All I know is that I've never been murdered here in Toronto....

gotta jump in here and forgive me if I step on a toe or two. So here is my ramble.

it is not the parents (I'm sure there are a few exceptions), it is society. These young hoods haven't any direction. They lack hero figures, Icons they can respect and emmulate. You need heros in your life. Your father, your mother, a character in a book (yes even comic books), musicians, even politicians (yes, yes I know). It can be as simple as a good friend with a heightened moral compass. It's all about direction. The media has decided to go for glamour and sparkle instead of substance so the result is a very shallow and reactionary (hotheaded, pull the trigger and think later) mentality. Material things, I want, I want and if I'm gonna be anybody, I gotta have these things. I remember the strap in school and an amazing respect (fear?) of my elders. These things keep you in line and lead you to a proper existance in an ever growing multicultural society. You must automatically respect other people's space and property, and not just demand respect because it's the fashion of the day. This is a big catalyst for alot of the problems. I've seen it and experienced it myself. If someone demands respect from me by simply saying so, my natural reaction is F@ck off. and so the trouble begins.

I'm not an angel, I've caused some **** in my day, but I've learned and I have passed these learnings on to my son, who by the way I've never hit and has grown up to be an amazing young man.

whew! thanks for putting up with my ramblings.

LaDyBuG wrote:

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That's the article.....thanks girl!
I blame the parents first and foremost.....how distant and uncaring are you of your child, that you don't realize he is carrying a weapon???.......no me entra en la cabeza.....we can only blame the police for so much......and bus drivers being shot?? ....like is that in style now?......nowhere else in the world do drivers get shot as often as Toronto drivers do....it makes me sick!

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LaDyBuG wrote:

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If it's not JANE & WILSON......it's ALBION & FINCH.....on a daily basis, someone is beat up, murdered, kids are shooting bus drivers......etc I was watching the news yesterday and they were showing something like mothers against violence......and they officially nominated OCT 21 as the day against violence or something like that....(I really wasn't paying too much attention to that)....what I did notice was how ALL the relatives and mothers of the murdered victims were Jamaican......I saw no other nationality there....(thank god of course)....but still.....and of course, most of the suspects were: male, black, ages 18-25..... What do you guys think about all this....and how can this be stopped....what can we do as citizens to prevent this violence? Would you guys rat someone out?

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I was reading about this on the newspaper today and here is the article:

Under grey skies and drizzle, the families of victims of violence told their stories — of lives cut short, of killers still on the loose.

Stories like that of Godfrey Dunbar, who, at age 27, was shot in 1999 in a packed nightclub. But nobody saw a thing.

Yesterday at a rally at Yonge-Dundas Square, his 10-year-old son Marquel Ganesh wore a T-shirt bearing his father's picture and the words "I miss you Daddy."

"I hope people stop the violence, stop picking up guns," Marquel said. "I want people to know how much it hurts to lose someone."

The rally was sponsored by UMOVE — United Mothers Opposing Violence Everywhere — a non-profit group started in 2001 by mothers who had lost a child to violence.

"Unfortunately every year there are more mothers grieving, who feel the pain in their hearts like we do," said UMOVE chair Audette Shephard, whose only child Justin, 19, was killed in 2001.

So far this year, Toronto has had 64 homicides — 44 of them have been shootings, more than any other year.

"We are all to blame," Shephard said. "The community doesn't speak up. The police don't make arrests. The government doesn't put in necessary deterrents."

Somebody knows about every homicide but is either afraid or doesn't want to be seen as a rat, she said. Shephard spoke to one young man who told her he'd rather be a defender, to take care of a matter himself, than be an informer. "It causes a vicious cycle," she said.

About 100 people attended the rally, which included prayers, speakers and performances by children.

In a surreal moment, several dozen young people, sporting white faces and fake blood and gashes, suddenly swarmed in front of the stage and began dancing. They were part of the annual downtown Zombie March and had been attracted by the music in the square, unaware of the rally.

Photos of the victims were lined up on a long table on the stage. As part of the rally, 13 family members filed up and laid flowers by the pictures.

"This rally helps put a face on the violence," said Police Chief Bill Blair. "Everyone lost was somebody's son."

On stage, he spoke of the frustration police experience in their investigations when no witnesses will speak out, and he thanked UMOVE for calling on people to come forward. "You inspire courage in others," he said.

UMOVE is launching a five-year campaign called Visions of Hope to try to change perceptions among youth that guns are connected to status. The group is talking with school boards about a pledge program, where students would swear off violence.

On the stage, the family of Jose Quintanilla Jr., 20, who was shot in a taxi in 2002, told their story. "Our journey is very difficult," said Jose Sr., as his wife Gladys stood by him, clutching his hand, a red rose tucked into her jacket.

The Quintanillas left war-torn El Salvador in 1983. "We left everything behind in El Salvador to seek peace and security for our children," the father said. "Then this happened here. It's very confusing."

"I don't want anybody else to have to go through this," his wife said. "When they killed my son, they killed us as well. Our lives will never be the same."

Torstar News Service

I would for sure rat someone out becasue I want those PPL to be out of the streets. I no longer feel save walking by myself at night.