Recent Surge in Gun Violence Tied to Portland Youth
Thursday, June 18, 2015
The number of gang shootings has hit 73 to date, compared to 58 this time last year. Almost exclusively, the majority of the violence can be attributed to Blood and Crip gang associates.
Yet the reason why is difficult to pin down. The Portland Police Bureau (PPB) has suggested rivalries between gangs and individuals, the ease of access to firearms, disputes over girls, and even milder weather that brings more people outdoors.
But most disturbing is that teenagers have fallen into the fold.
“Generally when we are making arrests in gun violence cases, the suspects are younger,” said Sgt. Peter Simpson at the PPB’s Office of Public Information. “We suspect far more shooters are in their late teens to mid-20s.”
The trend is happening nationwide too, with gang violence being committed by people of a much younger age.
Disrespect is the word on everybody’s tongues.
“We are being informed by law enforcement that youth involved in the gang life are losing respect for the OG’s (original ‘generation’ of members) and are wanting to establish themselves outside of the traditional structure,” said Tom Peavey, policy manager at the Office of Youth Violence Prevention, located in Northeast Portland.
More frequently, teenage gang members are toting firearms. This wasn’t the case years ago, for fear of arrest. Yet these days, young people seem less afraid of the consequences.
Adding to that, said Peavey, is the fact that many young people absorbed into the gang lifestyle have been subjected to violence within their homes and communities.
As victims of trauma, young peoples’ abilities to succeed in school or social life are hindered, and so the cycle continues.
“Things have also changed around how teenage girls were involved in gangs,” continued Peavey. “We and other city and county service partners are seeing an increasing number of young women involved in sex trafficking promoted by male gang members and associates.”
Gentrification just a surface problem
As a young man, Michael Braxton tragically witnessed a friend shot and killed right in front of him. That was decades ago, when his life could have taken a wrong turn.
Instead, he got an education and launched Empowerment Clinic, Inc., which provides substance abuse, mental health, and “life improvement” services to Portland’s North and Northeast communities.
Braxton says he started Empowerment Clinic because he wanted to actively assist disadvantaged individuals, whether it’s helping them find housing and jobs, or offering transportation and even haircuts.
Every Monday, Braxton and his team visit prisons and perform in-reach to those scheduled for parole, as part of the African-American Program within Multnomah County Department of Community Justice (DCJ).
Come Friday, they hold group talks to address psychosocial issues that affect the lives of young African American men.
“Many of the individuals I work with experience gun violence, especially the young men,” said Braxton. “At Empowerment Clinic, rival gang members actually come in at the same time because they feel safe at our facility.”
From the outside, Braxton says Portland’s recent peak in gun violence could be tied to the city’s rapid gentrification, as rivals have been placed in close proximity to one another.
But that’s just geography. Youths tied up in gangs simply don’t have the coping mechanisms to understand the complexity of their situation, believes Braxton.
“They’re not having people respect them or listen to their various view points,” he said, adding that high rates of unemployment and a lack of necessities only work to agitate young people.
“Put Down the Guns”
In times of heighten gun violence, Multnomah County Department of Community Justice (DCJ) employs a tactic they call a “Put Down the Guns Call In” session.
They tried it a few years back, when gun violence was escalating.
Discouraged by Portland’s recent rise in gun-related violence, the DCJ has reinstated it.
During the session, gang members are ordered into the courtroom by their parole officers to receive a message from the community and criminal justice partners.
Their mandate is clear: put the guns down and stop the violence.
In two separate sessions last week, Judge Nan G. Waller called in members of the Hoover and Blood gangs. This Friday, they’re planning for the Rollin 60s Neighborhood Crips.
“The collaboration between criminal justice partners and community partners is pretty impressive,” said Erika Preuitt, District Manager at Multnomah County DCJ. “Everyone is really committed to seeing the violence stop and to decrease the shooting.”
The sessions are modeled after an anti-gang ceasefire strategy used in Boston back in the 1990s, devised by John Jay College of Criminal Justice professor David Kennedy.
In a theatrical, intervention-style approach, presenters address gang members directly. Speakers include the faith-based community, relatives of victims, reformed ex-gang members, law enforcement, and local organizations that offer support or resources.
The hope is that attending gang members will go back to the streets and spread the word, instead of bullets.
The effectiveness of these sessions remains to be seen. In the meantime, Preuitt’s concerns lie with the upturn of young people carrying guns.
“We could say they’re going that for fear, for protection,” said Preuitt. “If you’re talking about young gang members carrying guns, then developmentally their ability to problem solve effectively is comprised.”
“When disrespects happen – and if the way you solve your problem is to shoot someone – then the gun is going to be right there for you to do so,” she continued.
In the 1990s, disrespect among gang members was typically word of mouth. Today, social media is expediting the message.
“Social media can take a disrespect or a personal conflict and illuminate it because we can get the information so fast,” said Preuitt.
Enough is Enough
Fifteen years ago, gun violence was mainly concentrated in inner-Northeast and North Portland.
Now, it’s spreading outwards – from St. Johns to Downtown and over to East Portland – making it more challenging for law enforcement to wrangle.
To help counter the crimes, the Office of Youth Violence Prevention, assigned to the mayor’s office, has been tasked with a host of responsibilities. Those include prevention education and supporting community organization, like Enough is Enough.
Since 2014, the community-led campaign has encouraged people to take a stand against gang violence in their areas, while providing care for those who have been affected by it.
Enough is Enough has also brought together family members of victims, many of whom have spoken publicly about their loss and have asked for the violence to cease.
Among them is Gizelle Holiman, whose son, a member of the Hoover gang, shot himself in a standoff with Portland police earlier this year.
At a press conference back in March, Holiman pleaded to her Northeast community, “Instead of putting your arms up to shoot somebody, put your arms up to wrap around somebody.”
Related Slideshow: 5 Oregon Gun Facts That Might Surprise You
Oregon is the 28th best state in the union for gun owners, according to an analysis by Guns & Ammo magazine that describes Oregon as being, overall, a friendly place for gun owners with relatively few restrictions on firearms. These facts give some insight as to why.
1. Mental Health Issues
2. Background Checks
3. Concealed Carry
4. Loaded Guns in Public
5. Guns and Suicide
Follow us on Pinterest Google + Facebook Twitter See It Read It