PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — As Portland police continue to focus efforts on finding stolen vehicles and returning them to their owners, residents in one North Portland neighborhood say car stealing and stripping activity is still blatantly happening just feet from their homes.
The Portland Police Bureau said eight stolen vehicles and three stolen license plates were recovered on Thursday alone, but Kenton neighborhood residents say a small green space just off of North Trenton Street near where North Columbia and North Peninsular intersect is a suspicious activity hotspot.
Neighbors nearby shared photos with KOIN 6 News of activity showing up regularly, including a huge green tour bus and a TriMet bus ending up there.
Photos show people apparently stripping parts from cars and car parts around, including catalytic converters in the street.
One resident, who asked to stay anonymous for safety concerns, told KOIN 6 News they’ve tried getting the city’s attention for months.
“Every single day, it’s a new car since October. Cars are usually without license plates or if they do, we’ve looked them up and they’re from different vehicles and they don’t match,” the resident said. “We’ve been constantly calling 911 in order to stop this criminal from stealing cars from all around Portland.”
Residents have reported this exact site 63 times in the last 12 weeks, according to the city’s database.
The City of Portland said they assessed the site earlier this month and that it does meet the criteria for clearing, but that it’s yet to be scheduled with so many other sites around town.
KOIN 6 News also reached out to PPB.
A few weeks ago, KOIN 6 News reported on another possible illegal car stripping site, this time near North Going and Greeley. The site featured the skeletons of cars but was finally cleared of debris by the beginning of March, according to the city.