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Downtown Crime

For what it's worth, I had a couple consultants in from Seattle yesterday and we got to talking at the lunch break about the social disorder here and in Seattle. They got here on Sunday afternoon and spent the later afternoon and evening wandering around downtown. While they did note that they ran into a few "interesting" people, the one gentlemen said whatever he saw here in terms social disorder and property damage, multiply by at least 5 and you have downtown Seattle. Drugs, homelessness, small roving gangs smashing windows and destroying property is commonplace. Seattle was one of the coolest North American cities I have visited but they both warned me to wait until the current level of chaos and disorder gets cleaned up before I return.
 
Portland as well apparently. One of the gentlemen was in Portland recently and he said he was shocked by the current situation and the change from the last time he was there before the pandemic.
 
Again, this is a North-America-wide (at the very least) phenomenon; here is a quote form CNN today -- "In Los Angeles and San Francisco, two of the nation's most liberal large cities, voters are poised to send stinging messages of discontent over mounting public disorder, as measured in both upticks in certain kinds of crime and pervasive homelessness." Philadelphia is the latest in mass-shooting gun violence. There are many root causes -- pervasive opioid use (especially among youth), a growing chasm between the "haves" and the "have-nots", declining worker buying-power, a general sense of ennui and helplessness, unsustainability of main street retail and hospitality and therefore community disruption, angst related to health pandemics, and a lack of resources in terms of dealing with mental health problems. All leading to greater drug use, a general loss of drive, and societal upheaval. There are fixes, but they are generally too slow in coming. Conservatives in the extreme blame it all on a lack of Law & Order; Liberals in the extreme believe that governments can spend their way out of the problem. I think that democracies have to work to increase taxes on the wealthy -- especially the extreme wealthy -- and come up with a system of "guaranteed income" to eliminate extreme poverty... and that is just the start. Some will call this income redistribution and liken it to communism -- I like to think that this is more of a "fairness" redistribution.
 
JNO1 said:
Portland as well apparently. One of the gentlemen was in Portland recently and he said he was shocked by the current situation and the change from the last time he was there before the pandemic.
Click to expand...
2018 in Portland blew my mind! On 1 strip of DT…..can’t remember the road…….at least 10 shelters with at least a 1000 lined up trying to get in at 6am on a Sunday morn.

So yeah, reports of YEG being “out of control” is fake news
 
^

calling it "fake news" is like telling those who care not to worry because you're pretty sure the horse is no longer being badly beaten.

just because the horse hasn't yet been sent to the glue factory doesn't mean it's healthy and enjoying life in the stable.

except that "we're the horse" in this hypothetical comparison.

"don't worry, it's clearly worse elsewhere" doesn't cut it. we should be comparing ourselves to the best, not the worst, regardless of the comparison we're making if we want things to get better.
 
Rapperswill said:
I've been living in Edmonton for almost nine years now and I can count on my fingers how many times I've been downtown. It''s just not something that you do and most of my friends and family are of the same opinion. Now I don't have a solution to this problem, I'm just pointing to the fact that it exists. Hopefully the people in charge are taking the right kind of action and dealing with this with the mindset of all Edmontonians. I mean I'd like to take my two little ones (soon to be three) for a stroll but we're more drawn to other places such as St. Albert, West Edmonton Mall and Sherwood Park.
Click to expand...
I walk downtown Edmonton almost every day. Have never been mugged or killed and most of the time feel safe. If you just sit at home and watch the news on TV, yes you may believe the sensationalism.

Are there problems? Yes. However sometimes fear far exceeds reality. There was a period of time I recall a few years ago when there was a spate of murders in suburban Mill Woods. I also recall hearing about terrible violent crime in St. Albert and West Ed in the past. So really, random violence can happen anywhere. However, people do seem more surprised when it happens in a more suburban area as I think it shatters their preconceptions and illusions of safety.
 
EPS Base funding was increased from $385M to $407M (passed 12-1 with Janz opposed). $407.3 represents the funding from 2020 and 2021 and represents no increase.

The funding formula remains intact (the motion to change it failed 5-8. Janz, Salvador, Wright, Stevenson, Sohi all in FAVOUR. Cartmell, Principe, Rutherford, Hamilton, Tang, Knack, Rice, Paquette AGAINST).
 
With 7% inflation this year, 3-4% last, and 1-3ish year before, that amounts to about a 12% decrease... at a time when by all accounts crime is increasing. That's a pretty massive cut to any organization.
 
Greenspace said:
The funding formula remains intact (the motion to change it failed 5-8. Janz, Salvador, Wright, Stevenson, Sohi all in FAVOUR. Cartmell, Principe, Rutherford, Hamilton, Tang, Knack, Rice, Paquette AGAINST).
Click to expand...
The funding formula isn't going away, but it will be changed.

"The vote on the police funding formula called for EPS and the Edmonton Police Commission to develop a new funding formula along with city administration.

That measure was supported by all councillors except for Janz and Coun. Andrew Knack."

edmontonjournal.com

City councillors vote to set Edmonton police base funding at $407 million for 2023

City councillors have voted to set Edmonton Police Service operating funding at $407 million in 2023, essentially the same amount as this year, while also…
edmontonjournal.com edmontonjournal.com
 
^It will be a different funding process, but that is not unlike any budget process. Essentially they have agreed to have a funding formula, something some Councilors over the last few month of debate over EPS budget they specifically said they wanted to get rid of.
 
^

i wonder if this one can't be placed at the feet of lrt and transportation and planning etc. BECAUSE AFTER 7 YEARS THE F'ING STREET IS STILL CLOSED... :(

it's one thing to say that the province and the feds need to stop downloading responsibilities and costs on the city but the city also needs to stop allowing their own departments to download costs and consequences so they can ostensibly save a few bucks here and few bucks there while consuming a fortune in police services and private sector resources and dollars as a consequence.

and it's not just here, it's f'ing everywhere, particularly downtown and it didn't pop up overnight, they've gotten away with it - or more accurately they've gotten away with imposing it - for years on projects that never actually seem to get completed or be properly maintained if they do.
 
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