Portland has many more active sets of gangs and affiliates then you would ever suspect, the last 14 months have proven incredibly profitable for a recent Hoovers affiliate, the YCU. Unlike traditional gangs, they are very diverse - east African, asian, white, and Hispanic. They are incredibly connected and resilient - you will notice thier activity closely mirrors the opioid OD rate in the county, and the recent shooting in Gresham during a Vigil resulted in a west coast call out for assistance.

Shitty part is alot of affiliated un-initiated young bangers are literally inbound to Portland to squeeze rivals. They don't know who is who on the streets, and civilians and affiliates and thier families are very likely to get caught up. The FBI isn't sending additional forces to Portland for fun -

Ms. Antionette Edwards recently retired, but has more insight into these problems then any 10 experts you could.pick combined - she was respected by most local bangers, (except the 11 WP gangs in Portland) and it's worth reading some of her papers, interviews and ideas to break the cycle.of violence. She should be our mayor - but is too legit, and she frankly transcends the bullshit of city politics.

I hope city leaders reach out to her, and engage with the FBI -

No amount of mental health service, outreach, or community engagement programs are going to help us in this current acute situation - this path was months in the making, and boosted by pandemic, increased drug use, and non existent street enforcement.