Thunder Bay residents rally to help in wake of homicides
Crime prevention council working with police and other community agencies to address root causes
The chair of Thunder Bay's Crime Prevention Council said the eight homicides already recorded in the city this year are "disheartening."
Tom Walters called the homicides tragic in light of all “the work that we've been doing on trying to raise awareness and have people involved in preventing crime in our community."
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Walters added he doesn't want people to think the community is unsafe.
"I would think that many people would think that Thunder Bay's not safe, and in fact that's a bit of a misperception," he said.
He noted the crime rate has gone down steadily over the past five years.
Walters added it’s important for people to understand the complexities of violent crime. He said it's often between people who know each other, and often related to substance use. The homicides that have happened so far are not random acts of violence.
'Know your neighbour'
He said something does need to be done to address this violence, but there's no quick fix.
"In kind of an odd sort of way these eight homicides have brought the community together. They've given them a common focus, and many people have been asking 'what can we do? How do we take back our city?” said Walters.
Walters said “neighbourhood walks, neighbourhood watch, getting involved in crime stoppers, looking out for one another, [and] knowing your neighbour” are all good steps people can take.
The Crime Prevention Council is working with police and other community agencies to address root causes such as poverty, homelessness and substance use.
"Our initiatives have been to really focus on making neighbourhoods stronger. Creating connections amongst people in neighbourhoods. Taking them, getting them to really feel like their community is their community and investing in it."