Toronto The Good
"I feel like a TTC [Toronto Transit Commission] ambassador. The city needs to do something for the homeless and the shelters.""I've felt the increase of police in the last two weeks. Probably every hour I see a cop going by at every station I play at. Great. That's better than nothing.""In my personal opinion they did this too late. They waited for all of these horrific incidents to happen before they acted on it. They should have acted on this ten years ago.""People are freaking out. They don't want to take the subways. A lot of people don't want to ride it because of all those incidents."Leo Zhang, cellist, 25-year experience as a subway busker, Toronto"I also want, as Chief of Police, to remind people that we live in a safe city."Myron Demkiw"I know many people who use the TC, the passengers, are anxious and even scared and they must know that we are doing everything we can that will be helpful to address their concerns."Toronto Mayor John Tory
Toronto's police chief says upwards of 80 police officers will be in place throughout the TTC every day in an effort to enhance public safety. (Evan Mitsui/CBC) |
Toronto
is gripped in an aura of public fear over the state of growing
insecurity, random attacks on unsuspecting people, and sudden deaths
occurring in an ever-growing metropolis, the largest city in Canada,
where new immigrants settle in with older generations of immigrants and
their offspring hailing from countries all over the world. Minority
groups representing ethnic, religious, cultural and geographical
migrants, refugees and immigrants from everywhere. There are more
foreign languages spoken in Toronto than any other North American
community.
Much
of the public violence seems now to have gravitated to the city's
extensive subway system, odd, spontaneous attacks on people going about
their business. Some committed by another community, that of the
homeless who find respite and haven from the cold in subway stations.
Many of them suffering from mental illness, drug addiction, resentment
against a society that looks past their homeless plight. Toronto's
mayor, its chief of police and others in municipal authority have reason
to be concerned. This is not the Toronto of yore.
Social
media is abuzz over this new Toronto. Expressions of disbelief over the
dangers inherent in venturing onto the subway system that carries
millions of people to daily destinations all over the sprawling city. "Arm the TTC workers", one comment; "It's no longer Florida man, now it's Toronto man because every day on the TTC you be fighting for your life"; comments of trepidation and fear, stoking a broad undercurrent of panic.
"These recent incidents at the TTC, impacting both our employees and customers, are incredibly worrisome to me and the entire TTC organization.""We know the TTC really is a microcosm of what's happening around the city right now and we recognize that there is a bigger society and systemic issue at play here and that these issues are complex, and the solutions aren't always easy."TTC CEO Rick Leary
The
TTC Authority forced buskers to leave its property as a result of
pandemic restrictions. Their absence saw homeless people filling the
vacuum. Now, post-pandemic, riders have returned and so have the
musicians, and the homeless balk at leaving. And dangerous incidents
keep occurring. Like the woman who died after being set on fire on a
bus. Another woman knifed to death. Outside a station a man shot dead.
People shoved onto the tracks. Passengers and staff stabbed, slashed,
punched, chased, robbed, threatened and swarmed.
With
the recent meeting of authorities, the announcement of another 80
police officers tasked with high-visibility TTC patrols. TTC supervisors
to be more visible; cameras added; Streets to Homes workers brought in.
Another $50 million added to the $1.36 billion police budget. Why the
subway system? Because they are gathering places. Ordinary people
launching themselves off to work during work rush-hours, rubbing elbows
with poverty and privilege, racism, aggression, entitlement, anxiety and
fear.
Toronto,
the massive Ontario people-hub, has many problems that are common to
all other areas of the nation, but exacerbated by size and population
level. Endemic poverty, a frail economic outlook, expensive housing,
rising cost-of-living costs, an opioid crisis, mental health issues,
rising crime rate, and a universal health system struggling to meet the
needs of the population, brought to its knees by the influx of severe
health issues courtesy of the coronavirus pandemic.
"If it drifts up for a few years, I don't know that's need for panic [slight rise in major crime]. I think you've got to think carefully about what is happening and what's going on.""Most people aren't going to do something criminal right in front of a police officer, but you might have just pushed it elsewhere. Hot-spot policing tends to just relocate things. It's not addressing the problem.""You need long-term thinking about how you keep society safe generally. You need to fund prevention programs really well and the thing is, you're not going to see results from these things within an election cycle.""There is no political gain for doing this, so no one wants to. They can't claim credit for it in their election cycle. But if you shove money at police or change a law, then it is something you can point to, and people momentarily feel safe.""You need to care about violence even in years of decline. You can't just not care and leave it and then suddenly care.""The fear is real. But how can it not be? Every day you're being told of everything that happened on a TTC ground across the city.""There have been warning signs for years."Jane Sprott, professor of criminology, Toronto Metropolitan University
The Toronto Transit Commission announced late Friday that additional management staff will be "highly visible" and rotate through the subway network during peak service hours. (Arlyn McAdorey/The Canadian Press) |
Labels: Drug Addiction, Homelessness, Mental Health Crises Street Crime, Toronto, Toronto Transit Commission
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