CplKlinger
Senior Member
That sounds awful to live through, I'm very sorry about that. Thanks for the insight, it helps me a lot.As a resident of the Downtown (16yrs) and transit user, my experience (along with many in our building) went from improving and filled with anticipation to fear, anxiety, multiple losses/damage due to theft or attempted and disappointment that we were F&(()&*ing left alone for literally two years. TWO! Our condo had more incidents in the last two years than the last 10+ combined.
They can say all they want, but Downtown (including Chinatown) was left to fend for itself and felt, no, WAS abandoned.
The business owners I spoke with said the same thing, as did visitors (the very few).
This would not have happened in most other neighbourhoods or part of our city (although I feel awful for 118ave at times and Stony Plain Road too).
Yes we had COVID to deal with which significantly constrained resources.
Yes there was/is a movement to defund the police which made things complicated and challenging
Yes we have an opioid crisis and other drug usage leading to a multitude of negative downtown stream impacts
Yes we have a significant rise in homelessness that needs to be recognized at the Provincial level and actually received proper resources to begin to address it
I don't envy decision makers or EPS, BUT you dont abandon your Downtown/core and literally put so much fear into many of its residents that they move out of the area or become prisoners in their own homes.
For shame.