Blue Like You

Archive for the ‘Gangs and violence’ Category

Do only gun crimes merit his attention?

And is anyone in Quebec going to tell this family that we shouldn’t be getting tougher on teenage murderers?

...Paltooram was coming to the aid of his girlfriend, who was being assaulted by a group of individuals, when he was fatally wounded, police said.

A 16-year-old male has been arrested. He cannot be named under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, but will appear in court this morning. He is charged with Second Degree Murder and Attempted murder…

There, there Sonny. You just go home and write out 100 times, I should not be killing people.

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More on Metro murders by knife from the Globe, and City News and Sun.

This is really worth checking out too - Toronto Movie Filming Exposes Canada’s Guns for Money Policy by Joseph P. Tartaro, who is the Executive Editor of GunWeek Magazine. He references this August article in the Star.

Chilling story in Saturday’s Globe by Joe Friesen (Canada’s Toughest Neighbourhood), where he paints a graphic picture of life and death in the Jane-Finch area.

Possibly one of the most frightening aspects of the story is where Friesen explains the gang boundaries, which even the city planners have been forced to understand and incorporate into how they deliver social programs:

In their planning sessions, community workers refer solemnly to “boundary issues” that impede program delivery. When the police hold consultations with youth, they have meetings in each distinct area to prevent rival gangs from mingling.

It’s as though the kids have redrawn the neighbourhood map and forced the adults to adapt. As a result, the teens from Palisades, who often complain of having nothing to do, don’t use the well-equipped community centre that’s a block away in Crips territory.

The Sun’s Lorrie Goldstein has an excellent column today that relates the unimaginable fear and terror that must exist living in this area. He explains the reason for the “No snitch rule” as being one of survival:

True, there are ways to tell the police what you know anonymously, but are you willing to bet your life, or your spouse’s life, on them? Has there never been an instance where information that was supposed to be confidential somehow got out?

Goldstein then goes on to advocate for strengthening of the witness protection program.

Sitting in our safe little houses in the suburbs, it’s so easy to chastise others for seeming to take so little responsibility for their own misfortunes.

A couple of disturbing stories have emerged following the massive police takedown of the Driftwood Crips earlier this week.

The Globe reports that Jordan Manner’s sister was one of those arrested and charged with possession of a restricted firearm with ammunition.

Also, we learn in today’s Sun that a member of the Toronto Police force allegedly tipped off a family member who was then able to avoid the Wednesday morning raids, but was later found and arrested.

The officer’s lawyer says his client is being used as a scapegoat, and that he is a good cop.

All this lends credence to the view that gang culture is often enable by familial relations.

(Link to great article available here at Fri Jun 15, 05:09:00 PM EDT. Record links on the main post site do not work very well with Blogger).

How do we address this kind of willful blindness right in the family? No wonder government appears powerless to deal with it.

Lorrie Goldstein treats us to a very politically incorrect POV today - “No worries - We’re studying it”.

Much of the violence involves black people killing each other — which the left claims is racist to mention and the right claims nobody ever mentions … every time they mention it.

(Well, somebody has to say it, Lorrie.)

And does anyone know why Ottawa brings so many people into Canada who can’t speak English, provides almost no help to teach them, and then wonders why some turn to crime? Gee, hard to see that one coming, eh?

Finally, black men who father babies and abandon the mothers increase the chances their male sons will become gangsters, and black women who have these children, knowing the man won’t be around, do themselves, their child and society no favours.

But according to our lib/left politicians (mayor, premier, etc.) we shouldn’t discuss that.

Yep. Nobody wants to talk about that stuff.

On the plus side, in another editorial Lorrie points out that gang raids seem to work, but asks if the courts will do their part.

I’m not optimistic.

I hope to comment further on this later, but apparently Toronto police are cracking down on gangs.

Just saw a clip on Global news. Poverty blamed.

Video at the Star.

More here regarding Montreal gang recruitment.

Then there’s this idea.

And Lemon wonders if racial profiling is the answer.

Well, I’ve given this a lot of thought, and I don’t have any answers. I’m quite sure that we will never solve this problem, because human nature being what it is, there will always be crime.

Hopefully we will somehow be able to protect our children from the worst of it.