March 11, 2021
On behalf of Multnomah County, Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler, Local Public Safety Coordinating Council, Multnomah County District Attorney s office, Portland Police Bureau, Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office, Gresham Police Department, and the Inter-Faith Peace and Action Collaborative, we share a sense of urgency regarding gun violence on our streets. Words cannot adequately describe the immeasurable toll gun violence exacts on families and our community. As of March 8, 2021 there have been 278 shootings in the Portland region; 58 injury shootings, and 17 gun-related homicides.
Gun violence rates continued to increase amid the City of Portland s proactive response to community demands to invest and reexamine historic approaches to gun violence. As public officials, it is our responsibility to work in partnership with the community to galvanize every possible resource to prevent, intervene, investigate, and suppress gun violence.