‘Stick over carrot’: progressive Portland takes a hard turn on homelessness

‘We’re just making homelessness more invisible again.’ Photograph: Paula Bronstein/AP

On a recent Monday, Jessie Burke stepped out of the lobby of the Society Hotel and into an unusual scene. The sprawling tent encampments that once lined the sidewalks of Portland’s Old Town were mostly gone.

“This is what should be normal,” said Burke, who bought and renovated the 132-year-old Mariners Building in 2013 and transformed it into the chic hotel on 3rd Avenue.