"That, I would like to point out, is precisely what separates newcomers from those of us who have worked hard to create a sense of community and, dare I say, decency here."

Are you honestly saying that no newcomers work to establish community?  That all older/native Portlanders are friendly, civic angels?  What a joke.

If negativity in Portland has increased exponentially, the vast majority of that is coming from grumpy, xenophobic locals who complain about newcomers, who complain about parking, and traffic, who complain prices going up, etc., etc.

I've met tons of amazing people who are newly transplanted to Portland over the past two decades, who are excited to be in Portland and have very positive attitudes about the place (otherwise they wouldn't have moved here, no?).  Much prefer their company to bitter long-time residents clinging to old memories of dive bars and a depressed economy.