Oregon decriminalized drugs, then waited 2 years to supply the money for them treatment centers. So, yeah, it failed. Portland police also handed out the least tickets for drug possession in the state. Grants Pass much smaller than Portland handed out almost twice as many tickets than Portland did in the first two years. I think the blame needs to go around to a lot of people for the failures in Portland and Oregon as a whole.

Big cities in California decriminalized quality of life crimes, and unsurprisingly people's quality of life gets negatively impacted.

Some reformers need to learn the difference between not prosecuting low level offenses and ignoring them entirely.

I'm a Portland resident and have served on a grand jury in Multnomah. There is a framing issue here with Schmidt's prosecution strategy. Yes, arrests overall are way down, and that's for a number of reasons. The most important among them is that Schmidt has refocused police efforts to go almost exclusively after violent crime. Nearly every case I saw was an open and shut violent crime case, meaning the DA is only focused on arresting and prosecuting the most heinous of offenders and taking on cases that are air tight. This is how the justice system is SUPPOSED to work. The rise in OD and other drug related issues is solely because the decriminalization laws weren't accompanied with the necessary infrastructure (safe use sites, equipment exchanges, more social workers/agencies, more affordable housing, etc.) so placing that blame specifically on Schmidt when he has no power or say what laws the state passes is a incorrect solution to the problem at hand. Cenk and Ana need to look deeper into Portland politics in order to get the full story, otherwise you end up just dishing right-wing talking points about homeless people and justice reform.

To quote Anna Kasparian, "What are we doing? What are we doing? What are we doing? What are we doing!!!!"

Cenk saying "these aren't progressive policies" is the funniest thing I've heard in a decade.

This country feels like it's in an uncontrollably tailspin. Not just this topic but everything. We are in endless wars, endless riots, endless protests, endless spending and endless political and social fighting. All resulting in no improvement and more fighting

I just voted in the Oregon Primaries… I felt that I was facing more of a “strategic” vote, who was more likely to win against the Republican candidate in November… than who was the more progressive candidate. The failed drug policy change was mostly due to the states inability to support the rehab option in sentencing. It was a great idea, but if you’re given a get out of jail free card if you seek intervention… but there is no intervention available… FAIL! In addition, there was such a huge backlog of cases, leftover from COVID and the unavailability of public defenders, they threw out 300 cases in one fell swoop due to delayed justice. The word on the street is the drug zombies aren’t charged because there is nowhere to put them, no one to defend them, no place to rehab them, and they will just become the criminalized poor/homeless when they fail to appear. And nobody wants to pay for the institutions required, let alone have them in their neighborhoods. It’s a vicious cycle made worse by the massive fires creating a homelessness crisis… Oregon had an estimated 25,000 people displaced by fire over a couple year period, followed by a huge predatory investor buy out of property, the rent in Oregon freaking doubled… the houses that were rebuilt were not double wides in the blackberries, or put back up for rent for $500 a month… they built huge luxuries and sold to out of state investors, or rows of A-frames along the rivers, listed as Air BnBs for fishing. The displaced people were moved and shuffled into the roadside drug camps… it’s no shock many of them started doing fentanyl! We need help! Don’t even get me started on our “NEW” congressional district, or the Greater Idaho Initiative to try annex Eastern Oregon into IDAHO! Are you kidding me… like I wrote above, when I was much calmer… Strategic Voting! Maybe one day I will vote with my heart, and for my progressive values? But today was NOT that day my friend!

Just to be clear, the number of elected officials in the US who are anarchists is ZERO.

By just about every metric, homicides are down by 10% in the US, and the rate of violent crimes has declined by 12%. Most areas of Portland, including the Pearl District, the area between Burnside and Northwest 23rd, and southeast from the river to Cesar Chavez Boulevard, are safe and full of locals and visitors eating, shopping, and having a good time. And yet, alarmist local media would have everyone here believe that the city is one massive hellscape.

This isn't about crime, it's about NIMBYs not wanting to look at homeless people.

It is not the job of a DA to reform the criminal justice system. That is the job of the legislature. The job of a DA is to prosecute criminals according to the laws. If he tried to reform the system that means criminals will get off the hook.

what does this show and red lobster have in common?

Well - you gotta try things to see if they work

Oregon just forgot the treatment component. That and a few more programs and changes could make decriminalization work.

If Anna started spewing the truth, I could watch her all day

You are mixing many separate issues here. I live in Portland, and measure 110, which decriminalized drug usage, never stated that it was legal to use them in public. Because our local law enforcement is lazy, they just decided to _interpret_ the law that way. While I am against the PUBLIC usage of drugs, criminalizing ALL drug usage is wrong, expensive and has a proven record of failure. People using drugs should be ticketed, and given the option of treatment with inexpensive and SAFER alternative drugs. Taking the profits away from big drug cartels is the only reasonable way to fight them! I also totally oppose arresting people for the "crime" of poverty. People that are too poor to afford housing should be granted affordable housing, *not arrested!* If this country can send billions overseas on military aid, it can afford universal housing for US citizens! Shoplifters should obviously be prosecuted. I have always totally opposed the fact that our city and county leaders have failed to do so, at least until now. As stated, these are all SEPARATE issues that need to be dealt with SEPARATELY.

We are going to end up with a situation similar to that of El Salvador and Nayib Bukele. People are going to get sick of the homeless, drug use, and criminals, to the point that people are going to elect whoever is willing to clean up the streets.

The issue is on the extreme left there is are REAL ideas regarding the abolition of police and incarceration - essentially anarchy. Unfortunately, these were supported by the BLM movement and gained real traction countrywide in 2020 and were financed by mega donors. My hope is the progressive movement disassociates from these people and ideas. Sounds like this is a start.

I would like the specific videos where you were criticizing these policies. If you stop outlawing a bunch of common crimes, then yes, there will be fewer arrests. That's what you wanted. The policy fails, so your response to is to say that they weren't really Progressive? Hindsight is 20/20, and your refusal to admit you were wrong is a Trumpian level of rewriting history.

I really didn't like either choice in this particular race.

Another one bites the dust Another one gone Another one bites the dust. 😂😂😂😂

Decriminalisation is no good by itself. You then have to have free help for addicts, safe needle places and a full societal look at addiction. Just making carrying drugs legal is idiotic…

I live in Portland Mike Smidt has been very bad for our city.

This is all about peoples' hatred and disgust with somply seeing homeless people. This phenomenon alters political ideology in a heartbeat.

Criminal justice needed to be reformed. I'm really suspicious why it was done in such an extreme way that clearly would piss people off. Also, never forget that cops work against anything like this, so there are surely shenanigans as well.

Drove through Portaland last year first 2 min in the city a group of guys were on the street smoking crack. I don’t know why they thought that drug policy was a great idea.

All I wanted was police oversight and accountability. Maybe leniency in certain cases for non violent crimes and misdemeanors. Oversight and review of Prosecutors, and cops excessively over charging people. I just don’t understand the need to completely discarding the idea of criminal justice reform on the whole. Some things just dont work and if they dont, try something else, Eliminate inefficiencies.

As a Portland resident, these are very fair takes. I am a progressive, I've watched your channel for 10 years. I do not think that replacing my car window twice a year, walking past people overdosing in downtown daily, seeing mass encampments catch fire weekly is "progressive" values on display. It's embarrassing and the soft-on-crime approach has effected minority small business owners, and those who cannot afford to live in this city already the most.

Needs to be much harsher penalties for repeat offenders. I know this guy that got arrested 6 times last year each time was 3 to 5 felonies and 3 or 4 nis frameworks equaling over 20 felonies but he didn’t get a single day in jail even with one of those being assaulting a police officer and fleeing evading plus many drug trafficking charges. Then he got arrested again last week and they just now revoked his probation

He won. I still can't believe it. We finally have a Republican DA.

Did he just say I don’t see these judges as progressives? Did he really just say that?

Because criminalizing drugs and homelessness worked out so well before. It's more telling that cops can't simply take your stuff and sell it when drugs are not illegal. That hit budgets and heaven forbid you stop letting cops steal your stuff for money.

The punishment vs treatment debate might be the best option to actually reduce the numbers of addicts on the streets, homelessness is also something that needs a non police solution but just ignoring crime helps nobody

Criminal Justice Reform should start with "What would make the Victim's know and feel they had Justice" Until you are ready to start there we will have nothing to talk about.

6:30 no maybe they realized that they don’t want progressive policies anymore. I believe they know they are the most progressive city in the world.

Police Officers, and prosecutors need to be held accountable when they destroy innocent people’s lives. Full stop

When the only alternative is to trespass on private property, criminalizing being in public space is like punishing people for breathing - except even the possibility of breathing depends firstly on being someplace! Are the voters eager to make paying taxes for prisons their ‘solution’ to homelessness?!

I hope the proposed law to force members of the public to leave public spaces, only applies if the person is committing some offence, not simply existing.

So if this is happening in "progressive" cities and these reforms are not "progressive", how did they happen?

Is it really helpful to track how many cases you prosecute in a given time period, if you don't also include something like, charges filed?

I always thought it was stupid idea to defund the police. But always supported criminal law reform.

11:45 cenk finds a way to blame white people for everything lmao

Arrests for opioids are likely not to make a dent in consumption, but to the contrary to add to demand while enriching top players in criminal cartels whose enterprises embrace more than supplying that demand. We’ve been through this before, and it were better to learn from the experience.

I’m here to see this. You are eventually going to be a right wing outlet and I love it.

It is so funny to me.. 40 mil to a security company but the actual people doing the protection, the security guards, get paid like 15 bucks an hour.. really think about that..

I like well funded, properly trained police departments. I don't like militarized police that can mow down protesters with armored personnel equipment or shooting people as a first solution instead of de-escalization. But it's hard to expect cops to put their lives on the line when our streets are overflowing with assault weapons. 😔😔😔

Drugs should be decriminalized. You need a system that supports it, which has been the problem.

They asked for the police to be defunded and that's what they got

If it ain't tax cuts, prison , or more guns, America ain't hearing it...

Let me start by saying I like the show but don’t agree with your assumption that the cases not taken were all criminal. Watch how cops behave on audits where they known they are being filmed and you will see that they arrest people knowing the prosecutors want cases.

Thank you Mr cenk and Anna see I like you better because you give us news we don't like that race hustle poor victim mentality you give us the news that actually affects I can read that should be ready

The mind-blowingly safe Sweden I grew up in is a distant memory now. And yes I ENTIRELY blame the left. Unvetted mass immigration combined with "criminals are the real victims" insanity has destroyed Sweden's incredible achievement of creating a CULTURE over centuries that highly values honesty, non-corruption and pro-social/anti-criminal values. Most likely it's ruined forever. The Guardian reports that eg 10 years ago, Sweden had the second lowest gun crime rate in all ofEurope. We now have the second HIGHEST and more than DOUBLE the european average 4/million vs 1.6/million average. I could list 2 dozen indicators like this.

You're lucky if there are ten units on patrol at any given time, by the police's own admission.

Similar to Rose Bird in CA in 1986 being booted from the state Supreme Court. Then 3-strikes laws. Go too far left and the backlash can be excessive.

Oregon turned into " Little California " decades ago why I left there after 27 years. You reap what you sow and Oregons gonna reap it hard.

Maybe off topic. But Bail is not for punishment. Bail is to see if someone is a flight risk. Everyone is innocent until proven guilty.

I’m not judging the people from California and Portland for these ideas. All I ask is that when it doesn’t work and you have to move just leave your ideas there. They obviously didn’t work. Learn from it

Very mixed feelings on decriminalization of drugs. Fortunately I never got into that scene but I know people who did and came out the other side. From what they tell me cold turkey is NOT an option once you're hooked. Just say no doesn't work for people who want out but can't get support/medically supervised programs that do work. At the same time I totally support the not in public, taking down the criminal element in street dealing etc. If we got people off the drugs there would no demand therefore the dealers would go out of business.

I don’t like all of your opinions but I enjoy the show. Keep it up! 👍🏿

Why not keep it weird and start up there own group of state funded super heroes to stand up to “Evil Doers”? 😃

There’s a U in PROSECUTOR. Ha ha, top notch organization you run there, gargoyle.

great content thank you

Hey my area is on tyt again lol

From what I hear? Nationwide is a gross exaggeration. It's pretty much just Portland (where the roll out of programs was botched and the cops went on strike) and San Fransisco where people had it out for Chesa Boudin from the start.

It's a harsh reality I understand by what enabling criminals to be career criminals it's like to say oh poopy poo say oh it's your fault it's not your fault you're just another victim of society a criminal who has no choice but to turn the criminality people are not know people need to understand that there are better ways it's The end why can't they just go to SSI do something with their life

Single big question, how many of the 12,000 arrests were for marijuana only? Given general history I'd suggest that over 50% were for marijuana exclusively or other misdemeanors such as disturbing the peace or walking while black.

Oregon should have enough open land to create a dedicated rehab city, complete with transportation services. Hell, they could hire the homeless that are clean to handle the transportation. Technically, having the homeless settled outside a major city can make life harder for them...but only if it's handled improperly. With them being concentrated, resources can be applied more easily to help them get clean, and trained in job skills. They should be provided with a room, meals, counseling, etc. All of that is cheaper than dealing with criminal damages and jailing them.

I think it's because the wealthiest people they depend on California to make them nice and I think that's what's scaring this is why they're being pressured cuz I don't want these people to move

There aren't many public defenders. That's one problem.

Typo in thumbnail! So professional. 🤦🏼‍♂️

I call my private security firm for protection. I don’t believe in the socialism system of the police department.

Is he another Fetterman?? Get elected as a Progressive and then turn Republican?

Lefty utopian policies failing? Im shocked 😂

This is just another glaring example of government failure.

I was informed to relay that the crazy diamonds are exempt from this prejudgement phase..whatever that means! 😘 Also, to use your free will in a good way..as long as you do what you do with love and do no harm..your life will not be dictated by anyone else's religion. 💥💥💥💥💥 You are good to go at this moment. Use your discretion wisely is from me!!!

The damage has already been done, trump gets a second term.

I disagree hard with Ana and Cenk's conservative pro-cop and pro-criminalization stances here. As an Oregon voter myself, I'm deeply saddened by the recent conservative push that seems to be gaining momentum in our state. This shift has been particularly evident with the ousting of progressive leaders who have long championed the values of inclusivity, environmental protection, and social justice. It's disheartening to see the political landscape in Oregon veer away from the progressive ideals that many of us hold dear, threatening to undermine the progress we've made in creating a more equitable and forward-thinking society. One of the most alarming aspects of this conservative resurgence is the concerted effort to repeal Measure 110, a landmark initiative that decriminalized small amounts of drugs and redirected resources towards addiction treatment and recovery services. Measure 110 was a significant step towards addressing the opioid crisis and treating substance abuse as a public health issue rather than a criminal one. Recriminalizing drug possession not only fails to address the root causes of addiction but also risks returning to policies that disproportionately impact marginalized communities. Also, criminalizing homelessness is fundamentally at odds with progressive values and aligns more with conservative approaches that prioritize punitive measures over systemic solutions. This approach fails to address the root causes of homelessness, such as lack of affordable housing, mental health services, and economic inequality. Instead of providing support and pathways to stability, criminalization exacerbates the problem by pushing vulnerable individuals further into the margins of society. Truly progressive solutions, often rooted in socialist principles, have been proven effective worldwide. Housing-first policies, for example, prioritize providing permanent housing to homeless individuals without preconditions. This approach has seen success in countries like Finland, where homelessness has significantly decreased due to comprehensive social support systems that include not just housing, but also healthcare, employment assistance, and social services. These solutions focus on treating homelessness as a social issue that requires compassionate and structured intervention. Moreover, progressive strategies emphasize preventative measures, such as ensuring affordable housing, livable wages, and robust social safety nets. These measures address the systemic inequities that lead to homelessness in the first place. By investing in community resources and support networks, we can create a more equitable society where everyone has the opportunity to thrive. Criminalizing homelessness not only fails to solve the issue but also diverts attention and resources away from these effective, compassionate solutions. The push to reverse these progressive measures feels like a step backward for Oregon. It's crucial to remember the spirit of compassion and understanding that led to the adoption of policies like Measure 110. As voters, we must stay vigilant and advocate for leaders and policies that prioritize health, rehabilitation, and social justice. Oregon has always been a beacon of progressive thought, and it's vital that we continue to fight for the values that define our state's unique character and forward-thinking vision.

My cousin lives in Portland and we both agree drugs should just be legal because people will never stop wanting them, but they shouldn’t be allowed to so drugs out in the open Nd commit crimes without repercussions. He said he will walk his kids to school and people will be smoking crack, meth, and pills, and nodding out and tweaking all over and he had to explain to them what’s going on and they’re 5yo.

I wasn't aware there were so many progressives living in gated communities--thanks for that info Ana

"Anarchist DAs"? Really Cenk?

They defuned the police and demonised it as a career. So ya they kind of did ask for this.

There will be an alien 👽 invasion on October 22nd, 2033. 😱😱😱 Be prepared earth 🌎! #alieninvasion #prepareforearth #October22nd2033

Who would of thought crime gets worse when you don’t punish criminals. Shocker

The homeless in Portland have a 5'X6' tents and their belonging take up 20'X30' plot of land. They have 4' filing cabinet, treadmill, and any peice of junk they can get their hands on. Yeah people are tired of it. If you're living in a tent you dont need a two car garge of junk surrounding it. Portland just changed the laws and their stuff wont be able to go over 2' from their tents. We'll see how that goes. It would be great if it works. I've been homeless my self just two years ago so i get doing what you gotta do. All these junkyards all over the city is too much.

If you claim to be from Portland, be prepared to answer questions about the city that only a resident would know.

I’m a resident of Portland, and I think they didn’t plan well. Decriminalization should have been the LAST step. First, we have to work on getting houseless people safe living spaces, access to healthy food, and access to healthcare, including addiction rehabilitation and mental healthcare. It seems to me that they didn’t think things through very well.

Also Pamela price is another liberal DA in Oakland facing a recall

Wow she said something nice about bidin

Oregonian here, 🖕

Ana Vigeland, queen virtue signaler, is punching air right now. 😂

Mike Schmidt has conceded. If in four years Nathan Vasquez has failed to make any significant change in Multnomah County, do we get to rub the "law and order" crowd's nose in it?

😂you vote to legalize drugs and enjoy the problems that come with it. 😂

No, Cenk, “Crime is an injustice by definition” is a load of bullshit, and as a law school graduate you of all people ought to know that! Crime by definition is whatever the ruling class enacts a statute to make a crime. It could be opposing a war, or saying not nice things about Donald Trump, or being named Cenk. That something’s legal does not mean it’s just, and neither does being illegal mean it’s unjust; those are two separate domains.

I work at a public library, and we've had some issues with homeless people, but the cops don't really have our back. It makes me wonder what we pay them for. I just hope they don't wait for something really bad to happen before they do anything

You misspelled prosecutor

That is exactly what we were asking for. We said jail time doesn’t help criminals it only makes things worse. Policing arriving to crime scenes makes things worse, and what people need was social programs. We were wrong let’s admit it and fix it.

I'm just going to sit back and read the comments from the loudmouths who have absolutely no idea what's going on here in Portland or Oregon.

Chess Boudin all over again

Portland conservative judges are refusing to prosecute almost everyone other than the most extreme offenders. According to my lawyer, this is a retaliation for the defund the police thing, which even the police here spread misinformation about. Anyway, I was in court to get a "stalking restraining order." There are multiple types here in Portland. I Listened to every single casse get dismissed before mine, including a woman who was repeatedly, stalked, and even raped by a guy. There were witnesses. The judge let the guy off because apparently he didn't have a record of doing it to anyone else, and only raped this girl once. Another defendant ahead of my case had 38 separately reported incidences of threatening his neighbors both verbally and with firearms, and trying to run them over with his truck. The plaintiff said he and his wife were both clipped by the truck while walking their dog. They were called deep state operatives, and were told the next time they were spotted they would be shot on site. The judge let that guy go too because he hadn't physically assaulted anyone more than once each. 🤦‍♂️ I knew I was screwed by this point, and yeah. I was told the same thing. If you were only assaulted once it's not enough. There have to be at least 2 incidents. I like many Portlanders are at a loss. It's not really our DA's fault. He cant remove the judges that refuse to do their jobs. They like many others in the conservative right wing pull this temper tantrum garbage far too often. Like Congress shutting down under trump. It's just making things worse for everyone else.