FBI announces $25,000 reward for information about 25 year-old mother Leaders in Portland, Ore., are looking to combat the city's rising homicide rate by resurrecting a police unit focused on gun violence. Incumbent Jo Ann Hardesty and Rene Gonzalez debated Thursday, taking their cases to voters. Friends and family in October pleaded for information to help police make an arrest in a gang-related drive-by shooting in downtown Portland over summer that killed an 18-year-old innocent bystander and wounded six other people. The graph shows that, at times, Portland's crime rate has both skyrocketed and plummeted regardless of the size of its police force. Zane Sparling; zsparling@oregonian.com; 503-319-7083; @pdxzane, Our journalism needs your support. Investigators in Moscow are exploring the possibility that the quadruple murders of four University of Idaho students may be connected to a 2021 unsolved stabbing murder 400 miles away in Oregon. Arrested. Did Portland Become America's Murder Capital? - Willamette Week The grim milestone comes nearly two years after Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler sparked ire among many activists when he announced plans to resurrect the disbanded Gun Violence Reduction Teams capabilities. Seven members of the team are people of color, including Black, Asian, Latino members. At least 10 homicides involved people living on the street settling grievances, police said -- more often with guns instead of knives, as was more common in the past. Portland breezed past last years record 92 homicides and planted a new flag on Nov. 23 when the city recorded its 93rd homicide of the year. The 2021 homicides began on the second day of the year, peaked with 12 in one month in June but continued steadily throughout the year to end in December with 10 more homicides, the second-highest monthly toll. With the current level of violence, Gamble and the pastors present said city residents should expect police to be part of the solution. Portland murders break record; 2 dead in Old Town, suspect - KTVZ They also recognized the need for their own care as they confront so many deaths among their congregants. Portland, Oregon, has had 22 murders since the start of 2022, up from the 19 in the same period last year. Then, Chatman says, well-defined neighborhood boundaries and parks separated rival gangs. But gentrification pushed Black residents east of 82nd Avenue, where they compete for scarce low-income housing. Take action today! They also must go into prisons to interrupt the deadly cycle, he said. We'll send you a newsletter with what you need to know every week. Those arrests have no impact on violent crime and, the study found, 1 in 10 or 20 will result in a different form of violence: police use of force. Violent crime rate in 2020 Violent crime rate in 2019 Violent crime rate in 2018 Violent crime rate in 2017 Now let us turn to take a look at how Portland does for violent crimes specifically, and then how it does for property crimes. Freddy and Kari Nelson had arrived at the sprawling shopping center about 7 p.m. on May 29, 2021, to collect wooden pallets from Lowes. Crime has risen everywhere, but here, its been at historic levels, he said. Theyve also questioned how police would respond any faster to ShotSpotter notifications when officers already struggle to handle all the 911 calls they get.