Portland emergency 911 call goes unanswered for more than an hour and a half

Earlier today we looked at precisely how screwed the people of Minneapolis are in the wake of the riots and the Defund the Police movement. But that’s not the only city experiencing such chaos by a long shot. While you’ll rarely see this mentioned on CNN, things aren’t getting much better in Portland, Oregon either. One recent incident illustrates precisely how desperate things are getting out there.

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Portland resident Henry Kirim had stepped out of his apartment to retrieve something from his car. As he did so, a stranger rushed into the home, locking the door behind him. Kirim’s 12-year-old child was inside. The intruder grabbed a large kitchen knife and was holding the boy inside. Kirim managed to unlock the door, leading to the criminal fleeing as some neighbors gave chase. During this time, more than half a dozen 911 calls pleading for the police to come were recorded. The cops finally arrived… 90 minutes later. (Oregon Live)

It took police more than 90 minutes to arrive. Just before an officer finally appeared, the suspect ran off. More than a half-dozen calls had come into 911 over the course of the bizarre ordeal. But that apparently didn’t speed the response.

The wait confounded and angered Kirim and his neighbors. They wondered what it would take for police to respond if not an armed man placing a child in jeopardy.

“Every neighbor here was expecting the police to come. We called about a million times, and the police would not show up,” Kirim said.

Police conceded the delay was unacceptable. They repeated what they’ve said to address previous criticism for holding back or recent slow response times: Their ranks are strapped by record retirements, covering months of social justice protests and other constraints.

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This doesn’t appear to be a case of the police intentionally “standing down” and not responding as we recently saw in Aurora, Colorado. Just as is the case in Minneapolis, the Portland Police Department has seen its ranks depleted through early retirements and resignations, along with having its budget slashed by spineless politicians and COVID-related revenue losses. The remaining police are working the streets as best they can for the most part, but the required resources simply aren’t there.

If this horror story from Portland sounds familiar to you, it might be because it’s very reminiscent of a campaign ad that Trump’s team has been running in markets around the country. Here’s a short refresher for those who missed it.

When that ad was released, CNN’s “fact-checkers” described it as “dishonest” and “fear-mongering.” They’re still holding that position to this day. I wonder how the voters in Portland will feel about their “facts first” analysis when they find out that it’s coming true already in their own streets. A man with a large knife had briefly captured a child inside of one resident’s home and it took the cops 90 minutes to arrive on the scene. Even though a group of neighbors had briefly chased down the suspect and pinned him down, he eventually broke free and escaped before the authorities could arrive. The homeowner and his neighbors may as well have been left on hold.

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This is the reality of what is going on today and it’s being caused by spineless Democratic mayors and governors who cave in to the demands of the rioters and spurn every offer of federal assistance from the White House. And the media is putting on blinders and pretending it’s not happening in a desperate effort to help Sleepy Joe Biden make it over the finish line in November. This is a disgrace, plain and simple.

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Ed Morrissey 12:40 PM | November 21, 2024
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