You’d get the impression that the Downtown Vernon Association wants to put the fear of God into people. At council last week,
DVA president Malcom Dunn painted a dismal picture — rampant drug deals and prostitution in Cenotaph Park, people afraid to walk around freely and merchants hiring private security.Obviously the downtown scene has changed since I arrived 16 years ago. Merchants are facing some significant challenges, whether it’s criminal in nature or the ever-growing competition from the north end. It must be hard to remain optimistic when you have to keep an eye out for shop-lifters or someone shooting up is turning customers away. But there’s part of me wondering how much of the DVA’s concerns are reality and how much are based on perception. Certainly the Safe Communities’ safety patrol abandoned Cenotaph Park this summer because of an apparent aggressive element there. But if you talk to police, they will tell you that many of the reports they receive about Cenotaph Park have more to do with what people think is going on there than is actually happening. Yes, there was an upswing in purse snatchings and bank heists this summer, but in many of the cases, the police apprehended the alleged culprits. What particularly troubled me about Dunn’s presentation was the reactionary tone. “One has to wonder what next summer will bring if we don’t address the problem in a serious and firm manner,” he said. But I don’t know what more the city could do. It has put considerable resources into community policing, it is hiring an additional five bylaw enforcement officers to be eyes and ears primarily downtown and it has backed the DVA’s revitalization plans.
If it wants to drop the hammer further, the DVA is barking up the wrong tree. It needs to lobby the federal and provincial governments for stiffer court sentences. But laying down the law can’t be the only solution. You must get at the root cause of crime. Are people pursuing crime because they have a substance abuse issue? Are they unable to find work because of a lack of skills? Are they on the street because affordable housing is non-existent? Once again, the city has done its part by establishing an affordable housing committee and supporting agencies such as the Women’s Centre. But the overwhelming onus on these social issues must come from Victoria and Ottawa. It would be easy to dismiss Coun. Juliette Cunningham as a bleeding heart liberal who ran for the NDP. But when she challenged Dunn last week, keep in mind that she owns a business downtown that backs on to Cenotaph Park. She, like many merchants, lives with these issues daily. The one part of Dunn’s presentation that I totally disagreed with was finding another use for Cenotaph Park. No details were provided, but if you read between the lines, it likely means replacing the park with an office building. The only downfall to that option is it just chases the problem off to another location. That was the case in the early 1990s when Narc Park (where National Bank is now) disappeared off 30th Avenue. Getting rid of Cenotaph Park would also not only be disrespectful to veterans, but tell the “bad guys” — to use Dunn’s words — that they’ve won. The DVA certainly provided some worthwhile suggestions such as removing alley dumpsters as they have in Kelowna, but they were overshadowed by all of the doom and gloom. Times are changing downtown and if left unchecked that trend could certainly worsen. But now is not the time to give up in desperation or to take drastic action. Downtown still remains a vital place and it can stay that way if there is a concerted effort from all agencies, residents and levels of government to work together.
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