Violence brewing at bars, vendors

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 03/06/2022 (1221 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Two panic buttons give Sonya Jaworski comfort.

Having worked as a bartender and waitress at the Northern Hotel at 826 Main St. for seven years, she understands the potential for danger. She is well aware of the many violent incidents at vendors and bars around the city, especially lately. Last Friday night, police rushed to the bar after a stabbing outside. The victim was taken to hospital after being found on a blood-splattered sidewalk.

But Jaworski feels safe at work. Behind the bar, she has one panic button that alerts the front desk; a second one summons police.

“We always have security on hand,” she said. “We have a few fights break out every now and again, but any serious issues are dealt with before they come close to me.”

The bar tries to keep weapons out by not allowing people to take bags in.

“If you live in Winnipeg, you know what it’s like at night,” she said. “I live in the North End. If I don’t need to leave the house, I stay home when the sun goes down.”

Manager Keith Horn said he knows bars and vendors can be magnets to people looking to steal booze or cash, and protecting his employees is a constant concern.

“It seems everyone carries a knife on them these days,” Horn said.

He has security cameras in almost every corner of the bar and vendor. A plexiglass wall, which can only be opened by employees, prevents customers from reaching over the counter.

Winnipeg police Const. Jay Murray said there tends to be more violence where alcohol is consumed.

“We feel there is sometimes a higher rate of robberies in the area of vendors due to the fact that there is the sale of a substance that can be addictive or abused, that it can be easily stolen and that establishments are often open late,” he said in an emailed statement.

As if to underscore his point, police announced Thursday they had arrested three people in their 30s who had driven a stolen vehicle to a hotel bar on the 1400 block of Notre Dame just after midnight. Two suspects were arrested immediately while a third ran off, was tracked by the police helicopter and taken into custody a short distance away.

Police said officers seized a sawed-off 12-gauge shotgun with ammunition, bear spray, a machete and drugs, including 60 grams of cocaine. Charged are: Barry Shane Stevenson, 34; Raymond Josh Asham, 31; and Bobbi Jean Asham, 32; all of Winnipeg.

Tuesday night, two men were arrested in connection with the stabbing of a man at the same place, the Travelodge Hotel, formerly called the Canadiana.

The man and a woman were confronted outside the vendor around 7 p.m. after making a purchase. Police announced Thursday Desmond Tyler Brown, 25, and Elijah St. Germain, 24, had been charged.

Hotel management declined to be interviewed about the incidents.

The hotel’s beer vendor was the site of a fatal attack on a 19-year-old worker in mid-February. John Lloyd Barrion died following a robbery.

On Thursday, his brother John Emmanuel Barrion said the latest incidents are a hurtful reminder.

“It’s heartbreaking to think of another family feeling the way we felt,” he said. “This situation is deeper than increased security in one location. We need systemic change to get these events to stop.”

Over Victoria Day long weekend, officers were called to six serious stabbing incidents, including two outside of a bar. In Winnipeg, there have already been more than 860 suspected stabbings this year.

In an interview that weekend, Murray noted the rate of stabbings will likely rise because violence typically increases in the summer.

Back on Main Street, a hotel manager, who asked to remain anonymous, said employees depend on security cameras and neighbours to tell them when trouble is brewing.

“I don’t think I’ve seen the area this unsafe to the general public,” the manager said. “The drug epidemic is out of control, and we need more mental health support if we want this to change.”

bryce.hunt@freepress.mb.ca