After a rash of shootings across North and Northeast Portland this week, police are stepping up patrols this weekend while residents in some of the violence-stricken areas are on edge.
Since Aug. 1, police have been called out to more than a dozen shootings, and tension over that surge spilled out this morning at a meeting of the city's Gang Violence Task Force.
Frustrated police leaders are now calling for the public's help in solving crimes—many of them believed to be gang-related—that all too often send witnesses scurrying for dark corners in fear of becoming targets themselves.
Police say they're sending more officers out to problem neighborhoods while holding out for leads that may not materialize. According to the Oregonian's Maxine Bernstein, investigators believe the recent run of shootings is partly tied to Tuesday's funeral for a slain affiliate of the Rolling 60s Crips.
But one gang-prevention worker, speaking at today's meeting, John Canda, wasn't satisfied. He turned to the television cameras and wondered where Mayor Sam Adams was: "Mayor, where are you? You need to have your ass out here!"
Adams, newly in charge of the Portland Police Bureau, wasn't there. But only a few minutes ago, the mayor's team sent out a press release on five proposed initiatives to curb the flow of illegal guns into the city and crack down on those who have them, especially kids.
If you keep reading, you can read the Crime Stoppers notice the bureau sent out this afternoon.