendly place, but voters made a change and opted for Adams instead of continuing down the socialist path.

It’s hard to believe that New York could revert to a more socialist approach after just recently voting against it. Even if Mamdani wins, he might not manage to secure even half of the total votes.

Should that happen, keep an eye on Portland for clues about how quality-of-life issues could evolve. It took de Blasio eight lengthy years to undo progress made by previous mayors, but Mamdani seems eager to dig in.

Just like in Portland, New York’s affluent residents, who stay despite growing taxes, could be the ones to suffer. Unlike those who advocate for these changes, they tend not to face the consequences that ordinary citizens endure. For them, it’s just an experimental phase, not a dire situation.

The people of Portland, after all, largely contributed to their city’s deterioration by neglecting law enforcement and failing to assist the homeless and addicts. Sadly, it seems that New Yorkers may be heading down a similar path, and Gotham could soon face challenges even more severe than before.