GPOF- Gratuitous Post of Ford (again)

I’m really thinking that this blog needs to have a Rob Ford section, it just seems like every time he opens his mouth he needs to be smacked upside the head by reality.

Although he voted no to all social funding programs calling them “hug-a-thug” programs, Mr. Ford seems to think it’s perfectly ok to milk $5-10M out of the government because we need more cops! He was quoted in the Star article saying, “I think $5 million would hire a lot of officers and it would make this city a lot safer and we would get these guns and gangs off our streets, and that is exactly what I want.”

Why don’t we spend a little less money on mass hiring cops to Toronto and spend a little more money actually having them build relationships in the communities they police. I think a huge reason for a lack of communication between police and community is that police still are not trusted. Ford seems to think that you stick any person in a vest and multiply by ten and you’ll have a safer city. That didn’t work in Star Wars for the Clone army, it will not work here. People need to have relationships with the police in this city, why not put that money towards I don’t know, a social program?

I know that paragraph comes across as coming down on TPS, I’m really not. I think that they do a fantastic job of working with what they’ve got. Rob Ford wants a quick-fix and hiring $5M worth of police officers is his way of doing that.

I think it’s funny because after he was under fire for his “hug-a-thug” programs comment he was quoted saying, “How do you measure this stuff? You’re throwing a lot of money at it but at the end of the day you can’t measure exactly how many people are being helped by that,” Ford said. “I’m just saying I don’t want to throw good money after bad and just say, you know, we’re going to throw money at the problem.”

Followed immediately by, “Money talks and BS walks, I’m not going to sit there and listen to some BS and some reports and yadda yadda,” Ford said. “I’ve got a busy city to run, I’m going to go in there, I’m going to ask for $5 million to $10 million, and I want to be able to give that to Chief Blair and tell the chief go hire police officers and let’s get the city cleaned up.”

Your damn right BS walks Ford, I’m suspecting you’ll be walking right out of that meeting with the sound of laughter behind you.

All information and Ford quotes from the Toronto Sun article Toronto mayor to ask premier for up to $10M for more cops by Don Peat.

Rob Ford: Using immigration laws to get gang members out of TO

I…I actually don’t have a good witty remark for this opening statement because Rob Ford is just that much of an idiot. Piggy-backing on my earlier post about gun-violence; Rob has developed a strategy to curb gun violence and gang violence in Toronto; use immigration laws to kick gang members out.

I really really hope that this man is not as dumb as he sounds because what person in the politics in their right mind, in a city as culturally diverse as Toronto, says that the best way to curb gang violence is with immigration laws! No one! Almost all of these shootings have happened in low-income, community-housing areas of Toronto and what does Rob Ford do; says he wants to do something about the gangs by getting rid of the immigrants!

Are you out of your cotton-picking head!? Of course Ford then refused to elaborate on anything in typical Rob Ford fashion, allowing everyone time to go; wait..what? No doubt more people will start speaking up about this soon!

Rob was the only council member to vote against $16 million community grant last week saying social spending doesn’t actually do anything to solve youth violence - HA! Ford aptly named these social programs directed towards at-risk youth “hug-a-thug” programs and stated that have done nothing to help. If I’m interpreting this properly no wonder they don’t, we just need to deport them, because obviously gangs are perpetuated by immigrants.   *FACE PALM*.

According to the TO Star article, Ford’s actually wrong, homicides were at their highest in TO in 2007, and after these “hug-a-thug” programs came into effect there has been a steady decline of homicides in relation to increase in grants given. Obviously these facts are ignoring immigration laws.

This is a huge reason Rob Ford burns me so much, he doesn’t show up to Pride when the CANADIAN MILITARY makes an appearance, votes down almost every social program and then decides that immigration laws make the most sense for gang issues.

Yes, I assume that there is some level of gang activity in at least one of these deaths, statistically it’s probably but the issue is gun violence NOT gang violence. They can be at times tandem but they are not totally exclusive! This idiot of a mayor is the exact reason that people will not be able to feel safe in this city because the tool at the wheel thinks it’s a better idea to throw money into a weight-loss gimmick and ignore obvious problems.

Goodbye Rob Ford, where can we send you away to?

Information taken from the article Mayor Rob Ford wants Ottawa to use immigration laws against convicted gang members by Daniel Dale

http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/cityhallpolitics/article/1228864--mayor-ford-wants-ottawa-s-help-to-deport-convicted-gang-members

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.