'There's still beauty here': Residents show passion for Pleasant Hill at community meeting about violent crime

Faith Eagle says her 10-year-old son asked her if he should take a knife with him when he went outside to play near her Pleasant Hill home on Thursday.

When she asked why, he said, "So I don't get stabbed."

Eagle has no desire to leave the Saskatoon community she calls home. While there are concerns around violence in the neighbourhood — including a spate of shootings this month — she says there's more to Pleasant Hill than that.

She says that's what many people don't understand about her neighbourhood — the good things about living there. It's worth the effort to make it better for the future, Eagle says.

"People that are around me in my neighbourhood or in the complex that I live in … we all look out for each other," she said.

"We're just not all dangerous people. And that's what we do, we just try human humanize it, make everybody look like we're humans, being equal — not just like, 'Oh, that's just another drunk … Indian.'"

Violent crime prompts community meeting

Eagle was one of a large group — organizers estimate more than 200 — who attended a community meeting held at Station 20 West in Pleasant Hill Friday night.

Organized by the neighbourhood community association, the emergency meeting was called in response to concerns about violent crime after a spike in the number of shootings in the streets surrounding St. Paul's Hospital in recent weeks.

The neighbourhood saw multiple shootings over a period of 10 days, including the death of 31-year-old Mark Enwaya, who was fatally shot with a .45-calibre handgun while in an alley on the 100 block of Avenue Q S.

Two teens have been charged with second-degree murder in his death. 

Concerns about public safety intensified when police said several people injured in gang-related shootings may have been innocent bystanders.

The environment has changed, has evolved, over the last couple of weeks as we've had arrests and investigations.- Saskatoon police Chief Troy Cooper

Friday night's meeting brought together former gang members and politicians, along with community members who expressed emotions ranging from anger to fear and frustration.

Although the meeting was prompted by a spike in violent crime, the topics of discussion were much broader, according to a program of events.

Media weren't allowed into the meeting, in an effort to create a safe space for people to talk openly, organizers said.

Youth solutions key

Housing, homelessness, poverty, mental health and human trafficking were all scheduled to be part of the discussion.

Participants said they used thumbtacks to mark on a map where they feel safe — and where they don't — in the different neighbourhood areas.

Mayor Charlie Clark and police Chief Troy Cooper were at the meeting, along with Saskatoon Riversdale MLA Danielle Chartier, Saskatoon West MP Sheri Benson and Regina Douglas Park MLA Nicole Sarauer, who is also the Opposition critic for justice, corrections and policing.

The need for more support services for youth was raised numerous times by people as they spoke outside the meeting.

Chris Moyah said he has experienced first-hand how young people can find themselves tied to a gang.

Former gang member says more youth services needed

He now talks to people who want to leave criminal lifestyles through an outreach group called Str8 Up, but he said resources to help young people in that situation are stretched.

"It all started from childhood, you know — making bad decisions, hanging out with the wrong crowd," said Moyah.

"Somebody had a bad idea, or I had a bad idea, and we all supported it. We all went for it.… We lacked guidance," he said.

"There was no support for us youth at the time."

Moyah said a lack of support services now is allowing the same cycle to continue.

Unlike Moyah, who was able to leave the gang and give back to his community, some will not survive to have the chance. 

He hoped the meeting would help surface ideas to make a difference in his community, adding that he does not believe hiring more police officers is the answer.

Some people who attended the meeting said they were disappointed that police officers were invited to take part in the discussion, arguing their presence would deter many people from attending.

Violence spike a 'short-term blip': police chief

Jennifer Altenberg, a spokesperson for the Pleasant Hill Community Association, said police officers were invited because it is part of their role to hear community concerns. 

"None of the people who are walking around in this community, their voices are not going to be in there," said Eileen Bear.

Saskatoon police Chief Troy Cooper said police have to rely on leaders to speak for those people.

"We do our best, I think, to reach into different representative groups and try to extract … what their needs are for the community," said Cooper.

He and another officer at the meeting responded to residents' fears about gang crime in recent weeks.

Cooper said the recent spate of violence is a "short-term blip" that doesn't reflect the overall level of gun crime in the area, which he said has gone down after certain arrests.

"The environment has changed, has evolved over the last couple of weeks, as we've had arrests and investigations," said Cooper, "not just in this area, but people who are connected to this area that influence the level of violence that is around here."

He said the meeting made it clear that some police efforts to communicate with youth are not working — something he said he plans to discuss with officers. The service is also working to create a youth advisory committee. 

In the short-term, police are responding to the recent violence with an increased presence in the Pleasant Hill area.

Long-term, he said the police response is to work with community groups to have a longer-lasting impact by addressing root causes.

What's next?

Brian Graham said he hopes the community association, and the community's members, hold politicians to account for any commitments made during the meeting.

As a former president of the Pleasant Hill Community Association, he said he has seen politicians and community leaders at previous meetings commit to changes that never happened. 

"If [leaders are] going to pledge, don't do it like they did in 2006 — stand up in front of everybody and pledge that they're going to do something for a community and don't do it," said Graham.

When the meeting was finished, the association had collected 20 pages of flip-chart notes, which will be written up and returned to the community in an information package.  

'Blaming and shaming' cannot go on

The community association's Altenberg said she supports the police efforts to gather more youth input, but said more concrete action — like opening up more detox beds or creating a 24-hour youth drop-in centre — is also needed. 

She said the community has already identified solutions. Now it needs the resources to support them. 

The information from the meeting can be used to pressure leaders for more action, she added.

"Is this different this time? We're going to have to wait and see, you know — and we're going to have to wait and see who's going to come to the table to work with us," said Altenberg.

"Because we can't keep blaming or shaming people that are struggling with mental health or addiction, or fighting to get their children back."

Speaking after the meeting, Faith Eagle had mixed feelings about how successful it was.

"There was a lot of dialogue, a lot of concern, but not a lot of voices," she said, adding that she was pleased with some of the answers from a panel.

"There was a lot of community members that I've never ever seen walking the streets."

Pleasant Hill resident Erica Violet Lee said members of the community are already working hard towards a better future, pointing to a youth co-operative and local artists making a difference.

She said the windows of her home were recently shot out — an unusual occurrence of violence for her, in 25 years living in the area. 

"But I'm not afraid, because I love this place and it's beautiful despite the violence that we face," said Lee.

"There's still beauty here."

'Be positive, keep going'

While the discussion went on inside, one woman, Dhee Daniels, sang a song she wrote for her friends into the chilly air outside.

The song was about one woman's struggle, but seemed to be a reflection of some of the challenges faced by the community itself.

"Again through her footsteps she meets life so unfair," sang Daniels.

"Tripping, falling or drowning, but yet she picks herself up and walks away — like struggle isn't all she finds."

Asked if she had any hopes for the outcome of the meeting, Daniels had some words of advice:

"Be positive. Keep going."