CRIME SHOWDOWN: Fed-up cities (not Toronto) cracking down

Article content

Summers in the big cities of North America have traditionally been sweat-soaked bloodbaths – particularly among the young.

Hot weather, booze, youthful exuberance and white-hot tempers contribute to busy days for the coroner.

Chicago, London and Montreal are all trying to enact measures aimed at tempering summer crime waves.

Toronto? Not so much.

In Canada’s largest city, armies of drug-addicted zombies, the mentally ill, and gangs of feral children have turned the subways and the city core into no-go areas.

Coupled with endless, daily protests, who needs the hassle — or the trip to the morgue?

HERE’S WHAT’S HAPPENING ELSEWHERE

CHICAGO

The city council has given the green light to cops to enforce temporary curfews for minors to slam the brakes on the Windy City’s usual summertime orgy or blood and tears.

The council approved a proposal Wednesday to allow Police Superintendent Larry Snelling to enact three-hour curfews with just 30 minutes’ notice. Under the measure, which would take effect in 10 days unless it’s vetoed, a so-called snap curfew can be enacted when gatherings of 20 or more minors are thought to present a public safety threat.

So far, so good, but wait, into the mix steps hyper-woke Mayor Brandon Johnson. He’s vowing to torpedo the measure, slamming it as “knee-jerk reactionary ordinance.” The bill passed 27-22.

Chicago has gained a reputation as one of the most violent cities in America, with summer weekends being particularly deadly affairs.

Councilman Brian Hopkins sponsored the bill.

“This curfew ordinance is a better alternative to arresting teenagers,” Hopkins said. “The police can arrest them, but let’s give them something better so that they don’t have to.

“Let the teenagers be safely returned to their families when a parent or guardian comes and gets them. That is much better than having to arrest them for doing the things that are in fact criminal acts. These are criminal acts, not innocent high jinks,” he said.

While Chicago’s crime rate fell 12% last year, it was still up a sobering 48% from 2020. The summer months account for a third of the Second City’s shootings.

MONTREAL

Shove off! Montreal’s public transit agency has reintroduced a no-loitering rule in the city’s subway tunnels.

The Societe de transport de Montréal says the measure helped decrease assaults on staff and increased users’ sense of security when it was implemented as a pilot project earlier this year.

Transit officials have expressed concern over the number of people struggling with drug addiction and mental illness who use the metro stations as unofficial shelters. They announced in March they would fence off problematic gathering places and implement a “move along” policy for six weeks.

“[The rules] have led to a noticeable increase in the sense of safety among both customers and employees, as well as a reduction in service interruptions caused by disruptive behaviour,” said Éric Alan Caldwell, chair of the STM board of directors.

LONDON, ONT.

In the once sleepy insurance city, cops are cracking down on public drug use.

London police have seized drugs more than 500 times and laid nearly a dozen charges after launching a crackdown on public drug use three months ago, a new report says.

Chief Thai Truong outlined his strategy to combat open-air drug use in public places in April, saying business owners and residents in the most-affected neighbourhoods blamed rampant drug use as the main contributing factor behind declining public safety in the city.

Most of the drugs seized were the deadly opioid, fentanyl.

A recent report said: “As we continue to navigate this multifaceted issue, it is essential to recognize the impact of these measures and the importance of sustained commitment to this strategy.”

TORONTO