Portland, OR/Clackamas Town Center - # Hole - Never Returning

Well, that’s enough. I’ll never be returning to the greater Portland metro area unless it’s to one of two very nice steak houses, or one of the private country clubs in the area.

The place went from being “bad” to “worse” and is a total # hole.

Here’s my rant from my experience yesterday:

Our girls had a birthday party engagement, so, my wife wanted to go down to the Clackamas Town Center mall to finish some Xmas shopping. We live a fair bit outside the city, but, NBD. I wasn’t thrilled about it, but, happy wife and such.

So, we secure baby boy in the car and head out to the mall.

For years, since before kids, my wife and I have done an annual shopping trip for Xmas. Get cocktails, shop, eat, and spend time together. So, this wasn’t quite that, but, it was intended to be a positive time.

We get to Clackamas Town Center and go through a few stores. While there, I notice:

- Many major stores (Nordstrom, for example) have left.
- The people are pretty grungy.
- Customer service at the stores was OK.
- Some of the people are sketchy, very much so, and don’t appear to be actually shopping.
- The mall itself isn’t in great shape.
- It was literally like walking around with a bunch of zombies between stores… people just kind of roaming/bumping into each other/no manners/expressionless/etc.
- Not inspiring.

Whatever. It’s a mall. It used to be a big/premier mall even in the last 10 years, but now, it’s a # hole. I didn’t realize this as, well, I don’t go to malls aside from this annual engagement.

We end up at Footlocker to get a pair of soccer flops for one of the girls. Could have got them online, but, we’re there and what we need is on massive sale. Great!

Go into Footlocker and the people in there are ghetto AF. Dressed like #, shady, two employees monitoring for theft and that’s it, store’s a mess, # attitude from the staff - horrible. Lots of characters in there.

One of those characters was an African-American male who had his hair done in such a way as to resemble Ram horns. That’s right, Ram horns. He wasn’t a tall guy - maybe 5’8” - wearing all black. I only noticed the hair at first, then I noticed that he noticed me. I do not have ram horns for hair. I have a very tight haircut, military/law enforcement grade. I have a very tight beard. I am also 6’3” and 232 lbs. Call it 6’4” with my shoes on. I’m used to people “noticing me” simply because I’m larger/broader than the average bear.

So, we get what we need and head to checkout. Ram horn guy is in the other line and doesn’t have anything in his hands but his phone. I’m only paying attention to this guy because I caught him eyeing me more than once. I’ve traveled to more-less every major city in this country and had to be aware of my surroundings/found myself in some questionable circumstances on a few occasions. Given Portland’s gun violence/gang violence/human trafficking/homeless/general fluster cuck of issues, I pay attention if I’m there with large numbers of people around - and doubly so when we’re carrying 5 bags of merch and I have my wife and toddler aged son with me. Baby boy is just happy to be here, and my with pays attention but if I’m there she’s just rolling along in ignorant marital bliss - she’s not terribly heads up in this scenario as she knows I will be.

So I see Ram Horn guy looking shady and seemingly a little uneasy. I’m behind him to his right about 10 feet away. I was looking at a display that was on the other side of him when I noticed a black object in his pocket - which I immediately identified as a Glock clip and grip poking out of his right front pocket. I am a Glock guy - but did not have one on me as I am not licensed to carry in Oregon. Some may prefer other makes, but, shoot what you shoot.

As I notice said Glock (which appeared to be a G19 by the outline - it was not compact) in his pocket, he notices me, noticing it. He wasn’t trying to hide it, has Ram horns for hair alongside numerous tats and piercings, seems to be shifty/looking around a lot, and was purchasing 2 pairs of at least $120 Nike Jordan’s.

In my mind, I’m like “Well, #. That has the potential to be a problem.” Since the majority of my fellow Footlocker shoppers in one way or another looked like this guy, I felt like I was probably on my own in my law abiding ways. He also seemed pretty interested in our shopping bags that we were holding, and my wife and I tend to dress well - but, you’re less of a target when you operate knowing you’re a target. This is particularly true in a skeezy place like Portland.

Given the gang/gun violence in downtown Portland (lots of it), my calculus told me this could get pear shaped without a lot of trouble if one of my fellow shoppers torqued this guy. Never mind we have had a mall shooting at Clackamas Town Center before.

So, I have eyes on him. I ask my wife to hold the bags but say nothing about what I’ve encountered. It’s not a fear of guns for us - my wife grew up deep in the country and hunting/shooting/guns were common place. Open carry was common. The issue is, I’m dealing with a dude with horns for hair who is tatted up and isn’t even trying to conceal his piece hardly at all. That’s not a good sign. So, I have eyes on him and at this point he knows it. He reached for the pocket containing the Glock once while in line and I took a small step towards him, which he also noticed. Standing near this armed piece of human waste, while my toddler son is behind me with mom happy as a clam giggling and saying “dada dada dada”, I’m not real thrilled that we’re in what could be an elevated situation given this piece of # seems to want people to know he’s packing.

Given I am large, an athlete/reasonably fit (I’m going for the out of shape linebacker look these days), and have a natural ability to look unfriendly/aggressive, he again looks at me and seems nervous/drops his phone/drops his wallet/etc. I am fully prepared at this point to tackle this guy and put his face through the checkout counter. No, this isn’t tough guy talk. I will 100% take a bullet to protect my family. He will have to drop me entirely before I stop coming.

I just remain in line, stay calm, act normal other than I clearly said to my wife “hold these bags, please” as I needed both hands. I didn’t want to call any attention to the situation or alarm my wife, so it’s basically just me with this knowledge. Ram horns gets on his phone, talks to someone briefly, looks at me, and finishes his transaction in a kind of gruff/quick/ultimately quiet way. I happen to be up in line next to him so I stay to the side of the counter, pay with CC so as to make the transaction quicker, and he leaves before I do. I discretely surveillance him out of the store where he has now put a hood up (leaving the horns out - wtf) and is kind of slowly strutting out of the store. I finished my transaction with a young girl who clearly didn’t want to be there/working and we leave and go the other way of this individual.

Why am I posting this anti-climactic story? Because I’m at Footlocker trying to buy soccer flops for my 10 year old to wear to her gymnastics, hanging out with my wife and baby son, and just minding my own business. Literally just doing the last minute Xmas shopping. That’s it.

In the process of that, I have a gang banging piece of # in line who looks like they have nothing to lose and is living out his Glock carrying hood dream (or protecting himself from other gang members) in Footlocker. The risk here is not insignificant and is asymmetrical when you consider:

- Portland violent crime rates are high and rising
- Gang violence and human trafficking are material issues.
- Police have been neutered by the dip# city government.
- It’s bad enough this gang banger can carry a full-size 9 in a front pocket with the grip and clip sticking out of it and not a single security official or police officer did a thing about it.
- Homelessness and mental health issues are out of control.
- Businesses are leaving Portland ongoing.
- Etc.

I’ve traveled extensively and never encountered something this brazen/obvious. I mean, you have Ram horns for hair. You want attention. And that attention also gets called to the Glock in your pocket. That’s not trying to blend in - you want people to be aware of you.

So, after this experience, key takeaways:
- Portland is a piece of # and should be avoided at all costs.
- Gang/gun violence in Portland is 100% a thing.
- It is not even remotely safe.
- I will never return there for any reason.
- I’ve never been in a situation where I actually might have to take on a guy with a gun, and take the bullet, for my family. It’s one thing to say you’d step up in those situations, and I now know 100% that if I’m motivated properly I will take that bullet and address the situation to protect them.

America has become a POS. It’s sad. It’s sad that citizens can’t just go Christmas shopping and not have to deal with these issues, nor have the faith that law enforcement will be there if you need them. That’s no knock on the blue line - the city government has #’ed them 10 ways and effectively neutered their ability to uphold laws. The DA wouldn’t even prosecute this POS I encountered because “racial injustice”. # your injustice. No one - black/white/yellow/brown/purple/polka dot shout have to worry about a situation like what I encountered.

From now on, I’ll be shopping online or at high-end retailers, spending time at private/members-only facilities and staying in my neck of the woods that I can say is void of these problems (no jinx) - and also armed to the teeth with registered gun owners who carry the right way (meaning actually concealed) and are prepared to defend other law abiding citizens and their families should problems arise.

I have always had a deep sense of need to protect the defenseless. I am large and not defenseless. It’s just sad that in 2022, I have to worry about that. Then again, it appears the majority of my fellow Footlocker shoppers were someone on the same spectrum as Ram horns guy. So, maybe I’m the only one who thinks this is inappropriate, nuts, and not how society needs to function to be peaceful and productive.

We live in clown world. It’s incredibly disappointing that this is the world we live in - and it needs to change, and it pisses me off. Society wouldn’t be here if we didn’t tolerate this #, and we shouldn’t. People have lost their collective minds, value for life, and their self-worth. F’ed.

Be careful out there.

/rant

a reply to: VulcanWerks

I’ve been to Clackamas Town Center many times. Last time being about 13 years ago. It was rough and scruffy back then. I can only imagine what it’s like after the BLM BS.

Then again, it appears the majority of my fellow Footlocker shoppers were someone on the same spectrum as Ram horns guy.

Exactly! Unfortunately, you were the odd person (normal) in that mall. The whole world has gone thug. We, the normal people, are the odd men out.

Which is why the rich are moving to Japan.

I'm sure the Japanese are thrilled. They can't stand foreigners.

a reply to: VulcanWerks

So open carry and a look you don't approve, makes one a piece of #? I mean that was all in your head.
you haven't changed a word with that individual, you are so quickly to judge. To regard somone on these few superficialities as potential thread, can't be healthy for ones peace of mind...
Somehow it sounds like an encounter of two very polarized paranoid individuals.
I wouldn't be surprised he had similar absurd thoughts but about white supremacist being really dangerous

No wonders you're all going bonkers over the pond...

a reply to: VulcanWerks

I'm glad you posted your rant! I've noticed this behavior filtering into even the small towns, like the one I live near with only 38,000 people having drive-by shootings once a month now.

I saw the push to switch people over to online shopping years ago. I wasn't convinced that it could ever actually replace in-person shopping, but it does seem to be the case. Even our small town mall is nearly empty, and the only place to shop for clothes in the valley is Walmart. Online clothes shopping sucks, but you don't have to worry about getting mugged-or worse.

I haven't been to Portland since 1999, and it was a scary hell-hole back then. I can only imagine what it's like now!

P.S. You're welcome to join us in Idaho. We should be a more normal, sane state for a few more years-until the blue wave sweeping the southern part of the state becomes the political majority.

originally posted by: Terpene
a reply to: VulcanWerks

So open carry and a look you don't approve, makes one a piece of #? I mean that was all in your head.
you haven't changed a word with that individual, you are so quickly to judge. To regard somone on these few superficialities as potential thread, can't be healthy for ones peace of mind...
Somehow it sounds like an encounter of two very polarized paranoid individuals.
I wouldn't be surprised he had similar absurd thoughts but about white supremacist being really dangerous

No wonders you're all going bonkers over the pond...

Open carry is NOT legal in Oregon. That makes Ram Horn guy qualify as a thug-or at the very least a law-breaking potential thug.

VulcanWerks assessment of the situation was spot on in any rational persons mind.

originally posted by: Terpene
a reply to: VulcanWerks

So open carry and a look you don't approve, makes one a piece of #? I mean that was all in your head.
you haven't changed a word with that individual, you are so quickly to judge. To regard somone on these few superficialities as potential thread, can't be healthy for ones peace of mind...
Somehow it sounds like an encounter of two very polarized paranoid individuals.
I wouldn't be surprised he had similar absurd thoughts but about white supremacist being really dangerous

No wonders you're all going bonkers over the pond...

Haha!

originally posted by: nugget1

originally posted by: Terpene
a reply to: VulcanWerks

So open carry and a look you don't approve, makes one a piece of #? I mean that was all in your head.
you haven't changed a word with that individual, you are so quickly to judge. To regard somone on these few superficialities as potential thread, can't be healthy for ones peace of mind...
Somehow it sounds like an encounter of two very polarized paranoid individuals.
I wouldn't be surprised he had similar absurd thoughts but about white supremacist being really dangerous

No wonders you're all going bonkers over the pond...

Open carry is NOT legal in Oregon. That makes Ram Horn guy qualify as a thug-or at the very least a law-breaking potential thug.

VulcanWerks assessment of the situation was spot on in any rational persons mind.

Sanity prevails!

The thing that I find amazing is that there are people who think a situation like this is ok.

Example? We’ve already had a poster claim white supremacy is the issue. What. The. F.

The dumb thing about mental gymnastics like that (or I guess, one of the dumb things) is they’re basically saying it’s OK if they shoot other “minorities” but also OK to shoot white people because white supremacy?

How do you even get there?

Everyone in that store was exposed to the same risk as me. They were not white. While my primary concern is protecting my family, many others in there who turn a blind eye or agree with this behavior could just as easily be killed by it.

This story isn’t any different if some white tatted up gang banger has his G19 hanging out of his pants. This was amateur hour and amateur hour with firearms is dangerous whether your black/white/Martian/whatever.

Frustrating.

originally posted by: nugget1
a reply to: VulcanWerks

P.S. You're welcome to join us in Idaho. We should be a more normal, sane state for a few more years-until the blue wave sweeping the southern part of the state becomes the political majority.

Appreciate the invite! 😀

Meridian, ID and Jackson Hole, WY are on our list of potential next stops.

I’m a native Oregonian and love the west coast. There’s some very pretty Country out here. I don’t mind paying the premium as it’s truly not that bad. But dang, it’s gone full loco to the point it isn’t safe. Can’t tolerate this any longer.

Where I live we had an entire, huge shopping mall closed due to crime - theft, vandalism, assault, fighting. When I say huge mall, I mean huge.

Now the place has sat vacant and crumbling for at least 20 years. They can't agree on whether or not to tear it down.

The point though is the crime. It wouldn't have gotten to this point if the prosecutors and the court system had done their jobs. Instead they let crime skate and because of it a once thriving area is now dead and hundreds of people were victimized.

That, in and of itself, is criminal.

a reply to: nugget1

Open carry is NOT legal in Oregon

I wasn't aware of that, it certainly changes things slightly, concealed carry is legal though?

Nevertheless, it's such a hostile baseline to interact with your countrymen, I can't imagine being happy under such social tensions.

Could it not be, he thaught that white guy that was eyeballing me all the time, saw my glock, he's certainly going to snitch on me. Let's get the # out of here?

Not so. Being unprepared can be lethal. F that f’er. You behaved appropriately OP.

a reply to: Terpene

a reply to: Dalamax

Yes he behaved appropriately in hostile territory, but why does he feel that way?

It's slightly paranoid to check a room of civil customers and employees for possible threats, like first thing in the morning.
I get why one would feel that way, considering the social tension, but it's not healthy or normal.
More guns will solve that problem, I shouldn't forget to make that permit next time. I could feel a little more relaxed, the couple of bucks are certainly worth the security it gives me to enjoy my shopping in hostile territory.... Lol
it's gonna be such a bloody # show

originally posted by: Terpene
a reply to: VulcanWerks

So open carry and a look you don't approve, makes one a piece of #? I mean that was all in your head.
you haven't changed a word with that individual, you are so quickly to judge. To regard somone on these few superficialities as potential thread, can't be healthy for ones peace of mind...
Somehow it sounds like an encounter of two very polarized paranoid individuals.
I wouldn't be surprised he had similar absurd thoughts but about white supremacist being really dangerous

No wonders you're all going bonkers over the pond...

You and AaarghZombies should just do one.
No one wants to read your cr@p

originally posted by: Terpene
a reply to: nugget1

Open carry is NOT legal in Oregon

I wasn't aware of that, it certainly changes things slightly, concealed carry is legal though?

Nevertheless, it's such a hostile baseline to interact with your countrymen, I can't imagine being happy under such social tensions.

Could it not be, he thaught that white guy that was eyeballing me all the time, saw my glock, he's certainly going to snitch on me. Let's get the # out of here?

I take it you're not from the US. If you run across someone in a state where open carry is illegal, and they don't seem to care who knows they're packing, it's a safe bet you're dealing with someone who has no regard for the law, and most likely nefarious reasons for flaunting it......especially in such a high crime, low police presence area like Portland.

The description of said criminal (Yes, criminal who isn't afraid to show disdain for laws) matches the description of the gang members permeating our cities.

Maybe he was a choir boy out for a stroll and stupidly packing for his own protection, but Occam's Razor says otherwise.

a reply to: shinzaun

I'm afraid you'll have to, I'm reading yours too...

a reply to: nugget1

You're right I'm from a country with one of the lowest gun to violence ratio.

He seems to have been the only one paranoid enough to recognize the "flaunting".
by the OP it sounded more like badly concealed?

Then there's this ...

a reply to: VulcanWerks

I moved back home in 2011, after being gone for almost a decade. One of the first things my dad showed me was the mall, Parkwood Mall in Wilson, NC. It was technically still open, because a sporting good store, one shoe store, and Baskin-Robbins was still inside the mall and open, and in the old Belks location was now a Roses Store. Everything else was empty. At the opposite end of the mall, JCPenney was gone, and Sears was gone, along with all the other small shops that used to occupy Parkwood Mall.

It truly and honestly saddened to me because when I was 5 years old in 1977 right before Christmas my kindergarten class went there and we sang Christmas songs. It's one of the few happy memories I have of my childhood. My mom had worked at a store that sold curtains in the late '80s and in the early 90s I ended up working at Tony's Pizza in the mall, and in the early 2000s for a few months I worked at K&W Cafeteria, which at that time was inside the mall, now it's outside the mall and it's on separate building.

Anyway my point to this is this: when me and dad walked into the mall in 2011 there was one of them little Chrome sign holders with a sign that said children under the age of 17 must be accompanied by adult when entering the mall, because worthless ghetto parents, excuse me baby mamas~~ I forget the baby daddies are either in the skreets or in a jail or prison~~ were using the mall as a babysitter, and the shoplifting and crime and outlandish junglish Ghetto Kids ran away any would be customers to the mall in the neighboring town, which is still open and thriving today, 25 miles away, so if this one made it then the one in my hometown should have.

It's disgusting to see my hometown become one giant ghetto day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year. And it will never change for the better, that much is now obvious that I'm 50 years old. It's pointless to be optimistic, especially if you believe the Bible is actually God's word, and I do, and I know it only gets worse from here.

And even the angriest bitterest god-hater on the planet should have enough common sense to look backwards look around now and look forward knowing that it is in fact going to get worse and it's actually because of the god haters. The further away we get from God the worst we become, and I really don't see how that would actually even be debatable, except by those who would say more people have died in the name of God than any disease created by Dr Fauci or any War started by a Republican and funded by a Democrat, who are actually ignorant of God and God's word.

If you think the malls are bad now, wait until every gas station Walmart Hospital School Road Street Highway Boulevard dirt road are all filled with government boot lickers that have the only guns in America, pretending to give a crap about citizens, because that's where we're headed.

Nazi Germany will seem like Disneyland in comparison to the Future America that is literally just months away.