‘People are scared’ as gang activity fuels Portland violence

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A sharp increase in gang activity is helping to fuel a surge in gun violence in Oregon’s most populous city. Portland has been grappling with the role of police during the racial justice movement and grabbed national headlines during nightly racial justice protests last summer. But the city is attempting to tackle the increasing gun violence as the pandemic eases and protests shrink. In the first six months of the year, Portland is on track to surpass its record annual homicide count as gang violence and retaliatory shootings wrack the metropolitan area. While all agree that Portland has a chaotic gun violence problem, how to solve it is where people splinter.