Before I begin my words on crime prevention (Part III B,) I want to share with you my experience in trying to place my “reward notice” in the CJ. I emailed my “reward notice” to the CJ at 11:30 Monday morning. I was told it couldn’t be published, because the editor had to approve it and he wasn’t in. Fair enough, I guess.
The editor called me Tuesday morning and stated he would not run the “reward notice” with the words “clearly motivated by hate and racism” included. His rationale was that it was not proven, not established, that “hate” was an element in this crime. While I believe ”hate” is self- evident by virtue of the act itself - let’s face it, I can’t believe they liked the victim – I agreed to this deletion.
In the past, I have read ( tbaynewswatch, not he CJ) that I am “clearly motivated by hate and racism.” I suppose in my case proof of the truth of those words was established because Hobbs said it and he can’t be wrong. He’s Hobbs.
Regardless, the editor is just that and he exercises his discretion according to his take on a given situation. I disagree with him in this specific instance, but I have to respect his position.
Remember everyone, Ian Robinson began this process by having the courage to write a letter to the editor pointing out the vicious, unprovoked, attack committed against his daughter’s boyfriend. I don’t know Ian, but I admire him for bravely bringing this incident to the attention of the public. It takes not only courage, but a strong sense of civic duty and responsibility to stand up as Ian did. Ian your family should be proud of you. I am. And so is the rest of the City.
Crime Prevention Part III B.
Crime is down in the City of Thunder Bay. That’s what they are telling us. Is this part of the “we have nothing to fear” line?
Frankly, I, like many people I have spoken to, view the notion that crime is down with a certain degree of skepticism. Could it be - and I want to state out front that I have no proof of this - that the manner or basis in which such statistics have been compiled has been changed or altered to achieve the result that crime is down? Suppression, or changing statistical reporting methods, could be accomplished by those involved to alter public perception of what exactly is happening in our City. Why would anyone do this? Accurate crime statistics might be viewed as a poor reflection on their performance.
This is a hell of a thing to say and I want to reiterate that I have absolutely no proof of this, but as I said, I am a skeptic. If elected, I can assure you voters, that I will take steps to determine whether or not there has been any alteration or modification of the manner in which crime statistics are compiled. Nothing wrong with that. If I am wrong, I think the citizens would be pleased to learn this is actually the case and that they haven’t been deceived by statistical manipulation.
You can’t do this with murder. Where do you hide the bodies?
So crime is “down,” but murder is up. Not just up, up to record setting levels. Up to essentially DOUBLE that of NYC. Metropolitan Toronto has 5.5 million people with 28 murders to date. Thunder Bay has a population of, what? 110 thousand, and we have 8 murders. To put this in perspective, Toronto has 50 times our population and we have just under 1/3 of their murders. If Toronto’s murder rate was identical to ours, they would have over 400 murders. WOW! And we don’t have a serious crime problem?
In my previous posts concerning crime, my immediate concern has been that of public safety; the safety of our loved ones, our children, our seniors. However, I recognize the issue of crime involves a broader concern; other factors, factors of less immediate concern, but still important. Don’t think for a moment that knowledge of our embarrassing crime problem is local, confined, because it is not. People far and wide are very much aware of the rampant crime and violence in Thunder Bay, Ontario. We have a reputation – and, regrettably, we have earned it – as being a dangerous place to visit or re-locate to. This reputation will haunt us and affect us, long after we have “fixed” our crime problem by diligently arresting and jailing ALL offenders.
The sad truth is we don’t actually know exactly what our clearly out of control crime problem has cost us, but I absolutely guarantee it has cost us. For example, how many tourists decided to drive through Thunder Bay and stay and visit elsewhere? How many students have been persuaded to attend college or University in another city, rather than study in Thunder Bay? How many heart specialists, or cancer specialists, have, after family discussions, opted to select a position elsewhere?
How many gifted educators have chosen to exercise their talents in some other city? How many successful entrepreneurs have deferred investment in Thunder Bay for the safety of another community? I see Loch Lomond has just changed hands and I sincerely wish the new owners luck, but I ask them to stop and consider how many Americans, for example, won’t come to Thunder Bay to ski because of our violent crime?
I don’t know the true extant of this “cost,” no one does, but common sense dictates people have and will avoid Thunder Bay because of crime. This will only get worse as our record setting murder rate escalates. People understand that an astronomical murder rate is but the barometer, the beacon, of over- all lawlessness. They know that a totally unacceptable and disgraceful murder rate is accompanied by a multitude of “lesser” crimes – attempted murder, assaults, muggings, theft, prostitution, drug dealing, vandalism, etc. They know all this and they will not put themselves in a position where the unthinkable might happen. Why would they?
Citizens of Thunder Bay, whether we accept it or not, our frightening, escalating, murder rate affects the perception of exactly who we – each of us, all residents of our City – are. People outside the City are asking “what are our values?” “What are our priorities?” “What are our concerns?” “What type of people are we?” to allow violent crime to be so out of control. It’s not simply what’s wrong with our Mayor and City Council to allow this deplorable situation to exist. It goes further than that. It reflects negatively on each and every one of us, for seemingly allowing, for evidently permitting, this to occur and NOT DEMANDING ACTION TO STOP IT! I intend to change that.
It is clearly evident that our Mayor is hopelessly in over his head when faced with real, hard, issues, including crime prevention and control. I don’t and you can’t excuse his lack of positive action on any basis. He simply doesn’t have the skill, the acumen, to take charge. That’s an obvious and proven fact, but there is definitely no excuse for the cowardly silence, compliance and acceptance, of each member of our City Council for not demanding action long ago. Our entire City Council sat back and maintained an unconscionable, selfish, “politically correct,” silence, while our City was, and is, under siege. Unforgiveable.
Rebecca Johnson is Co-Chairperson of this City’s Anti Racism Committee. She gets paid – receives your tax dollars – in return for her efforts. Ian Robinson courageously wrote the CJ to tell the people of this City of the vicious, unprovoked, racial beating on his daughter’s boyfriend. Ian Robinson, not Rebecca Johnson. Not Thunder Bay’s Anti Racism Committee.
I, let’s face it a nobody, followed up on Ian’s letter, ditched the purchase of a large billboard and utilized the money to buy space in the CJ and offer a reward for the arrest of these hate -driven, racist, individuals. Me. Not Rebecca Johnson. Not Thunder Bay’s Anti Racism Committee.
Now why is that? Why does it take the effort of two private citizens to try to do something about a clearly racist attack on a City resident? Why?
I suppose Rebecca Johnson could say until Ian Robinson wrote his letter to the editor, she didn’t know about this vicious attack. But that won’t work, because if I were in her position I would be tapped into the police dept. and insist that I be informed of any criminal acts that appear to be racially motivated. Wouldn’t you? Wouldn’t you take steps to ensure you were made aware of violent acts of racism? After all you are the Co-Chair of the City’s Anti Racism Committee and are paid for this position.
The police couldn’t refuse you. How could they? On what basis could the police refuse to give a person in her position this information? They couldn’t, well they couldn’t refuse me. I would make them give me this information. So lack of knowledge won’t work for Rebecca Johnson.
Besides, after Ian Robinson wrote the paper what has Rebecca Johnson done to address this violent unprovoked racial attack? I know what I have done and I know how long it took me to do it. What has Rebecca Johnson and Thunder Bay’s Anti Racism Committee done?
We all know what they have done. They have done absolutely nothing. And why is that? They are paid and still they did nothing. Why? I suppose the answer could be that they are incompetent, or simply don’t care, or are only interested in cashing their City paycheques. It could be they have no intention of actually doing something pro -active regarding racism. But I don’t believe this is the real answer, the true answer.
No. Sadly, I believe the answer is they don’t even register or acknowledge an act of racism as being just that, unless the victim is native. “White boys” don’t count.
To Rebecca Johnson and her Anti Racism Committee, racism is a one- way street. It exists only when natives are the victims. “White boys” cannot, in their perception of racism, be victims. Rebecca Johnson and her Anti Racism Committee are too consumed by the popular, pervading, notion of “political correctness” to take a stand and voice words that could be viewed as politically incorrect.
Rebecca if you don’t do something about this vicious, unprovoked, criminal act people are going to begin to question if Thunder Bay’s Anti Racism Committee is not…..well…. racist.
Rebecca Johnson’s situation is even worse. She is a seasoned veteran on City Council. Why has she not stood up and called our Mayor out on our crime problem - including our native crime problem? Why has she not assumed a leadership role – months ago, as the bodies piled up - and challenged our Mayor on the utter, dismal, failure of his crime prevention strategy?
I am sorry and I don’t like speaking like this, but I believe she hasn’t voiced our concerns because she does not have the courage to do so.
Voters it is NOT RACIST to say our crime problem has a native component. It IS RACIST to refuse to recognize that native component and take steps to do something about it.
As my discussion on crime in our City draws to a close, I ask each of you to put yourselves in the shoes of the vast majority of our native residents. Can you imagine how these decent, hard working , responsible people, must dread hearing of another native murder. They fully realize some will think less of all natives, because of the acts of a very few. It affects not only themselves, but also their children. And how they must fear that their child might somehow become associated with the few and destroy their chances at life.
This is not right. Let’s diligently work to eradicate the few – lock them up – make our City’s streets safe again and relieve the vast majority of natives from living under this unearned stigma.
Voters this ends my three part discussion on crime. I wish to sincerely thank those who have taken the time to read my posts. I trust my views and commentary better enable you to understand and appreciate my position on these very serious issues. Has any other candidate provided you with a similar detailed discussion of exactly where they stand on the issue of crime? Of course not. Silence is their saviour, their protector.
I will publish a summary of my points on my website as soon as it is up and running.
The editor called me Tuesday morning and stated he would not run the “reward notice” with the words “clearly motivated by hate and racism” included. His rationale was that it was not proven, not established, that “hate” was an element in this crime. While I believe ”hate” is self- evident by virtue of the act itself - let’s face it, I can’t believe they liked the victim – I agreed to this deletion.
In the past, I have read ( tbaynewswatch, not he CJ) that I am “clearly motivated by hate and racism.” I suppose in my case proof of the truth of those words was established because Hobbs said it and he can’t be wrong. He’s Hobbs.
Regardless, the editor is just that and he exercises his discretion according to his take on a given situation. I disagree with him in this specific instance, but I have to respect his position.
Remember everyone, Ian Robinson began this process by having the courage to write a letter to the editor pointing out the vicious, unprovoked, attack committed against his daughter’s boyfriend. I don’t know Ian, but I admire him for bravely bringing this incident to the attention of the public. It takes not only courage, but a strong sense of civic duty and responsibility to stand up as Ian did. Ian your family should be proud of you. I am. And so is the rest of the City.
Crime Prevention Part III B.
Crime is down in the City of Thunder Bay. That’s what they are telling us. Is this part of the “we have nothing to fear” line?
Frankly, I, like many people I have spoken to, view the notion that crime is down with a certain degree of skepticism. Could it be - and I want to state out front that I have no proof of this - that the manner or basis in which such statistics have been compiled has been changed or altered to achieve the result that crime is down? Suppression, or changing statistical reporting methods, could be accomplished by those involved to alter public perception of what exactly is happening in our City. Why would anyone do this? Accurate crime statistics might be viewed as a poor reflection on their performance.
This is a hell of a thing to say and I want to reiterate that I have absolutely no proof of this, but as I said, I am a skeptic. If elected, I can assure you voters, that I will take steps to determine whether or not there has been any alteration or modification of the manner in which crime statistics are compiled. Nothing wrong with that. If I am wrong, I think the citizens would be pleased to learn this is actually the case and that they haven’t been deceived by statistical manipulation.
You can’t do this with murder. Where do you hide the bodies?
So crime is “down,” but murder is up. Not just up, up to record setting levels. Up to essentially DOUBLE that of NYC. Metropolitan Toronto has 5.5 million people with 28 murders to date. Thunder Bay has a population of, what? 110 thousand, and we have 8 murders. To put this in perspective, Toronto has 50 times our population and we have just under 1/3 of their murders. If Toronto’s murder rate was identical to ours, they would have over 400 murders. WOW! And we don’t have a serious crime problem?
In my previous posts concerning crime, my immediate concern has been that of public safety; the safety of our loved ones, our children, our seniors. However, I recognize the issue of crime involves a broader concern; other factors, factors of less immediate concern, but still important. Don’t think for a moment that knowledge of our embarrassing crime problem is local, confined, because it is not. People far and wide are very much aware of the rampant crime and violence in Thunder Bay, Ontario. We have a reputation – and, regrettably, we have earned it – as being a dangerous place to visit or re-locate to. This reputation will haunt us and affect us, long after we have “fixed” our crime problem by diligently arresting and jailing ALL offenders.
The sad truth is we don’t actually know exactly what our clearly out of control crime problem has cost us, but I absolutely guarantee it has cost us. For example, how many tourists decided to drive through Thunder Bay and stay and visit elsewhere? How many students have been persuaded to attend college or University in another city, rather than study in Thunder Bay? How many heart specialists, or cancer specialists, have, after family discussions, opted to select a position elsewhere?
How many gifted educators have chosen to exercise their talents in some other city? How many successful entrepreneurs have deferred investment in Thunder Bay for the safety of another community? I see Loch Lomond has just changed hands and I sincerely wish the new owners luck, but I ask them to stop and consider how many Americans, for example, won’t come to Thunder Bay to ski because of our violent crime?
I don’t know the true extant of this “cost,” no one does, but common sense dictates people have and will avoid Thunder Bay because of crime. This will only get worse as our record setting murder rate escalates. People understand that an astronomical murder rate is but the barometer, the beacon, of over- all lawlessness. They know that a totally unacceptable and disgraceful murder rate is accompanied by a multitude of “lesser” crimes – attempted murder, assaults, muggings, theft, prostitution, drug dealing, vandalism, etc. They know all this and they will not put themselves in a position where the unthinkable might happen. Why would they?
Citizens of Thunder Bay, whether we accept it or not, our frightening, escalating, murder rate affects the perception of exactly who we – each of us, all residents of our City – are. People outside the City are asking “what are our values?” “What are our priorities?” “What are our concerns?” “What type of people are we?” to allow violent crime to be so out of control. It’s not simply what’s wrong with our Mayor and City Council to allow this deplorable situation to exist. It goes further than that. It reflects negatively on each and every one of us, for seemingly allowing, for evidently permitting, this to occur and NOT DEMANDING ACTION TO STOP IT! I intend to change that.
It is clearly evident that our Mayor is hopelessly in over his head when faced with real, hard, issues, including crime prevention and control. I don’t and you can’t excuse his lack of positive action on any basis. He simply doesn’t have the skill, the acumen, to take charge. That’s an obvious and proven fact, but there is definitely no excuse for the cowardly silence, compliance and acceptance, of each member of our City Council for not demanding action long ago. Our entire City Council sat back and maintained an unconscionable, selfish, “politically correct,” silence, while our City was, and is, under siege. Unforgiveable.
Rebecca Johnson is Co-Chairperson of this City’s Anti Racism Committee. She gets paid – receives your tax dollars – in return for her efforts. Ian Robinson courageously wrote the CJ to tell the people of this City of the vicious, unprovoked, racial beating on his daughter’s boyfriend. Ian Robinson, not Rebecca Johnson. Not Thunder Bay’s Anti Racism Committee.
I, let’s face it a nobody, followed up on Ian’s letter, ditched the purchase of a large billboard and utilized the money to buy space in the CJ and offer a reward for the arrest of these hate -driven, racist, individuals. Me. Not Rebecca Johnson. Not Thunder Bay’s Anti Racism Committee.
Now why is that? Why does it take the effort of two private citizens to try to do something about a clearly racist attack on a City resident? Why?
I suppose Rebecca Johnson could say until Ian Robinson wrote his letter to the editor, she didn’t know about this vicious attack. But that won’t work, because if I were in her position I would be tapped into the police dept. and insist that I be informed of any criminal acts that appear to be racially motivated. Wouldn’t you? Wouldn’t you take steps to ensure you were made aware of violent acts of racism? After all you are the Co-Chair of the City’s Anti Racism Committee and are paid for this position.
The police couldn’t refuse you. How could they? On what basis could the police refuse to give a person in her position this information? They couldn’t, well they couldn’t refuse me. I would make them give me this information. So lack of knowledge won’t work for Rebecca Johnson.
Besides, after Ian Robinson wrote the paper what has Rebecca Johnson done to address this violent unprovoked racial attack? I know what I have done and I know how long it took me to do it. What has Rebecca Johnson and Thunder Bay’s Anti Racism Committee done?
We all know what they have done. They have done absolutely nothing. And why is that? They are paid and still they did nothing. Why? I suppose the answer could be that they are incompetent, or simply don’t care, or are only interested in cashing their City paycheques. It could be they have no intention of actually doing something pro -active regarding racism. But I don’t believe this is the real answer, the true answer.
No. Sadly, I believe the answer is they don’t even register or acknowledge an act of racism as being just that, unless the victim is native. “White boys” don’t count.
To Rebecca Johnson and her Anti Racism Committee, racism is a one- way street. It exists only when natives are the victims. “White boys” cannot, in their perception of racism, be victims. Rebecca Johnson and her Anti Racism Committee are too consumed by the popular, pervading, notion of “political correctness” to take a stand and voice words that could be viewed as politically incorrect.
Rebecca if you don’t do something about this vicious, unprovoked, criminal act people are going to begin to question if Thunder Bay’s Anti Racism Committee is not…..well…. racist.
Rebecca Johnson’s situation is even worse. She is a seasoned veteran on City Council. Why has she not stood up and called our Mayor out on our crime problem - including our native crime problem? Why has she not assumed a leadership role – months ago, as the bodies piled up - and challenged our Mayor on the utter, dismal, failure of his crime prevention strategy?
I am sorry and I don’t like speaking like this, but I believe she hasn’t voiced our concerns because she does not have the courage to do so.
Voters it is NOT RACIST to say our crime problem has a native component. It IS RACIST to refuse to recognize that native component and take steps to do something about it.
As my discussion on crime in our City draws to a close, I ask each of you to put yourselves in the shoes of the vast majority of our native residents. Can you imagine how these decent, hard working , responsible people, must dread hearing of another native murder. They fully realize some will think less of all natives, because of the acts of a very few. It affects not only themselves, but also their children. And how they must fear that their child might somehow become associated with the few and destroy their chances at life.
This is not right. Let’s diligently work to eradicate the few – lock them up – make our City’s streets safe again and relieve the vast majority of natives from living under this unearned stigma.
Voters this ends my three part discussion on crime. I wish to sincerely thank those who have taken the time to read my posts. I trust my views and commentary better enable you to understand and appreciate my position on these very serious issues. Has any other candidate provided you with a similar detailed discussion of exactly where they stand on the issue of crime? Of course not. Silence is their saviour, their protector.
I will publish a summary of my points on my website as soon as it is up and running.