Dog owners want to drive drug dealers out of Winnipeg park

Several Winnipeggers brought their dogs to a Point Douglas park on Thursday afternoon, in an effort to drive out drug dealers who have set up shop there.

The group of residents took their canine companions to Joe Zuken Park at around 4 p.m. and walked for about an hour.

Residents Rohanna Hepburn and Christine Burrows said their "dogs against dealers" tactic worked six years ago, when they and a third woman walked their pets in the park to scare off crack dealers who were conducting business there at the time.

"Drug dealers don't like to be seen dealing, and their buyers really don't like to be seen," Burrows said.

Hepburn said several crack houses closed down and the area has become an attractive place, with lots of new houses going up in recent years.

But the drug dealers have started reappearing, so the same group — along with a few other dog owners — are employing the strategy again.

"I've noticed in the past few weeks the drug dealers are out. There's some kind of turf war or new gangs trying to be formed," Hepburn said.

"We are out to do what we did six years ago. We are going to run them out of the community."

The three women who started the "dogs against dealers" initiative were also involved in the creation of the Powerline, a crime-reporting program in Point Douglas.

As for their latest effort, residents say they intend to keep bringing their dogs to the park regularly until the drug dealers leave.