Politicians do nothing as thugs rule streets

David Rodenhiser
DAVID RODENHISER David Rodenhiser RSS Feed
The Daily News

Crime is running amok in metro, and our police seem unable to do much about it. A revolving-door justice system puts thugs back on our streets to search out their next victim.

Why aren't our politicians doing more to protect the law-abiding majority from the lawless minority?

Drug dealers shoot at one another in residential neighbourhoods. Gangs of teens stab, beat and rob passersby. Night-shift store clerks risk life and limb just by showing up for work. Even a back-to-school dance ends in chaos and bloodshed.

Don't worry, though. Law and order are being restored. Why, just last Thursday, a White's Lake man got busted for letting his 14-week-old puppy go off-leash in Point Pleasant Park. They nailed him with a $222 fine. And Halifax regional councillors are working hard to crack down on wandering cats and AWOL shopping carts.

Meanwhile, citizens sit at home behind locked doors, shaking their heads in disbelief and wishing it was safe to go outside.

Just look at the litany of crimes listed in the information box on this page. It's just a sampling of what's transpired in metro over the past week, and only includes incidents investigated by Halifax Regional Police, not the RCMP.

You'll notice some trends, namely: violence, weapons and young offenders. All three are problems the public has demanded action on, but that action has been painfully slow in coming.

Bickering on Parliament Hill has held up legislation from Prime Minister Stephen Harper's government, including bills to toughen bail provisions for serious firearms offenders, impose mandatory jail time for certain gun crimes, and restrict the use of house arrest for some violent offences.

Those changes can't come soon enough for most Canadians. But like all change in Ottawa, it's coming at a glacial pace.

Here at home, government is consulting. In May, the province's Safer Streets and Communities task force wrapped up with a report that Justice Minister Murray Scott admitted didn't tell him anything he didn't already know. I fear Mayor Peter Kelly's Roundtable on Violence won't generate anything more concrete this fall.

After lengthy consultation with myself, here's my three-part plan:

- Put more cops on the street during the hours violent crime occurs, and where it occurs. If the city can patrol Point Pleasant Park during the daytime for puppies, surely it can patrol the Halifax Common at night for criminals. Gangs roam there with impunity.

Halifax has too few resources, both financial and human, to squander them on minor bylaw infractions. No one has ever suffered grievous injury or died because a cat pooped in their garden, or because a neighbour's dog barked for more than five straight minutes. Why are we wasting time and money on petty annoyances while our community is held hostage by violent criminals?

- Deal harshly with thugs and thugettes, muggers, swarmers and people who brandish knives or carry illegal guns, especially repeat offenders. Lock them up. Misplace the key.

People arrested with handguns (see crimes on Aug. 21 and 25 in the info box) shouldn't be released pending a future court date. The justice system should protect us from these gangsters.

This includes violent youth. The Youth Criminal Justice Act may work perfectly for 90 per cent of young offenders, but for the other 10 per cent it fails miserably. Any teenager who's made the decision to carry a gun or put a knife into somebody needs to be separated from society in order to protect the rest of us. Bail provisions and curfews are jokes to them.

- The long-term solution is to address the roots of crime: poverty, especially multi-generational poverty, poor education outcomes, insufficient support for ill-equipped parents, etc.

Tear down the welfare ghettos and instead engineer social housing so that those who need a hand up live among the rest of us, rather than being separated and ostracized. Surround their children with examples of success and positive role models. Inspire dignity.

drodenhiser@hfxnews.ca

http://www.hfxnews.ca/index.cfm?sid=57748&sc=93

Wondering what to do with Shannon Park? Convert it to a Youth Detention Centre and when a 15 year-old stabs an innocent bystander or mugs an old lady, instead of letting him or her go home with a useless curfew, lock them up. While they're incarcerated, make them work for their board.

Also, what ever happened to the ankle monitoring device that HRM tested awhile back? A quick Google says this about electronic monitoring in California:

The cost of electronic monitoring averaged $15 per day for each offender and this cost was paid by the offenders themselves.

Slap one on these young offenders and then send them home if a youth detention centre is out of the question.

In District 9, North Dartmouth you find extreme Poverty ,crime , drugs ,rats , abandoned apartments and abandoned cars but the councillor Jim Smith is only concerned about cats peeing in flower gardens . In the last census there was a 10% drop in the population between 2001 and 2006 . I wonder why .

No matter what Kelly puts his hands on, he messes it up. So you know what the mayor's roundtable on violenece will be like.
All you stray cats and shopping cars beware!
Let's get him out of office so we can feel safe on the streets again.

Awol Shopping carts . czan we get bylaw for awol cows ?

http://www.hfxnews.ca/index.cfm?sid=61367&sc=89
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An HRM police officer brought this to my attention, "We do not have the resources to contain growing, violent crime... call the Mayor, he is responsible."

POLITICIANS ARE THE TUGS, THAT RULE THE STREETS. THEY TAKE OUR HARD EARNED TAXES SAY IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT MOVE OR JUST WAIT SOMEONE MIGHT WIN AN ELECTION WITH YOUR VIEWS.I'M JUST ONE OF MANY I'M SURE, THAT SEE THOUGHT THE POLITICAL SMOKE SCREEN OF GOVERNMENT.
FIRST OFF

HALIFAX IS A WORLD KNOWN SPOT! SO STOP SAYING WE HAVE TO MAKE IT BIGGER SO THEY CAN SEE US
AND JUST LOOK AT OUR HISTORY
HALIFAX DOESN'T NEED A NFL OR CFL, NHL, NBA. WE NEED THE PARKS & PATHS IN OUR NABOURHOODS MAINTAINED IT'S SAD MY SON HAS BEEN RAISING MONEY FOR SCHOOL PLAY GROUND FOR THE HOPE THAT SOME DAY THEY MIGHT FINISH IT BEFORE HE GOES TO JR HIGH.THE MONEY AND TIME THAT WE WAIST LOOKING INTO A NEW SPORT TEAM PROBABLY WOULD COVER THE PROJECT THAT WE NEED DONE.

IF YOU WANTED A NEW METRO CENTRE YOU SHOULD HAVE TAKEN CARE OF THE OLD ONE

IF COPS FEEL THAT THE PEOPLE IN THE STREETS SHOULDN'T GET PHYSICALLY INVOLVED IF THEY SEE "GOINGS ON" GIVE YOUR HEADS A SHAKE. TIME MATER. IF MR. MC AULLEY HAD SAID WAIT A MINUTE GIRLS I WOULD FIRST LIKE TO CALL 911 BEFORE YOU BEAT UP AN OLD LADY SO THE POLICE CAN TALK TO YOU. SHE MIGHT HAVE DIED ONE PUNCH CAN KILL. PETER KELLY HAS DONE NOTHING BUT HAND OUT CASH TO THE POLICE FORCE AND IN RETURN WHAT DID WE GET SAFER STREETS NO WE GOT 5 OFFICER WITH RADAR IN A GROUP TRYING TO COLLECT MONEY FOR THERE COFFER. IF IT WAS TO HELP THE CAUSE THAT PEOPLE TAKE SPEED FOR GRANTED THEN THEY WOULD HAVE BETTER LUCK WITH ON OFFICER ON ONE STREET AND ANOTHER ONE PROTECTING ANOTHER ONE

THERE ARE LOTS WRONG WITH OUR CITY BUT HALIFAX HAS ALOT GOING FOR IT SO ENOUGH TALK ABOUT TEARING DOWN STUFF AND JUST GET THE JOBS WE HAVE LET FALL BY OUR WAIST SIDES DONE THEN AND FIX THE PRESENT PROBLEMS BEFORE WE HAVE NEW ONES

AS FOR SHANNON PARK,IT SHOULD BE RETURNED TO THE NATIVE AMERICANS.ITS MY BELIEF THAT THE NATIVE AMERICANS ALLOWED THE MILITARY TO BUILD ON THE SITE DUE TO THE WAR EFFORT AND THEY THEMSELVES MOVED TO MILLBROOK.SHANNON PARK IS I BELIEVE THE ORIGINAL MILLBROOK SITE.FROM WHAT I HEARD IT WAS NEVER SOLD TO THE MILITARY BUT LOANED!

FELIX
PS:IF ANYONE HAS ANYTHING TO ADD OR ENLIGHTEN ME ABOUT THIS FEEL FREE.I`M BASICLY QUOTING WHAT I`VE HEARD OVER THE YEARS.I`VE ALSO HEARD THAT 8 ACRES HAS BEEN ALLOCATED TO THEM ALREADY.

HERE IS ANOTHER THING I`D LIKE TO ADD ABOUT THE STREET CRIME.I`VE HEARD OF ALOT OF MUGGINGS IN THE DARTMOUTH AREA AND ONLY A FEW MAKE THE PAPER IT SEEMS.PERHAPS THE PRESS IS HOLDING BACK,IF NOT HAVE THEM POST ALL THE POLICE FILES TO SHOW THE TRUE NUMBER.
I HEAR FROM RELIABLE SOURCES THAT THERE ARE QUITE A FEW PEOPLE WHO JUMP OFF THE BRIDGE AND GO UNREPORTED.

FELIX

felixdacati wrote:
AS FOR SHANNON PARK,IT SHOULD BE RETURNED TO THE NATIVE AMERICANS.ITS MY BELIEF THAT THE NATIVE AMERICANS ALLOWED THE MILITARY TO BUILD ON THE SITE DUE TO THE WAR EFFORT AND THEY THEMSELVES MOVED TO MILLBROOK.SHANNON PARK IS I BELIEVE THE ORIGINAL MILLBROOK SITE.FROM WHAT I HEARD IT WAS NEVER SOLD TO THE MILITARY BUT LOANED!

FELIX
PS:IF ANYONE HAS ANYTHING TO ADD OR ENLIGHTEN ME ABOUT THIS FEEL FREE.I`M BASICLY QUOTING WHAT I`VE HEARD OVER THE YEARS.I`VE ALSO HEARD THAT 8 ACRES HAS BEEN ALLOCATED TO THEM ALREADY.

Native Americans??

ANOTHER THING THAT I`D LIKE TO SEE HAPPEN WITH SHANNON PARK,IF NOT RETURNED TO THE NATIVE AMERICANS.TURN IT INTO A PARK AND RETAIN THE NAME.BUT HAVE IT SUBJECT TO USAGE FOR BIG EVENTS.[AS AN EXAMPLE FOR ROCK CONCERTS.]
THEN PERHAPS HAFILAX COULD BEAT OUT LITTLE OLD MONCTON FOR ROCK CONCERTS.
IF WE BUILD IT THEY WILL COME.THE COMMONS SUCKS FOR A VENUE LIKE THAT.THE MONCTON SITE IS A SLOPED HILL LIKE A THEATRE,YOU CAN LOOK OVER PEOPLES HEADS.BUT ON THE COMMONS ALL YOU CAN SEE IS THE HEAD AHEAD OF YOU.ALTHOUGH SHANNON PARK IS QUITE FLAT,THEY MIGHT BE ABLE TO CHANGE THE SITE WITH ALL THE RUBBLE FROM THE DEMOLITION.
THE SAME WITH THE SITE AT PARLEY BEACH IN NB.I WAS THERE FOR THE BEACH BOY CONCERT AND ALL YOU COULD SEE WAS UMBRELLAS.

FELIX
PS:I`M A FORMER SHANNON PARK RESIDENT.

It seems that HRM is getting the message. Wait...I think it's the wrong one. We've noticed an increase in HRM park patrols around the commons - many of them issuing warnings to local residents and their dogs for not having them on their leash. The commons are for sports. At least that's what HRM wants. It seems that the majority of residents of this area have other plans for the park. So much for a "common" park.

The Commons add a lot of value to this area. It's a social and cultural gathering space. The city's innability to understand this and to protect its users has taken the vitality out of the Commons.

The people of Halifax need to reclaim the Commons,

Julien

Admin Said:
“- Put more cops on the street during the hours violent crime occurs, and where it occurs. If the city can patrol Point Pleasant Park during the daytime for puppies, surely it can patrol the Halifax Common at night for criminals. Gangs roam there with impunity.”

HAY!!! What are you talking about??? Patrolling Point Pleasant Park during the daytime for puppies is very important and should have more resources directed to it.

That nasty puppy could pee on the path and it could freeze and some poor senior lady in her walker could slip on it and fall possibly spilling the contents of her purse and losing some change. Later that day she may go to a corner store and not have enough money to pay for her purchase and then the casher would beat her to death with a loaf of whole wheat bread!
So you see PK is doing something about crime…..that or I’m nuts

Not only Peter Kally has to go but the cheif of the Halifax police
has to go as well.
We need more officers and I am working on my high school deploma.
After that is compleatI am hoping to get on but I don't think
but I know I would not be given a chance.
Peter should be putting a push for more police officer and he is
failing the city of Halifax.
If I can't get on I would go to Calgary or Edmonton.
We need a new Mayor and a new cheif of police Frank is past his
prime. Crime is way out of wack and Halifax is by far the worst
city to live in the way things are going.
What a joke


From Christopher In the City of Dartmouth