Downtown resident outlines encampment issues
By Lethbridge Herald on November 1, 2022.
Herald photo
Graffiti is seen on a downtown building. A city resident has talked to the police commission about downtown issues.Alejandra Pulido-Guzman
LETHBRIDGE HERALD
apulido@lethbridgeherald.com
A concerned Lethbridge resident spoke about his personal experience with the encampment that was located at the old Civic Centre parking lot at the Lethbridge Police Commission meeting last week.
Barry Ewing, who is a resident of downtown just three blocks away from City Hall, said he has lived in the area for over 15 years and has worked in security working directly with addicts and homeless for several hundred hours in the last couple of years.
“My concerns today regarding the encampment, residency addicts, and homeless issues that need for additional police actions to resolve these issues, and to take back our city from organized crime factions, the gangs, the addicts and the homeless,” said Ewing.
He said he has had the opportunity to work with many Lethbridge Police Service members through the course of his duties in security who he argues have often faced burnout from dealing with many issues in the past five years on our streets due to understaffing.
“Often when I had to call the police to attend, there were only eight to 10 members on patrol for the whole city of over a 100,000 due to various staffing issues,” said Ewing.
He believes this is unacceptable at a time when the city has been facing issues from the drug crisis that has cost its citizens millions of taxpayer dollars, in many cases destroying businesses in the downtown area giving the city a bad reputation, and increased crime and organized crime destroying countless lives, venues and parks.
Ewing argues this has created stress throughout the community in many ways.
“Every year more of our city has been given up to the banding criminals while council continues to pump millions into downtown to revitalize it. In the last five years they pumped $54 million into arts facilities and revitalization projects,” said Ewing.
He said people avoid the downtown areas because of the homeless issues, crime, panhandling, drug use and offensive sights.
“The City of Lethbridge spends millions for security in The Watch program and efforts to alleviate some of those concerns, but the issues continue to grow along with the cost. It’s time to return to taking a hard stance against drugs, while the government moves on from a failed attempt of harm reduction that currently kills almost 200 people per month from fatal overdoses,” said Ewing.
He believes we need to get back to effective policing that helped to control this by returning to the hard stance on illicit drug use.
“These encampment issues only increase along with the increased mental health issues from drug use.
“Allowing the encampments will only attract more people to the area and more communities dumping their homeless on us,” said Ewing.
He said that a 2016 survey in Vancouver showed 16 per cent of the homeless reported there were from an area elsewhere in metro Vancouver, 31 per cent from another area of British Columbia and 44 per cent from another area of Canada.
“Efforts were made to find shelter or treatment for those in the Lethbridge encampment, but many refused, while some briefly tried to offer services, then declined to return to the encampments,” said Ewing.
He said multiple pleas have been made and complaints filed with LPS to remove criminals in their tents who used the encampment as a base of operations.
“These are not the city’s most vulnerable, but criminals. Mostly from their addictions, who commit crimes to support their addiction, with no alternative deterrence this group has become more lawless, taking over areas and intimidating, threatening and even assaulting the people who live and work in those areas,” said Ewing.
He said in the last five years he has witnessed the homeless take over Galt Gardens, the downtown public library, the Park ’n’ Ride, the Bowman Centre and now the old YMCA site and Civic Centre.
“Allowing this has only compounded the issues. What I’ve observed in the last year was a growing aggressiveness of the addicts and homeless increasing to a point that this spring, as I noted in my incident reports, they are lawless and the police do not arrest them for outstanding fines, which only increases their ability and drive to grow as criminals,” said Ewing.
He believes that the lack of accountability makes it acceptable in their minds to be criminals.
“I personally notice this spring, with the changes from having no deterrents, many had to deal with public urination, defecation on their property, and often in front of them. Walking beside the Civic Centre track on 11 Street, myself and others witnessed some parked in their vehicles being serviced by prostitutes in broad daylight,” said Ewing.
He concluded by saying that he does not agree with the fact that Lethbridge has adequate and effective policing provided to our citizens.
After the presentation the floor was open for questions. Commission member Dawna Coslovi had a question but it was directed to the Lethbridge Police members present.
“I would like to know what the LPS’ role is vis-a-vis this encampment and perhaps Inspector Dobirstein could explain what their role is,” said Coslovi.
He said ultimately the police’s role in in many things within the community is to keep the peace and maintain public order.
“In terms of the encampment oftentimes that is their role,” said Dobirstein.
He explained that there are bylaws that impact some of the encampments depending on where they are located such as in a park, and then there are trespassing rules in terms of some other locations.
“The police can’t enforce either one of those, and in addition to that, the city can take it upon themselves to evict those that are in parks or in areas of the city property, contrary to those bylaws or provincial acts,” said Dobirstein.
He emphasized that the police are in a role to keep the peace and to stand by.
“They do have the authority then to remove someone, laying particular charges. The removal of the encampments is really not the police’s role. We are there to enforce the legislation and assist the city and the other stakeholders in terms of their steps in actually removing an encampment of any particular area,” said Dobirstein.
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I hope the Police Commission brought in some experts to discuss the efficacy of criminalizing mental health issues.
And I wonder when Barry will hang up his homemade security uniform (until next Halloween) and get back to complaining about increases in taxes (especially the largest line number, policing).
Well SophieR, as you know, since you know me and I know you, I was a licensed guard at City Hall, and the Park N Ride terminal and surprisingly there were a lot of incidents in my area of responsibitity at City Hall, daily! You are also aware that many were taken back to their communities, on the Blackfoot Confederacy. There was peace downtown for a few days before some flowed back our streets! It was quiet!
You can relax, though . . . I quit my job to work on taking back our city from the criminals, legally through protests and lobbying government. Not by standing up ranting wildly, but with facts, as I did when I presented to Council and to the Police Commission.
The costs of supporting these criminals are costing the city taxpayer over $10 million annually and that price is rising as more non-profits jump in to make money off the crisis.
If laws were not been broken and residents not being assaulted, threatened, stolen from, had property damaged, etc., then we were not need more police or law enforcement, but note that we are already operated the LPS understaffed in police and civilian employees. Is there any wonder we constantly have some of the highest crime rates on the Canada Crime Index?
We still have a chance of stopping this city from turning into another Vancouver DTES, along with the high costs!
There are many hidden costs that many do not see that increase our taxes . . . I haven’t heard the true costs of the Civic Center Encampment, but I would estimate over $250,000, with a clean-up to remove any needles buried in the soils and re-sodding. The funding of many non-profits, the increases stress on food banks, the contractors that clean up all the debris/bio-hazards, the extra security guards, police/fire/EMS costs and on and on and on. How much do you think it costs when you see a fire rescue vehicle manned with 2-3 crew, EMS with 2 crew and 2-3 police costs to respond to drug overdose incidents, which often is seen at the Park N Ride terminal often . . . the costs to residents to replace stolen property when the deductible it $500 to $1,000 ? . . . and much more!
Many children do not have their bikes or their wagons or carriages because some criminal has stolen it and parents don’t have the funds to replace them.
Most of the residents in this city are tired and want their city back . . . their parks and neighbourhoods back! If you think it is fine to set-up a tent illegally and do what you want, living lawless, disrespectiing the community who paid taxes to enjoy that property and cannot . . . you are need to take a step back and think about it.
We have not even started our protests to take back our city, so I would expect once they are underway you will have more to say SophieR . . . at least I post under my own name and am willing to take the flack from other opinions openly and honestly.
Social worker Sophie, unable to counter article with facts , resorts to sophmoric insults and sad attempts at attacking the messenger rather than the message. At least she didnt call you a racist, another of her favorite “baiting” techniques.
Sophie, I once heard a respected professor counter someone who said an “expert” holding a counter point must be right because ” she had so many degrees”. Her response : ” so does a rectal thermometer”. Duelling experts only show the problems complexity, they seldom convince anyone whose mind is made up of their error.
Experts?
What do we call someone with no authority who takes it upon himself to provide ‘security’? Is it vigilantism? And then the police commission invites a vigilante to a meeting to provide wildly contrived numbers? This is absurd.
Again, despite the contempt for science and expertise by our opinionators here, there is a responsibility for the Commission to seek accurate perspectives.
Take, for example, BE’s farcical $10 million cost. For that money, surely the Province and Municipality could fashion a better solution. And even if the number was accurate, adding more costs of police, courts, and incarceration doesn’t appear to be a budget solution.
No doubt this is a terrible problem that we share with most every city on the continent. Where we disagree is that I don’t believe the solution is more force – it is care. And it will take a real investment (as opposed to squandering it on enforcement and jails).
And BTW JO, if you provide the numbers it is incumbant of you to provide the references – not the person rolling their eyes at it. Though not mentioned, the bigotry remains evident. And my name is indeed Sophie.
I won’t waste my time talking to a wall.
@ Sophie R: – And what type of drugs are you on? You seem to do a lot of namecalling and accusing!
Always the snowflake, RUS.
Let me guess that SophieR is an addict and refuses treatment.
Calling someone a vigilante is a serious accusation. I hope you have proof.
Vigilante – a member of a self-appointed group of citizens who undertake law enforcement in their community without legal authority, typically because the legal agencies are thought to be inadequate.
Did you read Ewing’s posts?
I did and I read yours as well. I hope you get the help you need!
Well, thanks anyways for the mansplainin’ on the definition of vigilante, aka Barry: self-appointed citizen taking on security duties without authority.
I can appreciate the threat my perspective poses – taking away your special purpose of harassing the vulnerable. Beats trapping your neighbour’s cat, or complaining about your prostate to strangers at Timmy’s.
I agree, you really do need help! Sad that you make so many false accusations because you have no facts to base your attacks on.
I to have a term for you . . .
Defamation:
“the action of damaging the good reputation of someone; slander or libel”.
“the act of communicating false statements about a person that injure the reputation of that person : the act of defaming another”
Needs to be clarified:
“. . .while the government moves on from a failed attempt of harm reduction that currently kills almost 200 people per month from fatal overdoses,” said Ewing . . .”
BC alone has almost 200 people dying due to fatal overdoses per month.
7,169 died across Canada in 2021 from fatal overdoses.
BC began its harm reduction program in 2003 in the Vancouver DTES, opening the first safe injection site in North America. They have had almost 20 years to show some tangible results it works.
It has failed and now they say it is because of the illicit drugs the users take. They want to give them prescibed fentanyl but forget that this is how many became addicted, using prescribed opioids for pain/injuries.
There is one organization in the lower mainland of BC that is testing drugs and selling the addicts, ‘safe’ supplies as they call it, meth, speed, opioids . . . breaking more laws.
Addicts want more than just the high from ordinary fentanyl and it is why many add speed and other drugs to it, to give the addicts that extra buzz they are looking for.
Coroners reports always show a combination of drugs in the person who fatally overdosed.
Addicts want that buzz, they want to be taken to another ‘realm’ you might say where they are not facing reality and that is why a safe supply will not work. The people manufacturing the illicit drugs know the addicts want more of a buzz.
There is a small number that are still working and funtioning in society that a safe supply helps and they have access to these legal opioids in BC, Alberta and in Lethbridge as do all addicts. Last time I checked there were 2 clinics offering these services in the city and there may be more now.
this is a clown show
$54 million in revitalization and art’s facilities dowtown:
-Yates – Renovations began in 2017 – $13.4 million
-Park N Ride – Opened 2019 – Budgeted for $17.01 million but costs over-runs made it $21 million – part of the concept was under green funding to be used for people to drive to Lethbridge, park there and use transit to travel around city, as it was explained in the news at the time.
-SAAG – 2021 $5.78 million approved for improvements to the gallery, food services/catering kitchen and patio/programming space, and develop an outdoor patio overlooking Galt Gardens.
-3rd Avenue Revitalization – 2022 $10.083 million
-Festival Square – 2022 $1.71 million
-Galt Gardens – 2022 $500,000 for a new play space
That totals $53.22 million and there are other projects that were not added into this list.
CASA was built and opened in 2013 at a cost of $20.69 million so if you add CASA to that total it is almost $75 million.
I also didn’t include $4.5 million spent renovating the downtown public library in the last 5 years. More was spent in other areas downtown to try to attract people downtown and counter the impacts of the homeless and drug crisis!