Building safer communities

Recently, I attended a special forum on community safety hosted by Liberal party critic Mark Holland and Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff.

The meeting was intended to explore the issues around community safety by discussing what crimes currently existed in our communities and how they impacted people’s perceptions around safety. The next step was to identify what current federal government programs and services existed to address issues of crime and safety. The final stage was to explore what was working and what was not working and what gaps existed that needed to be filled so that crime could be effectively managed and reduced in our communities.

A panel of experts reflected on comments made by the audience or to give perspective on many of the issues raised. I was very impressed with the amount of knowledge in the room. It seemed as if the woes of the world could have been solved with the amount of keen insight and visionary thinkers gathered on that day.

It became very clear that finding the solution for creating safer communities was not going to be a simple exercise. The issues around community safety, law enforcement, community policing, restorative justice, crime prevention, victim support, alternative justice, youth diversion, gang violence, drug/alcohol  addictions, domestic violence, violence against women, sex offenders are about as complex as environmental issues or issues around sustainable health care.

After about two hours of debate and dialogue, I felt as though my head was going to explode. Soon, it became depressingly clear that there did not appear to be an obvious solution on the horizon.

That is when I realized that the problem was me. When your mind identifies a problem, it immediately looks for a solution that is within its control. Believe me, after hearing about the depth and complexities of why communities are not always safe places to live in, it became apparent that I have very little direct control on the how safe people feel in their communities. What I do control, however, is how I perceive the problem and what I choose to do about being part of the solution.

Society has become a complex matrix of people living together in places that we call cities. In order for things to run smoothly, we have opted to create governing bodies called governments to oversee the regulations of human behaviour so that we can live together harmoniously by following a set of rules and believing in a set of norms, values and moral and ethical codes of conduct. ]

Without these what would happen? Would the absence of these regulatory bodies mean that societies would immediately deteriorate into a world of anarchy and chaos? Ironically, anarchists and social activists believe that it is the over-regulation by “top-down” government agencies that create much of what ails society today.

With evidence of global conflicts, terrorism, global warming, terrorist attacks, genocides, poverty and famine issues and sensational media, it is no wonder that people are starting to think that there may be some credence to this view point. Everyone who works at the grass roots level in our communities certainly understands that working outside of a large governing body makes it easier to just get the job done, as you have fewer hoops to jump through, if any.

When I was a youth worker in Montreal, my salary was paid for by the city and the house I operated in was donated by the city so that we could run our drop-in for local marginalized youth.

Every day, local youth was able to come to a house in which they felt safe, supported and encouraged to make a positive contribution to society by going to school, doing their homework and involving themselves in activities that inspired them to reach their full potential.  

The drop-in service was just one of several social services offered to that particular subsidized housing development. The fact that these large housing developments, that warehouse large groups of vulnerable and poor people all across North American cities with little or no support, are seen as a social solution defies logic, but I will save that topic for another article.

The particular housing development area that I am referring to in Montreal had developed a notorious reputation for gang activity and drug dealing and all the other elements that come along with this type of activity. It took several years of police presence, law enforcement to get the drug dealers and gang members out of the community before residents were able to take back their streets again.

What prevented the situation from deteriorating again was the mobilization of community groups, community services, community members, with the support from the city, to ensure that programs and services were immediately put in place to ensure that the community was able to function as a community should.

And therein lies a large part of the solution. Governments should stick to what they do best and that is to support the grassroots organizations who actually work hand in hand with the community to make it a safer and enjoyable place in which to live.

When governments are relied upon to be the ultimate solution, they are being asked to do something that they are not set up to do properly. It would be like asking a grassroots organization to run the city, province or country. Not a good idea. Governments are ultimately responsible to provide funding so that grassroots organizations can put their energy into the people who need their services.

Governments should ensure that urban planning is part of the solution, not a part of the problem. Governments should ensure that affordable housing and drug treatment facilities are made available to the people who need them. They should also place them in areas that gives persons residing in them a sense of hope, not despair. Letting people fall between the cracks, means that people end up on the streets while others move into homes that are big enough for several families.

Look around, because that is what is happening today. Governments should not rely on their police services to be the “catch-all” agency that is left to deal with everything and everyone who falls between the cracks. Law enforcement is not an effective way to deal with deep-rooted societal issues such as drug addiction, alcohol addictions and mental health issues.

I think we all know in 2010 that increased incarceration is not economically sustainable, nor does it make sense, because it does not effectively rehabilitate serious criminal behaviour. You may be shocked to hear this coming from a police officer, but our justice system is very limited in its ability to effectively deal with the increasingly complex world of crime and disorder. The sad thing is it’s really all we have today.

All these points were brought up during the forum. Throughout the entire discussion, Michael Ignatieff sat quietly listening. Once dialogue had ended, the mediator gave Mr. Ignatieff the floor for the final address. The room was very quiet with anticipation as he took the podium.

I will not share with you exactly what he said, but I will tell you that he made it clear that he understood what the problem was, he understood what it would take from both government and community to make a positive change and he emphatically stated that he was committed to taking on the responsibility of doing what it takes today, to make it possible for us to live in safer communities tomorrow.

I was inspired by his words, but I also know that big governments are slow to move and by the time they do, grassroots communities have often already moved on with their own solutions. That is why it is up to you to do something today to support the grassroots organizations in your community so that together you can build a safe and enjoyable community. Call it a backyard solution.