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March 7th, 2024 Crime and Safety Meeting Notes
Our Whatsapp is currently in development. We covered the Whatsapp information page, and let the group know it’s slated to start up in April. For now, we need more people to message that they want to get involved, as the page is useless without community involvement.
- Wellness workers for businesses
After assaults, violent crimes, and robberies, criminals and violent offenders will be offered help from wellness workers free of charge. The victims of the crimes, like staff and business owners, are not offered these services, and are expected to pay for any help they need to receive. We hope to change that, and give victims the same help given to the offenders. A wellness worker should show up to a business within 24 hours after a robbery, violent crime, or assault, and talk to business staff affected.
An example of why this is needed can be said by any business owner. Someone comes into the business with a weapon, and threatens a staff member. That staff member is traumatized by the ordeal, and is given no options for help to deal with it without it costing them money they may not have. The staff member is very likely to quit after that, and have longer lasting effects.
By Canadian law, it’s expected the business owner covers any mental health help staff may need. Considering the amount we spend on helping offenders, this is insane. Many small businesses can’t afford the cost of counseling. Yet, if you’ve committed the crime, you’ll be offered all the help for free. We need to have more help for the victims, not the offenders.
- Crime to businesses and weapons used on businesses.
Every day, businesses face criminal acts against them. Shoplifting, robbery, assaults (both physical and verbal) affect staff negatively. We have a bin of weapons fellow businesses have taken off of people trying to attack them. The stakes have gone from robberies to full intent to severely harm. The lack of help for small businesses, alongside rising stakes, higher costs, and being put down by the media are making many business owners consider closing their doors.
- Problems being a business in the area.
In the area, we are met with many problems. February 1st, two staff at a Sargent Avenue business were physically assaulted and injured at 11:35AM. An ambulance arrived at 11:50AM, and after checking both staff over they were informed they had to pay the $250 fee. During the attack, 911 was called. Police arrived at 3PM, and told staff that major crimes would be in contact. It is March 7th, and the business has still received nothing.
Thursday February 29th, at 9:30AM a woman walked into a West End cafe covered in blood. Across the street, she’d been jumped, stabbed, and robbed by 5 people. Police and ambulance arrived at the scene, and she was taken to hospital. The incident was not reported on the police reports website, and when an officer was asked why they said that it happens too often to report every incident.
- Offenders terrorize businesses and are allowed to do so.
An argument business owners hear is that offenders attacking businesses aren’t being allowed to do it. In the month of February, one business owner marked each time the same woman was seen out and disrupting/attacking people around their area.
February 1st, 6:10AM, she had the cops called on her for public nudity and indecent exposure to minors. She was arrested, and taken in.
February 3rd, 9:35AM, she was seen again assaulting people on Sargent Avenue. She had the cops called on her, and was arrested.
February 8th, 12:15PM. She was seen outside on Sargent again. She was damaging buildings and property, assaulting people outside, and uttering threats. She was arrested, and the business owners were given a case number.
February 8th, 6:00PM. She was seen again the same day, dumping garbage cans all over the streets and attacking people. She injured a woman walking her dog by throwing a stolen hot coffee on her, and threw a stroller with a baby in it to the ground. She was arrested, and taken into custody.
February 10th, 3PM. She was seen in the area again, throwing orange paint on Akins mural. She had a hammer she attempted to attack someone with confiscated. The police were called, and she was arrested.
February 12th, February 15th, February 18th, February 24th, were all days she was yet again seen in the area harassing and attacking people. All times, police were called, and she was arrested.
This information is not only disturbing, but only a glimpse of what businesses and residents in the area have to deal with. People who do get arrested are out sometimes the same day, and back to attacking people outside. How is a business supposed to say the area is safe in these conditions? How are they supposed to feel like the offenders aren’t being allowed to do it?
Discussed Solution
Mental health workers join cadets patrolling the streets. This way, not only do we lessen the police workload, but also get the people the actual help they need.
- Theft initiative and issues with the webpage.
The retail theft initiative police page has a blurb stating that “if retailers require safety and crime prevention information,” they can contact the Community Relations Division. Yet, when you click on the link, it takes you to the community presentations page. The presentations are also directed towards schools, NOT businesses. This is a huge problem, as there isn’t ACTUALLY a place for retailers to ask questions or learn anything.
- Meeting Concluded
