Portland Sees Spike in Gun Violence; Some Say Defunding of Police is to Blame |

Last summer, protesters in Portland took to the streets nightly demanding racial justice and the defunding of the police. Simultaneously, the city was experiencing its deadliest year in more than a quarter-century with shootings that overwhelmingly affected the Black community.

The mayor and City Council cut several police programs from the budget, including a specialized unit focused on curbing gun violence. The program had faced criticism for disproportionately targeting people of color.

Many wonder if the ending the unit is to blame for Portland's dramatic spike in shootings. Officials say cities are seeing increased gun violence in cities nationwide and attribute hardships of the coronavirus pandemic, unemployment, economic anxiety and stress on mental health.

The city reported 900 shootings in 2020, nearly 2 1/2 times higher than in 2019. 40 of those shootings were fatal. More people died of gunfire in 2020 in Portland than the entire tally of homicides in 2019.

The spike has continued in 2021, with more than 150 shootings reported in the city, including 45 people wounded and 12 killed.

Portland police warned that other cities that have made a similar choice saw spikes in homicides. Stockton, California, began disbanding and defunding police units dedicated to gun violence in 2010. Stockton then saw record homicide rates in 2011 and 2012. Data reported by the Stockton police shows homicides significantly declines after the city restored the units.

Experts and officials say it was unlikely that refocusing policing in Portland caused the spikes in gun violence.

Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler says he believes they would see the identical increase in shootings in Portland even if the Gun Violence Reduction Team were around today. "This is clearly part of a larger national trend."