Live: Public forum on gangs

By Jessica Beddaoui






  
Follow our live coverage of the public forum on gangs.
Ottawa Police, in partnership with Crime Prevention Ottawa, the Youth Services Bureau and Ottawa Community Housing are hosting "Taking Action Together: Addressing Gangs in our City" Wednesday evening, at Ottawa City Hall.
The Sun's live coverage begins at 6:30 p.m.

• Ottawa Sun reporter Jessica Beddaoui reports live from the public forum on gangs at City Hall.

  by Jackie Lawrence, Editor 6:48 PM
• 
  The floor is now being open for discussion.

  by jessica.beddaoui via email 8:11 PM
• 
  Lindsay says "don't be like Toronto...say the truth. If you don't, you
  might internalize that again."

  by jessica.beddaoui via email 8:09 PM
• 
  Concludes by saying that one of the kids he worked with named "Monster"
  was killed in January. Lindsay says he was devastated, broke down while
  giving a speech. Wants to address the issue of "how do we heal the
  helpers?"

  by jessica.beddaoui via email 8:08 PM
• 
  "You never know when that change thought is going to enter the mind," says
  Lindsay. Youth at risk often make bad choices because they don't know what
  else to do. They think it's their destiny.

  by jessica.beddaoui via email 7:57 PM
• 
  Lindsay asks the crowd, "are you committed or convicted to working with
  youth?" He says this is a question he asks himself every single day.

  by jessica.beddaoui via email 7:55 PM
• 
  The last speaker of the night takes the podium, Jabari Lindsay, Toronto's
  Youth Development Manager. His message to the crowd: " Say the truth.
  Really honour yourself to say the truth," about what's happening in your
  community.

  by jessica.beddaoui via email 7:48 PM
• 
  Gangs are all about making money, says Patterson. He concludes by saying a
  Crip will hang with a Blood.

  by jessica.beddaoui via email 7:44 PM
• 
  There have been 31 shootings in Ottawa between January 1 and October 3
  2012. 15 have been gang-related, 8 are definitely not gang-related and 8
  are unknown.

  by jessica.beddaoui via email 7:42 PM
• 
  There are 15-19 identifiable gangs in Ottawa. Here is a breakdown:
  
  Crips have 236 members.
  Bloods have 104.
  Juggalos have 65.
  Ruffryders have 28 members.
  Martian gang have 26.

  by jessica.beddaoui via email 7:40 PM
• 
  Two most popular gangs in Ottawa are the Crips and Bloods. They have no
  allegiance to L.A.

  by jessica.beddaoui via email 7:38 PM
• 
  "Street gangs have evolved," says Patterson. In the 90's, gangs were
  mostly youth who would use knives and opt for swarmings. Now, gang members
  have evolved. They use guns and won't wear their gang signs as to avoid
  attention from police.

  by jessica.beddaoui via email edited by Jackie Lawrence, Editor 7:37 PM
• 
  "Gang members are very transient." They come to Ottawa from Toronto,
  Montreal, etc.

  by jessica.beddaoui via email 7:32 PM
• 
  Ottawa Police Guns and Gangs Unit Staff Sgt. Mark Patterson up next.
  "Everybody wants to know what is a gang?" It is 3 or more people formally
  or informally organized, may have a common name, sign. Gang members make
  good money in Ottawa by trafficking drugs,most commonly, crack.

  by jessica.beddaoui via email 7:31 PM
• 
  

  What are the key gaps in information that is missing, Worsfold asks?

  by jessica.beddaoui via email 7:28 PM
• 
  "Any gang action is too much," says Worsfold.

  by jessica.beddaoui via email 7:25 PM
• 
  Up next, Nancy Worsfold, Executive Director at Crime Prevention Ottawa.
  Compares Ottawa gangs to gangs across Canada. On a density per 1,000
  people, Ottawa has 473 gang members, Edmonton has 600, Saskatoon has 900
  and Toronto has 3,000

  by jessica.beddaoui via email 7:23 PM
• 
  "Gangs are not culturally or religiously controlled. Gangs are about power
  and control," Bordeleau says.

  by jessica.beddaoui via email 7:17 PM
• 
  Bordeleau says the guns and gangs unit is complex. It involves at-risk
  youth and men and women who have chosen a life of crime.

  by jessica.beddaoui via email edited by Jackie Lawrence, Editor 7:16 PM
• 
  Police Chief Charles Bordeleau takes the podium. "We know that this is not
  a problem we can arrest our way out of," Bordeleau says. "As a community,
  when we come together, we can make positive change."

  by jessica.beddaoui via email 7:15 PM
• 
  Up next, Ottawa Police Services Board Eli El-Chantiry. He says we have to
  work together to end gang violence, it's a community effort. He also
  thanks all the police officers who have come to the forum after hours. "We
  are all in it together."

  by jessica.beddaoui via email 7:11 PM
• 
  Watson also says we need to work together to create a safety net for youth
  at risk. He thanks everyone in attendance for coming to the forum and
  making the first move to ending gang related violence.

  by jessica.beddaoui via email 7:09 PM
• 
  Watson says there are roughly 473 gang members in Ottawa with an average
  age of 25.

  by jessica.beddaoui via email 7:06 PM
• 
  Watson says we are fortunate to have one of the lowest crime rates in
  Canada but we all know we have work to do.

  by jessica.beddaoui via email 7:05 PM
• 
  Adrian Harewood of CBC news will serve as moderator for the night. He is
  introducing Mayor Jim Watson who will say a few words.

  by jessica.beddaoui via email 7:04 PM
• 
  You can join the discussion from home! Tweet your questions to
  @OttawaPolice using the hash tag #EndGangsOttawa

  by jessica.beddaoui via email 6:57 PM
• 
  Speeches will start at 7:00 p.m. We'll be hearing from Crime Prevention
  Ottawa's Executive Director, Nancy Worsfold, Ottawa Police chief Charles
  Bordeleau, Ottawa Police Guns and Gangs Unit staff Sgt. Mark Patterson and
  Jabari Lindsay, Toronto's Youth Development manager.

  by jessica.beddaoui via email 6:55 PM
• 
  

  by jessica.beddaoui 6:48 PM
• 
  There are already 100 people or so at the gang symposium at City Hall. The
  room is filling up quick!

  by jessica.beddaoui via email  

   

  That's only a bit of the live coverage.