Spate of high-profile crimes has some calling Winnipeg 'mini-Detroit'
2 hours, 57 minutes ago
By Chinta Puxley, The Canadian Press
WINNIPEG - First, a woman was shot dead at a weekend wedding reception when a gunman fired on the crowd through an open back door.
Then, a toddler was badly beaten against a city sidewalk after being taken by a stranger during a drinking party in the middle of the night.
Days later, an eight-month-old baby from the same housing complex was taken to hospital in serious condition after being slashed in the face with a golf club during an alleged domestic dispute.
This past Tuesday, a man who went to investigate a noise outside his home was set on fire. On the same day, police confirmed that a 29-year-old woman had died in hospital after allegedly being beaten for trying to shoplift. The woman's friends say the dispute was over a can of meat.
Although Winnipeg's crime rate is actually going down, the recent spate of high-profile - and horrific - crimes has shone an unflattering spotlight on the city. While many residents insist it's nothing out of the ordinary, others are scratching their heads and wondering what is going on.
"Personally I'm trying to decide between Montreal, Toronto, Ottawa, Edmonton, Calgary or Vancouver on where to move me and my family to," one man wrote this week on an online discussion board at newwinnipeg.com.
"I'm born and raised here but enough is enough. I live in the west end and crime is out of control, in particular random attacks. A dear friend of mine is in (hospital) as I type this after being mugged by two people for seven bucks. I know the other cities have their problems, but they're nowhere near as bad as Winnipeg. This city is turning into mini-Detroit."
"I've lived in Winnipeg, Ottawa, Toronto, Montreal, Quebec City," said another online poster. "Winnipeg, without a doubt, has the most crime statistically when it comes to violent crime, poverty, murder and car theft."
Rick Linden, professor of sociology at the University of Manitoba, said western Canadian cities have always had higher crime rates relative to other parts of the country. And, he said, Winnipeg has always ranked near the top.
Last year, Statistics Canada put Winnipeg No. 1 on the violent crime severity index, despite an 11 per cent drop year-over-year.
The city is growing rapidly and has a high concentration of poverty - both factors that help fuel crime, Linden said.
"We have way too much crime," he said. "The fact that there have been a few highly publicized incidents is just business as usual. It's not that there is any great wave. Winnipeg is a high-crime city."
The disturbing events over the last few weeks have only cemented that reputation, he added. At a recent conference Linden attended, his peers made jokes about Winnipeg saying, "that's a city I don't want to go to because of all the crime."
Politicians and police are feeling the heat, with some residents asking if the city is safe.
"It's been a bad week or two to say the least," said Winnipeg Mayor Sam Katz. "It's notice to us all that there are some problems we need to address."
The city has put a dent in its stolen-auto rates in recent years and Katz said police are doing all they can. But he said they need some tougher legislation from the federal government to prevent criminals from ending up back on the street just days after they are arrested.
Winnipeg Police Chief Keith McCaskill said the issue goes well beyond the power of police. Crimes like those seen in Winnipeg recently are predominantly in low-income areas where domestic assaults, addiction and gangs give rise to violence, he said.
Those social issues have to be addressed, McCaskill said.
"We're seeing some violent offences, especially with younger people," he said. "Crime rates have gone down but we are seeing, even over the last couple of years, young people especially resorting to knives or guns ... The police alone can't solve this problem."
After a daily grilling in the legislature over the issue, the Manitoba government announced some preliminary details of its anti-gang strategy this week. It said police will aggressively monitor the top 50 worst offenders, making it difficult for them to operate. The government also plans to engage parents in the fight.
Premier Gary Doer called the recent spate of violence "bloody awful."
"It was a horrific crime committed," Doer said in the legislature of the homeowner recently set on fire. "It's obviously unacceptable to everyone in this house and unacceptable to everyone in this community."
But some residents say Winnipeg is as safe as ever.
"I had a friend almost lose his eye over a six-pack of beer around the Sherbrook hotel a few years ago," said one blogger debating crime on newwinnipeg.com. "I've friends mugged at knifepoint while walking on Jesse Street. It sounds like the same random pattern that hasn't changed at all to me."
"Winnipeg is a very safe city," wrote one woman. "I can't see how other people are so scared of the random acts that happen occasionally, not numerous times a day as in many, many other cities in this world."
