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Residents feel unsafe in North Portland neighborhood after street takeover

After a range of recent crime in one North Portland neighborhood, residents fear retaliation and don't feel as safe as they used to.

PORTLAND, Ore. — After Tuesday night's street takeover, residents are feeling uneasy.

“I have never heard anything quite that loud, even the ones I've heard before," said one woman in the neighborhood who saw everything unfold. 

She said there's been other smaller street disturbances, but nothing to this extent. 

“It was loud, and it was kind of intimidating," she continued. 

The takeover happened at the intersection of North Lombard Street and North Chautauqua Boulevard, with police receiving reports around 10:30 p.m. Portland police, the Traffic Division and other units, including Unmanned Aircraft System (drone) operators, all responded to the calls. 

Police said although there were reports of what sounded like gunshots, it was likely fireworks.

Residents told KGW News they saw fireworks, which continued into the early morning hours.

"It was so loud that when I went inside, I had to turn on my TV, even though it was late, so that (my dog) wouldn't get freaked out because of the noise and the fireworks and everything. And then we went to bed, and I usually kennel her, and I had to put her by my bed last night because of the fireworks. They kept going on until one, two o'clock in the morning," said another resident.

KGW spoke with some residents who said after they called, it took around an hour for police to respond.

The Portland Police Bureau (PPB) confirmed they moved on to the scene at 11:36 p.m. 

In a statement, police wrote that "PPB began assessing right away. Part of that assessment was to utilize our UAS's to try to document and obtain probable cause to arrest the most dangerous offenders. If we have to make arrests and get successful prosecutions, we have to have solid evidence."

During a press conference Wednesday afternoon, Mike Benner with PPB elaborated. 

"Street takeover events can be incredibly dangerous. We've seen that, where there is gunfire, where there are fireworks, where there are weapons, so we just cannot just send in a lone officer; we have to assemble the team," he said. 

This all follows a shooting at Columbia Park, also located in this neighborhood, which occurred just last month that involved over 50 shots being fired.

"I've had to put lighting all the way around the house because my car's tried to get stolen before, so there's a lot of stuff that happens in the park. For instance, that shooting, I was sitting right here on the front porch with a friend of mine, and I'd gotten up and went to the bathroom, and I heard it, and I ran out of here," a resident said.

"She goes, 'Was that a gunshot?' And I said, 'Yes, it is. Let's go inside,' you know, because we could clearly hear the gunshot," she continued. 

"I feel unsafe. I feel very unsafe in my own neighborhood," said another resident. "You don't leave the doors unlocked. You don't answer the door if you don't know who it is. We used to leave the doors unlocked. We walked into each other's houses and visit. Don't do that anymore. Chain everything down, your decorations out. It is not the same. It's not the same at all. Can't really do anything about it."

Police said nobody was hurt during the street takeover. 

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