Addressing Crime in Portland
At James Macdonald for Mayor, we understand the importance of creating a safe and secure environment for all Portland residents. Crime not only impacts the overall prosperity and well-being of the community but also raises safety concerns, leads to economic repercussions, affects quality of life, and poses social cohesion challenges. That's why we have a comprehensive plan to tackle crime head-on. Almost 4 years now after the pandemic Portlanders are still picking up the pieces. Our city has 641000 people here wondering after lockdowns , protests, and new drug laws, which left the center of our city a mess. We still have crime and homelessness at every corner of our streets elected officials say we are headed in a different direction, yes it looks like gun violence is a little lower homicides are a little less but I think a lot of crime is now UNDER reported, {911} as many of us called for help and none came it was like we were left on our own. I myself was shocked to see Walmart close its 82nd avenue store. Walmart pays millions of dollars to get into city limits and then to just leave! Theft in our stores is completely out of control the big stores and the mom and pop stores where a hundred dollar loss can destroy a persons dream of running their own business offering good service. With a city of lacks laws and a DA that won't enforce laws. Everyone knows something that runs well has leaders that lead by example some of our leaders nationally say it is okay to steal if your hungry but turn it into a career choice,,, we will make it so you don't have no bail if you get caught breaking our laws REALLY? Who is protecting our everyday citizens and people who live here with small business a job that does not pay much as they pay their taxes? Who? Are leaders of public office elected to serve its citizens who vote for them that is who are supposed to care and lead. I watch homeless people take anything they touch maybe your daughters new bicycle she just got for her birthday or maybe your grandpas wheelchair he uses to go to the corner store for a loaf of bread. I myself have had many things come up missing as fast as only turning my head. Lets start enforcing our laws and start making in our city, everyone feel a little safer so we can get past all the things we have gone through in the last four years but when we still feel every time we have to buy food, cloths, household goods, and gas to get to work it feels like you are getting robbed. If we say no more and do things so we can go a different direction we will. Electric cars are coming but we still need a better infrastructure better batteries and a price we can afford. Sorry I am off topic for a moment thinking about cleaner air. I have a friend and we talk about electric vehicles all the time. He is a smart young man and makes a good argument about why we don't all have or go out and buy an electric vehicle shortly after our debate he bought a diesel truck. Deterrents are needed to slow down crime and it comes from a stable city government. I am only stating the obvious sometimes it is a bitter pill to swallow hopefully this election season we elect leaders who care as much about our people as they care about their jobs. It is time to start smiling again. I read an article in a print called Street Roots the title was Years of data debunk persistent narrative of a recent Portland crime wave. I would love to chat with the author of the article as he offers his point of view that differs from our news media and offers explanation into who are you going to believe me or your lying eyes. The article is well written and edited but I disagree on some of the facts. When a person in need calls 911 and no one comes that is called a fact. When you call on a theft or stolen vehicle and no one comes, and when asking a police officer why? Those are facts When you dial 911 because of a car crash and the operator on that call askes is anyone leaving in an ambulance answer being no, then the operator on the call says no police officer is going to show up that is a fact. Many of the things i talk about is related to an understaffed police force that has just come out of a pandemic and many other circumstances involved. I think a topic that gets little airtime as we have in our community organized crime and gangs. Sometimes crime is center around an event or an area. 82nd avenue has many good spots of driving and many bad spots of driving.
Collaboration with Law Enforcement
One of our key strategies in addressing crime is to work hand-in-hand with law enforcement agencies. Hopefully we can start more neighborhood watch areas to work with law enforcement using ideas that make our close knit Neiborhood's a little safer working with vendors and others to bring back our downtown area. By fostering strong partnerships and collaboration, we aim to enhance public safety, reduce crime rates, and improve the overall security of our city. Together, we can make a difference in creating a safer Portland for everyone. In 2020 city counsel members voted 5 to 1 eliminating 15 million from PPB budget. That translated into eliminating at least 80 staff positions. Today our police force has about as of this year 800 sworn members about 300 professional staff and about only 35 cadets. This for the size and population is a very low count of officers to cover the many multitudes of different areas and duties performed withing a police force. Iam glad we have other services in our city like Portland Street Response. We need more entities like this reducing the time need of a trained police officer. PPD does not have enough staff to handle each department effectively to offer any curb in crime. I think what is needed is about 1400 police officers to be able to handle what they see each day. Example I was in a car accident and called 911. The person who answered that call they asked is anyone leaving in an ambulance. I said no. That person said that the police will not be coming! I had a vehicle stolen it was missing for many months, I had tools in it. When I finally got a phone call from the police to come get it I had a day to pick it up and it was destroyed, junk. No investigation and I have evidence that would capture the criminals. A couple weeks ago a man was walking on our street carrying a car battery. He came up to me and started talking to me wanting a smoke, and about he is out looking for a car to drive home. He told me his name and that he was from another country. He told me he keeps looking at this one car but is not sure if he wants it, it was brothers car. We do not have enough traffic officers to even control traffic infractions. Currently we are installing more traffic cameras. i just saw a picture from one mailed to the owner of the license plate. It is a person making a traffic infraction with a clear view of the driver but it is the wrong car The owner of the license plate just found out his front plate was stolen. At one point there was no one assigned to traffic division that was a two year amount of time. PBOT and other government officials are working on an idea of making 82hd avenue a safer more stable street to drive on. I watch the news all the time there was a woman on the news talking about the safety she feels or the lack of will come from this maybe, as she walks her dog here. She was standing next to a sign that reads " This crosswalk is Closed. That sign if it is the same one got run over and only a little metal sticks up out of the sidewalk it only took a few weeks for this to happen to that brand new sign. When PBOT showed up to install a new crosswalk sign they started to do the work at midnight. I spoke to the man in charge they left and did it in the morning. I watch the drivers on 82nd drive by this crosswalk all the time. As a taxpayer in my opinion the new pedestrian crosswalks are not visible enough and the lights on some of them are not bright enough. As a person was crossing the walk with it walk lite on a car stopped and the woman putting on makeup behind the stopped car crashed into the car that was stopped. The cement divider they installed has destroyed many cars losing oil pans, wheels, a-frames as they run into it. The intersection at 102nd and Halsey with the new bike lane and bike traffic light is very dangerous for all users foot traffic, bikes and cars go look at it. I think we need some different designers and planners at PBOT I know many cyclists' would agree. No matter how much faith is allowed to PBOT 82nd Ave will not be safe until traffic officers are back to full force and the public can see them causing change to bad driving habits. Sex trafficking on 82nd avenue is a 24/7 business. Everyday every hour this also motivates some drivers to drive reckless or distracted while doing business. One day I watched a man stop his vehicle jump out of his vehicle and start to attack a lady of the night in the middle of the day. I waved her over to me and stand behind me. My neighbors saw me standing up to this man came out of there houses and stood with me making the man leave. You have people running for mayor each of them have different ideas and different directions. Many others running for others positions within our government and none of them work together on a single goal. Our city has gone through to much to let people who want to lead to have many more years of bad times. The first thing i support fully is a well funded and educated law enforcement agency to keep citizens safer. Wow this was just one topic and i only scrapped the surface.
Can you imagine traffic in our city without police to enforce the laws on reckless or speeding cars ,, oh we already do kind of and traffic accidents are on the rise. Now just for fun not reality remove all traffic lights, stop signs anything that helps control traffic flow for safety. Can you imagine airports without air traffic controllers? I lost a son in a traffic accident. Tickets for speeding are designed to offer deterrents to help drivers think about what they are doing possibly to someone else that did not ask for it..
Crime in our city is out of control let's ask ourselves why would Walmart close a store on 82nd Ave. after spending millions to get the location and open it?? Why are major shopping retailers leaving all over Portland especially downtown. Have we lost the sense of who we are? Or have we finally woke up to the ideas of our leaders do not work neither do their policies? In the movie We Bought A Zoo the man's son got kicked out of school, the dad was most upset that his son stole money. The boy responded with it's kind of their fault if you think about it, they left the cash drawer on the counter!!! Crime in our beautiful city is above the national average in all categories. Murder, rape, Robbery, Assault, / Burglary, Theft, Motor vehicle theft. I love our city but not where it is headed. You can drive one hour in any direction and take time at these destination, the beach, the mountains snow, the desert and only a few minutes to some of the most amazing water ways. I have said it before and I will say it again according to the social security office 51 % of Americans earn 30000 Thousand dollars a year and LESS. Poverty levels are a family making 31,200 Thousand a year and less. Inflation is eating away at the American dream everyday that is another reason crime is on the rise Back to crime we allow people to steal 1000 dollars worth of stuff and we do nothing because of policy. Because of policy we don't hold people accountable for stealing other peoples cars, trucks, motor vehicles. I am not saying lock them up put them to work on supervised work detail picking up garbage removing graffiti across our city at least as a minimum for taking something that is not theirs making our tax payers feel even more pressured to be able to survive in a city with no rules. Our homeless problem drives me crazy people out in the cold every Night while learning how to survive on our streets. This sound like a fictional best seller sold at any bookstores number one best seller. The problems we face are the same problems that every other major city faces right now. In our past we have leaders that have done good and bad for people living here see if you recognize some of them /// ask not what your country can do for you but what you can do for your country // great works are not performed by strength but by perseverance // my fellow Americans peace experience prosperity // any man can learn anything he will but no man can teach except to those who want to learn // he urged prohibition of the death penalty // he promised to balance the budget while cutting taxes and increase revenues voodoo economics // read my lips no new taxes // i did not have sexual relation with that woman // we are looking for weapons of mass destruction // a change we can believe in you can keep your health plan you can keep your doctor period.. I am not suggesting anyone or anything as Portlanders go through a historic election let's all choose wisely. Portland's own KGW channel 8 did an in depth report on homicide and crime in Portland . Portland's homicide rate increased by 207% from 2019-2021: Report | kgw.com. In 2022 homicides were 96. In 2023 homicides were 77. I have never in Portland's history seen numbers like this hopefully with new leaders, and the courage to start enforcing our laws, changes in low level crimes start taking care of each other, and we take seriously our homeless crisis and start a housing production boom we can get back to Portland being one of the world best cities to live in. Finally our city counsel takes next step in creating city police oversight board afteryears long delay, maybe our new elected officials should look at it and finish it. I miss taking my kids downtown for the day eating lunch and going shopping at all the different stores.