Dear Mr. Mayor,

The homeless situation in Portland is untenable. There are people sleeping on the sidewalk directly outside my office building. Aside from their shopping carts being parked street side of the curb and blocking parking spots for patients and employees, human beings aren't meant to sleep on the sidewalk like dogs.

Recently I had family visit from Del Ray, Fla. They stayed at the Benson Hotel. They commented on the beauty of Portland. However, they were distressed that the homeless tenting it or sleeping in the middle of the sidewalk often blocked foot traffic outside the hotel.

Don't get me wrong, Mr. Mayor. I, like other Portlanders, am tired of the influx of people from California among others crowding out beautiful city, buying up property and lengthening travel time on our roadways two to three times. But I don't think deterring transplants by ignoring our homeless problem is the way to dissuade people from moving to Portland.

I want to continue to enjoy our downtown. I know we do not want to be accosted by panhandlers, see human excrement on the street, have to tolerate the smell of urine or walk around tents that block sidewalks.

Mr. Mayor, it is getting worse. Portland is turning into the next San Francisco.

Mr. Mayor, I heard you speak this past winter at the Our House event. I was encouraged by your words. However, I'm not encouraged by the measures you've taken regarding the biggest humanitarian problem this city faces.

What are your next steps to cure the worsening crisis of the homeless?

-- David Adler, MD, Northwest Portland

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