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Statistics state that in Winnipeg, crime has gone down. However, if you live or work in the Downtown, West End, North End, or anywhere that isn’t a suburb, it certainly doesn’t feel like it.
Every night, the sounds of sirens drown out the sounds of people fighting on the street. There are no more peaceful evenings, just the glare of screams and gunshots through the night.
Yet, why are statistics saying crime is down? Our eyes don’t lie to us. We see crime and drugs everywhere. People walking out of businesses with unpaid merchandise, and drug deals happening openly on the street.
Our youth are being taken advantage of by the criminal element. 13 and 14 year olds are smoking meth right on the sidewalk.
Derelict houses are being used as drug labs, chop shops for stolen goods, and havens for prostitution. These houses get boarded up on a Monday and are reopened by Wednesday.
The reason for the statistical drop is plain and simple. Businesses and citizens have given up. Most don’t report incidents anymore, we’ve accepted what we see as a social norm, like it’s just another thing that happens.
We may talk about crime getting better, but the truth is that there is a long road ahead to make the city safe enough to walk around at night. In fact, it is currently difficult to feel safe even walking around during the day.
You take your kids to the park and hope you don’t step on a needle. You walk down the street and have to navigate through clouds coming from drug pipes.
How is it that every corner store and convenience store now carries pipes and other forms of drug paraphernalia openly? Most of them don’t even check IDs and are willing to sell to any age.
We need to start working together to make sure we report every crime, while actively collaborating with our local community groups.
Michael Paille
