Troutdale, Oregon — If you ever needed proof that government can burn through your money faster than a Portland riot eats through plywood, here it is.
The Oregon Department of State Lands (DSL) — the agency responsible for managing land to generate revenue for schools — just torched more than $50,000 on a failed cleanup of homeless camps at the Sandy River Delta. The kicker? Not only did the camps remain, but contractors managed to rack up ATV damage and bill the state for it.
According to records obtained by KATU, contractors NW HazMat and NW Enforcement lasted less than a week before chaos broke out. Videos show clashes between camp residents and workers, including contractors apparently using bear spray on people. The situation spiraled so badly that Governor Tina Kotek stepped in to pause the cleanup altogether…