Opinion: More police, expanded alternatives must be part of gun violence response
Since January 1, I have served on the Portland City Council, a job that obliges me to tell the people of Portland the truth. Portland, we have a gun violence crisis. In the first nine months of 2021, our city has seen more than 800 shooting incidents, with more than 235 injured and more than 61 people murdered.
The city is investing in increasing capacity at nonprofit organizations that promote community-based prevention and intervention. I fully support developing a comprehensive plan to end gun violence. But today, and with any plan moving forward, the Portland Police Bureau must play a role to stop the killing on our streets. These are my proposed solutions to end the gun violence in Portland.