Portland, Oregon, a city long known for its progressive politics and activism, is undergoing a sweeping political transformation. In a move that has sparked both hope and concern, residents have opted to replace their entire government structure in the upcoming November 2024 elections. This drastic shift comes as Portland faces increasing challenges, including rising crime rates, homelessness, drug use, and economic instability. The decision to overhaul the city government was driven by growing frustration with how local leaders have handled these crises. The city has been plagued by social unrest since the Black Lives Matter protests of 2020, which sparked over 100 consecutive nights of protests in downtown Portland. Although many of the protests were peaceful, the mix of destructive elements, heightened tensions with federal law enforcement, and the city’s response left Portlanders disillusioned with the status quo. BOLD MOVE: #Portland City Council candidate Eric Zimmerman is posting his campaign signs next to the most problematic homeless encampments in District 4. This particular takeover has been festering for several years, pre-COVID, and is one of the main contributors to REI exiting… pic.twitter.com/o0FPPyKMZ6 — Brandon Farley (@TheRealFarley) October 6, 2024 Portland's decision to reshape its leadership includes moving to a new system with a weaker mayor and an expanded city council. This structure will replace the current system, which critics argue has failed to adequately address the city's mounting problems. The new system will also feature ranked-choice voting, which proponents claim will offer voters more options and better reflect their preferences. However, the rapid changes are viewed by some as a sign of desperation, rather than a carefully considered solution​. Central to Portland’s political debate is the issue of public safety. Portland has seen a sharp increase in violent crime since the city cut $15 million from its police budget following the 2020 protests. The elimination of the Gun Violence Reduction Team, which was criticized for disproportionately targeting Black and Brown communities, left a void in addressing the city's growing gun violence problem. In 2022, Portland recorded a staggering 101 homicides, the highest in its history. Although some reforms were intended to address police misconduct, critics argue that these changes unintentionally worsened public safety. #oregon #portland #beaverton https://t.co/7XHQqhufqP — Pioneer Driver ? Portland (@PioneerDriver) October 9, 2024 In response to these issues, several city council candidates have centered their campaigns on restoring law and order. Current council member Rene Gonzalez, running for mayor, has focused on a platform of public safety, pledging to prioritize enforcement and reinstate measures to curb crime. His main opponents, Mingus Mapps and Carmen Rubio, offer different visions for the city's future. Mapps emphasizes mental health services and economic revitalization, while Rubio advocates for progressive reforms balanced with pragmatic solutions. In addition to the mayoral race, Portland's city council election has attracted an unprecedented 98 candidates, representing a wide spectrum of ideologies. The candidates include everyone from business owners and nonprofit advocates to former police officers and Black Lives Matter leaders. This diversity reflects the city's deep divisions over how to handle its pressing issues. The election, which is switching from four at-large seats to twelve representing four districts, is expected to reshape the political landscape dramatically. Compounding Portland’s challenges is the city's controversial decision to decriminalize drugs through Measure 110, passed in 2020. The measure, which was widely supported by voters at the time, was intended to address the state's high rates of drug addiction by shifting the focus from criminalization to treatment. However, critics argue that the policy has only worsened the city's drug crisis, leading to open-air drug use and contributing to the sense of lawlessness in parts of the city. Even some early supporters of the measure, including district attorney Mike Schmidt, have since called for reinstating penalties for drug possession. The upcoming election, therefore, represents a critical turning point for Portland. Voters are being asked to decide not just on individual candidates but on the direction of their city’s future. Will the overhaul of city government and the election of new leaders bring the change that residents hope for, or will it further entrench the challenges that have plagued Portland in recent years? With many voters still undecided, the outcome remains uncertain, but one thing is clear: Portland is at a crossroads, and the decisions made in November could have lasting consequences for the city’s identity and governance. The post Portland’s Government Overhaul: Hope or Desperation Amid Rising Crime and Homelessness? appeared first on The Conservative Brief.

'Will [Biden] be here the whole time...?'

'Quite a bit of chutzpah on their part'

His pal Ryan Reynolds helped him with the big reveal

'Care for the hardworking people of this country'

'The Biden record is the Harris record'

The murder plot captivated fans for 3 years before he was acquitted

'Cured the economy'

A couple is exploring the mountains near Gatlinburg, TN at night when the boyfriend confronts a human-sized being that shapeshifts into a much smaller entity!I received the following account:"My fiancé and I took a 3-day trip to Gatlinburg, Tennessee, spending our days in the mountains hiking and spending time in and around the National Park.On the last night, at around midnight trying to get all the time in the mountains we can, we decide to take an hour's drive from our hotel room up the mountain to an overview/lookout type of spot right on top of said mountain to see if we can catch an awesome look at the stars because there's a lot of lights in Gatlinburg at night.Driving up there neither of us noticed literally anything off other than that the mountain winds are a little spooky at night (from Florida so it's just unfamiliar). But as soon as we got to where we were going, she and I got out of my car I was almost overwhelmed with just a vile oppressive feeling outside me, but not wanting to make the lady uncomfortable I didn't react too much.The wind was absolutely roaring, and unfortunately, we couldn’t see any stars due to cloud cover, so I told her I was gonna step to the side and pee and then we could get back to the hotel room. As soon as I get like ten feet away I get a very strange feeling of extreme vulnerability and detachment from everything around me; almost as though I'm miles away from the nearest person though obviously I'm feet away from my fiancé.I turned around to walk back to the car and heard something off to my right and immediately looked over to see something roughly human-sized transform into a coyote-sized being and kind of just hop over the log from about 200 maybe more feet away.I quickly got back to the car. My fiancé looked at me strangely, still not trying to scare her or at least show her I was scared but she asked if I was alright and my reaction was a dead giveaway. We jumped in and sped off.Never in my life have I had an experience like this and never in my life have I really had a reason to be made uncomfortable of just being outside but I truly believe something unexplained was in those woods with us that night." P**********GIANTS! LEGENDS BASED ON TRUTH? LIVE Chat | Q & A | Join Us! (HISTORICAL & EYEWITNESS REPORTS)PHANTOMS & MONSTERS VIDEO LIBRARYPOLL: WHAT DO YOU THINK? Vote & comment on paranormal, cryptid & unexplained mysteries!LISTEN TO NARRATIONS OF PHANTOMS & MONSTERS REPORTS & CASES - PLEASE SUBSCRIBE, LIKE & SHAREPHANTOMS & MONSTERS RADIO Podcasts on SpotifyPHANTOMS & MONSTERS READING LISTCHICAGO MOTHMAN / O'HARE BATMAN YouTube PlaylistHave you had a sighting or encounter?Contact me by email or call the hotline at 410-241-5974Thanks. LonOUR SOCIAL MEDIA LINKSBigfoot and Other Cryptid Videos on YouTubeLYCANS! - PENNSYLVANIA'S CRYPTID CANINES UPDATE'KILLER BIGFOOT' HUNTED BY U.S. SPECIAL FORCES / GLIMMER MAN / MANTIS HUMANOIDSCRAWLER HUMANOIDS - GRUESOME INVADERS! (REAL EYEWITNESS ENCOUNTERS!)WEREWOLVES: DO THEY EXIST?'DOGMAN IN OUR YARD!' - AN OHIO FAMILY'S 12-YEAR SAGA WITH CRYPTID CANINESHey, folks. Thanks for the congrats on 'The Mothman Revisited' episode on Unsolved Mysteries. As a result, we are receiving more sighting reports and are very excited and grateful for the new information!I sincerely thank the Unsolved Mysteries team and Netflix for allowing us to tell the world about this phenomenon.If you have information about this or any other cryptid or unexplained sighting or encounter, please feel free to contact me by email or at 410-241-5974. Thanks again! LonCHICAGO MOTHMAN / O'HARE BATMAN YouTube PlaylistChicago / Lake Michigan Winged Humanoid Regional Interactive MapHey, folks. Please feel free to share your thoughts & comments on the recently uploaded video of the CHICAGO MOTHMAN. I'm interested in what you have to say. Thanks. LonEXCLUSIVE VIDEO of CHICAGO MOTHMAN RECORDED----------Become a Phantoms & Monsters Radio Insider - just $2.99 monthly, and receive these perks. Thanks for your support!-Members-only live chats-Exclusive members-only videos-Priority reply to members' commentsHave perks suggestions? LMK-----YOUR SUPPORT IS APPRECIATED! THANKS

Many of you have seen the 'Predator' movies and are familiar with the cloaking technology used by the extraterrestrial in the film. Basically, the alien being is hidden or invisible even though a matrix outline of the alien being can still be detected. The description in this account is akin to the fictional entity in the films.Several years ago, a colleague who is psychically gifted described an incident she experienced in her backyard the evening before. She had let her dogs out and was standing at the back door while waiting for them to finish their business.As she continued to wait for her dogs, she noticed 'something' approaching her on the walkway from the lower yard. Her description was that of a tall and wide-shouldered being but without mass, a pixilated transparent form that continued to move towards her. As this form came near her it abruptly stopped as if it was surprised that she was staring at it. Then this form dissipated completely. This was not the first time something of this nature had materialized near her. A similar incident transpired the previous year while she was standing adjacent to her garden. On that occasion the being was somewhat smaller in form but similarly pixilated and transparent.Her sense of these beings was that it was not a haunting or manifestation by a human spirit. In fact, she had never recognized similar phenomena previously. Her assessment was that these were entities from beyond our dimension and most likely of alien origin. After I listened to the evidence, already having knowledge of her surroundings, I concurred that her experience was more than a manifesting human energy.In June 1947, aviator Kenneth Arnold inadvertently launched the modern UFO era with his report of witnessing nine crescent-shaped objects speeding over Mt. Rainier. In 1948, the USAF set up Project Sign to evaluate the many flying disc reports that followed in the wake of Arnold's highly publicized sighting.A few years later, UFO researcher Coral Lorenzen wrote, "Clearly the discs had been involved in a general military reconnaissance of the United States." She added that the UFO entities were obviously engaged in "gathering botanical and geological specimens." Early proponents of similar theories, assuming that UFOs came from within our solar system, suspected that they wished to colonize our planet, or strip it of its minerals, metals, or uranium. These theories are no longer valid. There is a wealth of minerals and metals in asteroids and uninhabited planets which is readily available to any astral civilization. Also, there are a high number of non-inhabited planets that could be adapted to support life should the aliens wish to colonize.Some alien abduction theory proponents have suggested that these non-terrestrials want to gather human DNA to develop hybrids. It seems unlikely to expect that highly advanced aliens would need to repeatedly abduct thousands of humans to keep their DNA supplies available. Surely they would have the know-how that we possess to synthesize or replicate DNA in their own laboratories?Is it possible that extraterrestrials are only interested in our culture and relationship to other living things on our planet? Could we become a part of a united interplanetary trading consortium, or simply become a diplomatic and scientific partner in a league of alien civilizations? Cue up the Star Trek music.An interesting comment was made by Lord Martin Rees, a leading cosmologist and astrophysicist who is the President of Britain's Royal Society and astronomer to the Queen of England. Rees, who hosted the National Science Academy's first conference on the possibility of alien life in February 2010, said he believes the existence of extraterrestrial life may be beyond human understanding."They could be staring us in the face and we just don't recognize them. The problem is that we're looking for something very much like us, assuming that they at least have something like the same mathematics and technology. I suspect there could be life and intelligence out there in forms we can't conceive. Just as a chimpanzee can't understand quantum theory, it could be there as aspects of reality that are beyond the capacity of our brains."Is it possible that these extraterrestrial entities are all around us and, for the most part, undetectable? Computational biologists and bioengineers are attempting to find the cure for chronic diseases like cancer, diabetes, and others. What has perplexed some bioengineers and medical experts is the presence of strange molecular entities within the intracellular structures of an organism. The biological entities are not bacteria, viruses, or any visible entities. They are invisible. They are impossible to detect without the help of computational modeling and computer-assisted search and locate algorithms.The premise is that invisible extraterrestrial biological entities all around us are penetrating our bodies and reside within intracellular spaces. They can then attack as they wish to colonize human or animal bodies. That is the reason why targeted drug delivery mechanisms are failing no matter what the biophysicists are doing. It was found that through computational modeling the source of cancer is not the cancer cell only but also invisible entities within intracellular spaces.Do these invisible extraterrestrial entities exist in higher dimensions and manifest under certain conditions? Are these beings entering our world by flying craft or through portals... or have they been here with us all along?Also, the lack of tangible evidence to prove the existence of several cryptids may be due to a theory that has been gaining popularity over recent years, namely, that these beings are ultra-terrestrial and multi-dimensional. This is a paradox that may become clearer shortly. LonWizards, Aliens, and Starships: Physics and Math in Fantasy and Science FictionThe Ancient Alien Question: A New Inquiry Into the Existence, Evidence, and Influence of Ancient VisitorsExtraterrestrial Contact: The Evidence and ImplicationsThe Secret History of Extraterrestrials: Advanced Technology and the Coming New Race**********GIANTS! LEGENDS BASED ON TRUTH? LIVE Chat | Q & A | Join Us! (HISTORICAL & EYEWITNESS REPORTS)PHANTOMS & MONSTERS VIDEO LIBRARYPOLL: WHAT DO YOU THINK? Vote & comment on paranormal, cryptid & unexplained mysteries!LISTEN TO NARRATIONS OF PHANTOMS & MONSTERS REPORTS & CASES - PLEASE SUBSCRIBE, LIKE & SHAREPHANTOMS & MONSTERS RADIO Podcasts on SpotifyPHANTOMS & MONSTERS READING LISTCHICAGO MOTHMAN / O'HARE BATMAN YouTube PlaylistHave you had a sighting or encounter?Contact me by email or call the hotline at 410-241-5974Thanks. LonOUR SOCIAL MEDIA LINKSBigfoot and Other Cryptid Videos on YouTubeLYCANS! - PENNSYLVANIA'S CRYPTID CANINES UPDATE'KILLER BIGFOOT' HUNTED BY U.S. SPECIAL FORCES / GLIMMER MAN / MANTIS HUMANOIDSCRAWLER HUMANOIDS - GRUESOME INVADERS! (REAL EYEWITNESS ENCOUNTERS!)WEREWOLVES: DO THEY EXIST?'DOGMAN IN OUR YARD!' - AN OHIO FAMILY'S 12-YEAR SAGA WITH CRYPTID CANINESHey, folks. Thanks for the congrats on 'The Mothman Revisited' episode on Unsolved Mysteries. As a result, we are receiving more sighting reports and are very excited and grateful for the new information!I sincerely thank the Unsolved Mysteries team and Netflix for allowing us to tell the world about this phenomenon.If you have information about this or any other cryptid or unexplained sighting or encounter, please feel free to contact me by email or at 410-241-5974. Thanks again! LonCHICAGO MOTHMAN / O'HARE BATMAN YouTube PlaylistChicago / Lake Michigan Winged Humanoid Regional Interactive MapHey, folks. Please feel free to share your thoughts & comments on the recently uploaded video of the CHICAGO MOTHMAN. I'm interested in what you have to say. Thanks. LonEXCLUSIVE VIDEO of CHICAGO MOTHMAN RECORDED----------Become a Phantoms & Monsters Radio Insider - just $2.99 monthly, and receive these perks. Thanks for your support!-Members-only live chats-Exclusive members-only videos-Priority reply to members' commentsHave perks suggestions? LMK-----YOUR SUPPORT IS APPRECIATED! THANKS