Astrostar/Shutterstock The policing of America looks like a battlefield. According to study conducted by the Washington Post, a total of 462 people have been shot and killed by the police in 2015. We have five more months left in the year. As for the past 30 days, it is estimated that “at least 62 people” […]
Crime
Posted inCats
Let’s Catch the Portland Cat Stabber
On Thursday night, Sarah Shapiro got home and lifted her tomcat, Grand Theft Auto, to find her hands covered in blood. After rushing him to Dove Lewis, she came back for her other, female cat, Alibi, who was also found to have abdominal wounds. Both cats required surgery, and Grand Theft Auto, at last report, […]
Posted inNews
Are Portland’s “Gang Related” Crimes Really Gang Related?
Illustration: Evan Geltosky COPS SAY Portland’s gang epidemic is the worst it’s been in modern times, and that they’ve got the numbers to back it up. According to the Portland Police Bureau’s (PPB) official statistics, May set a new record for monthly gang attacks—25. As of June 19, police had logged 76 gang-related violent crimes […]
Posted inCrime
Obsessed with Robert Durst? Read This 2002 Vanity Fair Piece
HBO If you were obsessed with Serial, I feel confident in assuming that your true-crime appetite’s moved on to HBO’s The Jinx, the documentary series from Andrew Jarecki (Capturing the Friedmans) that follows the tremendously wealthy and creepy Robert Durst. For those of you who are well-adjusted and have normal hobbies, Durst has been linked […]
Posted inNews
Bike Thief Caught… Wait. He Steals Goats, Too?
According to the Portland Police Bureau, 18-year-old Oleg Stepanovich Plyushchev has been arrested on charges of stealing two bicycles—and then trying to sell them on Craigslist. But apparently bikes weren’t Plyushchev’s only interest… From the PPB news release: After his arrest, detectives learned that Plyushchev was the suspect for the theft of a Nigerian Dwarf […]
Posted inCrime
Talking to Sarah Marshall, Portland’s Foremost Tonya Harding Expert
Last year, Portland writer Sarah Marshall made headlines with a piece in the Believer, “Remote Control,” which dared to ask if infamous Portlander Tonya Harding and her public image were two different things. We’ll be running a lengthy conversation with Marshall in our spring arts guide, but it would be impossible to include all of […]
Posted inNews
County Prosecutors Say Portland’s Camping Ban Is Legit
ILLUSTRATION BY FRANÇOIS VIGNEAULT Multnomah County prosecutors are parrying the latest attempt to dismantle Portland’s camping ban, insisting the law doesn’t infringe on the right’s of the city’s homeless, or criminalize people for their homelessness. In a legal memo filed yesterday [pdf], the district attorney’s office says claims the ban constitutes “cruel and unusual punishment” […]
Posted inCrime
Yet Another Serial Update: Prosecutor Speaks to The Intercept, Says 1999 Murder was a Case of Domestic Violence
Since Sarah Koenig’s crime podcast, Serial, came to an end, it’s been fascinating to see people involved in the case of the 1999 murder of the high-schooler Hae Min Lee come forward to speak on the record about it—especially two in particular, Jay Wilds, a key witness in the case, and now, prosecutor Kevin Urick. […]
Posted inCrime
Serial Update: The Deal With Jay, According to Jay
As many, many Ira Glass-adoring novice Agatha Christie NPR fans did, I listened to Sarah Koenig’s crime podcast Serial and agreed strongly with Joe Streckert’s take on the final episode, which left a lot open in the story of Hae Min Lee’s murder. But one key stumbling block in figuring out what happened came from […]
Posted inPoll
Poll! Is Uber’s Sacking of Portland the Best or the Worst?
If you’re not reading this from the illegal backseat of your personal Uber chauffeur, you’re certainly aware the popular car-share service has mounted an incursion on Portland against the wishes of city officials (and local cabbies). The city’s working up any strategy it can think of to shut that down, arguing Uber’s not properly regulated […]
Posted inCrime
One Millionaire’s Brave Stance Against Lunch Thieves
I have a new favorite columnist in Portland. His name is B. Scott Taylor and he’s a GoLocalPDX MINDSETTER™ (I checked. Semi-legitimate news source GoLocalPDX actually spent the time and money to trademark the hilariously dorky title MINDSETTER™). According to his bio on every column he publishes, Taylor is an “Internet millionaire” and “disruptive force”. […]
Posted inMusic
Australian Band Pond Had Their Van Robbed in Portland Last Night
Last night, Pond played the Doug Fir, and while in town, the Australian band’s van was broken into. Their sound guy—who is also Tame Impala’s sound guy, as Pond also shares members with that band, who are also from Perth—had his bag stolen which held thousands of dollars of gear and equipment. Perhaps worst of […]