cuchulainn
Member
I think that's supposed to be "28 of 60" not "28 or 60"in the first para. Which makes me wonder: 32 were not with guns, but guns are the problem?
http://www.mirror-guardian.com/to/etobicoke/story/844042p-1003161c.html
from Inside Toronto
http://www.mirror-guardian.com/to/etobicoke/story/844042p-1003161c.html
from Inside Toronto
Chief fires warning on gun violence
Getting weapons and shooters off the streets top priority, Rexdale residents told
TAMARA SHEPHARD More from this author
Jan. 22, 2003
Toronto Police Chief Julian Fantino reported crime in 23 Division is down 14 per cent across seven crime indicators and addressed the issue of racial profiling at a packed town hall meeting in Rexdale Monday night.
Fantino told a Thistletown Collegiate auditorium packed with about 500 residents gun violence continues to plague Toronto, with 28 or 60 murders last year the result of guns.
He called guns a "status symbol" to some youth, while telling residents the police need the public's help to identify both guns and shooters and get them off the street. He encouraged anyone with information to call the Toronto police gun hotline at 416-808-GUNS.
"Witnesses won't come forward people say because they're afraid of police," Fantino said at the Rexdale Boulevard-Islington Avenue area high school. "People won't come forward because they're afraid of gunmen, retribution and gunplay."
Last year, Toronto Police launched a five-point action plan aimed at increasing gun violence across the city.
Operation Gun Stop was launched in January, 2002 and included a temporary firearms amnesty (turning in weapons for Raptors tickets). The project removed 364 crime guns, made 1,300 arrests and resulted in 2,400 criminal charges, the chief reported.
Police introduced a gun task force, since become a permanent gun unit, responsible in 2002 for the seizure of about 3,000 firearms and 215,000 rounds of ammunition.
The accidental death of a six-year-old boy in Mississauga, shot while playing with his seven-year-old sister on Jan. 3 refocused attention on the gun trade.
A gang task force resulted in 300 arrests from May 1 to Dec. 31, 2002 and seized guns and drugs, including a 1.5-kilogram bag of crack cocaine.
While traffic safety remains a policing priority, 97 people were killed on Toronto roads last year, more than half of them pedestrians. That's a 32 per cent increase over traffic fatalities in 2001.
The two-hour community town hall meeting also introduced the Rexdale community to Ron Taverner, new superintendent at 23 Division.
The chief heard from residents who expressed concerns about social ills, such as too little available space for after-school programs for youth. One Somali woman alleged racism among different visible minorities.
Mohammed Omar, an executive member of Dixon Youth Network, said as a youth worker he hears Somali youth complain about police, added some feel they're being targeted.
"Some youth complain about police misconduct. They feel, 'I'm going down.' Some police provoke youth. They say they're getting consistently picked on because of who they are. When the youth behave in an inappropriate manner, they are charged. You can't deny that happens. You can't assume all police are racist or that all police are good. Some of these kids have 23-24 charges against them."
INTERACTION
Omar suggested youth need to learn how to interact with officers in elementary and high school, and also need an alternate place to hang out where services are provided.
Fantino addressed the issue of racial profiling reported in a series of Toronto Star articles, saying he has a "zero tolerance" for such activities.
"I've never denied the incidence of inappropriate conduct among a few members could be described as racist," he said. "Racial profiling is a term used to describe the black community. Racial profiling is best described as biased-based policing - a form of discrimination based on gender, religion, age, sexual orientation.
"I've never denied some officers use their power in a discriminatory manner. As an organization, we can say unequivocally, and I do, we are not racist nor do we condone racial profiling or any other discriminatory conduct."
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