Portland is currently experiencing the highest number of murders and the highest murder rate, by a large margin, since at least WWII. Portland had at least 38 homicides between January and May of 2021. With Tyler Morlock’s death, there have been at least 50 homicides for 2021.
City leaders blame their skyrocketing murder on “the pandemic” even though lockdowns caused a decline in homicides in most countries other than the USA.
In 2013, Portland had 16 homicides, a 42 year low. The all-time high was 54 in 1993. During the second half of 2020, homicides exploded as the city allowed BLM & Antifa to riot with total impunity. In August of 2020, “Progressive Prosecutor” Mike Schmidt became District Attorney and began refusing to prosecute rioters as well as many other people charged with crimes.
In 1993, as the so-called “Crack Wars” raged across the country, Portland had its highest recorded murder rate ever at 11.61 per 100k. Unless homicides drop, Portland is on track to experience a homicide rate in the neighborhood of 15 per 100k for 2021.
BEfore August 2019, Portland counted negligent vehicular homicide as part of their overall homicide count. This means the homicide counts for 2019 and earlier could be lower if the new rules were applied.
1971: 15 (384k people, 3.9 per 100k)
1993: 54 (465k people, 11.61 per 100k)
2008: 24
2009: 21
2010: 23 (about 584k people)
2011: 19 (forty-year low)
2012: 25
2013: 16 (forty-two year low, the lowest murder rate in modern history for Portland, about 607k people, 2.64 per 100k)
2014: 26
2015: 34
2016: 20
2017: 25
2018: 36
2019: 35
2020: 57 all-time high (about 659k people, 8.65 per 100k)*
At the end of 2020, the official number of homicides was 54, with was a tie with 1993 for being the highest in Portland’s history. However, now the Portland Police Burea is reporting 57, which would make it an all-time high.
Average yearly homicides from 2008 to 2017: 23.3
In 1960, the entire state of Oregon, with 1.77 million people, only had 43 homicides. Today, Portland is estimated to have .65 million residents.
In 1971, the entire state of Oregon, with 2.16 million people, had 70 homicides. Portland, with 384k, had 15 homicides that year.
The population increase since 1990 has been primarily Latino and Asians. Whites have declined as a percentage of the population since 1940. Blacks began declining as a percentage of the population since 1990.
Tyler Morlock, 27, White male, July 1st
Alex Hensley, 28, Black male, June 28th
Alexander Douglas Martinson, 19, White Male, June 19th (Suspect: Jaizion Propps, 20, Black male)
Evelin Navarro-Barajas, 23 Hispanic female, June 18th
Sergio Hunt, 17, Black male, June 17th
Wiliam Kendrick, Black male, June 17th
Unnamed, June 8th
Mitchell Nacoste, 31 Black male, June 6th
Kendall Gragg, 27 Black male, June 6th
Donovan Lenford, 24, June 6th
Eylon Willis, 23 Black male, June 6th
Gary O’Connor, 45, June 5th
