PORTLAND, Ore. — When Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler announced a gun violence emergency in 2022, he said his goal was to reduce gun homicides and mass shootings in the city by at least 10% over the next two years. said — and new data shows Portland achieved that goal more than once.
Gun violence in Portland decreased by 22% from 2022 to 2023, according to data presented at Tuesday’s City Council work session.
“I’m proud to say that the decline in gun violence we saw in 2023 shows we are on the right track,” Wheeler said.
Mike Myers, director of community safety for the city of Portland, said the state of emergency calls for a comprehensive gun violence reduction strategy with a “multidisciplinary collaborative approach.”
This effort has resulted in the creation of several community programs over the past two years. This includes the ceasefire program adopted last June. This program helps identify those most at risk of gun violence, establish relationships with them, and provide support programs.
“We want to make sure that those affected by gun violence are served and we also address those who are causing harm to our communities,” Ceasefire Director Sierra Ellis said.
Data collected in 2022 and 2023 shows Black people in Portland experienced the largest decline in homicide victimization rates, resulting in a 28% reduction in gun violence and 11 lives saved. become.
“I’m pretty excited and I think the community is pretty excited about where we’re going,” said Terrence Hayes, chair of the Intensive Intervention Community Oversight Group (FITCOG).
The group works closely with the Mayor’s Office and the Portland Police Bureau to evaluate the effectiveness of the department’s gun violence response strategies from a racial and social perspective.
“This means we can actually create strategies and models that don’t harm communities and actually reduce crime,” Hayes said. “So when you talk about a heavy hand, they shouldn’t come with a heavy hand. And we need to take away that heavy hand and still believe in enforcement and accountability that actually works. We are confirming that there is.”
