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.
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At least, it would be a joke if the consequences weren’t so deadly serious. After Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler and the city council disbanded the local police department’s task force that focused on illegal gun use and violent offenders last year, shootings and homicides almost immediately started soaring, and there’s been no sign of a slowdown ever since. Wheeler announced a plan to bring back the task force in a slightly different iteration several months ago, but met with resistance from his fellow Democrats on the city council.
Now the two sides have come up with an agreement that will put Wheeler’s new task force on the streets, along with the city’s council’s desire to spend millions on programs that don’t involve actual policing.
Portland mayor, commissioners reach deal on police and gun violence prevention, plan to vote with limited public input
Updated 7:38 PM;
Portland’s mayor and city commissioners said late Tuesday they reached a deal on a set of proposals aimed to stem a dramatic rise of shootings and gun deaths over the last year and will vote unanimously to approve them on Wednesday.
Given the late timing of the maneuver, members of the public will not be able to speak in favor or against the package during Wednesday’s council meeting but can submit written testimony beforehand. If it indeed garners all five council members’ votes, it would take effect immediately.
Council to vote on $6 million gun violence package Wednesday April 07 2021
No public testimony will be allowed on the ordinance to reducing shootings that was added to the agenda late Tuesday afternoon.
The City Council will vote on a nearly $6 million package to reduce gun violence in Portland with limited public feedback on Wednesday.
The package was added to the end of the April 7 agenda late Tuesday afternoon. No public testimony will be allowed, although written comments can be emailed to the council until the vote.
The package is in response to the surge in shootings and killing that began in the middle of last year. Among other things, it creates a dedicated seven-member team within the Portland Police Bureau to investigate cases using existing personnel. It will also provide millions in grants to community organization and allocate $1.4 million to Portland Parks & Recreation to hire 24 more park rangers.
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