Portland murder rate skyrockets to more than 30-year high after Democratic leaders cut police budget

As violent protests grip the streets of Portland, violent crime is also skyrocketing.

According to the Oregonian, 15 people were murdered in the Oregon city during the month of July, making it the deadliest one-month period for Portland in more than 30 years.

Prior to July's violence, the city had seen just nine murders in 2020.

Feds attempt to intervene after weeks of violent protests In Portland. (Nathan Howard/Getty Images)

Not only have homicides surged, but so has other violent crime, like robberies. Property crime, including burglaries and vandalism, have also increased, the Oregonian noted.

Portland Police Chief Chuck Lovell has attributed the increase in crime to his department's budget being targeted by city officials, amid calls by far-left activists to reduce police budgets — or eliminate traditional policing altogether.

Last month, at the direction of Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler and the city council, Lovell was forced to can his 34-member Gun Violence Reduction Team.

Wheeler called for the team's elimination as part of an "action plan to increase police accountability and reinvest in Black and Brown communities."

In June, the Portland City Council approved millions in budget cuts to the city's police department.

Lovell explained on a podcast, "The loss of the gun violence reduction team, in particular, has a diminishing effect on how we're able to investigate shootings, which is some of the most important crimes that we investigate. So we still have to do that work and figuring out how we're going to do that without the experience that that team had has been a bit of a challenge."

Unfortunately, surging violent crime is not a problem unique to Portland, one of America's most far-left cities.

In fact, the Wall Street Journal reported that homicide rates have increased by double-digits in 36 of the 50 biggest U.S. cities.

From the WSJ:

A Wall Street Journal analysis of crime statistics among the nation's 50 largest cities found that reported homicides were up 24% so far this year, to 3,612. Shootings and gun violence also rose, even though many other violent crimes such as robbery fell.

Police, researchers, mayors and community leaders see a confluence of forces at work in the homicide spike. Institutions that keep city communities safe have been destabilized by lockdown and protests against police.

In some major cities, like Minneapolis, crime is becoming so prevalent that police are now encouraging residents to cooperate with criminals and "do as they say."