Here is an idea to reduce the problem. Start with a compaign to let people know that carrying a concealed weapon without a permit is a serious offense. Then follow through with arrests, convictions, and sentences. The goal would be to reduce the number of guns bing carried illegally.

Why not require clubs downtown to have metal detectors? Shootings can still happen outside, but folks would have to go to the car to get their gun... which might slow things down a bit.

Here's another idea: End the 2 a.m. last call. Right now, we force all the drunkest people onto the street at exactly the same moment.

Just allow clubs to go as late as they want. That would create a healthy diversity of closing times - and create less danger on the streets (sidewalks and roads) for everyone out at that time.

Preliminary reports from Britain, where there was a recent change in the laws regarding times of serving alcohol, sound like Kari's idea may help.

[Comment removed.]

I know this guy..

On the last Saturday before school started in September, me and a few friends decided to have a little going away celebration at the Greek Cuisine (great restaurant by the way) on 4th and Washington.

The club draws a very "diverse" crowd on weekends and has its fair share of alcohol related incidents throughout the night.

The night that we were there, the man in this picture walked up to a very petite white woman and punched her, full force, three times in the face... sending her on the ground unconscious. A medium build white man, presumably her boyfriend, retaliated buy busting a corona bottle over the man's head. The next thing you know, the entire upstairs of the club broke out in a white vs. black fight.

Half of the people upstairs suffered some type of injury, including people like myself who were trying to leave (I ended up with a partially collapsed trachea as one of the black men attempted to "choke me out" with a half-nelson). Not the best going-back-to-school party.

I think that these hip-hop bars are to blame. We had similar problems with violence when they converted an old neighborhood country bar (called the Drum) into a hip-hop bar. After numerous complaints, a few gun shots, a stabbing, and a bouncer ran over in retaliation for kicking someone out, the owners changed the club back to a very successful country bar (now called Dukes).

Portland only had 13 murders in 2006 if the news report last night was correct. Cities comparable to Portland in size have many times that number. I'm not saying problems don't exist, but Portland is VERY safe compared to most and a few murders a year are to be expected.

Oprah, of all people, says most inner-city kids hate school, hate learning and only wanna be gangstas with the newest iPod hanging from their necks.

That's why Oprah refuses to visit inner-city schools in the USA because all the kids wanna do is smoke blunts, beat their womyn and sling baggies all day long.

Don't believe me? Here's the story, from a hip-hop site.

You know hip-hop. That's for singers who can't, uh, sing.

http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/news/id.4767/title.oprah-builds-40-million-school-in-south-africa

compared to most

I'm kind of tired of this being our goal in public safety.

And even by that measure: Number of shooting deaths in Times Square on New Year's Eve = zero. In downtown Portland, Oregon = one.

a few murders a year are to be expected.

How progressive.

How progressive.

Ok, I state it another way. Seattle had nearly 30 murders with around the same city pop. Kansas City had 115 and Edmonton 36, Philly had 404 and NYC had 579. If Portland only had 13 then we must be doing something right. Jack you should be thrilled with these numbers, it shows you live in a city where the probability of being shot is among the lowest in the nation. Your post should have read "Portland yearly murder toll among lowest in nation" of course you only seem to see the bad in things.

Downtown violence is a hard-to-fix problem. The police like solving easy problems, like busting people with drugs, more than solving hard problems like arresting violent criminals.

It's probably the same with local government - it's easy for officials to create "problems" that need wifi and the tram as solutions. It's hard to solve traditional civic problems like crime and decaying infrastructure.

Anyway, it sounds like this guy had it coming.

I was heading back to a Smart Park right around 2:30 when I spotted all the flashing lights and caution tape down SW 4th. Silly me, I thought it might have been a car accident. I'm glad we spent the later part of the evening at the Virginia Cafe instead of the Shanghai. Otherwise, we might have passed that place at the time of the shooting.

"Your post should have read "Portland yearly murder toll among lowest in nation" of course you only seem to see the bad in things."

So, we fall within your "acceptable level" for murders, is that it?

If you're seriously suggesting that there's good spin to ANY number of murders, etc., you're part of the "Portland Problem" - the blindingly skewed priorities of city government.

I just can't decide whether you've got your head in the clouds or somewhere else.

Number of shooting deaths in Times Square on New Year's Eve = zero.

Rudy for president!

Are we vibrant enough yet?

Thanks
JK

Thirteen murders--that's about the same number as bicyclists killed by drunk or careless motorists in Portland last year (okay, probably not, but in each case, you can spend enormous resources and still not totally eliminate either murder or bike death).

Just for the record, not everyone agrees with what's been said here:

http://www.portlandmercury.com/blogtown/2007/01/jack_bogs_blog_incites_racism.php

are you seriously suggesting that any city with 500,000 people is going to be murder free in America? When has that happened? Talk about head in clouds. I'd like to see your plan for that RR. Maybe curfews? Or making hip/hop illegal? Or ban guns? What's your solution?

Of course any murder is bad--DUH. How else to frame the comparrison between cities. Portland and its citizens are doing an excellent job keeping murders down, that's why there was only 13, as oppose to 115 in Kansas city.

And how am I part of this problem in Portland? And what is the problem in Portland you speak of?

Thirteen murders--that's about the same number as bicyclists killed by drunk or careless motorists in Portland last year (okay, probably not, but in each case, you can spend enormous resources and still not totally eliminate either murder or bike death).

So death resulting from cold-blooded murder using (I guarantee it) illegal weapons is the moral equivalent of bike death?

bike death???

May the editor of the Mercury be infested with the fleas of a thousand rutting camels. Jack is far too liberal for my tastes, but he sure ain't no racist.

That Mercury post is an obvious hatchet-job and a blatant attempt at bringing bad press to Bojack. I would guess Portland's most popular blog doesn't subscribe well to the Mercury's far-left partisanship -- and that pisses their editors off. Seems to me they're using dirty tricks to try to negatively affect this blog.

I read the Merc regularly and they never, ever take an objective view of anything -- it's all left-wing rhetoric.

Keep up the good work, Jack -- discussing touchy subjects isn't always pretty or PC.

"Downtown violence is a hard-to-fix problem. The police like solving easy problems, like busting people with drugs, more than solving hard problems like arresting violent criminals."

Not sure I can deduce what the plan would be here. Just exactly what can PDX police do to stop people from bringing handguns downtown - particularly in December when everyone's wearing heavy clothing? An aggressive pat-down/frisk policy? A cop on every block who immediately intervenes every time he sees someone he deems is ready to start shooting? Metal detectors on the door to every business? The civil liberties advocates would have a field day, and the blogs would be all atwitter with Big Brother/police state references.

America's stupidity when it comes to handguns is mind-boggling, but you can't lay the blame at the feet of the PDX cops for it.

The police can't be everywhere and the jails can't hold everyone. If the police, courts, and jails stopped wasting energy on simple drug possession crimes and related parole violations, they might be better able to to find and punish violent criminals.

That Mercury post is an obvious hatchet-job and a blatant attempt at bringing bad press to Bojack.

I think it's quite pitiful for the kids at the Mercury to declare jihad on me. Guess their traffic is too low for the advertisers, and their penis photos aren't doing enough.

I stand by my original post, which I don't think was racist at all. Nor do I think it invited racist commentary. As for the comments that were left, I'll look them over and remove any that seem racist.

The "victim" had a gangsta-style mug shot, so, as Sister Susannah taught us all in Kindergarten, you play with fire, you get burned, baby, burned.

That comment was so ignorant, it probably should have been removed. And now it has been.

The part that cracked me up from the Mercury - besides the self-important military time listed as 13:00 - was the sentence, "Why don’t you just write, “Is it a black thing,” Jack?"

What they were responding to was the paragraph: "Is there something that the city can do to stop this story from happening yet again? Is it a gang thing? An education thing? A liquor control thing? A handgun thing?"

In the Mercury's interpretation that was equivalent to saying, "Is it a black thing?" which is the very type of racism they're supposedly fighting against. I think they should keep their response to the words in the post - not project any of their own stereotypes on the situation. You can't criticize someone for something you think he should have written but didn't, without sounding ridiculous.
That's why they immediately move on for support from some of the comments, but if a blogger is responsible for the opinions of people who write in, you might as well shut down the Internet and call it a police state.
Personally, I think a worse problem is the Invisible Man syndrome. I'd rather have concern expressed about an incident like this, than to have it not count as much as it should. I know for a fact that things happen in Portland that should be reported on more, but aren't. Why? As a rapper once said, "They didn't have the right complexion to make the connection."

As for going after Jack, I think the Mercury should stick to trying to sabotage the Willamette Week next time they're up for a Pulitzer. That's more their speed.

It's probably not worth speculating about the motivation of the Merc kids -- those tireless champions of the African-American community -- but I do know the heat gets cranked up by the Stennies whenever you point out the obvious failings of the Portland City Council. And if you say anything negative about "free wi-fi," look out! Then it's jihad.

I've banned the Merc IP addresses from this site, at least for a while. So stand by for another nasty post on their blog -- right after some nipples or penises or whatever else they need to display to keep their readership happy.

Jack, you posted a story about a young man who died this weekend and you were more concerned about how it affected out-of-town guests than the fact that he died or how it affected his family, his friends, his neighbors, and the community. Would you have casually used a similar story about young white man to make your point about crime or would you have thought about his family first? I can see why people are so suprised and maybe a bit suspect that you didn't realize your post would be so offensive.

Since when is the Greek Cuisina a "hip-hop" club?

That story is beyond questionable.

ellie: Apparently you've never rolled by Greek Cusina on a Friday or Saturday night. It's one of the busiest clubs in town upstairs. The street corner is generally filled with people and you can hear the music coming from upstairs while walking by.

Re: Campaigns against illegal guns:

There are a few problems with your post, the most serious being, that carrying a concealed handgun without a CHL is *already* a crime, and typically results in at least some jail time. Its pretty well assured that the shooter(s) outside clubs aren't the kind of folks who go to the Sheriff and get a CHL. Why bother with registering their identity with County folks when you are intent on creating mayhem.

As for deterrence: hmmm...not working yet, is it? Jails are plum full of folks who aren't dissuaded by punishments, so unless you REALLY want to up the ante and execute folks publicly for carrying, the deterents on the books are enough...provided they are enforced, which is a story unto itself.

That brings us to the other problem with guns on the streets. Cops don't know who is carrying unless they 1. ask, or 2. find out in some other way (typically via a frisk.) Enforcement wouldn't be used as a tool unless someone offends or answers a cop truthfully.

Kari's idea of having metal detectors in the clubs isn't a bad one, except for the cost. The passthrough units are VERY expensive, and get triggered by anything metal...lighters, steel-toed boots, steel shanked boots, belt buckles, cell phones. Wands are cheap but VERY easy to evade, and both items move the enforcement burden to less experienced and less accountable club security.

I do like Kari's idea of giving clubs more leeway in operating hours. Beer:30 downtown is typically chaotic in the downtown area. Or it was when I was going to downtown clubs. Before I got old. Oh, so old.

You show us your web stats, we’ll show you ours.

Click the Site Meter icon on the bottom of the lefthand nav.

Skinny City Girl,
I think you captured the problem here - at first, this post does seem to approach this from the point of view of Portland's image, but from what I know of Jack, the overriding frustration here is to see a young life snuffed out so unnecessarily. What I think proves it is the title - the guy just made it to the New Year and he's gone. That's painful. If it was about Portland primarily it wouldn't matter when this happened. I think Jack's somewhat dry style on this post has been mistaken for something it is not. Maybe he should apologize for making it too easy to be misunderstood.

I have seen a young man face down in the streets of downtown Portland with his life pouring into the gutter and I'm sure, that ending this tragic occurrence, is what is driving this post. How it affects Portland's image was just an unfortunate secondary point, but I do salute you for describing the problem so clearly.

Only thirteen murders in 2006? I would have thought the police alone committed at least that many.

So does anyone have any evidence that this case has any ties to "hip-hop clubs?" (Whatever that means, these days at least half the clubs downtown play hip-hop music regularly) And on the KOIN News site it actually says, "Investigators are trying to determine if the shooting was gang related. They say it had no connection to any of the area clubs or bars."

So a black kid is killed downtown in a drive by shooting and immediately there is an indictment of rap music. There was another shooting on New Year's in outer SE Portland, how come that doesn't get any discussion.

"I’d argue that Matt posting his opinion of this thread isn’t a dirty trick, but an attempt to start a discussion about race in Portland..."

I'm going to call major BS on that comment, No One. When 'VR' tried to discuss if the hip-hop culture promoted crime, Matt himself told VR; "there may be a place for the hip-hop/glorification of certain lifestyles discussion elsewhere."

Go find exactly where any race discussion on that thread hasn't evolved into childish insults. All Matt and his minions have done is accuse Jack and posters here of being racists and attack anyone trying to actually discuss race.

I still stand by my assertion that The Merc would love to see this blog go away.

Maybe he should apologize for making it too easy to be misunderstood.

Don't hold your breath. People come here, read all sorts of nonsense into what I said, attribute other people's comments to me, and start calling me a racist? No apologies will be forthcoming. You no like, you no read.

For the record to help TJ be more precise and not misleading; City of Portland's population is approx. 570,000 with 13 killings (his number), while Seattle has over twice the population with 29 killings. If you consider the whole metropolitan area of each city (suburbs), Seattle has again more than twice the population. Then if you compare Portland to NYC on a population comparative basis, Portland doesn't look good. I agree with Bo Jack that this kind of comparison doesn't have much to do with his intent in his post.

Jack, I know you posted this today but I sincerely hope that you made a Resolution of the New Year's variety to be post a few happy things about Portland too. I used to enjoy reading what you had to say on various topics, but you've gotten crankier and crankier lately.

I'm not going to suggest the "If you can't say anything nice" school of thought, but if there is nothing left in Portland for you to enjoy, then why don't you move someplace that is crime-free and diverse and all the other things you think Portland isn't/wasn't/should be/used to be and post happier things? I lived someplace that made me feel the way your posts make you out to be, and I moved here.

I don't mean to derail the whole racist/hip-hop/jihad/blog smackdown/IP blocking mature reasonable conversation happening here, but this is something I've wondered about more and more lately. Especially when you say things like "same old story" when I can't remember the last time I heard that tired old "black kid gets it downtown after his hangout closes" cliche...

If you don't like the content of this blog, please go away and don't come back.

As for the "cliche," the last time you heard it was the last time it happened, or the last two times, or the last three times. It's a "cliche" only if you don't care, or are in denial, about the facts.

...post a few happy things about Portland too

I really don't understand that comment. Time after time I've seen Jack post here about the joys and pleasures that come from living in this city. The ride home from the airport on MAX; the visit to this or that shop or iconic part of Portland. If you don't see the love behind the criticism I think you've missed something.

That isn't to say there aren't those nattering nabobs of negativism that comment here that can't seem to say a decent word about Portland. Well, whatever; there's certainly no uniformity of opinions expressed here. And that would be boring anyway. Who comes to a blog site to read a mirror reflection of their own opinions?

There are many wonderful things about Portland that I have written about here -- business establishments, churches, charities, artists of all kinds, writers, the bus system, MAX, parks, neighborhoods, older architecture, the list could go on. It's a great city -- especially because the people who laid it out a century ago or more did a spectacular job, but also due to the people who are here now -- and I am glad to have lived in it for more than 28 years. I'm not stuck here -- I choose to remain.

But it is not without problems. Two of them are evidenced by the topic of this post. The city is not well managed. And its downtown has really gone downhill. If you want to read pretty lies about that, you'll have to get The Oregonian.

In the end, I'll repeat what I have always said: This is just my blog. If you don't like it, don't read it.

Your observations are spot on, Jack. That's why the establishment is yelping.

What passes for "reporting" on the challenges faced by the City of Portland and her political leaders is (generally) both superficial and two dimensional (if we're lucky). Frequently, it is simply mono-dimensional and mind-numbingly shallow. It's as if they simply received a press release, changed all the 1st persons to 3rd, and added a few nuanced and/or sarcastic punch lines. The O's City Beat blog comments are an improvement on the edited newspage, but only because it omits the press release.

I have more confidence in the depth and breadth of the Trib's local news coverage than the O's.

Portland has a lot of issues regarding race that get swept under the carpet mostly because such a high percentage of the population of Portland is white. On top of that, Portland prides itself on being the poster child for liberal and accepting, so any look in the racial mirror provokes a kind of defensiveness not unlike a child caught with his hand in the cookie jar. Even though the evidence is overwhelming, finger pointing ensues. You can’t even raise the question of race in this town without being accused of being a racist, which I believe is because people are so uncomfortable with the issue and their own feelings about race. The truth is that we all have our misconceptions and prejudices based on appearance. Until we are able to talk about race openly and honestly and without fear of retribution, there will always be a divide.

I don’t know if Jack is a racist, but I seriously doubt it and don’t see any evidence of it here on his blog. I love Portland, but it is very Portland-like to accuse anyone who mentions a crime and African American in the same sentence of being a racist. A typical argument is along the lines of “We don’t talk about that stuff here because we are liberal and accepting, shhhhhhhhhh! If you talk about it you either just want to stir the pot for personal gain or you’re a RACIST!” I think a bigger indicator of where Portland racial trouble lies is not in ratings or site statistics, but in how many minorities are employed at a business in professional roles. A qualified minority workforce is out there, but it is interesting to note who does and does not hire them. But to quote George on Seinfeld, “I don’t think we’re supposed to be talking about this”.

Gretchen wrote:

"Portland has a lot of issues regarding race that get swept under the carpet mostly because such a high percentage of the population of Portland is white. On top of that, Portland prides itself on being the poster child for liberal and accepting, so any look in the racial mirror provokes a kind of defensiveness not unlike a child caught with his hand in the cookie jar."

This is a great summation, and exactly how I've felt since I've been here (less than a year, admittedly, but long enough to wonder why a super-liberal city is so very white, and why racial issues provoke nervous jokes and hysteria).

When this whole discussion erupted last night, I followed it less because I cared about the particulars and more because the hysterical overreaction seemed to say something about the city.

I was also waiting for a white person to bust out the word 'nigger' to show how DOWN they were with the situation, and how HIP and POST-PREJUDICED they could be. (I was only half-right; when it happened, they used the word 'nigga' instead.)

The white liberal guilt is overflowing today.

From reading all of the posts, it is extremely obvious most of you have never even visited the hood, much less lived, worked and breathed in it (39th and Killingsworth) like I have for the last 20 years.

Two words: personal responsibility.

The victim was a convicted drug dealer (meth) and these days when you get in a fight on the street, outside a notorious nightclub (I know the owner) with anyone, you better be ready to die, because if a hater like Lars is carrying a fully-loaded Glock, everyone else probably is too!

Still, I pray for his family and not this town's tony reputation.

I love Portland, but it is very Portland-like to accuse anyone who mentions a crime and African American in the same sentence of being a racist.

That was sort of my impression too. Because the guy happened to be black, suddenly Jack's a racist. Whatever.

The Stennies are too busy hanging out up on Hawthorne or N. Mississippi to pay attention to what's happening downtown these days. They'd never lower themselves to visit any of the clubs near Burnside. To them, Greek Cusina is just a place to go break plates early on a Friday evening before heading off to The Doug Fir for a mojito and a Sufjan Stevens listening party.

From the Merc post, in reference to Anthony's comment:
Although I do think I remember reading something similar in Mein Kampf.

It's hilarious how Matt Davis invoked Godwin's Law from the get-go. This is why I don't read the Mercury for insightful commentary or news.

Jack is called a racist because he brings attention to the fact that a young black man is apparently murdered in cold blood on a public street in downtown Portland, and then asked the rhetorical question "Isn't this more important than streetcars and free wi-fi?."

It's a well established fact that young black males die as victims from gun violence at a drastically higher rate than any other demographic group in our society. The reasons for this are complicated, and the cycle of violence dogging black urban communities on a national level is not a new problem unique to Portland.

Lots of young black men have been senselessly shot up in black on black or gang related incidents over the years in areas of town where blacks traditionally reside. A lot of the violence has been directly linked to gangs and/or the drug trade, but this doesn't seem to be the case so much any longer due in part to the fact that many of the more notorious gang members are now serving long term prison sentences.

Anyone following local media reports has noticed an increased frequency of early morning violent crime/shootings related to club closings in the downtown over the past 2 to 3 years. At least one Portland P.D. employee has wondered aloud in the printed media that it is possible that the beefs that used to be settled in the black neighborhoods are more frequently being settled in the downtown because that is where the clubs are.

At this point, we have no idea if the perpetrator of this particular criminal act was black, white, hispanic or asian, nor do we know what motivated the shooting. It could be that this was a random act of violence that had nothing to do with the race of the perpetrator or the victim.

To get back to the answering the question "Isn't this more important than streetcars and free wi-fi?" I would say without hesitation that the answer to the question is "Yes, it is more important that we prevent senseless acts of violence whenever possible". At this point it unclear what can be done about it from a public policy perspective beyond the common sense things that are already being done at the club security level. One key way to prevent shootings outside a club after closing time is for club security to do more than moving an ongoing dispute from inside the establishment to the sidewalk. If clubs aren't doing enough to 86 troublemakers and dissipate violent confrontations they should be shut down.

Certain criminal acts can never be prevented, and this may be one of them. Clubs shouldn't be held responsible for acts of violence between people who already hate each other and a score is settled because known enemies happen to cross paths with one another.

Labeling someone a racist because he recognizes a pattern of events and calls attention to the pattern is a cheap shot in my book, even if it is possible that he's pointing to what turns out to be a random senseless act or a recurring problem that may have no apparent short-term solution. Gun violence in general is a huge problem in our national culture, and short of hard line gun control similar to that seen in other countries I see little hope for a cure to what ails us no matter the color of our skin.

BTW, according to city-data.com, Portland has a way higher crime index than the national average...and a higher crime index than LA!

http://www.city-data.com/city/Portland-Oregon.html

http://www.city-data.com/city/Los-Angeles-California.html

(scroll down to about mid page)

City of Portland's population is approx. 570,000 with 13 killings (his number), while Seattle has over twice the population with 29 killings.

Seattle has twice the population? Please check your stats...Seattle's population was just over 563,000 as of the 2000 census (www.seattle.gov). Has it doubled since then?

"That isn't to say there aren't those nattering nabobs of negativism that comment here ..".

Isn't this what Spiro Agnew called his critics right before his scammy machinations were exposed?

There are many good things about Portland and Oregon , but there are also some deeply serious problems about which too many are in denial. I believe appreciation of what is good and right is what motivates many to deal with abuses.

I don't care for the style of this post much, but love the dialog!

A lot of people will jump on the restrictions bandwagon. The OLCC does plenty already, In fact, my buddy is a dj in a hip hop club- They would always have to switch formats to appease the ever-regulating OLCC.Most clubs now record your ID. when entering the place, I'm Sure this also is an appeasing measure that puts me ill-at-ease.It kinda sucked that I couldn't party all night New Years if I wanted to- like in some other (less free?) places around the globe.

More regulation from the OLCC is not the answer.

Lets get creative- How about a gun trade in for a Snoop Dog concert?

I think something serious needs to be done about handguns in Portland. Maybe we could start with this guy.

Isn't this what Spiro Agnew called his critics right before his scammy machinations were exposed?

It's what Spiro called us anti-war demonstrators, and long before he resigned for stuffing bribery money in his pockets. The line was actually coined by speechwriter William Safire. I think of the label --which I wore proudly back then-- every time I see Safire sleazing his way through another "Meet the Press" show.

Not to stray too afar on this thread, but an old folksinger's --Phil Och's-- music was used in the play "Spiro Who?." The relevance is Phil also wrote one of my favorite lines: "God help the critic of the dawn." And, yes, we don't treat our critics of the status quo very well at all, as the anonymous posters at the Mercury blog who've been piling on so ably show.

It was a battle of the hate-filled comments. They clearly won.

Jack,

Re: the tale of Zach Randolph's Escalade.

This line from the Blazers front office had me on the floor:

"We [the Blazers] are continuing to monitor the situation closely, but Zach has assured our organization that he was at home throughout the entire evening."

How could you let that line go by? What is Zach Randolph's "assurance" worth any more? When my three-year old daughter "assures" me that she wasn't the one who fed crayons to our border collie, I don't believe her!