Toronto police have issued a warning to residents of the Mount Pleasant Road and Roxborough Drive area about the emergence of dangerous "Rosedale jams."
It sounds like something your grandma would put on toast, but according to the TPS release these "jams" are of the party – not pantry – variety.
'Rosedale Jam' is my ska band. https://t.co/SpzgdPo1Gy
— Josh Visser (@joshvisser) September 20, 2017
Police say that large gatherings of teenagers have resulted in multiple "swarming-style robberies, stabbings, and assaults" over the past few weeks.
Three separate incidents were reported in the Rosedale Park area on Saturday night alone, according to the Wednesday news release; all of them involving victims between the ages of 14 and 16.
"These events are being advertised through social media sites such as Snapchat and various webpages," say the cops. "The boys and girls appear to be attending these locations for the sole purpose of carrying out robberies and other forms of criminal activity."
The events are said to happen on a weekly basis in public spaces and involve hundreds of teenagers.
'rosedale jam' lmaooooooo https://t.co/s9H7AXx9qE
— strait outta pocket (@kouksonline) September 20, 2017
Parents who spoke to CBC News about the situation say the parties have also been advertised on a popular "Gossip Girl"-style website that shares rumours about Toronto high school students.
This, combined with the fact that these "jams" take place in and are named after one of the city's wealthiest neighbourhoods, has provided some fodder for discussion about the rambunctious teens - some of it dating back to before the cops issued their Wednesday release.
I see dudes throwing up gang signs all over snap & have lived in rosedale all they life, u ain't hood lil man who u foolin
— bebe (@Svmxg) August 19, 2017
"This is what I was doing when I was young," wrote someone else on Facebook, linking to a Smash Mouth-themed comedic video. "Never mind your Rosedale Jam."
It should be noted, however, that this isn't necessarily a joking matter.
One boy was reportedly stabbed and taken to hospital with non life-threatening injuries from the area on Saturday night, but aside from this, we don't know if any victims have been seriously injured or how many victims there have been.
Police do say that they're concerned about the number of medical calls they've received relating to unconscious and intoxicated youth - and as much as we can laugh at our own memories of getting drunk as teens, these kids could end up seriously hurt, which is definitely not funny.
In the wake of Saturday night's party, officers are looking for "approximately 8 to 10 boys and girls in their late teens, wearing hoodies and covering their faces with bandanas."
Best of luck to them.
by Lauren O'Neil via blogTO
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