Monday, August 25

Violence Hits Close to Home...in Calgary

My hometown has been marred this year by more than 25 homiides. The latest being death by toilet cover. Happened at the Cowboys bar downtown. Before that, there was a drive by gang related shooting that killed a 21 year old man.
Compared to Rio de Janeiro, Calgary is extremely safe, yet these murders are causing shockwaves through the community. There is talk of hiring 400 more police officers. OK, good idea, yet how are these people getting semi-automatic weapons to kill each other??? I need a permit to buy an airgun!!!
Most of the murders in Calgary have happened in the NE quadrant and have been gang and drug related. Most murders in Rio de Janeiro happen between warring drug gangs in the shantytowns.
Bottom line? Harder penalties for these punks no matter where they are.
I have been a victim of violence (carjacking) in Rio de Janeiro and my friend has had his motorbike stolen on two occasions at gunpoint.The perpetrators were no older than 17 years old.
Hopefully this wiil not become a reality here in Calgary.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Have you heard the names of the gangs? The FOB's (Fresh-off-boat) and the FOB killers... original.

There has actually been suspected gang related random violence for a couple of years but the police & media have not been doing a very good job of keeping the public informed. I know of a fellow (a close friend of a close friend) who was randomly shot in the hand outside a blockbuster on 17th avenue about a year ago when he and his wife were picking up a movie,in a suspected gang initiation. The papers said it was gang related and that both parties were known to police, in reality this was a completely random thing and he does not have any ties to any sort of crime, they were not doing the public any sort of service by not disclosing it. The guy was mad and I don't blame him! (Would you want to be labelled as such after being the victim of this kind of incident?)

I hope they get it together...

Interesting similarities between the NE (the "knee" as we call it in Cgy) here and there... and that the area by the airport is the sketchiest in both cities.