A $2,000,000 report by the economically-distressed province of Ontario was released last week, and it covers the 2007 stabbing death of black high school student Jordan Manners.
The authors identified racism as a major problem.Well for a change of pace I will hold off on criticizing some of the more outlandish charges for now.
"We were taken aback by the extent to which racism is alive and well and wreaking its deeply harmful effects on Ontarians and on the very fabric of this province," wrote McMurtry and Curling.
"This racism affects all racialized groups in Ontario ... in particular blacks (continue to) suffer from a seemingly more entrenched and often more virulent form of racism."
Youth who feel alienated, oppressed -- and who have no sense of hope -- are more likely to engage in violence, they said.
The report -- which made 30 recommendations -- also focused on other issues the authors said the province must address to reduce violence, including an emphasis on providing easier access to and better mental health services.
The authors said the province must invest about $200 million to provide universal mental health services, noting that the money should be spent even as the government runs into deficit budgets.
"Our report is a road map to government and others who must join us on this journey. Now is the time to take the first steps," said McMurtry at a news conference.
The authors also noted the irony of the criminal justice system.
"Paradoxically, a young person's 'last chance for rehabilitation' is often the criminal justice system, which is ill-equipped to deal with the youth's mental health problems," said the report.
Toronto Mayor David Miller added that society must ensure that entire groups of young people feel don't feel excluded.
"You put a gun in the hands of somebody who is angry, who feels alienated, who feels discriminated against, and that is impulsive, you're creating an incredible risk for society," Miller said.
McGuinty said he will consider the report's recommendations "very carefully" and will look at it as a blueprint for an action plan.
"We can't just write off groups of kids just because they are troubled and troublesome," he said.
He also called on parents to become more engaged in their children's lives.
The report also calls for:
* Ontario to press the federal government to impose a handgun ban (about 30 per cent of handguns used in Toronto crimes originated with legitimate owners)
* expand availability of public space and facilities for recreation activities
* improve parenting skills and "community-based" support system for parents
* keep crime statistics based on race
A 16-year old boy was killed, and this report makes it clear that racism is the cause. Jordon Manners was stabbed by two individuals, who have been apprehended. So are they neo-Nazi skinheads? Transplanted rednecked Alberta cowboys?
Er, no.
Here are the killers (faces obscured because they are under-age). Well what do you know: they're black too! So when two black kids stab another black kid, its a sign of racism?
Actually this brings up a pretty important point: when whitewashed (pun intended) government reports give politically-correct excuses for violent acts, and when a bunch of expensive and ultimately unproductive government programs are recommended in response, the end result is that more stabbings will take clase. And the Jacey Pinnock case in Edmonton and the Jordan Manners case in Ontario make it clear: the end result of crying "racism" is the death of more black kids. Proof? Jordon Manner's own cousin was arrested for murder less than six months later.
1 comments:
The Review of the Roots of Youth Violence by McMurtry and Curling does a fine job of defining the roots of the problem. The one fault I find with the study is that it touts the familiar discredited anti-gun line when writing about gun bans.
The authors claim 200,000 legally registered handguns would not be available to youth gangs if these legal handguns were banned, The ‘scary’ figure of 200,000 is misleading. Only a small fraction of that figure actually resides in the GTA. The vast majority of the handguns are distributed throughout the province. Analyze the statistics. The ‘significant number’ of illegal firearms recovered from criminals that were stolen from registered owners is less than 2%. If you look at the chances of being murdered by a registered handgun it comes out at closer to 1/1000. One then has to come to the conclusion that a call for a handgun ban has more to do with political agendas than it does public safety.
The estimate of the number of handguns originating as registered items is wildly out of line with the actual figures compiled by the Toronto Police Service. Just more anti-gun propaganda and another false 'scary' figure!
The author’s other comments on firearms may sound rational at first blush but these comments do not stand up to fair scrutiny. Who would trust the government to store their firearms for them in a central armoury? Not one soul is my guess. How about criminals doing one stop shopping for firearms stored at a gun club? Another bad idea methinks. Many of the club facilities are rural and thus are vulnerable. How about provinces controlling criminal law? We would end up with a veritable patchwork of jurisdictions with different regulations and laws. We have seen how that has made the cities in the U.S. with the strictest gun laws the ones with the highest murder rates. It seems Mr. McMurtry for all his experience can offer nothing more than more of a failed policy – a ban! Perhaps most distressing is that Mr. McMurtry has forgotten that you do not protect the rights of all by suppressing the rights of the few.
It is scary when politicians advocate loss of rights because they lack the will or competence to deal with crime. Why should citizens pay for their political short comings? We all want a safe society but creating a police state is not the answer nor is it acceptable in a ‘just society’.
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