Manitoba

Youth curfew urged to curb Thompson violence

A petition in Thompson, Man., is calling for a curfew for anyone under the age of 18 in an effort to curb violence in the city.

A petition in Thompson, Man., is calling for a curfew for anyone under the age of 18 in an effort to curb violence in the city, and it has already got more than 400 signatures, according a woman who organized a rally against violence last week.

Ruth Gelasco is also the organizer of a Facebook group called Solve This Ongoing Problem (STOP).

She said Thursday it is the children in the city who are getting hurt.

"I'm afraid for them. I'm afraid for them to be out on the streets. And you know it's sad that our community has come to where we're afraid," she said.

Last week's rally brought out more than 700 people, and was partly in response to the death of a man who was found in a parking lot a week and a half ago.

25-year-old Jason Nunn's death is being investigated as a homicide by RCMP in Thompson.

Gelasco may remember that a curfew for young people was tried in Thompson before.

The city passed a curfew bylaw in 2005, which was later challenged in court on the grounds that it violated the charter of rights and freedoms. The city cancelled the bylaw.