Gang violence, a castrated police force and a crime-friendly administration blamed
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There does not appear to be any safe space against bullets in Portland, Oregon, which was quickly awakened.
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The west coast city is poised to break its record for homicides, with more than two months left until 2021.
So far, there have been 67 murders this year. The annual record for the riot-ravaged city was 66 murders in 1987.
Gang violence, a castrated police force, and a criminal-friendly administration have turned the city into an unruly dystopian nightmare.
“People should be suspicious because this is a dangerous time,” lifelong Portland resident and gang social worker Lionel Irving Jr. told The Associated Press.
Police are grappling with critical personnel and funding shortages as cops throw in the towel and leave the city of 650,000 people.
“Please let us untie the hands of our law enforcement officers,” said Don Osborn, whose brother-in-law was killed in September. “I think if law enforcement officers had the right tools, this wouldn’t even have happened.”
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This year, Portland has had about 1,000 shootings with 314 people injured by bullets. Guns account for three-quarters of the city’s murders.
Nationally, homicides increased nearly 30% from 2019 to 2020, according to FBI data. However, in Portland, deadly violence is increasing at a faster rate than in almost all major US cities, with homicides rising 83% in 2020.
“We’re running on smoke,” said Daryl Turner, executive director of the Portland Police Union, adding that budget cuts have also handcuffed officers. “There is no way we can fully and properly investigate all of these shootings.”
Last year, the city cut $ 27 million from the police budget.
Reference-torontosun.com