Over the past couple of years, the lower mainland region of British Columbia has become a killing ground; murders, suicides, gang related killings, gang related revenge killings, and motorised mayhem causing the deaths of innocent people have become common occurrences.
The murders, while unpleasant, [in a theatre, on a dance floor, at a victim's front door, in a restaurant, and elsewhere] have become ingrained into the fabric of Greater Vancouver and often pass mostly unnoticed by the general population. The suicides are often caused by stressed out teens or druggies who see no way out. Some of those teens were harassed, bullied sufficiently that self-inflicted death seemed to be an escape.
The gang killings are, for the most part, drug related. The number of 'grow ops' [marijuana] that have sprung up in recent times have forced the police to resort to drastic tactics in order to put an end to the insidious marijuana factories. Because the grow ops are a way for criminals to bag an easy buck, they become the targets of not only the police but also rival gangs. Rival gang members will stake out a house known to be the operation of an enterprising marijuana grower and then around two o'clock in the morning raid the place. Often guns are used and often victims are left behind; sometimes the victims are dead. The crooks have said they fear rival gangs more than they fear the police. There is something wrong with that picture. What is wrong is that the police are hampered by a justice system that tends to turn a blind eye to crime and too often metes out nothing more than a metaphorical slap on the wrist with a limp noodle. The police, in the meantime, are hounded by innocent civilians who want their neighbourhoods cleaned up and the grow ops shut down. The police do their utmost to accommodate the populace's demand for justice but their hands are tied by [a] poor or inadequate legislation, and/or [b] by judges who see no evil.
Motorised mayhem, or street racing as it is more commonly referred to, has become a growth industry on the streets of Greater Vancouver communities. Last week a BC Supreme Court Justice handed down a soft penalty to two convicted street racers who caused the death of a 52-year old woman. Justice Linda Loo gave the pair two-year conditional sentences; they will be allowed to serve their sentences at home. The citizens of Greater Vancouver are outraged and the province's attorney general has stated publicly that the Crown will consider appealing the judge's decision.
BC's attorney general said, "The public's confidence in the justice system has been shaken by the decision of the judge not to jail two men convicted in a street-racing death." The AG's words were front and centre in the Vancouver Sun's lead story that highlighted the deaths of five innocent victims of street racers. One of those innocent victims was a 31-year old RCMP constable who was killed while on his way to an emergency. His cruiser was struck at an intersection and he died at the scene. Two youths were charged and await trial.
In a sidebar to the story of the two convicted street racers, one local MP has said that the two youths should be deported back to India. In the MP's words, "The Immigration Act says anybody who is convicted of a criminal offence punishable by more than 10 years is eligible for deportation if they're not a Canadian citizen. These two are not - according to court records - Canadian citizens."
Even though the pair was found guilty of criminal negligence causing death, [a maximum life sentence] they will not be incarcerated. Conditional sentences allow offenders to serve their time at home rather than in prison. Conditional sentences, however, are supposed to be restricted to criminals who are not viewed as a community threat and who have committed crimes that normally carry a penalty of fewer than two years.
[Years ago, the MP's son was murdered and he ran for public office in an attempt to right a wrong, a soft justice system.]
As expected, the liberal bleeding hearts are out in force crying all manner of injustice that the two youths - those the MP claims ought to be deported - were given appropriate sentences and that the 'radical right wingnuts' are off base. More compassion for the criminals seems to be the cause celebre for the bleeding hearts and be damned to and for the victims' families. Such is the way of life on the Loony Left Coast.
In a word, the honest, sensible people of the lower mainland region of BC are fed up. They are fed up with the gang killings; they are fed up with the murders; they are fed up with the teen suicides; and they are fed up with street racing. They are also more than a bit ticked off at and with the bleeding hearts who try hard to convince people that black is white. The honest citizens' anger is rising and their confidence in the justice system is deteriorating quickly. However, hope for improvement does not appear to be on the horizon. As innocent victims die on the streets of Greater Vancouver, the legislators in Ottawa, at best, appear to ignore the growing crime rates and citizen's concerns, or at worst, snooze. Oh, where is leadership when Canada needs it?
Bob Orrick is a private tutor of English grammar, literature, poetry and Canadian history to off-shore youngsters. His pupils hail from such places as Taiwan, China, Japan, Hong Kong, Korea and Venezuela. He was previously in international marketing, was a ministerial assistant to a provincial cabinet minister, spent a few years as a reporter then editor of a community newspaper and enjoyed a career in the Royal Canadian Navy.
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