Bad Week For The Forks Becomes A Civic Election Issue
Listen to the full podcast to learn more about what Winnipeg Police Cheif Smyth thinks about crime at The Forks.
(… bad couple of weeks, actually.)
After talking about what they did on Canada Day – Marty was hosting CWE wrestling in West St. Paul and Kenny was Mr. BBQ – the discussion steered towards The Forks. The ‘New Day’ didn’t quite work out for the government-appointed Board of Directors.
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The violence continued at Winnipeg’s flagship gathering place the past week, with a stabbing here and a stabbing there and HEY! another stabbing over there in front of the Canadian Museum For Human Rights. CTV gave the bare-bones re-cap:
“Winnipeg police reported an attack in the parking lot on Monday night, resulting in the assault of a father and daughter.”
As Marty noted, one of the two victims is a visitor from out of town. Strike 1.
“A few days later, police said two men with stab wounds were found outside The Forks Market on Wednesday. A woman was also treated for minor injuries.”
That resulted in the arrest of 4 juveniles, all girls, the latest in a string of such arrests lately. Strike 2. Then –
“A Ukrainian refugee living in Winnipeg for two weeks was the victim of a Canada Day stabbing at The Forks… they were crossing the street when they bumped into another group. They attempted to turn around and apologize, but had trouble doing so because they didn’t speak the language. They then said they saw one of the men pull out bear spray… Winnipeg Police Service confirmed one man was stabbed and the other sprayed with bear mace.”
So the victims this week included people who live here, at least one tourist, and newly arrived refugees fleeing Russian troops? Strike 3.
The kicker for those who want to lead this city is this:
“The Ukrainians are unsure where they will go or what they will do now, but feel it’s unsafe here.”
“The couple is now calling on Winnipeggers to act more quickly to help others, and for something to be done about violent crime in the city.”
“For me, the reason why I’m kind of upset is because it’s just embarrassing to our city, you know, and the fact that it happened to these people,” said Torres.
Marty and Kenny talk over the emergence of public safety – and the undeniable role of gangs of violent girls – as a key issue that the Mayoral candidates in particular will have to face questions about.
Then, we go thru the list of which candidates are registered so far- including 5 councilors seeking reelection – and we close the podcast by reiterating why independent media coverage is a critical tool for voters to be informed on the issues and know where the candidates stand.
Better leadership in the present will bring us a brighter future. Remember, You Have the Power.
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