Jody McKenzie retweetledi
‼️Another long term business is closing in Portland Oregon. This is what Hookset Automotive wrote about it…
THE GATES ARE CLOSED. THE DEAL IS DEAD.
Twenty years of loyalty. Twenty years of sacrifice. In 2002, we fell in love with Portland’s heart. We built Hookset Automotive with grease, sweat, and a belief in this community. I traded my dream of being an architect for an oil rag to build an honest business with my husband, JC.
We did everything right. Portland did everything wrong.
I didn’t just run a shop; I served. I led the Parkrose Business Association. I hosted town halls. I stood before the City Council and begged for the law to be enforced. I was trying to save Portland from becoming the next Detroit. I fought for this district until there was nothing left to give.
In return, the city turned on us.
•Financial Extortion: The city didn't just lie; they taxed the shit out of us while doing so. They drained our resources with skyrocketing taxes while providing zero protection in return.
•Betrayal: Mingus Mapps, who once ran Historic Parkrose, used our neighborhood as a political stepping stone to the City Council. He ignored our pleas while drawing a salary meant to protect our streets.
•Slander: When I spoke up about the crime and the "Slough Town" gunfire, neighborhood groups responded with a smear campaign—spreading vile lies about my marriage to silence a woman asking hard questions.
•Sabotage: Last week, our landlord illegally chained the gates shut while we were inside. We were held against our will. When we called 911, the police—the same officers I defended for two decades—looked at us through the fence and called it a "civil issue." They went out of their way to make sure we didn't get help, even contacting the fire department to tell them not to interfere.
Your promise of protection was a lie.
We gave this city our lives, and it gave us a lock and a cold shoulder. We are closing our doors because the basic rules of a civilized society don't apply here anymore. The deal we made with this city—that if you work hard, pay your taxes, and follow the law, you’ll be protected—was a total lie.
To our loyal customers: You were our family. We are devastated it ended this way, but we couldn’t have tried harder. We poured every ounce of our souls into this place, only to be abandoned by the city we tried to save.
Portland, you didn’t just fail us—you threw us away. Keep your "weird." We’re taking our integrity somewhere that actually values it.
The gates are closed for good.
(Original post from FB in comments)
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