TO GO WITH AFP STORY BY Romain FONSEGRIVES, "Portland, the ex-utopia of the American left, in the midst of an identity crisis"
Erica Hetfeld stands for a portrait near Shemanski Park in downtown Portland, Oregon on January 25, 2024. Hetfeld and her family family moved out of downtown Portland due to safety concerns following the decriminalization of all drugs. In the midst of a presidential election year, Portland's decline is brandished by the conservative press depicting a city ravaged by its progressive ideals, in a state controlled by the left for over 40 years. Hetfeld and her family, victims of a burglary in 2021, has left downtown for an affluent suburb, entrenched behind a security gate. "There are no consequences for criminal behavior, no consequences for using drugs in public," she said. "It has completely destroyed our city." (Photo by Patrick T. Fallon / AFP)