All in all, GOP fearmongering about crime parallels the party’s inflation alarms based on selective and outdated numbers. It can be effective, unfortunately; during 2022, Gallup found that 78 percent of Americans thought crime was higher nationally than in 2021. Turns out that just wasn’t the case.
The biggest change is Oregon passed ballot measure 110 in 2020 which took effect Feb. 1 2021, decriminalizing all drugs.
What followed was gangs from Honduras rolling in pushing fentanyl and all the associated violence that comes with that.
https://www.wweek.com/news/courts/2023/03/25/whos-running-downtown-portlands-open-air-fentanyl-market/
It doesn’t help that the cops, when faced with actual accountability, just threw up their hands and stopped even the appearance of law enforcement.
Stopped doing traffic stops:
https://bikeportland.org/2023/08/08/portland-police-bureau-officer-admits-no-traffic-enforcement-messaging-was-politically-motivated-377939
Disbanded the gun taskforce:
https://www.wweek.com/news/2020/06/09/mayor-ted-wheeler-agrees-to-disband-the-portland-police-bureaus-gun-violence-reduction-team/
Stopped answering 911 calls:
https://www.oregonlive.com/coronavirus/2020/03/portland-police-will-stop-responding-in-person-to-calls-that-arent-life-threatening-citing-coronavirus-concerns.html
Fewer calls, fewer arrests, more force:
https://www.oregonlive.com/crime/2023/04/portland-police-responded-to-fewer-calls-made-fewer-arrests-in-recent-years-but-used-force-in-greater-percentage-of-arrests-data-shows.html
Two of the big open air drug markets are literally blocks from police HQ.