Portland cut police funding and got a 2,000% surge in murders (Wheeler: crime, neighborhood)

[Cinema Cat]

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/o...rge-in-murders

Last June, the city of Portland, Oregon, hopped on the “defund the police” bandwagon. Now, it is flooded with gun violence, and the mayor is already backtracking from his support for the cuts.

Mayor Ted Wheeler has requested $2 million in emergency funding for the police department, pointing directly to the surge in gun violence. At this point last year, Portland had seen just one homicide. This year, that number is 20, with 208 shootings in the city so far.

Wheeler backed the Portland City Council’s decision to cut $15 million from the police budget last June, which included disbanding police units that investigate gun violence. ...

A few years ago, I considered moving to Portland or Seattle. Glad I didn't.

[oregonwoodsmoke]

Emergency funding? What happened to the money in the budget that the city saved by firing police and not having those salaries to pay?

[EasyBeezy]

Originally Posted by Cinema Cat

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/o...rge-in-murders

Last June, the city of Portland, Oregon, hopped on the “defund the police” bandwagon. Now, it is flooded with gun violence, and the mayor is already backtracking from his support for the cuts.

Mayor Ted Wheeler has requested $2 million in emergency funding for the police department, pointing directly to the surge in gun violence. At this point last year, Portland had seen just one homicide. This year, that number is 20, with 208 shootings in the city so far.

Wheeler backed the Portland City Council’s decision to cut $15 million from the police budget last June, which included disbanding police units that investigate gun violence. ...

A few years ago, I considered moving to Portland or Seattle. Glad I didn't.

You can move to the Portland or Seattle areas without dealing with the city if you don't want to. I live a half a mile south of the Portland city limits and its like a different world. No trash, no graffiti, less wandering drug users, and more cops.

[Hemlock140]

Originally Posted by EasyBeezy

You can move to the Portland or Seattle areas without dealing with the city if you don't want to. I live a half a mile south of the Portland city limits and its like a different world. No trash, no graffiti, less wandering drug users, and more cops.

Yes, and other than some mail theft we have very little crime here in Sammamish, WA 23 miles east of Seattle. The mere talk of police funding cuts brings the worst criminals out of the woodwork. In Seattle they didn't really enforce the laws anyway, the City Council had tied their hands. You reap what you sew, as someone once said.

[cooky01]

Originally Posted by oregonwoodsmoke

Emergency funding? What happened to the money in the budget that the city saved by firing police and not having those salaries to pay?

I'm curious too - were those funds already spent / allocated for something else?


Did most people living in Portland support defunding the police?

What led the mayor to making that decision before?

[EasyBeezy]

Originally Posted by oregonwoodsmoke

Emergency funding? What happened to the money in the budget that the city saved by firing police and not having those salaries to pay?

To be clear, the city didn't fire any police due to budget cuts. Some programs were eliminated, but PPD still has a shortage of officers compared to their authorized force strength, as they did for years before the events of last summer.

[MaltCueOur]

Originally Posted by Hemlock140

Yes, and other than some mail theft we have very little crime here in Sammamish, WA 23 miles east of Seattle. The mere talk of police funding cuts brings the worst criminals out of the woodwork. In Seattle they didn't really enforce the laws anyway, the City Council had tied their hands. You reap what you sew, as someone once said.

Sammamish is about 5 miles east of Seattle 'as the crow flies', not 23.

[CARas2020]

Originally Posted by Hemlock140

Yes, and other than some mail theft we have very little crime here in Sammamish, WA 23 miles east of Seattle. The mere talk of police funding cuts brings the worst criminals out of the woodwork. In Seattle they didn't really enforce the laws anyway, the City Council had tied their hands. You reap what you sew, as someone once said.

I love Sammamish!! I lived in Seattle in the late 80's. Wish I would of stayed but alas everything happens for a reason. Need to head up and visit the early.

[illumined]

Originally Posted by cooky01

I'm curious too - were those funds already spent / allocated for something else?


Did most people living in Portland support defunding the police?

What led the mayor to making that decision before?

My day job is in North Portland, just a couple of weeks ago there was a murder in broad daylight across the street from it. Usually the murders and shootings happen at not, but not that time. In that neighborhood there's a bunch of young white people who moved in, so not surprisingly there's BLM signs everywhere on that block. Not once did I see any of them protesting any of those shootings.

Given that the mayor defunded the police and THEN got re-elected with the other person in the runoff wanting to defund it even more, I would have to conclude that most people in the city do want it defunded.

[fortunatus]

I beg to differ. Most people did not want the police defunded, so they voted for the lesser of 2 evils.