What Happens When the Rule of Law Breaks Down?

It isn't pretty. Businesses across Portland raising alarm about surge in vandalism, burglaries

The story linked above is behind a paywall, but you can guess what it says...

So the authorites in Portland decided that defunding the police, and not prosecuting criminals was a good idea. At least one group of people agrees with them.

Downtown Portland business owners have been complaining for months about a sharp uptick in vandalism and other crime, often committed by people who have used protests for racial justice as a cover. Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler promised to take a tougher stance on vandalism after more than a dozen businesses and buildings were damaged during back-to-back nights heading into the New Year, but admitted this week that the city and police are ill-equipped to crack down on the criminal destruction.

It isn't just the downtown area; businesses across Portland have been hit. Window replacement services are overwhelmed, though the backlog has reduced some because businesses have decided putting back windows is a losing proposition, and they are opting instead to go with the plywood in the long run, or at least for now. That will be a good look for Portland. I suppose eventually they will opt for brick or concrete in place of the windows. That should look just awful.