[peter12]

Wexford place is where my POV comes from. It is literally one of the closest buildings to the Chumir. I moved from there a little while ago, but I'm still in the area relatively frequently since my cousin's unit is still there and I also do recreational activities at Beltline Aquatic. I am torn on the issue and I agree with your comment that many feel you have to be for it or against the SIS. I'd really love to see better harmony between the community and the SIS, but I don't have the energy or desire anymore to be part of the solution. The whole ordeal has been exhausting and it's tiresome feeling like a nuisance.

I lived in the Divan just around the corner for about 5 years and I can always say that the neighbourhood was a little bit sketchy. Long before the SIS, I had homeless people trying to break into my building's lobby, shoot up or have sex in the parkade. Yeah, it sucks but it is the Beltline.

I've mentioned a few times that police presence would have helped a lot. To be fair, an increase in police presence is probably not going to cut down the crime a huge, but at least nearby residents don't have to feel abandoned etc. It's probably like those sound barriers by major roads. They apparently only cut down noise by 10-30%, but the complaints by residents that have them installed decreases by more than half.

That being said, I don't know if such a solution would even be as effective anyways. Many who were upset are long gone and those that are still around are so tired and fed up with everything they either just grin and bear it, or are planning exit strategies as well.

It is important to continue providing feedback to CPS so they can come up with reasonable solutions based on accurate feedback.

1. 250M used as the goal post in the first place isn't typical. Most times, crime stats are done based on community, not specific locations. There was probably a specific demand for analysis to be done to explain the direct effects related to the SIS which is why the 250M radius was selected, but IMO, that context should be considered as unique and not extrapolated against the community.

250m was used because as the report pointed out, if you just folded the SIS into the larger Beltline/Connaught community, the crime increases would just fold into a core-wide increase in trespassing, property crime, and vehicle break-ins. They did it to be more accurate.

2. The stats very likely aren't wrong. But there's also a significant feeling and difference to those in the area as well. As such, I suggested the possibility of a blind spot the way the stats are used/area covered (ie: context) that might be why there's such disconnect from those in the community vs the stats themselves.

What is the difference in feel? As I said, I lived in the immediate area for a long time and it was always understood to be a little bit sketchy.

3. Have you ever called something illegal in? It's not like I'm not sitting on a balcony, phone in hand waiting to call in illegal activity. Like any average person, I'm on the internet, watching Netflix etc. So saying those in the community should call things isn't exactly a useful suggestion. It's not like we have nothing better to do. Has CPS been called about illegal activity while I was in the area? Yes. (I watched someone break into a vehicle and drive off in it). If I see it, I'll call. But I'm not going to wait around looking for events to call in. It takes time to call it in, then 10-20 minutes for CPS to show up and however long additionally to give a statement of the events. 30 minutes for a "quick" one. It's not like you fire off a quick email for a minute and go on with your evening. It takes a pretty good chunk of time to call something in.

Maybe I'm a narc, but I definitely called stuff in on a somewhat frequent basis.

4. Why are you even talking about cities being in perpetuity forever when the discussion is more about the community? While I agree, communities don't stay similar in perpetuity forever, I don't think it's unreasonable to expect a gradual quality of life shift over a few years. This shift happened over months and is continuing to happen.

So embrace it. You can't reverse it. Everyone knows that this is part of a much larger socio-cultural issue. It isn't comfortable for people. When I lived close to the DTES, I certainly didn't find any of it pleasant, and it was in fact, one of the reasons I moved farther away. That said, I understood that places like Insite were trying to solve an extremely complex and difficult solution.