outsiderPDX<p><a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/WarOnTheHomeless" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>WarOnTheHomeless</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/homelessness" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>homelessness</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/homeless" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>homeless</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/pdx" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>pdx</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/portland" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>portland</span></a> </p><p>A &#39;friend&#39; left a pile of crap outside my camp for two weeks, and the wind and rain storms scattered it around a bit.</p><p>i waited for him to come clean up his mess, while the locals hated on me for the mess.</p><p>finally, i had enough and cleaned his mess up myself, put the most obvious garbage into a trash bag, and what looked to be valuable in his little folding shopping cart.</p><p>the next day, someone dumped the garbage out, and the wind scattered it out along a busy street&#39;s sidewalk, which includes a (well-used) sheltered bus stop.</p><p>just so they could complain about &#39;the homeless problem.&#39;</p><p>today, i ran into a homeless acquaintance while we were at a shower project a local church sponsors (THANK YOU! Imago Dei!), and he told me that his camp was set on fire a few days ago, while he was away overnight.</p><p>he had a propane space heater and a nice propane stove. </p><p>the fuel canisters for them - including old, mostly empty ones - exploded, and one of his neighbors said the flames were higher than the nearby treetops.</p><p>if not for a huge, thick tree, the explosions would likely have killed his nearest neighbor, who was asleep when the fire started. </p><p>there were no nearby homes or businesses, as they are camped underneath an interstate overpass bridge, which is why i believe it was targeted - the chance to exterminate some homeless people would not endanger other people - except for first responders and traffic on the nearby streets.</p><p>there have been numerous instances of explosions in the night in the neighborhood i camp in - and have for most of the past seven years. </p><p>last weekend, one such explosion shook my camp. i went outside to find the source, but the wind and rain discouraged me from searching far.</p><p>it must have been one helluva blast, but i could not see any signs of it - no rising blast cloud, no fire, no demolished anything. </p><p>things are getting whacky-stupid out here.</p>