by Alex Zielinski
•
Apr 7, 2021 at 4:36 pm
DRAFTFOLIO / GETTY IMAGES
Portland City Council responded to an alarming uptick in local gun violence by unanimously passing a $6 million emergency budget package on Wednesday.
The proposal finances grants for community-based organizations that work directly with Portlanders impacted by gun violence, significantly expands Portland's park ranger program, and funds crime data collection and analysis. It does not include any additional funding for the Portland Police Bureau (PPB), a solution initially suggested by Mayor Ted Wheeler in March.
"This proposal goes beyond just enforcement to invest in upstream solutions and tackle disparities faced by many of the impacted communities at their roots, and replacing and rebuilding it with a system that supports them," said Commissioner Carmen Rubio during the Wednesday council meeting.