Public safety was front and centre at a town hall meeting in Cowan Heights last night.
Residents are concerned after a series of violent incidents in recent years ranging from a murder last summer on Salter Place, to a young man who was beaten with chains at a home on Barachois Street last week.
(Greg Noseworthy/Facebook)
Ward 3 councillor Greg Noseworthy attended last night’s event which was hosted by Happy City St. John’s.
Calling the discussion that took place last night “frank,” he shares the frustration and concerns raised by many.
“There has been an increase in various incidents,” says Noseworthy, “whether you’re talking about petty crime, theft, assaults, or needles, those types of things. It’s not something we’re used to,” says Noseworthy, who grew up in Cowan Heights and still considers it home.
Area MHA Keith White, who has raised similar concerns in the House of Assembly, was also in attendance. Noseworthy says the issues surrounding rising crime are complex.
What appears to be a shun shot through a window at the Burger King on Ropewalk Lane, 2025 (VOCM News)
‘We as a group of people have to say…enough’
And it’s not just Cowan Heights. One caller from the Empire Avenue area near Ropewalk Lane summed up how many metro-area residents are feeling these days on VOCM Open Line : “We have grown to where this is accepted ‘oh ya, it’s bad and everything else,’…but we, as a group of people have to say ‘no, that’s enough.”
Councillor says supports are needed
Councillor Noseworthy says at the end of the day it’s a poverty issue, and exacerbating the problem is organized crime and addiction.
“It’s a reality that we’re facing in our community, and we need to get more supports out there for people. We also need to make sure that the RNC are supported, that the court system is supported, so we’re dealing with organized crime, but still supporting folks so that this isn’t an issue in 20 years’ time.”
