Portlanders’ attitudes about crime and drugs show dramatic change, poll finds. What happened?
Eric Fruits, senior scholar at ICLE, is quoted in this Oregonian article about shifting views on crime and drugs from residents in Portland, Oregon. Read the full story here.
According to the most recent Portland Police Bureau data, all crimes fell by 10% from October 2024 to January of this year, from 5,254 reported offenses to 4,716. The drop was even more pronounced downtown, where reported crimes fell 14%, from 411 to 352, the data show. Drug offenses fell even more in Portland, from 98 reported cases in October to 70 reported cases in January, or 28%, according to police data.
Eric Fruits, a former chairman of the Multnomah County Republican Party and a frequent critic of Portland policy, said he can feel how parts of Portland seem safer.
“When I drive through downtown, there are fewer people just standing literally in the middle of the street, doing stuff they shouldn’t be doing,” Fruits said. “A year ago, that was just part of going downtown.”