Last Saturday, I was putting up some signs for a yard sale at our house. As I posted a few signs at Sargent and Maryland, I noticed that there were no cars coming down Maryland.
Looking north, I noticed flashing lights and police cruisers blocking traffic. As I got closer, I noticed the yellow police tape around several pools of blood on the street and boulevard. The tape extended across the street and around a small dumpy house on Maryland.
That particular shack was known to area residents as one of several trouble properties in the neighbourhood. Despite the blood, police tape and traffic disruption, the incident never made it into the newspapers – primarily because there was another more serious incident in which someone died of their stab wounds.
It wasn’t the first time we’ve seen the yellow police tape in our neighbourhood. And it unfortunately won’t be the last.
Reporters arrive and usually seem to find – and quote – at least one person who says, “I’ve had enough. This is the last straw. I’m moving as soon as I can find another place.” Months later, many of those same people are still at the same address in the same neighbourhood. It seems they weigh the costs of moving, the problems in other neighbourhoods, and realize that most of the bad stuff in any area happens to people involved in bad stuff. So they often decide to stay.
Back at the scene of the crime, what I find intriguing is the range of responses among observers. At almost every scene of violence, there are small clusters of people hypothesizing about the incident. The “word on the street” ranges from crazy rumours about causes of the conflict to wild speculation about the nature and severity of injuries.
Some people near the scene of the crime are amazingly callous. Some take opportunity to vent a pent-up racism, commenting, “See how those people live. They’re all like that!”
I remember talking to a callous old guy at the scene of a murder at a crack house several years ago. He commented, "That guy had it coming. That's one less to keep the neighbours awake at night. One down, only 1,499 trouble-makers to go." I’m not sure how he tallied the troublemakers for elimination. I agreed that the guy was a trouble-maker, but I was uncomfortable with this observer’s contempt for life – even the life of a thug.
At an equal but opposite extreme, are those for whom even straightforward drug violence becomes a very complex affair. It affords an opportunity to point blame at politicians, big business, media, and almost everyone other than the perpetrator himself. These are the class warfare conspiracy theorists. Their lazy logic usually subjugates personal responsibility to the controlling influence of poverty. It’s a philosophy perpetuated by poverty pimps and middle-class guilt, but I don't buy it.
Most poor folk aren't killing each other at boozecans, drug houses and crack dens. They are as respectful and diligent with their lives as most folks in wealthier suburban or rural communities. They sleep at night and make sure their kids go to school in the morning. You can’t blame all crime and trouble on poverty. You can’t even assume it will only happen in the inner-city!
It's more about chemistry than geography or economics. You can't pickle your brains and expect to act rationally. Crack and crime go together – no matter where you find one, you’ll find the other as well.
The trouble in our neighbourhood usually comes to troubled people who multiply their troubles with drunken parties, drugs and violence.
Other than developing a higher-than-normal tolerance to noise and sirens, most people in our community live quiet lives in nondescript homes, with never a hint of trouble with cops or neighbours.
Back at the crime scene, I’ve found that most people in our neighbourhood approach the yellow police tape with some grace for even the guiltiest of “victims.”
No matter how bad the victim was – you realize that everyone at that house is someone's son or daughter, mom or dad, partner or friend. Every death leaves a void. Every injury has an impact on people who did nothing to deserve their particular grief.
It would be more pitiful if it weren't so predictable, but we have pity nonetheless. We wish people would change before it’s too late. Not just so we can sleep better, but so they can live longer. That’s our hope for the neighbourhood.
Rev. Harry Lehotsky
514 Maryland Street
Winnipeg, Mb R3G 1M5
(204) 775-4929
lehotsky@escape.ca