Portland is so lawless drivers are now ignoring roads and speeding their cars through parks, after dystopian city defunded its police department

A Portland man was near starry-eyed aft a car deed him while illegally driving done a parkland precocious astatine nighttime arsenic locals announcement much drivers are taking risks successful nan lawless city. 

Aidan Mellies was watching nan stars from Creston Park erstwhile he abruptly saw headlights from a bluish SUV plaything his measurement connected July 8. 

'If I wasn't aware, I'd beryllium dead,' Mellies told KOIN 6. 'So, I instantly guidelines up...and move astir and nan car was straight successful beforehand of me. So, I jumped and my thighs took nan brunt of nan impact.' 

The incident was condemned by section leader Daniel DeMelo who said it should beryllium a homicide investigation arsenic he called for much roadway information infrastructure.

It comes aft Portland famously wiped retired $15 cardinal from its rule enforcement fund successful 2020 pursuing nationwide activistic unit to 'defund nan police' successful nan aftermath of George Floyd's murder. It was forced to partially u-turn connected nan determination the pursuing twelvemonth aft a spike successful crime. 

Mellies, who is now sporting a ample Band-Aid supra his eye, remembers getting deed and past watching nan car thrust distant without stopping. 

'My look was wholly drenched successful blood,' Mellies said. 'It could person been a batch worse.'  

He revenge a study pinch nan Portland Police, but nary arrests person been made, nan section told DailyMail.com. 

DeMelo, who is moving for 3rd District City Council, called retired unlawful drivers, penning connected X: 'We request bollards and different roadway information infrastructure – and we request drivers to understand that they will beryllium held accountable for illegal, unsafe, antisocial behavior.' 

He suggested Mellies' lawsuit beryllium 'investigated pinch nan vigor of a homicide investigation.'

'Any car unlawfully parked connected nan section of a @PDXParksandRec installation should beryllium heavy fined, booted, and towed. There is nary excuse for this behavior,' he wrote. 

A Reddit station astir nan incident revealed Mellies 'glasses, keys, and headphones' had been launched '30 feet down him,' owed to nan unit of nan impact. 

The car reportedly obtained a 'smashed windshield and dented hood,' according to nan post. Portland Police could not corroborate to DailyMail.com if nan car that struck Mellies had immoderate damage. 

The man called his parents, who unrecorded nearby, aft nan hit-and-run and had to person stitches connected his look and thighs. 

Mellies isn't nan only resident to brushwood vulnerable drivers wrong Creston Park. 

Stephen Duplechien has seen group 'doing donuts' and different things, particularly adjacent nan canine parkland and driving connected nan pathways, he told KOIN 6. 

'It's not a road,' he said. 

However, Portland residents Gina Kirkorian insisted she hadn't had immoderate issues successful nan park, saying: 'We emotion [the park].' 

Mellies still encourages his different Portlanders to 'not beryllium acrophobic to live' and said he plans to still bask nan parkland himself. 

Portland residents declare nan metropolis arsenic it has descended into chaos successful caller years since its move to partially defund its police. 

The city reversed its decision aft homelessness and crime surged. But Portland residents person started considering jumping ship, a 2023 canvass found. 

'This metropolis has been done a batch of trauma,' Mayor Ted Wheeler antecedently said. 'My connection to group who are disillusioned are two-fold.

'First, I perceive you and I empathize pinch your vexation pinch what nan metropolis has been through,' he continued. 'I would besides promote you to instrumentality astir because nan tide has already turned.'

DailyMail.com has contacted Mayor Wheeler's Office and Portland Parks and Recreation for comment. 

Crime is down successful Portland compared to nan aforesaid clip past year. There were 22,855 crimes successful nan first six months of 2024, compared to nan 27,842 betwixt January and May 2023, city crime statistics show.