Downtown Crime

[ION]

If you watch that video? THAT'S THE ISSUE! Unchecked crackheads doing whatever they want without consequence! Also why I said I now carry a personal air horn and have used it effectively to jolt psychopaths from their rampages by making a huge scene out of it! Kind of like Bobby Hill from that self-defense episode... "I don't know you... THAT'S MY PURSE!"

 

[Tbone84]

If you watch that video? THAT'S THE ISSUE! Unchecked crackheads doing whatever they want without consequence! Also why I said I now carry a personal air horn and have used it effectively to jolt psychopaths from their rampages by making a huge scene out of it! Kind of like Bobby Hill from that self-defense episode... "I don't know you... THAT'S MY PURSE!"

That's why I said hopefully transit gets safer

 

[ION]

DRIVING IS NO BETTER. Just got hit by an old Karen in a parking lot causing at least a $1K in damage to my car and she tried to drive off. Then some random dude jumped in to yell at me when I asked her for an apology... FUCK THIS PLANET!

 

[ION]

Guess my point about humanity being a cesspool for demonic shitheads still stands... especially when it come to old white ladies with ego issues..

 

[thommyjo]

Not disagreeing with the crime that does exist downtown and our need to solve it. But I’m downtown a few times a week and my wife works downtown and we have maybe 2 stories in the last year that are beyond seeing homelessness or drug use. Never felt threatened, seen fights, etc.

I still think DT is safe to live in. Hoping to buy in the next few years there and rent our infill

 

[ION]

Not disagreeing with the crime that does exist downtown and our need to solve it. But I’m downtown a few times a week and my wife works downtown and we have maybe 2 stories in the last year that are beyond seeing homelessness or drug use. Never felt threatened, seen fights, etc.

I still think DT is safe to live in. Hoping to buy in the next few years there and rent our infill

All I can say is how nice for you. That's one privilege enough time and interaction will soon erase. I'm still a 100% believer in Edmonton and downtown and genuinely care about creating a safe and inclusive downtown for all....

 

[ION]

All I can say is how nice for you. That's one privilege enough time and interaction will soon erase. I'm still a 100% believer in Edmonton and downtown and genuinely care about creating a safe and inclusive downtown for all....

And for the record this isn't meant as a slam, just a reality check that given enough time and shit interactions you'll start to see a pattern of neglect. People only care as long as it doesn't affect their ability to make money. Once you do, suddenly things are issues... That's a cynical look at capitalism I know, but an accurate one. I've been talking about these issues since the mid 2000's on multiple online forums with about as much give a shit as what's on display now... "just as long as I didn't get affected who cares??" TALK ABOUT MINIMIZATION!!!! Classic troll tactic...

 

[IanO]

Fantastic to see, but why did our Downtown/Central Edmonton become forgotten? Some tough questions and some folks needing to be held accountable.

Edmonton's Advocacy Efforts for a Safer Community

Over the past few months, the Edmonton Chamber of Commerce has been hearing from our members both within the downtown core and across the city that safety and security are urgent issues you are facing.

www.edmontonchamber.com

 

[IanO]

A visitor from Halifax's recent travel review:

'Currently in downtown Edmonton. Way more bleak than I realized. Staying in the Quarters district at a relatively nice, relatively new hotel. Nearly every window on the ground floor is smashed out. There is a nicely landscaped but completely (like, 100%) deserted pedestrianized street adjacent to the hotel, however, there are tents in every alleyway and random nook, out-of-it people sitting on the ground screaming at each other, people wandering around unaware of their surroundings and unable to walk in a straight line, with others dancing exuberantly around them, hopped up on stimulants, equally unaware of/indifferent to their surroundings. A guy passing us on the sidewalk randomly started taking his pants off. All of this was in broad daylight on a weekday in what is ostensibly a "vibrant" neighbourhood. Halifax's encampments look like a hippie utopia in comparison. This place reminds me of an angrier version of the DTES.'

 

[Avenuer]

A visitor from Halifax's recent travel review:

'Currently in downtown Edmonton. Way more bleak than I realized. Staying in the Quarters district at a relatively nice, relatively new hotel. Nearly every window on the ground floor is smashed out. There is a nicely landscaped but completely (like, 100%) deserted pedestrianized street adjacent to the hotel, however, there are tents in every alleyway and random nook, out-of-it people sitting on the ground screaming at each other, people wandering around unaware of their surroundings and unable to walk in a straight line, with others dancing exuberantly around them, hopped up on stimulants, equally unaware of/indifferent to their surroundings. A guy passing us on the sidewalk randomly started taking his pants off. All of this was in broad daylight on a weekday in what is ostensibly a "vibrant" neighbourhood. Halifax's encampments look like a hippie utopia in comparison. This place reminds me of an angrier version of the DTES.'

The City is doing as much as it can, given the hand it's been dealt by the UCP.

The Province needs to step up and fund more mental health supports, supervised consumption sites, shelter spaces, supportive housing and affordable housing - plain and simple. If bylaw keeps telling people living on the street to 'move along' everytime they set up tents or sleep somewhere, they just move to another location within the City. If people don't want to see this disorder, vagrancy, increased homelessness in Edmonton or anywhere else in our province, they should not have voted in the UCP. Easy to blame the City for these issues, yet it's not their jurisdiction (affordable housing, mental health, addiction, etc. are all Provincial responsibilities) to handle (even though they've been taking over the reigns from an absent Provincial Government).

 

[Gronk!]

A visitor from Halifax's recent travel review:

'Currently in downtown Edmonton. Way more bleak than I realized. Staying in the Quarters district at a relatively nice, relatively new hotel.

That was his mistake. Should have booked at a downtown hotel such as JW, Sandman, Delta, Hotel Mac, Westin, Holiday Inn Express, Coast, Days Inn, Matrix, etc.

 

[The_Cat]

^ It might have been presented as near the river valley and the Arts District.

 

[The_Cat]

I think our standards have dropped as to what’s acceptable. How many of these people are from outside of Edmonton? How much gang activity occurs along with the drugs? Now that these problems have reached rural areas, what will the province do about it?

 

[_urbanite]

That was his mistake. Should have booked at a downtown hotel such as JW, Sandman, Delta, Hotel Mac, Westin, Holiday Inn Express, Coast, Days Inn, Matrix, etc.

Yeah they should've, but unfortunately nothing necessarily tells you you're staying in the social disorder district (except maybe other reviews of the same hotel) when you're booking a room. They probably saw the hotel's pictures and thought "hey this looks nice, let's stay here" and booked a room. Now, sometimes a quick look on Google Street view can give you some clues, which is what I personally do before booking hotels, but not everyone thinks of doing this. Can't blame them for that, especially if you don't have any inclination it might be a bad area to begin with.

 

[kcantor]

^ ^^. ^^^^ ^^^^^
Just another Monday/Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday//Friday/Saturday/Sunday morning…

And by your logic, what was our mistake? It’s not as if you can check out of a neighborhood and move your building to another neighborhood or take it home to another city…

You should see the video of the presumably homeless person chasing his demons and ramming his shopping cart into the brick wall over and over and over again yesterday evening until the police arrived and be happy that it was a brick wall he chose and not your car.

No neighborhood should have to put up with this and neither visitors nor Edmontonians should have to put up with it or avoid certain neighborhoods entirely to escape from it.