JEFF: THEY GATHER BY THE
HUNDREDS, STREET RACERS BURNING
RUBBER ACROSS PORTLAND, AND
TONIGHT WE'RE GETTING A FIRST
HAND LOOK AT HOW THEY OPERATE.
JENNIFER: TREVOR AULT TAKES US
INSIDE PORTLAND'S STREET RACING
COMMUNITY, AND SHOWS US HOW HE
CAUGHT IT ALL ON CAMERA.
OVER THE PAST FEW MONTHS
WE'VE COVERED A NUMBER OF
STORIES ON STREET RACING GOING
OUT OF CONTROL, SOME WITH
CRASHES, OTHERS WITH ROADS AND
BRIDGES SHUT DOWN.
IT WAS ENOUGH TO MAKE IT CLEAR
THIS IS A PERVASIVE CULTURE HERE
IN PORTLAND.
SO MY PHOTOGRAPHER KENNY KNUTSEN
AND I WORKED OUR WAY INTO THE
GROUP, FILMING WITH OUR CELL
PHONES, TO SHOW YOU WHAT HAPPENS
AT THESE RALLIES AND WHY POLICE
HAVE A HARD TIME STOPPING THEM.
THE DANGERS HAVE BEEN
DOCUMENTED.
THE VIDEOS, REMARKABLE.
THEY'RE OUT THERE DRIVING
LIKE IDIOTS.
OVER AND OVER, WE'VE SHOWN
YOU PORTLAND STREET RACERS
GETTING OUT OF HAND.
THREE OR FOUR FATALITIES.
FOR MOST OF THESE DRIVERS, IT
STARTS WITH A LEGAL CAR SHOW.
EVERY SUNDAY NIGHT, CAR
ENTHUSIASTS LINE UP UNDER THE
MORRISON BRIDGE, BLOCK AFTER
BLOCK AFTER BLOCK, FOR THE RED
DOOR MEET.
WE DON'T DO THE REVVING AND
BURNOUTS, WE'VE GOT PEOPLE THAT
WILL TALK TO YOU THAT IS AN
ISSUE.
FOR THE MOST WHO SHOW UP,
THAT WORKS.
BUT FOR THOSE WITH A GREATER
THIRST FOR ADRENALINE, THE NIGHT
IS JUST GETTING STARTED, NAT REV
WE FOUND OUT DRIVERS LOOKING TO
TAKE THEIR CAR MEETS ELSEWHERE,
MEET AT A NEARBY GAS STATION,
THEN HEAD OUT.
I ASKED ONE OF THEM WHERE THEY
WERE GOING, HE WAS RELUCTANT TO
TELL ME AT FIRST.
HE SAID THEY DIDN'T KNOW.
BUT AS I WALKED AWAY, HE SHOUTED
TO HEAD TO 158, MEANING 158
AIRPORT AWAY.
WITHIN A MINUTE OF ARRIVING,
TIRES WERE SPINNING.
AND ONE BY ONE, CARS, TRUCKS AND
SUVS TOOK TURNS BURNING RUBBER
THE PARKING LOT.
AT MOST, ONLY ABOUT 20 OR 30
PEOPLE ENDED UP HERE.
THEN I OVERHEAD A DRIVER TELLING
HIS FRIENDS TO HEAD TO T6, A
SEPARATE LOCATION SEVERAL MILES
WEST UP MARINE DRIVE, SO THAT'S
WHERE WE WENT.
WITH DOZENS OF CARS LINING THE
SHIPPING YARD, DRIVERS KICKED UP
SMOKE AND DRIFTED.
OFTEN WITHIN INCHES OF PEOPLE
FILMING OR IN CIRCLES AROUND
THEM.
ONE DRIVER EVEN ASKING FOR MORE
SPACE.
THIS WENT ON FOR HOURS, WITH
ONLY BRIEF PAUSES FOR THE SEMIS
HEADED INTO WORK.
WHILE WE WERE FILMING THE CROWD,
ONE OF THEM STARTING QUESTIONING
US BECAUSE, IN HIS WORDS, HE
NEEDED TO MAKE SURE WE WEREN'T
UNDERCOVER COPS.
EVENTUALLY, WHEN THE SMOKE
CLEARED, THERE WERE NO INJURIES
AND NO POLICE.
I AM TOLD THIS IS HOW IT USUALLY
GOES.
THE PEOPLE WHO
WANT TO GO
HAVE FUN.
UNDER THE CONDITION WE KEEP
HIM ANONYMOUS, ONE AGREED TO
SPEAK WITH ME.
I DON'T PERSONALLY THINK IT
IS ALL BAD.
HE SAYS WHILE THERE IS AN
OCCASIONAL CRASH, MOST PEOPLE
BEHAVE.
DANGEROUS STREET RACERS ARE FEW
AND FAR BETWEEN.
HE SAYS THESE GATHERINGS ARE
JUST A DIFFERENT TYPE OF HOBBY.
COMPARING IT TO BULLYING.
IF AN ACCIDENT HAPPENS WHEN
YOU ARE BOWLING, WHATEVER.
SERGEANT GREG STEWART ISN'T
BUYING THAT COMPARISON, AND HE
SAYS PORTLAND POLICE HAVE BEEN
TRYING TO CRACK DOWN, BUT THE
CASE LAW OFTEN LEAVES THEM
HANDY CUT -- HANDCUFFS.
OUR ABILITY TO IMPOUND
VEHICLES OVER THE LAST SEVERAL
YEARS HAS BEEN RESTRICTED AND
THAT HAS BEEN A SIGNIFICANT
HANDICAP.
ACCORDING TO CITY LAWS,
POLICE CAN ONLY TOW VEHICLES IF
THEY MAKE AN ARREST OR IF
THERE'S A WARRANT OUT FOR THE
DRIVER, IN THE PAST THEY'VE JUST
GIVEN OUT CITATIONS, BUT A LOT
OF THESE DRIVERS DON'T HAVE
INSURANCE OR EVEN LICENSES, SO
THEY ARE BARELY FACED.
RECENTLY THOUGH, POLICE HAVE
UPPED THE ANTE, AND STARTED
MAKING ARRESTS.
SINCE JULY THE CROWDS HAVE
GOTTEN A LOT SMALLER, BUT WITH A
LIMITED POLICE FORCE HANDLING
MORE SERIOUS CRIMES, THESE
GATHERINGS, HOBBY OR NOT, ARE
NEVER GOING AWAY ENTIRELY.
I ALSO TALKED TO THE DISTRICT
ATTORNEY'S OFFICE.
THEY TELL ME STREET RACING IS A
SERIOUS COMMUNITY SAFETY ISSUE
AND WILL HOLD STREET RACERS
ACCOUNTABLE TO THE FULLEST
EXTENT.
BACK TO YOU.
JEFF: THE RED DOOR MEET WHERE
CAR ENTHUSIASTS GATHER ON SUNDAY
NIGHTS ATTRACTS UP TO FIVE
THOUSAND PEOPLE AND MORE THAN A
DOZEN BLOCKS FILLED WITH CARS.
WE'VE POSTED MORE ABOUT THIS
FAMILY FRIENDLY EVENT AND WHAT