PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — The City of Gresham hosted a grand reopening at Vance Park to celebrate its new safety improvements.
City leaders focused on crime-prevention upgrades by adding cameras, increasing visibility with new lighting and increasing the presence of police and homeless services.
Last year, Gresham launched the Vance Park Safety Project to address ongoing safety concerns about suspected gang activity and vandalism. Those concerns boiled over when a 17-year-old was shot and killed in Vance Park in January 2025.
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“The homicide of Jorge Mateo Vasquez was a catalyst to help with that, that we just, we just could not tolerate any longer the downward trajectory of this park. We needed to have a safe place. And so we all pulled together with our safety partners and Multnomah County and did what needed to be done,” said Gresham City Councilor Jerry Hinton…