Gun related deaths in Toronto.

One thing seems to be dominating the papers this past month, gun violence. Almost every day this week someone has been killed due because of shootings in Toronto, which as you can imagine has people on edge.

The week began with the Danzig St. shootings which left a 14 year old girl and a man in his early 20’s dead at a family-friendly BBQ, Tuesday started with a man being found in a soccer field and finally this morning a man was found in a preschool playground dead.

The press is having a field day as Mayor Rob Ford still keeps saying that these are just isolated incidents and Toronto is still a very safe city. Not that I agree with Rob Ford, but I a few gun related deaths can be attributed to just isolated incidents, but the Toronto Star quotes that we’re already at 20 gun related deaths this year! Four of those this week! Of course Toronto Police are doing everything that they can to make sure this city is safe, but I think everyone is looking for 100% peace of mind, and you’ll never find that in a city this big.

There will always be gun violence; the best you can do is keep the population as safe as possible. I think that as hard as it is there needs to be a high level of transparency around the investigations and their links to gang violence. If gang violence is the root cause of many of these gun-related deaths then the public needs to be made aware of it. They need to be told the “territory” of these gangs and where they’re known to hang out/ what they’re known to have done and crimes they have been responsible for. People need to be given this information not to start committing vigilante justice on suspected gang members, but to be able to make decisions to keep themselves and their families safe.

I think that TPS and the City of Toronto need to draft a solid social plan and find the balance in between information that will help the public be safe that does not hinder ongoing and future investigations.

From a personal standpoint I do believe that Toronto is a safe city. I see a lot of police presence whether that’s in vehicles, biking officers, beat cops or my favourite the horseback riding ones; they are here. For the most part they are friendly and a reassuring presence. I live in a bit shadier of an area in Toronto and I don’t fear for my safety walking home alone, I don’t expect to be shot around every corner, but I am vigilant about the people around me because you just don’t know.

All information taken from the article Man shot to death in North York schoolyard by Dylan C. Robertson.

http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/crime/article/1228632--man-shot-to-death-in-north-york-schoolyard

Positive thoughts and vibes go to all the family and friends of those affected by the string of gun-related deaths in Toronto.