There has been a wide array of reactions to the news that the Portland Police Department has begun enforcing the evictions of the people living in what has come to be known in recent weeks as “Tent City”. From online commentors, to media types, and all the way up to elected officials- it seems everyone […]
Every so often I receive press releases from various groups in my email inbox. I’m not always sure how or why I’m included in most of the email lists, and I almost always ignore them. However, this evening I received a release from a an advocacy group that’s near and dear to my heart, The […]
For as long as I’ve known Roger Goodoak of the Maine Homeless Veteran’s Alliance, I’ve been inspired by his generosity and dedication to helping those less fortunate in the greater Portland area. Portland has a lot of social service agencies that take care of many of the needs of the marginalized people in our community, […]
For the past decade or so, Portlanders have taken pride in the many “Top Ten” lists that our city makes for things like “places to live,” “foodie scenes,” and “wedding destinations,” but on Monday the website U.S. Uncut put us in the top spot for a list that we should be ashamed of- 15 cities waging war […]
With the winter holiday season in full swing, the Portland Police Department took a cue from the likes of Ebenezer Scrooge last week when they had dozens of homeless encampments destroyed along Interstate 295. (Video from wgme.com) With the mild December weather that Maine has seen this year, many in Portland’s homeless community are choosing to […]
An elementary school principal from Alabama has become an unlikely internet star after posting a story on Facebook about how he helped a sick homeless man who eating out of a trash can. John Brantley, whose story has been shared over 1 million times in just a few days, noticed the man as he was leaving […]
This is the sixth and final entry in a series titled, “Ties that Bind.” Links to the previous five entries can be found at the bottom of this story. When I first ventured down that obscure path, every little noise around me was startling, and every step felt like I was venturing further into foreign […]
This is the fifth entry in a series titled, “Ties that Bind.” Links to the previous four entries can be found at the bottom of this story. A select few of the people living in the Land of the Mohicans are there because they want to be. For whatever reasons they’ve never felt comfortable conforming […]
This is the fourth entry in a series titled, “Ties that Bind.” Links to the previous three entries can be found at the bottom of this story. For over a decade prior to moving out to the Land of the Mohicans, Carl lived in the same humble apartment in Portland’s Bayside neighborhood. “I lived on […]
This is the third entry in a series titled, “Ties that Bind.” Links to the previous two entries can be found at the bottom of this story. As I followed Matt Coffey through the Land of the Mohicans on a barely visible path through underbrush and mud, we passed by several vacant campsites. “Usually when […]
