Violent Crime in Winnipeg..

[Only The Lonely..]

Well, after a particularly violent summer I thought it might be time to actually keep track of the frequency with which these events are occuring.

Here's a quick recap from the past few weeks..

Baby girl viciously beaten in sidewalk attack out of Winnipeg hospital

By THE CANADIAN PRESS
Mon. Sep 7 - 7:55 AM

WINNIPEG — A 14-month-old baby girl who was viciously beaten in an attack on a Winnipeg sidewalk last week has been released from hospital and appears to be on the road to recovery.
Daisy Houle, 24, said her daughter Vanessa was released on Friday.

Nikita Solange Eaglestick, 19, has been charged with attempted murder, abduction and aggravated assault. Police allege that Eaglestick abducted the girl from a house party and beat her head against the sidewalk.

Houle said her daughter has scrapes on her cheeks and forehead, as well as bruising around her eyes.

She said she's grateful Vanessa appears to have suffered no permanent damage in the attack, noting the tot was ``dancing'' when she came to visit and brought her a stuffed frog.

Vanessa had no broken bones and did not require surgery, she added.

``She's absolutely good,'' said Houle. ``Thanks to everyone for all their prayers. That's probably what healed her so fast.''

The attack on Vanessa was interrupted by a neighbourhood resident, Tyler Bilsborrow, 18, who then wrapped up Vanessa and comforted her while waiting for paramedics to arrive.

The young man has been hailed as a hero for his actions.

(Winnipeg Free Press)

Suspects viciously beat two with hammer
Updated: Thu Sep. 17 2009 18:24:05

ctvwinnipeg.ca

Two men were brutally attacked Wednesday night by suspects armed with a hammer, said police.

Around 8 p.m. a group of male suspects allegedly beat a 31-year-old man walking near Logan Avenue and Main Street.


The suspects fled on foot and then attacked a 39-year-old man near Higgins Avenue and Main Street, said police. The attacks appear random.


Both victims were taken to hospital with injuries to the upper body. Witnesses said one of the men was bleeding badly following the attack.


Officers closed part of Main Street last night following the incidents and are looking for two to four suspects, who may have jumped into a van a raced off.


One of the victims remains in hospital in stable condition, while the other has been treated and released.


Police continue to investigate.


- with a report by CTV's Kelly Dehn

Second baby assaulted: Baby stabbed in city's North End
By: Kevin Rollason | Winnipeg Free Press

Sept. 19, 2009


A baby was rushed to hospital from the Gilbert Park public housing complex Saturday after being stabbed in the head.


Winnipeg police, paramedics and firefighters rushed to Gilbert Avenue at about 4 p.m. after receiving calls from area residents who witnessed a man and a woman out on the street fighting over an injured baby.



A woman, who only said her name was Maranda, said she called 911 as soon as she saw the baby.



"I saw a lot of blood," she said, watching paramedics working on the child behind yellow police tape as dozens of area residents also looked on, many with their hands to their mouths and looking shocked.



"We saw a baby with a lot of blood... the baby’s face was just covered. Police got here before the paramedics. The police had to pull them apart to get to the baby."



Another woman, who said her name was Aurelia, said "somebody kept saying the baby was stabbed somewhere in the head." She said she heard the baby was a boy about eight months old. "There was an awful lot of blood. They were fighting about who was going to hold her.



"I’m shaken up — I’ve never seen anything like this."



The baby, stained with blood and lying still with eyes closed, was lifted off the grass of the boulevard on Gilbert Avenue and tenderly put onto a stretcher by a paramedic. The child was taken away by ambulance.



A woman and a bare-chested man wearing blood-stained pants, whom area residents identified as the parents of the child, were taken away in police cruisers. The man had been yelling about the baby being stabbed in the face, neighbours said.



Residents of the Manitoba Housing complex said the stabbing took place little more than 100 metres away from where a 14-month-old baby was beaten less than three weeks ago.



Vanessa Houle had scrapes and bruising, but no broken bones or serious injuries in that attack.



Police said a woman allegedly kidnapped Vanessa from her home on Sept. 1 at about 4:30 a.m., and began knocking the child’s head on a sidewalk. Nikita Solange Eaglestick, 19, has been charged with attempted murder, abduction, and other charges in connection with Vanessa’s case.

Rumble on Langside leaves one man in hospital
By: Staff Writer | Winnipeg Free Press

Sept. 20, 2009 - 12:27 PM

A street fight in West Broadway early this morning has left one man suffering from injuries to his upper and lower body.

Police believe the 20-year-old man was struck with a 2X4 or a baseball bat during the melee, which attracted as many as 20 people to Langside Street at Portage Avenue.

The fight between two groups of people broke out before 3 a.m., and the street was blocked off by yellow police tape for most of Sunday morning.

The victim was taken to hospital and is now in stable condition. His injuries are not life-threatening but he is facing a long recovery.

Winnipeg Police don't believe the fight was gang related. They are still trying to gather statements from witnesses and those involved, and say the victim has provided only some information.

[Only The Lonely..]

Man set on fire in Wolseley

By: Staff Writer | Winnipeg Free Press - Sept 22, 2009

WINNIPEG – A Wolseley resident was set on fire early this morning after he was confronted by a group of young men outside his home on Alloway Avenue.

The 32-year-old victim went outside to investigate noise at the rear of his one storey house just off Maryland Street around 4:30 a.m. He had flammable liquid thrown on him before being lit on fire.

The man was taken to Health Sciences Centre with first- and second-degree burns.

Neighbours woke up Tuesday to yellow police tape surrounding the green house and a squad car parked at the rear. Most had not heard any commotion, but had been canvassed in the early morning by officers seeking information.

One resident, who asked not to be identified said, "I know those people, they don’t bother anyone."

Police are continuing to investigate.


city.desk@freepress.mb.ca

[grumpy old man]

Originally Posted by Only The Lonely..

Well, after a particularly violent summer I thought it might be time to actually keep track of the frequency with which these events are occuring.

Here's a quick recap from the past few weeks..

Why? This thread brings ZERO value to the problem. It is troll-like and inflammatory. There are enough boards like this in Winnipeg where people like you can satisfy this need to post such crap. Why bring it here?

[Only The Lonely..]

Originally Posted by grumpy old man

Why? This thread brings ZERO value to the problem. It is troll-like and inflammatory. There are enough boards like this in Winnipeg where people like you can satisfy this need to post such crap. Why bring it here?

I started this thread because for a city our size I think it's pretty disgusting to have this level of violent crime.

I'm not sure anybody has ever really kept 'score' over just how frequently these sorts of things are happening in our city..

MY own modest proposal is let this thread run for 1 month. Let's see what kinds of things go down and then have the mods close it.

I think we might all be surprised at just how bad the situation really is.

In the same time period, i'll post articles relating to politicians and what they're are promising to do to rememdy the situation.

My hypothesis is we'll see another half dozen of these stories and hear zip from our elected officials about addressing these issues.

It should be an interesting experiment.

I'd have to agree with Rskylar and DowntownWPG in one respect, no number of fancy glass towers can likely fix this problem.

[hexrae]

Originally Posted by Only The Lonely..

I'd have to agree with Rskylar and DowntownWPG in one respect, no number of fancy glass towers can likely fix this problem.

They said that? That's got to be the most idiotic statement I've read in awhile since the aforementioned 'fancy glass towers' aren't built to alleviate Winnipeg's crime problem.

I'm with you on this experiment though. But the only problem I have with it is there's no 'control', or counter-weight if you will. All urban areas have violent crime, and IMO, to list ours without any comparison does nothing but sensationalize it.

Honestly, what are we supposed to take away from this? Whats the end goal? I think the press is doing a bang-up job of promoting awareness. But I don't see anyone with solutions to the problem.

[Only The Lonely..]

Originally Posted by hexrae

They said that? That's got to be the most idiotic statement I've read in awhile since the aforementioned 'fancy glass towers' aren't built to alleviate Winnipeg's crime problem.

I'm with you on this experiment though. But the only problem I have with it is there's no 'control', or counter-weight if you will. All urban areas have violent crime, and IMO, to list ours without any comparison does nothing but sensationalize it.

Honestly, what are we supposed to take away from this? Whats the end goal? I think the press is doing a bang-up job of promoting awareness. But I don't see anyone with solutions to the problem.

Admittedly, my interest is more in the political response.

Also, I think it would be hard to compare violent crime in a city vs city kind of way.

It's not to say that violent crime is any better or worse in Winnipeg compared to say Edmonton or Vancouver..

But, I find it interesting with the frequency with which these types of stories are happening.

As a life long Winnipegger, I can't recall a time when we had so many high profile crimes being committed.


I also can't recall a time when shootings were as common. It seems to me at least, that in the 90's and times past stabbings and beatings were far more common than gun violence.

Nowadays, all we seem to hear about is shootings and often in very public spaces too.

[jmt18325]

Originally Posted by Only The Lonely..

As a life long Winnipegger, I can't recall a time when we had so many high profile crimes being committed.

Much of it is that we now live in a 24 hour news cycle where bad news sensationalism sells. We're not as bad as the US in this regard, but we're bad enough.

[drew]

What happened... did OTL morph into Downtown Winnipeg?

[Only The Lonely..]

Originally Posted by drew

What happened... did OTL morph into Downtown Winnipeg?

No, we're just good friends..

Here's another one from the press..

Arrest made in death of alleged shoplifter

Last Updated: Tuesday, September 22, 2009 | 12:46 PM CT -
CBC News


Police allege Beardy was confronted by a store employee after she was caught trying to steal a can of luncheon meat worth $1.49 at a Sherbrook Street convenience store on Sept. 13. She was assaulted before she fled to a nearby residence, police said.

Officers were notified about the assault on Sept. 15, and Beardy died Sept. 18.

Beardy's mother, Louise Keno, told CBC News on Monday that her daughter was last seen at the Okay Groceries store just five days before being taken off life support on Friday.

Beardy, a mother of three, lapsed into a coma after being hit with a bat, Keno said.

Louise Keno is comforted by one of her daughters as she talks about the death of another daughter, Geraldine Beardy. (CBC)Police have not said how the woman was assaulted and whether a weapon was used.

CBC News spoke on Monday to the owner of Okay Groceries. He confirmed the attempted theft, but said he asked Beardy to leave and didn't know what happened to her after that.

Police did not say whether the unidentified 61-year old, who is facing charges of aggravated assault but has not yet been formally charged, is the store's owner.

The charge will not be manslaughter because Beardy's death, nearly a week after the alleged assault, has not been conclusively linked to the injuries that led to her passing, police said.

Keno said Beardy, who is from Garden Hill First Nation, was ill and needed to be in Winnipeg for medical treatment. She did not have a fixed address in the city but had been living there since June.

Her family is making funeral arrangements and hope to take Beardy's body back to Garden Hill this week.

The investigation into the death is being carried out by members of the homicide unit. Anyone with information regarding the incident is asked to contact investigators at 986-6508 or Crime Stoppers at 786-TIPS (8477).

[1ajs]

the police are trying their best as is the city the province and feds are where the system is failing and allowing for this to fest as bad as it is :S

[jmt18325]

Originally Posted by 1ajs

the police are trying their best as is the city the province and feds are where the system is failing and allowing for this to fest as bad as it is :S

Criminal law is in the domain of the Federal Government as per the Constitution. The Provinces can create what are called quasi criminal laws, but they've done everything they can in this regard already. They've also paid for more police and prosecutors to be hired. It's up the the police to find strategies that work and the feds to change the laws now. The province and city have pretty much done what they can.

[Only The Lonely..]

I would like to comment on one story in particular, and perhaps it will resonate with many on this board.

Personally, i'd like to know what drove the shopkeep to bash in that lady's head over a $1.49 tin of canned meat.

Was she just the last straw in a long list of shoplifters who had been stealing from the store.

I'm sure lots of people are disgusted with the shopkeep's reaction, but can he really be blamed for his response?

Safeway, Costco, and Superstore et al. would never setup in any of these inner city neighbourhoods, and many of these same retailers have abandoned older stores that they once had in these places..

A small grocer like this provides an invaluable service to a marginalized neighbourhood.

Why do we as a community in terms of our policing leave this individual out to dry?

My own hunch is that the courts will try to make an example out of this guy and his brand of vigilante justice..

But really, what choice does the public have left?

[grumpy old man]

Originally Posted by Only The Lonely..

I'm sure lots of people are disgusted with the shopkeep's reaction...

Not me. But I'm sure the thief simply fell when she was leaving. Accidents happen ALL the time.

[wayward_prince]

I thought Manitoba members on this site generally deny anything negative about Winnipeg??? Violent crime...what violent crime???

[trueviking]

Originally Posted by wayward_prince

I thought Manitoba members on this site generally deny anything negative about Winnipeg??? Violent crime...what violent crime???

some manitoba members of this forum choose to believe facts instead of media propoganda and false stereotypes from outsiders.

facts are facts...prove me wrong otherwise.


violent crime is like a drug to our media....watch the rochester cable news that we all get....a city with a similar size has more than twice the level of crime and violent crime, yet their news isnt story after story dealing with murder and beatings the way it is here.

http://cityrating.com/citycrime.asp?...ester&state=NY

[DowntownWpg]

Okay okay! Not to worry everybody... I'm here!

Unfortunately, I just discovered this thread. Don't have much time to respond to everything this afternoon. But a few quick comments...

Viking, I don't particularly feel it is best to compare Canadian cities to American cities regarding crime. Indeed, our crime is much less a concern overall in our cities compared to the US, and I agree with you there. However, I'm of the opinion that we should only compare ourselves to other Canadian cities. The reason being we have much different laws 'up here' than 'down there.' Notably, and I think you'll agree with me, we should be proud that we are (for the most part) not a gun-lovin' country, and it is good we have more restrictions on people acquiring firearms than what is seen in most of the US. I also believe our (chemical or opium-based) drug problems are not as severe, overall, and much of the drug trade influences violent crime.

Originally Posted by trueviking

facts are facts...prove me wrong otherwise.

Guess it is a matter of which "facts" one chooses to believe. While some statistics are showing a decline in the crime rates here in Winnipeg, which should make us all happy, it still says something about the state of crime in our city when we do have decent declines yet still outpace all other Canadian cities of our size in terms of crime severity:

http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/85-002-.../10902-eng.pdf (see page 27).

That said, I don't think that we should be wishful in that an annual % drop in crime rates will continue, however. Must stay on top of the issue.

But, is the crime rate truly dropping? Here is a conflicting report I found in the CBC Manitoba Online. It notes, based on Winnipeg Police statistics, that "There were 531 more people injured in assaults in 2008 than in 2007, an increase of 10 per cent, according to data released by the police. Stabbings saw the greatest increase by percentage, a spike of 15 per cent over the same period." Source:

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/manitoba/st...-increase.html

Related, we have retained the dubious distinction of homicide capital:

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/manitoba/st...homicides.html

*****

Originally Posted by hexrae

They said that? That's got to be the most idiotic statement I've read in awhile since the aforementioned 'fancy glass towers' aren't built to alleviate Winnipeg's crime problem.

Heh... well, no, never stated that 'fancy glass towers' would alleviate crime, or did I imply that some of you guys believe that either. What the comment related to was the perception of Winnipeg in the eyes of outsiders will not change because of 'fancy glass towers.' We could fill our city with 'cultural institutions,' but I remain of the opinion that it is incorrect to believe that the key to improving Winnipeg's image is building 'fancy glass cultural institutions.'

The crime stories will always take a front seat in the news reports (again, I think some of you will agree with me there, but we'll differ in that I believe that it would be doing the city a disservice to downplay the crime problems... crime needs to be a concern, if the voters don't care, neither will the policy makers). People always have an appetite for crime stories, it's like driving by a fresh car accident and taking a peak as you pass it by... human nature, I suppose. However, Winnipeg gets much national attention due to the frequency of our crimes; as well as the bizarre, severe or utterly senseless nature to many of our crime stories. The details of crimes that are violent seem to be much more 'straight forward' (if you will) in other cities than in Winnipeg, at least that is my sense.

To further illustrate this point, here is an article about Winnipeg written for people in Edmonton about a couple's visit to The Peg... doesn't paint a pretty picture. Here is how it starts:

Originally Posted by Edmonton Sun

Poor Winnipeg.

You can promote arts, culture and the local pickerel industry all you want -- all it takes is one tourist being smashed in the face with a billiard ball in a sock, and then having his truck and priceless photos stolen, and it's right back to square one.

http://www.edmontonsun.com/news/cana...25471-sun.html

*****

Originally Posted by vid

You're reposting news articles from the media. They're telling people, you're just parroting. (And committing copyright infringement, a crime.)

Guess our crime rate will go up even further now, yikes!

Can I assume that you'll be pointing this out to people like 1ajs, Newflyer, or Trueviking the next time they paste an article into the forum? I actually appreciate it when the members here post articles, have come across some stories I may have otherwise missed. Please, everyone, keep posting articles! Is it even illegal anyways, if you indicate the source?

******

Yes, I do have some "ideas for solutions," but just don't have the time right now unfortunately. Will do my best to get back here this evening or tomorrow.

[Andy6]

Originally Posted by trueviking

some manitoba members of this forum choose to believe facts instead of media propoganda and false stereotypes from outsiders.

facts are facts...prove me wrong otherwise.


violent crime is like a drug to our media....watch the rochester cable news that we all get....a city with a similar size has more than twice the level of crime and violent crime, yet their news isnt story after story dealing with murder and beatings the way it is here.

http://cityrating.com/citycrime.asp?...ester&state=NY

That's because in most U.S. cities the ghettos where most crime takes place have been abandoned to their inhabitants for generations. People in those cities have never been near those places and just write it all off as an unsolvable problem that will hopefully stay confined to whatever horrible neighbourhood it is. In Winnipeg and Canadian cities generally, people still feel shock that things are happening in "their" city. To the average resident of St. Clair Shores or Orange County, things that happen in Detroit or South Central L.A. aren't happening to "their" city. They aren't commentaries on the decline of "their" society and don't really threaten "their" security. Psychologically it is all happening far away; there are no real connections between these places and the ordinary person's experience. Winnipeggers, on the other hand, still know and identify with the places where crime happens and haven't yet adjusted to a future in which entire sections of the city end up as no-go zones, left to rot away like the inner cities of the U.S. I think that's one reason that underclass crime in Winnipeg is paid more attention than underclass crime in a big U.S. city. We're not as cynical yet. Also, in Canada, more such crime may leech into better neighbourhoods, because good and bad neighbourhoods in Canadian cities aren't yet physically separated to the extent that they have become in the U.S.

[drew]

vigilantism is just getting started in this city IMO.

The only way the North End is ever going to clean it's act up is if it starts with the citizens living there.

I live in Wolesley, and if enough of this crime kept happening, I think it would only be a matter of time before groups of citizens would start to patrol the streets and back lanes at night.

[1ajs]

point douglas has eyes everywhere these days

[Boreal]

The province will crack down. Only after a judge or high ranking political figure is hurt severely, or a spouse or child of the previously mentioned. It's sad, and unfortunate, but the hard reality of our time. Any incident in the North End, regardless of how heinous, is nothing more than a statistic. It will get press coverage for a day or seven, but in the end, it amounts to a single data point for a statistician.

I like hard justice, unfortunately the voting majority seems to prefer the solution of hugs, apple pies, and ankle bracelets for level 5 offenders.