Sara Cline
FILE - In this June 6, 2021, file photo, police respond to a multiple fatality shooting in a house in Portland, Ore. The city has seen a spike in gun violence in the past year and authorities say one reason is an increase in gang activity. (Mark Graves/The Oregonian via AP, File) June 09, 2021 - 10:03 PM
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) â When Oregonâs most populous city had a rampant gang problem 30 years ago, Portland detectives were stunned if they found more than a few dozen bullet casings after a shooting. Now, police are recording multiple shootings a week with 50 to 70 shots fired, and in one case more than 150, as gang attacks and retaliatory shootings again spiral into a vicious cycle.
People are scared as gang activity fuels Portland violence
by Sara Cline, The Associated Press
Posted Jun 10, 2021 1:03 am EDT
Last Updated Jun 10, 2021 at 1:14 am EDT
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) When Oregon’s most populous city had a rampant gang problem 30 years ago, Portland detectives were stunned if they found more than a few dozen bullet casings after a shooting. Now, police are recording multiple shootings a week with 50 to 70 shots fired, and in one case more than 150, as gang attacks and retaliatory shootings again spiral into a vicious cycle.
With more bullets comes more bloodshed. There have been 37 homicides in Oregon’s largest city so far this year, more than six times the number recorded in the same period last year. If nothing changes, Portland will surpass its all-time record for homicides of 70 set in 1987, when the city was in the midst of a gang siege.
US News: PORTLAND: When Oregon's most populous city had a rampant gang problem 30 years ago, Portland detectives were stunned if they found more than a few doz.
Portland is on pace to surpass its all-time record for homicides this year as its police department is grappling with a surge in gang-related shootings amidst a staffing shortage and continued calls for defunding.