Opinion: Tensions around police are high. The vultures have swooped in. Updated Feb 21, 2021; Posted Feb 21, 2021 There is a legitimate conversation that must be had around public safety, funding levels and alternative strategies, the author writes. But opportunists are exaggerating “defunding” threats and exploiting people’s fears to raise money for themselves and further sow distrust.Jamie Hale/The Oregonian Facebook Share Godvin is a student at the OHSU-PSU School of Public Health and is based in Portland. The tensions around policing are high nationwide but seem even more so in Portland. “Back the Blue” billboards can be seen along Oregon highways, running through suburban areas. The opposite message can be found, too, tagged around the city’s center or tweeted into the ether. While some call for defunding of the police, others plead for law-and-order.