Portland has grappled with a surge in gun violence in recent years. However, newly released data portrays a more optimistic view, illustrating a significant decline in local shootings and homicides.
Junior Donovan Schubert experienced the effects of gun violence firsthand at a basketball game at Franklin High School. On Jan. 7, 2023 shots were fired on the east side of the high school in the parking lot.
“Afterwards I was really shaken up,” said Schubert.
According to Portland.gov, total shooting incidents in the city decreased by 28% in 2023 comparing year-to-date data for 2022 and 2023. Gun homicides dropped by a substantial 37% during the same period.
This positive change comes after a period of alarming increases.
In 2022, according to the Portland Police Bureau’s Gun Violence Report, Portland saw a 6% rise in homicides compared to the previous year, with 76 of the 94 homicides involving firearms. This marked a 61% increase in gun homicides over a three-year period, according to Portland.gov.
In a press conference at City Hall on Jan. 20, 2024 Portland Police Chief Bob Day stated that these declines are not a reason to celebrate, but rather a sign of progress that needs to be sustained. According to OPB, the city’s 2023 homicide rate still sits above the 2019 average of 28 deaths per year.
Schubert also expresses hope for the future because of the drop in statistics.
“It makes me hopeful that this [change] can be replicated at a national level,” he said.
According to Seattle.gov, there were a total of 64 homicides in the last year in Seattle. This is still significantly lower than the 73 homicides in Portland in the last year.
Junior Sonia Modha agrees that this decrease in Portland proves hopeful, but believes that there are still far too many shootings here in Portland.
“It’s good that the numbers are going down, but I feel like it’s also not an issue that people talk about enough here, because the numbers are [still] pretty high,” said Modha.
