Scarcely a day passes without the sound of gunshots in the new Wild West of north America. Politicians of all three levels decry the violence, and say tough things, but the violence continues. The inhabitants of the city face a future where the simple act of going to a restaurant might lead to death or wounding from stray shots as the gangsters now running wild in the city shoot each other with apparent impunity.
But there is a way to stop all the violence and restore the city to the people.
That way lies through the exercise by Vancouverites of their right to vote in city, provincial and federal elections.
To take back their city from the gangsters, the people of Vancouver and the surrounding cities must first force their politicians to stop talking and take steps to eradicate the gangs. They can do this by voting against any party or person who is not taking effective steps to curb the gangs.
If your mayor opposes the establishment of a regional police force and the installation of television cameras throughout trouble spots in your city, then vote him or her out of office.
If your provincial government has failed for several years now to stop the gangs, then vote against them in May.
If any federal political party does not offer serious and effective steps to eliminate the gangs and the gangsters, then vote against them in the next federal election.
Maybe then the politicians will do what our governments are supposed to do: keep the peace for the citizens of our country.
Let's demand concrete commitments to concrete steps with our politicians committing to:
- a stated reduction in the number of gang crimes in the city,
- by a fixed date,
- with the aim of reducing the gang killings to a bare minimum by the end of 2011.
No such commitment means we should not allow our politicians to gain or retain power.
Anything less is unsatisfactory, and deserves chastisement at the ballot box.
