Saturday, September 10, 2011

NDP CRIME STRATEGY

Greg Selinger today announced significant new resources in the fight against crime as part of a strategy that will work with police, communities, courts and all levels of government. Under this plan, Winnipeggers will see more police officers walking the beat downtown and in neighourhoods across the city, young people at risk will have more opportunities to avoid a life of crime, prosecutions will move through the system faster, and the province will work with Ottawa to make gang recruitment a crime, among other measures. “Manitobans want and deserve to feel safe in their homes and neighborhoods,” said Premier Greg Selinger, who was joined by people with experience on the front lines of crime prevention, from law enforcement to working with youth to teaching. Point Douglas NDP candidate Kevin Chief, who founded the Winnipeg Aboriginal Sport Achievement Centre, said “we will work together with everyone for safe communities.” Selinger’s plan will address crime with: Prevention, including: 50 more beat cops for Winnipeg; 25 more cadets for downtown Winnipeg; working with Ottawa to make gang recruitment a crime; launch a new program modeled on Chicago’s successful After School Matters; and build new jail facilities with effective addictions treatment and mental health programs. Faster Prosecutions, to achieve justice quickly with: a first-in-Canada weekend court; and more prosecutors and support staff to make the courts work more efficiently. Tougher Laws, including working with Ottawa to amend the federal Youth Criminal Justice Act, crack down on gangs, knife crimes, home invasions, carjacking and arson. The province will also fund 50 new police officers and 25 cadets in rural and northern Manitoba, expand the use of electronic monitoring bracelets in consultation with police, and add more special unit investigators to the Arson Strike Force, Criminal Property Forfeiture Unit, and for the Safer Communities and Neighbourhoods Act. Selinger’s crime reduction strategy is projected to cost $13.2 million.

Friday, September 9, 2011

Medical News Today: “Link Between Liquor Store Density And Youth Homicides, Violent Crime

Even though I hate US statistics, but I would think that this study also reflects what's happening in our city.

I hope all three parties look at controlling liquor in our neighbourhoods as well...

 

Medical News Today, “Link Between Liquor Store Density And Youth Homicides, Violent Crime,” 09 Sep 2011  

Violent crime could be reduced significantly if policymakers at the local level limit the number of neighborhood liquor stores and ban the sale of single-serve containers of alcoholic beverages, according to separate studies led by University of California, Riverside researchers.

In the first of two groundbreaking studies published in the September issue of the journal Drug and Alcohol Review -- "Alcohol availability and youth homicide in 91 of the largest U.S. cities, 1984-2006" -- researchers found a correlation between the density of alcohol outlets and violent crime rates among teens and young adults ages 13 to 24.

Study authors were sociology professors Robert N. Parker and Kirk R. Williams, co-directors of the Presley Center for Crime and Justice Studies at UCR; Kevin J. McCaffree, UCR research assistant; sociology professor Emily K. Acensio of the University of Akron, who earned her Ph.D. at UCR; Angela Browne of the Vera Institute of Justice in Washington, D.C.; and Kevin J. Strom and Kelle Barrick of RTI International in Research Triangle Park, N.C.

The second study, "The impact of retail practices on violence: The case of single serve alcohol beverage containers," examined crime rates and cooler space allocated to containers sold individually in San Bernardino, Calif. Researchers generally found higher rates of violent crime in neighborhoods around alcohol outlets that allot more than 10 percent of cooler space for single-serve containers. Study authors were Parker, McCaffree and Daniel Skiles of the Institute for Public Strategies in San Bernardino.

"These results suggest that alcohol control can be an important tool in violence prevention," Parker said. "Policies designed to reduce outlet density can provide relief from violence in and around these neighborhood outlets. And banning or reducing the sales of single-serve, ready-to-consume containers of alcohol can have an additional impact on preventing violence."

Researchers in the first study analyzed federal crime data for offenders ages 13 to 17 and 18 to 24 and census population and economic data to determine crime rates and the density of beer, wine and liquor stores in 91 of the largest American cities in 36 states.

Taking into account other factors known to contribute to youth homicide rates - such as poverty, drugs, availability of guns, and gangs - the researchers found that higher densities of liquor stores, providing easy access to alcoholic beverages, contributed significantly to higher youth homicide rates.

"Our findings suggest that reducing retail alcohol outlet density should significantly reduce the trends of youth homicide," Parker said.

In the study of single-serve alcohol containers, researchers from UCR and the Institute for Public Strategies in San Bernardino collected data on alcohol outlet locations, violent crime reported to the San Bernardino Police Department and census data on a variety of population, family and age indicators. Workers from the San Bernardino County Department of Public Health's Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention Program visited every liquor store in the city, and counted the number of coolers containing alcoholic beverages at each location and the amount of cooler space devoted to single-serve containers.

All of that data was mapped using a Geographic Information Systems software program.

The researchers found that violent crime rates were significantly higher in neighborhoods that had both higher densities of liquor stores and retail outlets that devoted more cooler space for single-serve containers. The impact of sales of single-serve containers of alcoholic beverages alone was "modest," they said. The higher the percentage

"As far as we are aware, this is the first study of its kind to examine the impact of single-serve sales on violence, and the first study to use the proportion of cooler space as an indicator of sales volume of a type of alcoholic beverage," the researchers wrote. ... "There is no reason that communities concerned about single-serve containers and their impact cannot take regulatory action on the basis of this limited study. Community interests should dictate local policy, and the potential benefits of reduced violence outweigh any potential harm that the banning or limitation of such sales would create."

Parker said one type of regulatory measure that could be justified on the basis of the study's findings would be the adoption of a Deemed Approved Ordinance. Such a law would give cities more authority "to set acceptable standards of practice for existing alcohol retailers, as well as help to reduce existing outlet density by strengthening the local authority's ability to punish consistent violators of these standards of practice with the permanent loss of the ability to do business."

Cities included in the youth homicide study, by state:

Alabama: Birmingham, Mobile, Montgomery
Alaska: Anchorage
Arizona: Phoenix
Arkansas: Little Rock
California: Anaheim, Fresno, Long Beach, Los Angeles, Oakland, Riverside, Sacramento, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose, Santa Ana, Stockton
Colorado: Colorado Springs, Denver
Georgia: Atlanta, Columbus
Hawaii: Honolulu
Illinois: Chicago
Indiana: Fort Wayne, Gary, Indianapolis
Iowa: Des Moines
Kentucky: Lexington-Fayette, Louisville
Louisiana: Baton Rouge, New Orleans, Shreveport
Maryland: Baltimore
Massachusetts: Boston, Springfield, Worcester
Michigan: Detroit, Flint, Grand Rapids
Minnesota: Minneapolis, St. Paul
Mississippi: Jackson
Missouri: Kansas City, St. Louis
Nebraska: Lincoln
Nevada: Las Vegas
New Jersey: Jersey City, Newark
New Mexico: Albuquerque
New York: Buffalo, New York City, Rochester, Syracuse
North Carolina: Charlotte, Greensboro, Raleigh
Ohio: Akron, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton, Toledo
Oklahoma: Oklahoma City, Tulsa
Oregon: Portland
Pennsylvania: Philadelphia, Pittsburgh
Rhode Island: Providence
Tennessee: Chattanooga, Knoxville, Memphis, Nashville-Davidson
Texas: Amarillo, Austin, Corpus Christi, Dallas, El Paso, Fort Worth, Houston, Lubbock, San Antonio Utah: Salt Lake City
Virginia: Norfolk, Richmond, Virginia Beach
Washington: Seattle, Spokane, Tacoma
Wisconsin: Madison, Milwaukee

Top 100 cities eliminated from study for incomplete data: District of Columbia, Fort Lauderdale, Jacksonville, Miami, Omaha, St. Petersburg, Tampa, Tucson and Wichita.
--
Article URL: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/234091.php

if you are voting or not voting this is require reading... CRIME IS AN ISSUE

Our system shows that you are currently using an older browser. Our website is designed to support all browsers, but users with older versions may encounter problems. For an optimal web experience, please consider upgrading your browser.
Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION

Public safety emerges quickly as vote-getter

All parties take stance to address hot-button issue

Posted: 09/7/2011 1:00 AM

The campaign has barely begun and already each party is trying to put a fresh spin on Winnipeg's most intractable issue: Crime.

Moments the writ was dropped, the Liberals and Tories announced the first of what will be a week's worth of crime-related promises, focused largely on gangs.

By late afternoon the NDP joined the fray, hinting at its own brand of get-tough measures at a campaign stop in Brandon.

This is now Winnipeg's third election in a year, the third time we've watched politicians boil crime solutions down to two things: More cops and some floor hockey.

The Tories, who earned the most momentum in the 2007 campaign from their crime week, were quick out of the gate with a pledge of 15 new police officers, dedicated to cracking down on illegal guns. They also promised a couple of community recreation funds to improve neighbourhood sports programs and keep kids out of gangs.

The NDP also promised more officers, with more details to come.

The Liberals leapfrogged right to the floor hockey and promised $4.6 million to boost inner-city recreation.

Trouble is, the "midnight basketball" solution to youth crime and gangs has not necessarily proven that effective. Researchers say the kids who participate in recreation programs are often the same kids who already have some natural defences against gang life. The "roots causes of crime" -- a catchphrase you'll hear a lot in the next four weeks -- go much deeper, and don't make for quick sound bites or slogans.

"Whatever else gangs are, they are collective solutions to shared problems," said University of Ottawa criminologist Ross Hastings, who organized a gang crime conference several years ago. "Kids face challenges they can't solve any other way."

That includes all the trappings of poverty -- abusive or absentee parents, moving from one crappy, overcrowded apartment to another, illiteracy and school failure, hunger and victimization on the streets from which only a gang can protect them.

Winnipeg's crime rate is on the decline, mirroring continent-wide trends. The city still leads the pack when it comes to violent crime, much of it gang-related, but crime statistics and the plethora of daily police press releases show clearly that the worst of it happens in the inner city, often to people who know the perpetrator.

Still, the issue plays big as a vote-getter in suburban ridings key to forming government. There, the perception of crime looms larger than the reality.

That perception was bolstered this summer by a spate of fire-bombings and shootings in middle-class neighbourhoods like Lord Roberts and St. Vital, part of a gang turf war. There was also a string of garage arsons in affluent areas like River Heights.

Winnipeg already has the most police officers per capita of almost any jurisdiction in Canada. The province's jails are overflowing and the government is building new ones. Even the provincial NDP, at odds with its federal cousins, routinely demands Ottawa toughen the Criminal Code and the young offenders act.

Few politicians in Manitoba are willing to break the hang-'em-high mould, even though some of the United States' most right-leaning politicians, including Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich and former Homeland Security undersecretary Asa Hutchinson, have disavowed the American experiment with mandatory minimum prison sentences and other tough-on-crime measures.

Real solutions to the city's crime problem may be more nuanced.

Hastings said it's not necessarily more police, but using officers more wisely to target high-crime areas and build real trust with residents too intimidated to come forward with street-level information.

It's swift and certain punishment, not necessarily severe prison sentences, that act as a deterrent, he said. That means better policing and more Crown attorneys, but it also means rethinking sentences that focus on treatment and training while also reducing the caseloads of parole officers so they can really monitor chronic offenders in the community.

It's also creating affordable housing, using child welfare services to help people be better parents and other soft stuff that's a hard sell at election time.

"People leave gangs when they have hope of something better," like a real job or a chance to succeed in school, said Hastings. "Most kids in gangs simply don't believe that's possible."

maryagnes.welch@freepress.mb.ca

 

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition September 7, 2011 A4

Thursday, September 8, 2011

Prescription Drugs...They Lied...

She's probably worth millions...

So today I'm on my scooter driving home down Osborne. I stop at a crosswalk for a little old lady. Traffic was crazy. Everyone rushing. She starts crossing ever so slowly. Suddenly she stops... bends slowwwwwwly down and slowwwwwwwly picks up a penny. She puts it in her purse, standing in the crosswalk, looks at me and smiles. I couldn't help but think... She's probably worth millions...

There's a lesson there...

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Want to reduce crime? Get tough on poverty, not the poor...

Normal.dotm 0 0 1 258 1473 GAP Manitoba Inc. 12 2 1808 12.0 0 false 18 pt 18 pt 0 0 false false false

For Immediate Release:

Tuesday, September 6th, 2011 

Want to reduce crime?  Get tough on poverty, not the poor 

The John Howard Society is calling on all parties in the provincial election to focus on addressing poverty and addictions in order to reduce crime.  “Its popular to throw out all kinds of ‘solutions’ – from more police to increased use of jails and prisons, but any solution that doesn’t address poverty and addictions is no solution at all,”  observed John Hutton, Executive Director.  “Workable solutions have to be based on reality and fixing root causes.”

The connection between poverty, addictions and crime is quite clear when one looks at recent murders. Winnipeg has had 29 murders so far this year.  According to Floyd Wiebe, Executive Director of Gang Awareness for Parents – a program that seeks to keep young people out of gangs, “only 2 of the 29 murders appear to be related to the sale of drugs, but 18 murders appear to have been committed by those under the influence of drugs or alcohol, and 19 murders were committed in the north-end/inner-city, where the poverty rates are the highest”.

According to Hutton,“crime is not a new problem and it doesn’t need a new solution:  improving educational and employment opportunities for low-income Manitobans, continuing to fund drop-in and recreational programs for at-risk youth, and funding treatment for addictions and alcohol abuse are existing approaches that work and which need to be expanded.  And this can be done for far less money than the cost of building new jails and endlessly hiring additional police constables”, Hutton concluded.

 

For further information, please contact

John Hutton, MSW,

Executive Director of the John Howard Society of Manitoba

 (204) 775-1514, ext. 315 or (204) 612-4570

September 2, 2011 29 murders this year, and it's only 2/3 done. (Revised)

Normal.dotm 0 0 1 1789 10199 GAP Manitoba Inc. 84 20 12525 12.0 0 false 18 pt 18 pt 0 0 false false false

When you read this list of murders, its apparent that liquor and drugs is the main component that “fuels” people’s anger and as a result, a murder. Oftentimes, during court, evidence shows that drugs were also a part of the mixture. What is surprising here is that only a couple are gang or drug dealing related. Note: One can’t forget all the attempted murders. I’ve actually never seen a Winnipeg statistic on this. Every weekend, never mind weekday, we have 4-5 stabbings or shootings. It’s only because the knife or bullet didn’t hit a vital organ that these people are living!

 

1] Jan 6: Darryl John SINCLAIR, 45, stabbed. Robert Carl PRINCE, 44 charged with 2nd degree murder. Alcohol suspected to be a factor.  Occurred in north-end.

 

One man is dead and another is in custody following a late-night drinking party at an apartment block in Winnipeg's North End.” – Winnipeg Free Press, http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/late-night-apartment-killing-citys-first-homicide-of-2011-113126914.html 

 

2] Jan 16: Zenon Sylvester BOZYNSKI, 48 injured, perhaps beaten outside a Redwood Avenue apartment block. Jamie Jossens MORRISSEAU, 27 years of Winnipeg and Gamielle William Harry COURCHENE, 25 years of Fort Alexander, Manitoba have both been charged with 2nd Degree Murder. No information available regarding drugs or alcohol. Occurred in North End.

 

3] Jan 28: A 16-year-old male stabbed on Allegheny Drive. 28 year old Matthew Craig KRASNY of Winnipeg has been arrested and charged with 2nd Degree Murder as a result of his alleged involvement. Possible Drug Dispute?

 

“Cameron (victim) was no angel and his mother was the first to admit it. She registered him for a program at the Addictions Foundation of Manitoba when she caught him smoking pot.” – Winnipeg Free Press, http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/mother-ran-to-dying-sons-side-114919829.html 

Occurred in Fort Richmond

 

4 and 5] Feb 5: Darren Joey SWAMPY, 19 years of age and Lee Brady SPENCE, 22 shot on Elgin Avenue. Randy Murray WILLIAMS, 27 years of age was arrested and subsequently charged with 2nd Degree Murder x 2 as a result of his alleged involvement.  Alcohol suspected to be a factor.

 

The victims had been evicted from a house party on Ross Avenue, two blocks northeast of Elgin. The suspect had also been evicted from the same party separately.” – Winnipeg Free Press, http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/good-guy-gunned-down-115412934.html

            Occurred, near Public Safety Building

 

6] Feb 18: Casandra Lydia KNOTT, 27 is arrested for the homicide of Orzias Joram KNOTT, 34. Alcohol suspected to be a factor

.

 

Police say Knott was hanging out and possibly drinking with friends and family at his wife's apartment at about 5:30 p.m. when he got into an argument with his wife.” – Winnipeg Free Press, http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/man-dies-after-stabbing-116556753.html

 

            Occurred on Kennedy Street

 

7] Feb 24: Senior citizen Elizabeth Lafantasie is found dead, stuffed in her trunk. A few days later Thomas Brine is arrested and charged with first-degree murder.  Addiction suspected to be a factor.

 

In January 2006, he was charged with uttering threats and assault after breaking into an ex-girlfriend's home… During a videotaped police statement, Brine confessed to the crimes and blamed his actions on a crack cocaine addiction… In a bail hearing in 2006, a judge raised concerns and denied Brine's release… Brine was later sent to Teen Challenge where the hope was he could get treatment for his drug addiction. But he didn't finish the program. He was charged for escaping custody--using a bed sheet to climb out this second story window.” – CTV Winnipeg, http://winnipeg.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20110303/wpg_brine_110303?hub=WinnipegHome

          Occurred (car and body found) on Lewis Street near River Avenue

 

8] March 16: Abdul Rahim Mah JEMEI 22 is stabbed to death downtown. a 16 year old male is arrested soon after, and Ramsey SWAIN, 24 is charged March 29. No information regarding drugs or alcohol.

           

            Occurred on Vaughan, near Portage Avenue

           

9] March 28: Frank Alexander dies after an alleged assault at Parkview Place. Joe McLeod, an alzheimer’s patient, is charged with manslaughter. Mental Illness.

 

            No drugs or alcohol involved

 

10] April 20: 42-year-old Sheila Fontaine is killed outside the Merchant’s Hotel on Selkirk. The arrest of Teya Wynter SPENCE, 18 is announced a few days later. She and three other teen girls face manslaughter charges. Alcohol suspected to be a factor

 

           

Witnesses said the woman and her daughter were having a drink at the hotel and then went outside to smoke.” – CTV Winnipeg, http://winnipeg.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20110421/wpg_stabbing_death_042111/20110421/?hub=WinnipegHome

 

Occurred on Selkirk Avenue

 

11] April 29: 20-year-old Trevor Abraham Harper is shot in the 500 block of Portage. 15 year old male youth was located and arrested in the area of Pembina Highway and Plaza Drive on May 4 Dispute with several youths.

 

            No known motive or cause, no mention of drugs or alcohol

 

            Occurred Downtown, at corner of Portage and Young

 

12] May 10: Solomon Joseph Andrew TURNER found dead — stabbed — in his home. The next day, Lloyd Alfred Lindsay is charged with second-degree murder. Wanda Lisa RAHMAN (Bruce), 32 is charged with the same crime May 27.

 

            No mention of drugs or alcohol

           

            Occurred in Point Douglas

           

13] May 14: Gina Swanson, 33 is found dead in her Edderton Avenue home. Schuyler Francis Van Wissen, 26 has been charged with first-degree murder and assault with a weapon. Drug use suspected as a factor.

 

Those who know him say he had a problem with drugs, went by the name Skyler and sometimes stayed with his parents, who live in the same neighbourhood as the woman he is now accused of killing.” – CTV Winnipeg, http://winnipeg.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20110518/wpg_edderton_death_110518/20110813/?hub=WinnipegHome

            Occurred in Fort Garry

 

14] May 16: Gerald Crayford, 54, dies after an apparent assault at a Pizza Hotline outlet. A 15-year-old is charged with second-degree murder. Byron Charlie Bushie, 18 is arrested and charged with the same crime a few days later.

 

            No mention of drugs or alcohol use.

 

            Occurred in East Kildonan

 

15] May 16: Iris Heald, 61, was killed after she was allegedly knocked down by another woman in the West End. Police charged 35-year-old Cynthia Elaine Thomas with manslaughter, after Heald died from her injuries. Alcohol suspected to be a factor

 

 

Investigators are also examining how intoxicants might have played a role in the incident, police said.” – Winnipeg Sun, http://www.winnipegsun.com/2011/05/17/woman-61-assaulted-in-west-end

Occurred in West End           

16] May 21: Leslie Alex OKEMOW, 29 is found dead at the St. Regis. Arnold Harper turns himself in to face a manslaughter charge on May 21..

 

            No mention of drugs or alcohol

 

            Occurred Downtown, at St. Regis Hotel

           

17] June 26: Steven Kyle DODGE, 26, found stabbed on Arlington. Same day: Nathan Allan BRICKLIN, 18 years of age is charged with second-degree murder. Alcohol suspected to be a factor

 

 

Dodge's mother said in a note to the Free Press her son asked her daughter's boyfriend to leave their home because he was drinking.” – Winnipeg Free Press, http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/backyard-brawl-ends-in-fatality-charges-laid-124635949.html

 

            Occurred in West End

 

18, 19, 20, 21, 22] July 16: Lulonda Lynn Flett is charged with five counts of second degree murder for the arson-related deaths of Norman Darius ANDERSON, 22 years Maureen Claire HARPER, 54 years, Kenneth Bradley MONKMAN, 49 years, Dean James STRANDEN, 44 years, and Robert Curtis LAFORTE, 56 years. She also faces three attempted murder charges. Alcohol suspected to be a factor.

 

”A woman was arrested at a Main Street bar and charged with murder after four people died and two others were critically injured in a Point Douglas rooming house that was allegedly purposely set ablaze, a cigarette is believed to have sparked fire.  About 14 hours after emergency crews rushed to 288 Austin St. North, police officers went into the lounge at the Northern Hotel, motioned to a woman to follow them and she calmly complied.” – Winnipeg Sun, http://www.sunnewsnetwork.ca/sunnews/canada/archives/2011/07/20110718-085259.html

Occurred on Austin Street

23] July 19: Cara Lynn HIEBERT, 31 is found dead in her home and is considered a homicide. Case as-yet unsolved. Anyone who has information regarding this incident is asked to call investigators at 986-6508 or CrimeStoppers at 786- TIPS (8477). Possible Domestic.

 

            Still unsolved

 

            Occurred in North End

 

24] August 5: Baljinder Singh SIDHU, 27 had been stabbed after a fight involving a large number of persons. Alcohol suspected to be a factor.

.

 

It's believed two groups were inside a neighbourhood bar when an argument began. The dispute spilled onto Osborne Street, where Singh was stabbed.” – CTV Winnipeg, http://winnipeg.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20110805/wpg_osborne_closed_080511/20110806/?hub=WinnipegHome

 

            Occurred in Osborne Village

 

 

25] August 20: Marcel Murdock 40, was killed after a family fight between two families. A 17 year old girl ran him over with a car. Charged with First Degree Murder.

 

Two families were socializing at a house when a fight broke out between a 17-year-old girl and her 18-year-old boyfriend early Saturday morning, said police. “- CTV Winnipeg, http://winnipeg.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20110824/wpg_charges_110824/20110824/?hub=WinnipegHome

         Occurred on Garfield Street

26] August 20: Tim Koostachin, 30, was killed by Ray Vaughn Munro, 19, and has been charged with manslaughter. Alcohol suspected to be a factor.

 

Police constable Jason Michalyshen says Koostachin and Ray Munro got into a fight after leaving a house party in the 400 block of Elgin Avenue… Michalyshen says alcohol may have been a factor but couldn't say whether either man was drunk at the time of the fight.” – CJOB, http://www.cjob.com/News/Local/Story.aspx?ID=1527046

            Occurred on Elgin Avenue

 

27] August 25: Robert Rourke, 22, killed by Gregory Troy Govereau, 38, after a party. Alcohol suspected to be a factor.

 

The stabbing occurred during a fight in the early morning of Saturday, August 20, when police allege two men left a house party in the area.” – Winnipeg Free Press, http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/Stabbed-man-dies-man-charged-128560183.html

           

            Occurred on Burrows Avenue

 

28] August 27: April Helen Hornbrook, 24, body found in area of Main & Sutherland. No arrests. Anyone who has information regarding this incident is asked to call investigators at 986-6508 or CrimeStoppers at 786- TIPS (8477).

 

            Still unsolved

 

            Occurred near intersection of Main and Sutherland

 

29] August 31: Joseph Lalonde, 48. Youths, wielding a baseball bat attacked him and his 18-year-old daughter. Two 15-year-old boys used the bat to beat the man then attacked his daughter when she tried to intervene. Youths asked what gang daughter was in. The man and his daughter are not gang involved however the youths are. Gang Initiation?

 

Police say a group of people got into a verbal confrontation — that may have involved rival street gangs — earlier in the evening.” – Winnipeg Sun, http://www.winnipegsun.com/2011/08/31/dad-killed-defending-daughter

            No mention of drugs or alcohol

            Occurred on Dufferin Avenue            

 

A brilliant quote...

Resentment is like drinking poison and then hoping it will kill your enemies.

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Sunday, September 4, 2011

Friday, September 2, 2011

Customer Service...?

So funny... I'm at Superstore... I have all my stuff on the conveyor and forgot frozen pie shells... I say... "Would you please ask one of the guys to get a box of no name pie shells?" Her face turned to one of absolute horror... and said, "You want us to get you pie shells?". "Well.." I said, "It would be a lot easier...".

So she calls a dude and he gets it real quick. It was just funny how she reacted to actually give customer service!

GANG ACTION INTERAGENCY NETWORK is hosting a RUN to raise awareness about gang intervention programs in Winnipeg!

Gain_run

 

Watch how our clothing fashions have changed over 100 years in 100 seconds. AMAZING!

29 murders this year, and it's only 2/3 done. Most are alcohol related...

When you read this list of murders, its apparent that liquor is the main component that “fuels” people’s anger and as a result, a murder. Oftentimes, during court, evidence shows that drugs were also a part of the mixture. What is surprising here is that only a couple are gang or drug dealing related. Note: One can’t forget all the attempted murders. I’ve actually never seen a Winnipeg statistic on this. Every weekend, never mind weekday, we have 4-5 stabbings or shootings. It’s only because the knife or bullet didn’t hit a vital organ that these people are living!

1] Jan 6: Darryl John SINCLAIR, 45, stabbed. Robert Carl PRINCE, 44 charged with 2nd degree murder. Drunken Brawl.

2] Jan 16: Zenon Sylvester BOZYNSKI, 48 injured, perhaps beaten outside a Redwood Avenue apartment block. Jamie Jossens MORRISSEAU, 27 years of Winnipeg and Gamielle William Harry COURCHENE, 25 years of Fort Alexander, Manitoba have both been charged with 2nd Degree Murder. Drunken Dispute.

3] Jan 28: A 16-year-old male stabbed on Allegheny Drive. 28 year old Matthew Craig KRASNY of Winnipeg has been arrested and charged with 2nd Degree Murder as a result of his alleged involvement. Possible Drug Dispute?

4 and 5] Feb 5: Darren Joey SWAMPY, 19 years of age and Lee Brady SPENCE, 22 shot on Elgin Avenue. Randy Murray WILLIAMS, 27 years of age was arrested and subsequently charged with 2ndDegree Murder x 2 as a result of his alleged involvement. Drunken Dispute.

6] Feb 18: Casandra Lydia KNOTT, 27 is arrested for the homicide of Orzias Joram KNOTT, 34. Drunken Dispute.

7] Feb 24: Senior citizen Elizabeth Lafantasie is found dead, stuffed in her trunk. A few days later Thomas Brine is arrested and charged with first-degree murder. Drug addict robbery?

8] March 16: Abdul Rahim Mah JEMEI 22 is stabbed to death downtown. a 16 year old male is arrested soon after, and Ramsey SWAIN, 24 is charged March 29. No Motive? Dispute?

9] March 28: Frank Alexander dies after an alleged assault at Parkview Place. Joe McLeod, an alzheimer’s patient, is charged with manslaughter. Mental Illness.

10] April 20: 42-year-old Sheila Fontaine is killed outside the Merchant’s Hotel on Selkirk. The arrest of Teya Wynter SPENCE, 18 is announced a few days later. She and three other teen girls face manslaughter charges. Drunken Dispute.

11] April 29: 20-year-old Trevor Abraham Harper is shot in the 500 block of Portage. 15 year old male youth was located and arrested in the area of Pembina Highway and Plaza Drive on May 4 . Dispute with several youths.

12] May 10: Solomon Joseph Andrew TURNER found dead — stabbed — in his home. The next day, Lloyd Alfred Lindsay is charged with second-degree murder. Wanda Lisa RAHMAN (Bruce), 32 is charged with the same crime May 27. Domestic.

13] May 14: Gina Swanson, 33 is found dead in her Edderton Avenue home. Schuyler Francis Van Wissen, 26 has been charged with first-degree murder and assault with a weapon. Drug fuelled robbery.

14] May 16: Gerald Crayford, 54, dies after an apparent assault at a Pizza Hotline outlet. A 15-year-old is charged with second-degree murder. Byron Charlie Bushie, 18 is arrested and charged with the same crime a few days later. Robbery.

15] May 16: Iris Heald, 61, was killed after she was allegedly knocked down by another woman in the West End. Police charged 35-year-old Cynthia Elaine Thomas with manslaughter, after Heald died from her injuries. Drunken Dispute.

16] May 21: Leslie Alex OKEMOW, 29 is found dead at the St. Regis. Arnold Harper turns himself in to face a manslaughter charge on May 21. Drunken Dispute.

17] June 26: Steven Kyle DODGE, 26, found stabbed on Arlington. Same day: Nathan Allan BRICKLIN, 18 years of age is charged with second-degree murder. Argument and Domestic.

18, 19, 20, 21, 22] July 16: Lulonda Lynn Flett is charged with five counts of second degree murder for the arson-related deaths of Norman Darius ANDERSON, 22 years Maureen Claire HARPER, 54 years, Kenneth Bradley MONKMAN, 49 years, Dean James STRANDEN, 44 years, and Robert Curtis LAFORTE, 56 years. She also faces three attempted murder charges. Who knows? Psychotic? Drunk?

23] July 19: Cara Lynn HIEBERT, 31 is found dead in her home and is considered a homicide. Case as-yet unsolved. Anyone who has information regarding this incident is asked to call investigators at 986-6508 or CrimeStoppers at 786- TIPS (8477). Possible Domestic.

24] August 5: Baljinder Singh SIDHU, 27 had been stabbed after a fight involving a large number of persons. Drunken Dispute.

25] August 20: Marcel Murdock 40, was killed after a family fight between two families. A 17 year old girl ran him over with a car. Charged with First Degree Murder. Family Dispute.

26] August 20: Tim Koostachin, 30, was killed by Ray Vaughn Munro, 19, and has been charged with manslaughter. Argument over a girl. Drunken Dispute.

27] August 25: Robert Rourke, 22, killed by Gregory Troy Govereau, 38, after a party. Drunken Dispute.

28] August 27: April Helen Hornbrook, 24, body found in area of Main & Sutherland. No arrests. Anyone who has information regarding this incident is asked to call investigators at 986-6508 or CrimeStoppers at 786- TIPS (8477).

29] August 24 but victim died August 31: Joseph Lalond, 48. Youths, wielding a baseball bat attacked him and his 18-year-old daughter. Two 15-year-old boys used the bat to beat the man then attacked his daughter when she tried to intervene. Youths asked what gang daughter was in. The man and his daughter are not gang involved however the youths are. Gang Initiation?

Thursday, September 1, 2011

The young gang member is out of control.

You gotta shake your head how this boy turned out to be so vicious. This kid will I'm sure repeat crime after crime his entire life. It's sad... Real sad...

Teen gang member gets 5 years for initiation assaults
WINNIPEG FREE PRESS
By: Mike McIntyre

A Winnipeg youth gang member has agreed to an adult sentence for his role in a home invasion which left two men critically injured. James Pottinger, 18, pleaded guilty on Thursday to the February 2010 attack and was sentenced to five years in prison under a joint-recommendation from Crown and defence lawyers. He was 16 at the time of the attack and would have only faced a maximum of two years custody under the Youth Criminal Justice Act. However, the Crown likely would have sought a longer adult sentence if he hadn’t agreed to admit responsibility and avoid a trial. Pottinger and at least five other fellow members of the MOB gang stormed inside a William Avenue home, armed with a variety of weapons including knives and ice picks, court was told. Their target was a 17-year-old boy they believed was trying to have a romantic relationship with one of their girlfriends. Once inside, they began kicking and punching the teen, broke several glass plates over his head and then stabbed him in the scalp and upper body. The victim’s 46-year-old uncle tried to stop the attack but was stabbed twice in the back with a hunting knife. Crown attorney Mary Goska told court the knife went through the man’s back and out his torso, narrowly missing any vital organs. All of the accused then fled the scene, leaving both victims in life-threatening condition. The pair spent several weeks in hospital for a variety of injuries which included a fractured skull to the youth. Pottinger told police he agreed to participate in the attack as part of his initiation into the gang, believing he would move from "striker" to "full-patch member" as a result. He has continued to be a menace behind bars, with at least 19 violent incidents noted by officials since his arrest. Defence lawyer Chris Sigurdson told court his client is a "very damaged young man" as a result of a terrible upbringing that included his mother being murdered when he was a child. Several co-accused in the home invasion remain before the courts.

I am a keynote speaker at the "Defining Our Tomorrows" Conference of the Child and Youth Care Worker's Association of Manitoba

Street crime is a distorted form of social protest, It comes out of anger, hostility to the system, to the man, to the rules, to the conditions of life that are so harsh...

A quote from:

Andrew Karmen, a sociologist at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice

Why Did Crime Fall in New York City? Could we apply some of this to Winnipeg?

New_york_times
http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/08/13/why-did-crime-fall-in-new-york-city/

Why Did Crime Fall in New York City?

Did the “broken windows” strategy and CompStat drive down crime in New York City in the 1990s?

Both strategies are indelibly linked to former MayorRudolph W. Giuliani and his first police commissioner, William J. Bratton.

Social scientists and criminologists have endlessly debated the extent to which effective policing was truly responsible for the drop in crime, compared with other factors like the higher incarceration rate, improved economic conditions, the lessening of the crack cocaine epidemic, a relative reduction in the numbers of 16- to 24-year-olds and even the abortion rate.

A new round of the debate took place this morning in Manhattan, during the annual meeting of theAmerican Sociological Association. The meeting, which continues through Tuesday, drew some 6,100 sociologists this year from around the world.

Among the three experts who gave presentations, the consensus seemed to be that effective policing matters – but not nearly as much as Mr. Giuliani and other city officials (including his successor Michael R. Bloomberg) have claimed.

First, some context. The broken windows theory, pioneered by George L. Kelling and often lumped together with the notion of zero-tolerance policing, holds that aggressive enforcement against minor quality-of-life crimes, like loitering and fare-beating, deters further petty crime and ultimately drives down major crime. Compstat is the computerized system Mr. Bratton and one of his top deputies, Jack Maple, devised to keep track of crime problems and hold police commanders accountable for addressing the most crime-prone areas.

Sandro Galea, an epidemiologist at the University of Michigan School of Public Health, spoke first. His research is heavy on statistical analysis, but his general point seemed to be that the correlation between a surge in misdemeanor arrests in the 1990s (one measurement of tougher policing) could not be used to explain the the drop in homicide (a major example of crime reduction) once variations among different neighborhoods are taken into account.

“The story is complicated,” he said. “Clearly, the relation between policing, disorder and crime is cloudy.” A combination of socioeconomic changes and changes in the “physical order” of the city’s neighborhoods probably drove the decrease in homicides in the 1990s, although tougher policing and the drop in cocaine use also played some role, he said.

Andrew Karmen, a sociologist at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice and the author of “New York Murder Mystery: The True Story Behind the Crime Crash of the 1990s” (New York University Press, 2000), spoke next.

Mr. Karmen was more decisive in his presentation, focusing on the role that Compstat has played in driving down crime in New York. He noted that Mr. Giuliani had promised to implement Compstat-like programs across the federal government if elected president.

Mr. Karmen noted that many police departments across the country and even overseas “have adopted a Compstat approach to their daily operations” and added, “A virtual cottage industry has developed as former N.Y.P.D. officials have been hired as consultants to set up Compstat in other departments.” The strategy was seen as so effective, Mr. Karmen noted, that in 1996 Time Magazine called the N.Y.P.D. the “Lourdes of policing.”

A 2001 survey found that more than one-third of nation’s 515 largest police departments had implemented Compstat in some form.

However, Mr. Karmen said, the results in cities that have adopted the Compstat model have been mixed: Philadelphia is “in the grip of a murder wave,” Seattle’s homicide decline “has flattened out,” and the New Orleans police remains as ineffective as it was before Hurricane Katrina. The same dismal trend, he said, goes for Minneapolis, Louisville, Boston and Baltimore.

Mr. Karmen said that it can be hard to evaluate Compstat for a key reason. If crime rates go down, its proponents credit the program. If crime doesn’t go down, the program’s proponents say the program’s six core elements – a clear mission, internal accountability, geographical organization of operational command, organizational flexibility, a reliance on data and innovative problem-solving tactics – were not faithfully followed. Mr. Karmen said he did not rule out the latter explanation: “Implementing Compstat could be a matter of degree, and some departments just don’t get it.”

Yet, he said, “None of the other cities have experienced anything like New York’s remarkable improvement in public safety.” So either those other cities all failed to follow Compstat fully, or Compstat, he said, “is not the entire reason why crime went down.”

Michael P. Jacobson, the director of the Vera Institute of Justice, who was probation and correction commissioner in the Giuliani administration, was the final speaker.

Mr. Jacobson discussed a remarkable phenomenon: Far more arrests took place than in the early 1990s, and yet the number of New Yorkers in jail or in prison has declined.

Before the Giuliani era, he said, about half the people arrested for low-level offenses would get a desk-appearance ticket ordering them to go to court. The proportion now is about 10 percent.

“Essentially, everyone who’s arrested in New York City, in the parlance of city criminal justice lingo, goes through ‘the system,’” Mr. Jacobson noted. “Most everyone who’s arrested spends, on average, 24 hours in some kind of lockup before they see an arraignment judge.”

Even a short period in a holding cell can be enough to deter further law-breaking, he said:

For a lot of people who go through the system repeatedly, going through the system one more time is probably not a life-altering experience. But if you’ve never gone through the system, even 24 hours – that’s a shocking period of punishment. It’s debasing, it’s difficult. You’re probably in a fairly gross police lockup. You probably have no toilet paper. You’re given a baloney sandwich, and the baloney is green.

The city’s jails now hold about 13,000 to 14,000 people, down from roughly 23,000 in 1993.

“There are tons more people coming in, but they stay for far shorter periods of time, which drives down the need for jailbeds in New York City,” Mr. Jacobson said.

The same pattern holds for the prison system, he said. The city used to send about 20,000 inmates each year to the state prison system; the number now is about 8,000.

During the question-and-answer session that followed the presentations, Mr. Karmen was more explicit about what he saw as the reasons for the crime decline.

“Street crime is a distorted form of social protest,” he said. “It comes out of anger, hostility to the system, to the man, to the rules, to the conditions of life that are so harsh. Frankly, I don’t see young people – including young minority males – being so angry any more.”

There remains “a hard-core group of people that are disconnected socially, marginalized, out of work, out of school” that continues to engage in drug-dealing and violent gun play, he said, but far more people have had their anger diluted by “the consumer society.”

(On a side note, he added that the diminution in anger is both good and bad. “They’re not committing crimes, but they’re not tackling these social conditions that have to be remedied,” he said.)

Mr. Jacobson said that “a general consensus” seems to have emerged that effective policing in New York has made some difference – even though “the statistical effects, if they are there at all, are small.”

Joyce Purnick of The Times, who attended the meeting, asked the panelists why the most serious crimes in New York, including homicides, have continued to decline even though crime levels have been moving upward in other cities.

“ In scholarly circles, that’s like it happened yesterday,” Mr. Jacobson said, adding, “It’s a mystery.”

My quote of the day...

The question that sometimes drives me hazy: Am I, or the others crazy?

SHERIFF JOE IS AT IT AGAIN! YA GOTTA LOVE SHERIFF JOE!

P275

You all remember Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Arizona , who painted the jail cells pink and made the inmates wear pink prison garb. Well.......... SHERIFF JOE IS AT IT AGAIN! Oh, there's MUCH more to know about Sheriff Joe! Maricopa County was spending approx. $18 million dollars a year on stray animals, like cats and dogs. Sheriff Joe offered to take the department over, and the County Supervisors said okay. The animal shelters are now all staffed and operated by prisoners. They feed and care for the strays. Every animal in his care is taken out and walked twice daily. He now has prisoners who are experts in animal nutrition and behavior. They give great classes for anyone who'd like to adopt an animal. He has literally taken stray dog s off the street, given them to the care of prisoners, and had them place in dog shows. The best part? His budget for the entire department is now under $3 million.. Teresa and I adopted a Weimaraner from a Maricopa County shelter two years ago. He was neutered and current on all shots, in great health, and even had a microchip inserted the day we got him. Cost us $78. The prisoners get the benefit of about $0.28 an hour for working, but most would work for free, just to be out of their cells for the day. Most of his budget is for utilities, building maintenance, etc. He pays the prisoners out of the fees collected for adopted animals. I have long wondered when the rest of the country would take a look at the way he runs the jail system and copy some of his ideas. He has a huge farm, donated to the county years ago, where inmates can work, and they grow most of their own fresh vegetables and food, doing all the work and harvesting by hand. He has a pretty good sized hog farm, which provides meat and fertilizer. It fertilizes the Christmas tree nursery, where prisoners work, and you can buy a living Christmas tree for $6 - $8 for the holidays and plant it later. We have six trees in our yard from the prison. Yup, he was re-elected last year with 83% of the vote... Now he's in trouble with the ACLU again. He painted all his buses and vehicles with a mural that has a special hotline phone number painted on it, where you can call and report suspected illegal aliens. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement wasn't doing enough in his eyes, so he had 40 deputies trained specifically for enforcing immigration laws, started up his hotline, and bought 4 new buses just for hauling folks back to the border. He's kind of a 'Git-R Dun' kind of Sheriff. TO THOSE OF YOU NOT FAMILIAR WITH JOE ARPAIO.. HE IS THE MARICOPA ARIZONA COUNTY SHERIFF AND HE KEEPS GETTING ELECTED OVER AND OVER.. THIS IS ONE OF THE REASONS WHY: Sheriff Joe Arpaio (in Arizona ) who created the 'Tent City Jail': **He has jail meals down to 40 cents a serving and charges the inmates for them.. **He stopped smoking and porno magazines in the jails. **Took away their weights. **Cut off all but 'G' movies. **He started chain gangs so the inmates could do free work on county and city projects. **Then he started chain gangs for women so he wouldn't get sued for discrimination. **He took away cable TV until he found out there was a federal court order that required cable TV for jails, so he hooked up the cable TV again.....BUT only let in the Disney channel and the Weather channel... **When asked why the weather channel, he replied, "So they will know how hot it's gonna be while they are working on my chain gangs.." **He cut off coffee since it has zero nutritional value. **When the inmates complained, he told them, "This isn't The Ritz/Carlton........ If you don't like it, don't come back." More On The Arizona Sheriff: With temperatures being even hotter than usual in Phoenix (116 degrees just set a new record), the Associated Press reports: About 2,000 inmates living in a barbed-wire-surrounded tent encampment at the Maricopa County jail have been given permission to strip down to their government-issued pink boxer shorts. On Wednesday, hundreds of men wearing boxers were either curled up on their bunk beds or chatted in the tents, which reached 138 degrees inside the week before. Many were also swathed in wet, pink towels as sweat collected on their chests and dripped down to their PINK SOCKS.. "It feels like we are in a furnace," said James Zanzot, an inmate who has lived in the TENTS for 1 year. "It's inhumane.." Joe Arpaio, the tough-guy sheriff who created the tent city and long ago started making his prisoners wear pink and eat bologna sandwiches, is not one bit sympathetic.. He said Wednesday that he told all of the inmates, "It's 120 degrees in Iraq and our soldiers are living in tents too, and they have to wear full battle gear, but they didn't commit any crimes, so shut your mouths!" Way to go, Sheriff! Maybe if all prisons were like this one there would be a lot less crime and/or repeat offenders. Criminals should be punished for their crimes - not live in luxury until it's time for their parole, only to go out and commit another crime so they can get back in to live on taxpayers' money and enjoy things taxpayers can't afford to have for themselves. If you agree, pass this on. If not, just delete it.

Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Dinner with Justin Trudeau

At a dinner with past Prime Minister's son Justin Trudeau and Jon Gerrard, leader of the Manitoba Liberal party. Even the mayor of Winnipeg 20 years ago, Bill Norrie. I met Pierre Trudeau at Norberry school like 35 years ago so it's kinda cool seeing his son today...

This is sooooo funny. Jim Carey & Stephen Hawking on Conan

Truly the greatest comic and the smartest man together...

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Nothing like old rock n roll - Ozzy Osborne

MISSING PERSON - TYRUS MANN 11 YEARS OLD

 

  Tuesday, August 30th, 2011

MISSING PERSON - TYRUS MANN 11 YEARS
C11-175077

The Winnipeg Police Service is requesting the public’s assistance in locating a missing 11 year old child, Tyrus MANN. Tyrus was last seen in the Elmwood area of the city on the evening of Monday, August 29th, 2011 at 8:10 pm.

 

Tyrus is described as: Aboriginal, 5’3” tall, 130lbs, short black wavy hair, large build and brown eyes.  He was last seen wearing a blue shirt and black sweatpants.

 

 

 

 

The Winnipeg Police Service is concerned about the well-being of this child and is requesting anyone with information as to his whereabouts to contact the Winnipeg Police Service Missing Person’s Unit at 986-6250.

 

My quote for the day... Bullying

The healthy man does not torture others. Generally it is the tortured who turn into torturers.

Grafitti taggers never stop...lol

P227

Monday, August 29, 2011

Check out some pics of my son TJ's Memorial Pond at my cottage...

The statues are amazing. The large wolf weighs over 800 lbs.! I built this 8 years ago. It's a beautiful place to reflect...

My quote of the day...

"The healthy man does not torture others. Generally it is the tortured who turn into torturers."

Carl Jung

Sunday, August 28, 2011

My quote of the day...

"Birds sing after a storm. Why shouldn't people feel as free to delight in whatever sunlight remains to them?"
Rose Kennedy

Saturday, August 27, 2011

My quote of the day...

The farther backward you can look, the farther forward you will see.