The Church-Wellesley Village held a Community Safety Meeting on Thursday, January 26 hosted by Councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam at the 519 in direct response to a growing concern over increasing violence and crime in the neighbourhood.
During the meeting, mini-groups were formed with specific topics for people to comment on. Wong-Tam, city councilor for Ward 27 was in attendance, and so was Danielle Bottineau, the Toronto Police Service LGBT Liaison Officer.
Residents discussing openly and honestly about substance abuse, mental health, poverty, safety concerns and police response @kristynwongtam http://pic.twitter.com/eotR9ej01M
— Edward LaRusic (@EddieLaRusic) January 26, 2017
75 community members, business owners and city representatives gathered to talk about the alleged increase in violent behaviour and shoplifting on the strip.
"We were hearing concerns from community members about incidents they they're seeing and not knowing what to do with them," she says. "Sometimes people in the community don't reach out to the police because they don't feel safe, and sometimes the police are the problem.
"We feel like we've given up on the police because they just don't respond," was the clear message according to Wong-Tam.
Many in the community are pointing to one culprit through complaints on Facebook, and it's Cannabis Culture at 461 Church Street. Staff from Cannabis Culture were in attendance.
"Establishments such as Cannabis Culture don't understand the nature of our community," Wong-Tam says. "So they are people who don't understand it's a gay village ... There are going to be transgender people, gender non-conforming people, people that they may not have experience interacting with."
Mark Emery, owner of Cannabis Culture, says he hasn't heard any complaints at the shop in person and no one complained at the Safety Meeting despite threats and having had paint thrown on their windows.
They have security outside seven days a week. They donate to community organizations and "deal with 1,500 - 700 people a day and at least 850 of whom are LGBT," he says.
"I'm doing everything that's possible to a patrol [guard outside the shop], donating money, to making it gay friendly with murals inside, but I can't control behaviours beyond that.
There are a number of compassion clinics and dispensaries operating around the village that have operated without any trouble.
"In no way is a few people smoking joints our problem," she says. "Our problems are so much deeper and systemic and there has to be some community and government responses. Everyone has to work together."
Wong-Tam's office hopes to release a work plan for 2017 in the next month and a half.
by Phil Villeneuve via blogTO
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