In 2021 so far, there have been 954 recorded shootings, the city’s highest mark in 28 years, based on data from the City of Portland.
In 2020 alone the number of shootings in Portland reached a peak of 891 recorded cases, with about 74 cases per month, according to the City of Portland. 2021 has passed 2020 in cases with three months left in the year with its current average being 105 cases per month. Franklin student Nina Newport says she hears shots in their neighborhood “at least 3 times a week.”
“Too many have prematurely ended lives and caused injury. But all shootings cause trauma to our community,” wrote Portland Police Chief Chuck Lovell in a tweet on Oct. 16.
Most of the shootings are happening around the Eastern district and the Western district of Portland. The neighborhood that has experienced the most shootings in Portland is Hazelwood, in East Portland, with 106 recorded shootings happening there.
This rise in violence comes at a time when the Portland Police Bureau is understaffed, based on a statement from Portland Police Association Executive Director Daryl Turner. Over 100 officers have left the city this year, writes KATU.
“With an unsolved homicide, there is always the potential that there is a person out there who has committed a crime and needs to be caught, and until that is done and the person has been adjudicated, we don’t know,” said Lt. Greg Pashley of the Portland Police Bureau in an interview with the Oregonian after a shooting incident that left four people dead. “The short answer is we don’t know of any specific threats to the community.”
Even though there are relatively few shootings happening around the Franklin area, there still are some things you could do if you’re in a situation with an active shooting happening, like calling 911, getting inside and staying away from the danger. If you’re outside and right next to the event that’s happening, run or get away from the unfolding situation as fast as possible.
In an announcement on the City of Portland’s website, Lovell went on to discuss the matter of the violence at hand, writing, “We cannot lose sight of the fact that these are human beings who have died and there are broad traumatic impacts throughout the community for the lives that have been lost.”
