In case this isn't posted elsewhere...
If you want your neighbourhood back, do it the Point Douglas way
JEFFREY SIMPSON
From Friday's Globe and Mail
E-mail Jeffrey Simpson | Read Bio | Latest Columns
February 27, 2009 at 12:00 AM EST
WINNIPEG — Sel Burrows took a lead from the famous Chicago community organizer Saul Alinsky: Start small, show results, and go from there.
Results there have been for Point Douglas, one of Winnipeg's formerly troubled inner-city neighbourhoods, courtesy of Mr. Burrow's determination, and that of other residents, to work with the police and civic authorities to rescue their community from crack dealers, cokeheads, pimps and prostitutes.
How Point Douglas improved might hold lessons for other such neighbourhoods in Winnipeg and across Canada. But "might" is the operative word, because it took rare courage by Mr. Burrows and some residents to turn around Point Douglas.
Touring the neighbourhood with Mr. Burrows shows eye-popping results. Former crack houses are boarded up. Derelict homes have been improved or, where necessary, boarded up. An area previously plagued by guns now has none. The police are thrilled. Civic and provincial authorities laud the progress. Mr. Burrows, a self-described old lefty, will preach the Point Douglas model to anyone who'll listen.
Two keys unlocked the Point Douglas puzzle. The neighbourhood had to be mobilized to take itself back; and zero tolerance became the order of the day. No criminal behaviour would go unreported; no houses would be left derelict; no windows would remain broken; no guns would be allowed. Community commitment and law enforcement came together in a polyglot community, with aboriginals making up more than half the population.
Recovery started in 2007 when Mr. Burrows and his wife met a few other residents to discuss the crime that infested their neighbourhood. They decided to develop a plan whereby residents could send e-mails or make phone calls anonymously when they discovered criminal or highly suspicious activity. They called it the Powerline, and information from it was sent directly to the police or bylaw officers.
A visit by Governor-General Michaëlle Jean to Norquay School helped publicize the community's problems when students complained about crime in their neighbourhood in the glare of the media accompanying Ms. Jean.
It took some early, direct confrontation with unwanted elements. Mr. Burrows has five pins in the orbital bone below his left eye, courtesy of a blow suffered when he challenged a gang member. A few residents of the neighbourhood's "safety team" sat on the steps talking to drug dealers as they harassed people and tried to deal. Those acts took courage.
Early on, Mr. Burrows and his fellow organizers discovered that the city bylaws were fine, but they were not being enforced. So they began to pester City Hall. Derelict houses used for crack dealing began to be shuttered and residents evicted.
The act of eviction shamed many dealers and addicts. Landlords were forced either to repair buildings or close them properly pending disposition. Other bylaws began to be enforced. Houses with more than 25 per cent of the exterior paint peeling had to be repainted; rental houses had to have screens and storm windows. Police, who used to respond to crime after the fact, were in touch on an ongoing basis.
When residents began to see improvements in the neighbourhood, more of them joined the Powerline effort, reporting crime, suspicious behaviour and bylaw infractions. Eventually, more than 25 crack houses were closed.
As the dealers left, the streets became safer, violence declined. More people ventured outside, walking their dogs, congregating in parks, sitting on their steps - giving effect to Jane Jacobs's theory that safety comes from having more "eyes on the street."
Point Douglas needs government help through funding of community centres, employment agencies, and women's centres. Winnipeg's Community Fund has been a big help. More than anything, progress took resolve and persistence from Mr. Burrows and some of his neighbours.
Can this model work elsewhere? It would appear that it needs a catalyst such as Mr. Burrows. But people like him aren't easy to find. He had worked in politics, knew his way around government, possessed rare courage, and wasn't afraid to be pushy when required.
The community must be willing to save itself. It means civic authorities, police, and social agencies working together. Success might mean that the criminal elements and slum landlords simply go to other areas of the city. But it sure has worked in Point Douglas.
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BTW, if you have Shaw, it might say you're in Calgary. So while you will do the test with Brandon or Grand Forks (the closest servers to Winnipeg) the connection is actually going to go from you, to Calgary, to the server, back to Calgary, then to you. With ADSL it goes between you and the server you're testing with because the server you're on will be within a couple kilometres. (Mine is just over 1100m away.)
At least not one you can rent from the phone company.
no island lakes its a burb with some ponds in it just south of the mint
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