PORTLAND, Ore. () Portland finds itself divided between two contrasting identities as the city grapples with escalating homelessness and continued civil unrest a departure from its reputation as a liberal, bohemian destination.

Daily and nightly protests have persisted for months outside the federal ICE detention facility, where demonstrators have clashed with federal officers.

The confrontations have included rock throwing, window smashing and property damage, prompting responses with tear gas and flash bangs from authorities. Several protesters have been arrested on charges including arson and assault.

Mary Jane Elton, who identifies as both a protester and independent journalist, disputed characterizations of protester violence, claiming federal officers are the aggressors using “a disproportionate amount of force.”

Homelessness hits record 7.5K unsheltered despite $700M annual budget

The protests represent one facet of Portland’s transformation from what locals describe as a once-thriving, quirky city to one struggling with urban decay. 

Tara Faul, a Portland resident and mother of four who has documented the city’s changes for years, said the city has deteriorated significantly.

“This place was great. This was, like, the best place. And I told everyone that Portland was the best place in the world. And I believed it because it was true. But now it sucks,” Faul said.

Faul has been documenting both the civil unrest and the city’s homelessness crisis, sometimes facing physical attacks while filming. She was assaulted while recording a riot after refusing demands to stop filming.

Mayor admits highest homeless rate in city history after campaign promises

The homelessness crisis has reached unprecedented levels, with the current unsheltered population around 7,500 people the highest in the city’s history, according to Mayor Keith Wilson. 

Faul attributes the surge to drug decriminalization policies and said the homeless population rarely benefits from the more than $700 million the city appropriates annually for the issue.

“It really like exploded in 2020 with the lawlessness in general. So the lawlessness that allowed the rioting also allowed the drug and the homeless situation to just blow up at the same time,” Faul said.

Wilson, who campaigned on ending homelessness within his first year in office, acknowledged nine months into his tenure that the city faces its highest unsheltered homeless rate in history.

“People should just look at Portland as a warning of what it looks like when you just allow some ideas to go unchecked with nothing stopping it,” Faul said.