Portland has been patrolled by private security forces in response to the city slashing its police funding and a resulting surge in crime.
Armed private security forces are now keeping watch in downtown Portland, Oregon after the city government decided to cut police funding by $16 million.
Like other major cities, Democrat-led Portland has experienced a recent spike in crime. Private security forces have thus been hired by local businesses to maintain some safety amid the rise in crime.
“Homicides in Portland increased from 28 in 2019 to 54 in 2020. Among cities similar in size to Portland, Seattle saw an increase from 34 to 53 homicides, in Minneapolis, a spike from 48 to 82, and Milwaukee saw homicides increase from 97 to 190 from 2019 to 2020,” KGW reported.
Two rappers affiliated with the Wu-Tang Clan were shot dead in Portland on Tuesday morning. Portland has experienced a surge in homicides & shootings after last year's BLM-Antifa riots resulted in city council defunding police. https://t.co/nN13vj2bRQ
— Andy Ngô (@MrAndyNgo) August 12, 2021
The defunding included scrapping Portland’s Central Precinct Entertainment Detail. As a result, the central entertainment district has had to respond by hiring private security to compensate, Fox reported.
Portland is also still dealing with the long series of protests and rioting that caused an estimated $23 million in damages.
The situation in Portland should make it obvious that defunding the police is not a viable solution. Security and policing will always be necessary, whether they are city-funded police officers or private security contractors.