Should Yesterday's Gang Shooting Worry Me? (Portland, Detroit: real estate, 2009, crime)

[FellowTraveler]

OK, I am looking to move to Portland from San Diego, for many reasons. One thing I am (or was) looking forward to is what I consider to be the relative safety of Portland. San Diego isn't unsafe generally, but there are some neighborhoods that give me the creeps. The part where I live is nice in some parts with some million dollar houses, but only a few blocks away there is a ghetto feel and it seems sketchy. That is the weird thing about California, there is no rhyme or reason to it and any given neighborhood can have patches of bad and good areas mixed together.

So I am quite surprised to hear about this shooting downtown at The Zone nightclub and then this new shooting here:

Bystanders nearly caught in gang-related drive-by – OregonLive.com

This is not what I expected from Portland! Lloyd Center is right on the MAX line and pretty close to downtown. And it happened at 8:20 pm! There was also another shooting I read about that happened recently within spitting distance of the "Alberta Arts" district.

So my question is, what is the deal with Portland? I know generally to stay away from the upper upper NE and I have no intentions of living east of, say 70th no matter what. I am mostly looking at places in the SE close in as that seems better and I like the idea of being near Hawthorne. But some of these places in the NE don't look bad at all and the neighborhoods on Google Street View look lovely - parks and cute houses and narrow streets. Specifically the Fremont area close in is what I am refering to. Portland in general is just beautiful.

So is the Alberta area really nice at all or is that just real estate talk and maybe it is just grungy and mediocre? I mean I like character but not TOO MUCH character! And most importantly, is it safe? And a somewhat related question, does it FEEL safe? A place might be pretty safe, but if there are gangbangers and sketchy people all around, it wouldn't feel that way. Kind of like where I live now. Also I want to live somewhere that I can be proud of and feel good about living there, and if the area has a sort of "marginal" feel I wouldn't be happy. I am mainly looking at living downtown or in SE but I just want to know whether I should "rule out" the NE or not. I am looking for advice that maybe is more "insider" and specific than just the general mantra of "avoid the NE". Unless of course maybe I should avoid the whole area completely, in which case feel free to repeat the mantra until it gets buried in my thick skull.

[Lilly12103]

If you aren't involved with drugs, gangs, or otherwise dangerous activities you'll be fine. The event at The Zone/Kells was a tragic and freak incident. You wouldn't not go to college becuase of the university shootings, would you? Have some common sense, but know that Portland is going to have a lot of people that don't look like you, it doesn't mean they are "sketchy" or are going to shoot you for no reason.

[bliss61]

Search CrimeReports.com

This information can be updated by day, week, month, etc. and crime type.
It shows on a Portland map exactly where police responses and 911 call take place.
You can use it to compare with other areas of the countries; the data is available for all areas of the country.

It comes from the Portland Police Department website and is intended for public use.

[rosecitywanderer]

Portland is not this Utopian paradise that the media has recently made it out to be. Like every city, we have our problems and every city has gangs. So long as you don't involve yourself in their activities, you've got nothing to worry about. If you're looking for the perfect city...I can't help you there.

[Huckleberry3911948]

that is because we have no crime in california, only terrible misunderstandings with hawaiian shirts and lots of smiling.

[rosecitywanderer]

I detect a hint of sarcasm in your statement.

[chick]

If you aren't involved with drugs, gangs, or otherwise dangerous activities you'll be fine

This is sheeple thought. Always be aware, it can happen anywhere at anytime... don't fool yourself.

[BLAZER PROPHET]

Gang activity and violence is nothing new in Portland. It's just expanding more and more. If people stray into gang areas then they stand a chance of becoming a victim- it's as simple as that. Downtown Portland is a gang area (especially at night) and if people want to be downtown, they assume the risks involved.

[subsound]

Just going out into the city after dark shouldn't be like going into a war zone, if you want to go out to eat, get fit, or go to work you shouldn't be dodging bullets (certainly in the winter it's dark when I come home or go out to eat dinner)...if that's a risk in Portland it pretty much makes up my mind to get the heck out. I mean the guy shot at when he was coming out from working out, well if you want to get less fat WTF else are you going to be doing!? Lloyd athletic is just a few blocks south of some really nice homes, just North of the mall and commercial centers...not a place that looks as one I would be dodging if the sun just went down.

I would say either myself or some one I know is near enough to gun violence to hear it first hand about every three months in Portland (which is more then I can say for bad areas I lived in Denver for much longer), which is really starting to bother me. Especially when people are very haphazardly unloading clips into peoples directions.

I am worried myself, if it gets worse and people just shrug their shoulders and say it's a risk of living here...Portland is going to become another Detroit, LA, San Diego or East Philly, which is so fantastic I try and not stop for stoplights if I can help it when I must be in any. There are many other safer cities to live in, and if nothing is done to curb it and the economy gets better I may have to exercise that option.

[Lilly12103]

Um, Subsound, hate to break it to you but I think you have a higher chance of dying from blowing red lights than you do of getting shot downtown.

I live, work, and play downtown, and I have never felt like I'm in danger. I'm not dodging bullets, I don't wear flak and kevlar when I venture into the "downtown gang area" But I am smart. It gets dark at 5:00 in the winter, so when I leave work I walk in well-lit areas. When I go out at night I stay with other people. Gang activity and violence happens. That is a sad fact of life. But I'm not going to live scared and deny myself opportunities because of that. WW has a heartbreaking story about a 17 year old gang member this week, but he is a GANG member, shooting other GANG members... not Joe Whitey walking down the street.