Nightly protests in Portland, Oregon have continued to put semi-truck drivers in danger as they deliver loads to the city.
Portland has experienced almost 70 consecutive nights of protests in the wake of George Floyde’s death and the Black Lives Matter movement. In many cases, protesters have lined busy city streets, which blocks access to trucks trying to make deliveries.
On August 5, a @KOINNews reporter captured video of a semi-truck getting caught in the middle of a protest. Unable to turn around, protesters can be seen helping direct the truck through the crowd. With hazard lights on and its horn sounding the way, the truck cautiously drove through the roadblock at Lombard and Concord as the protesters cleared the road.
According to police, the city has seen more than double the amount of shootings than this time last year. With 15 of those resulting in death, the most in one month in more than 30 years, heightened violence in the city could be a major concern for truck drivers.
The Portland City Council also voted to pass a budget last week cutting $15 million from the police bureau. The budget for the upcoming fiscal year includes $4.8 million in funding for Portland Street Response, a proposed alternative to traditional policing.
Portland, and many cities across the country, have actively taken steps to defund police departments, something truck drivers have already voiced their concerns to CDLLife about.
A recent poll showed that 79% say they will refuse loads to cities with disbanded or defunded police departments.