Pubdate: Fri, 31 Aug 2012
Source: Maple Ridge News (CN BC)
Copyright: 2012 Maple Ridge News
Contact:  http://www.mapleridgenews.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1328
Author: L. Pellegrino

YEARNING FOR SAFER STREETS

Re: Council looking to crime in core (The News, Aug. 29).

Whoever says that the number of homeless people, drug addicts and 
prostitutes in the downtown area hasn't increased in the last few 
months is blind.

I walk everywhere and, yes, there are a few people I see on a 
consistent basis. But there are a lot of new faces.

I am constantly approached by people asking for money and have to 
walk by people strung out on god-knows-what drug, laid out on benches 
and the side of the road all over town.

I understand that some of these people need help, but there is a 
difference between helping people who want to get out of that 
lifestyle and those people who take advantage of the system, which is 
obvious that many are doing.

I don't see how giving them free meals and a place to sleep is really 
helping them to turn their lives around. To me, it's just enabling 
them to continue this lifestyle without repercussions.

Maple Ridge has progressively gotten worse as the months and years 
have gone by.

I was walking on Cliff Road the other day. The road runs behind the 
pool store on the corner of Lougheed Highway and 222nd Street, and 
what do I see? Three people sitting in the grass, in the open, 
smoking what appeared to be a crack pipe. Lovely.

I'm sure the families who live on that street want their children 
exposed to that sort of thing.

The best part about this was that you could walk from the Salvation 
Army to Cliff Ave. via the pool store parking lot. So I cut across to 
avoid these people, and there's a cop car parked in the Salvation 
Army parking lot, facing where this drug use was taking place. I had 
half a mind to go find the officer, but as there were so many other 
people milling about, I didn't want to draw attention to myself 
because the last thing I need is to be recognized as a snitch and 
jumped one night while walking downtown.

I watch drug deals go down all over town and I'm wondering, where is 
the RCMP? If I can spot these sorts of things, I'm sure that trained 
professionals can, as well. Are they not paid to uphold the law? 
Aren't illicit drugs and prostitution illegal?

So what's being done about it?

As far as I can see, nothing.

I don't really see a police presence other than them driving up and 
down Dewdney Trunk Road and Lougheed Highway. Of course, people 
aren't going to be breaking the law on the side of major roads.

The RCMP needs to patrol neighborhoods, alleys and side streets to 
find and arrest these people and get them off the streets.

I've enjoyed the summer, but part of me is yearning for the cold 
weather to set in so that most of these people return to wherever 
they came from, so I can feel a little safer walking the streets of 
Maple Ridge.

L. Pellegrino

Maple Ridge
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom