Jane and Finch community group responds to spate of gun violence

BY PAUL JUNOR

The recent increase in brazen acts of gun violence in Toronto has prompted widespread reactions from: community leaders, civic officials, and residents.

This sharp increase in deadly shootings, especially recently in the Jane and Finch area, has caused an immediate response from a local community group. The Jane and Finch Action Against Poverty (JFAAP) has collaborated with other concerned programs to force the: municipal, federal and provincial governments to respond.

In a press release on Friday, February 23^rd, 2023, the JFAAP released a statement regarding the spate of gun violence, which resulted in the loss of two innocent lives within a few days of each other. The statement reads, “A 16-year-old student experienced a life altering shooting randomly while waiting for a bus to get to his volleyball game. A 39-year man was shot indiscriminately multiple times and died later in hospital. He left behind a spouse and four children and most probably: siblings, cousins, friends, and loved ones. All this happened in our neighborhoods in less than 24 hours over the past weekend.”

As news of the shootings spread throughout the community information was released about the life of the two innocent victims. The press states further, “What we need to say at this time is that this tragic loss of life is frighteningly unfathomable; this is traumatic on many levels. A young man impacted permanently, and four children won’t see their father anymore; a woman lost her partner. We are sad, outraged, and devastated about the tragic death of this man who just came to Canada three months ago from Ghana to perhaps build a better future for his children.”

There has been a steady decline in gun violence over the past years from a record high in 2023. Public safety data portals at the Toronto Police Services show that 469 shootings and firearm discharges, which resulted in 270 individuals being killed, or harmed in 2019. There has been a 30% reduction to 326 with 153 people killed or injured in 2023. While this gradual decrease is a good sign, the occurrence of several brazen shootings in broad daylight in February 2024 does not portend well.

Steve Watts of the Toronto Police’s organized crime enforcement unit has attributed the decrease to an emphasis on detection, intervention and prevention strategies and believes that a greater focus on social and community programming, sustained multi-sector action, and public involvement are integral. One of the biggest challenges is ensuring our youth who are at high risk are steered away from the lure of organized criminal activities. He states, “The long-term solution to gun violence and gun-crime are rooted in many other things, whether it be: housing and security, financial and security, environmental factors, that’s all been spoken about at length.”

Louis March founder of the Zero Gun Movement knows the issues first-hand.

He states, “They’re no longer working in silos. There’s a more collaborative approach.”

The Safe TO plan titled, “A Community Safety & Well-Being Plan,” lists 26 priority actions within seven strategic goals:

• Reduce vulnerability
• Reduce violence
• Advance truth and reconciliation
• Promote healing and justice
• Invest in people
• Invest in neighborhoods
• Drive collaboration and accountability

The press release from JFAAP express “What they’re doing only creates a false image temporarily and justifies more budget for police in the long run, instead of seriously, and in a sustainable manner, addressing the: socio-economic, political, and structural causes of the systemic issues many people in our communities, including youth, face and struggle with on a daily basis.”