Portland, Ore. (KOIN/CNN Newsource) – A string of arsons, and then a sexual assault–the tipping point for neighbors in northeast Portland coming together to find ways to fight crime.
And while the man accused of that sex assault is locked up, ICE officials are sparring with the sheriff’s office as to how he got back out on the streets.
Linda Safran said she’s fed up with neighborhood crime. “I thought, ‘Oh this looks just picture perfect here in Portland.’ Well, nothing is picture perfect.”
Moving here from Baltimore, Linda Safran had hoped things would be a little different.
But over the last month or so, her northeast Portland neighborhood–Inner Kerns–has seen multiple cars set on fire.
And just last week, a woman was sexually assaulted.
“We do have certainly concerns about the safety in the neighborhood but also a lot of people who are interested in doing something,” Safran said.
Safan called a meeting with the idea of organizing a neighborhood watch. “I think that’s the first line of defense is to know your neighbor.”
A Portland police officer was on hand to answer questions, along with Teri Poppino with the Office of Neighborhood Involvement. “When we’re looking at crime, we have the fear of crime which is quite debilitating and then we have the incidents of crime and neighborhood watches can have an impact on both of those.”
And there are also concerns over one man, Sergio Martinez, who police say is responsible for that sexual assault, as well as well as another one not far from here.
ICE and the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office seem to be on different wavelengths as to why Martinez was out on the streets after being locked up for a separate crime.
Sheriff Mike Reese said there was no criminal warrant for deputies to hold Martinez, who had been deported 20 times.
ICE officials argued the detainer placed on him allowed them to keep him an additional 48 hours.
© 2024 KOBI-TV NBC5. All rights reserved unless otherwise stated.