"Pretty wild to see the homeless camps in Portland...err...Missoula, Montana." That was my reaction to a story that caught my eye back in August of 2022. Turns out, the story I wrote in response ended up being my top story for 2022 based on local page views here in Montana. (See my whole top 10 stories from 2022 list below)

What really caught my eye was this photo showing the mask-wearing armed guards patrolling the homeless camp.

Here's what I wrote at the time: I don't know about you, but whenever I see someone dressed in dark clothing, tactical gear, and face masks- I assume it's some Left-wing Antifa style militant group.

One of the big complaints with liberal cities like Portland, Seattle, and Missoula is that when you build massive homeless shelters or allow homeless camps, you encourage the transient population to move in and take hold. A frequent criticism of the city's housing problem by Missoulians is that "if you build it, they will come." John Jackson used the Field of Dreams analogy with this story as well:

I also thought that it was pretty ironic that some of the same Left-leaning folks who are all about forcing masks on people, sure as heck didn't like the fact that private security guards were wearing masks while patrolling a homeless encampment in Missoula. And what I said back in August sadly still applies today towards the end of December: Maybe we can take this opportunity to end these absurd mask mandates for our healthcare personnel and veterans once and for all?

Previous NBC Montana story on the homeless problem in Missoula:

Top Stories in 2022 from Montana Talks With Aaron Flint