North End forum searches for answers to gun violence

Concerns about a recent spate of shootings drew more than 120 North End and central Hamilton residents to Bennetto Community Centre Thursday, as downtown neighbouhoods search for answers and ways to prevent future violence.

Family members of Shariek Douse, an 18-year-old who was shot and killed in August, came but did not speak. 

The roots of the violent events are not clear-cut, and police have had difficulty getting information from the community to help solve the cases. As the summer closes out, no arrests have been made in a series of brazen shootings since late spring.

• No arrests in summer shootings as community gun violence meeting looms
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Parents and neighbourhood residents spoke up, as did representatives from Hamilton Police, school districts, social and government agencies as the crowd tried to make sense of what's been happening in the meandering, open-mic-style event that went more than two hours. 

The event was coordinated by Ward 2 Councillor Jason Farr and followed a similar event Matthew Green put on in Ward 3 earlier this year. Green and Ward 8 Councillor Terry Whitehead also attended Thursday and spoke about the community-wide concern there is about gun violence.

"Individually we don't have the answers, but collectively we do," Green said.

Dwayne Cline, a pastor at Hughson Street Baptist Church, said the neighbourhood needs an investment of volunteers and role models to help with art, sports and other programs to help fill kids' time. 

A number of staff and youth participants from the downtown NGen Youth Centre spoke up in favour of increasing programming and funding for programs — emphasizing that they must be relevant to kids.

One of the workers, Adrian Chan, said he knows even he, a 25-year-old breakdancer, doesn't always know what will resonate with high school and younger kids. 

More police pledged at Sir John A.

Hamilton Police Inspector Glen Bullock appeared on behalf of the service and committed to responding to the community's concerns.

He said the service knows many young people from the North End attend school at Sir John A. Macdonald Secondary School, and the service wants to send more officers to that school than its usual community and school officers. 

"We heard that a lot of the young people go to Sir John A. Macdonald from this neighbourhood," he said. "So we're going to make sure that we have more officers… as school kicks off next week at Sir John A., to engage with students there, to be there, to help start those relationships. To listen to them if they've got something to say." 

But Sue Markey, a teacher who has just retired from Sir John A. Macdonald, cautioned that there are students at the school who come from countries where the police are not to be trusted. Showing up with increased presence could have an unintended intimidation effect, she suggested.

"Perhaps a step-by-step approach to building that relationship" would be better, she said.

She echoed Cline's call for more role models, especially adults from communities of colour. "The school is very diverse," she said. "The staff is not." 

'People were reluctant, but understandably so'

Hamilton detectives told CBC News on Thursday that more witnesses are coming forward and speaking out in the hopes of catching those responsible for Shariek Douse's killing.

"We've had some additional witnesses come forward, and that has greatly assisted us," said Det. Sgt. Joe Stewart. "People were reluctant, but understandably so."

"I have to applaud them for finding the courage to come forward."

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Still, Stewart told CBC News that no arrests are imminent in connection with Douse's death. Couple that with a host of public gunfire incidents throughout the summer, and community members are understandably rattled.

In total, there have been 11 shooting incidents in Hamilton this year, and the extremely public nature of some of them this spring and summer has many people talking. They include:

• May 13: Shots fired openly on the street on Delawana Drive. No one was injured. No arrests.
• May 17: Daylight exchange of gunfire on Main Street near East Avenue. No one was reported injured. No arrests.
• June 15: Three people shot in the North End on MacNab Street survive. No arrests.
• June 25: Gunfire reported in the same area as the June 15 shooting. No suspects found. No arrests.
• August 12: Shariek Douse is shot and killed in the North End.