Changing the guard

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 05/06/2017 (3056 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It has been nearly 22 years since 13-year-old Joseph “Beeper” Spence was gunned down on a muggy summer night, a victim of mistaken identity when gang members thought he was a rival and opened fire.

It was a senseless killing that rocked the city and signalled, for the first time, that street gangs had become a major force.

Since then, Winnipeg’s gang population has swelled — as many as 1,500 active youth members now operate in the city — while many similar tragedies have followed. It’s an issue that those involved in police, justice and social services continue to wrestle with, especially when the weather begins to heat up and street violence starts to rise.

And so on Monday evening, in a North End building just a few blocks from where “Beeper” took his final breaths on that fateful day back in July 1995, the various stakeholders gathered for a public forum looking at issues such as gang recruitment and the drugs which serve as their primary fuel.

“We have a gang problem because of a drug problem,” Det. Steve Mitchell of the organized crime unit told the audience of about 50 who gathered at Ma Mawi Wi Chi Itata Centre. “The reason why one gang comes to the top and another falls is directly related to the drug trade.”

Mitchell began his talk by asking, by a show of hands, how many people in attendance have had a “personal interaction with a gang member.” About half the room reached for the sky in response.

Mitchell showed a slide with about two dozen gangs in the city — from well-known ones like the Manitoba Warriors and Indian Posse to lesser-knowns such as the Black Sheep Mob and Dynamic Crew.

And he issued a word of warning to parents in the crowd, especially those with young teens, while giving some of the basics with regards to gang lingo, clothing and graffiti.

“I’ve seen them recruit and I’ve seen how they recruit. Thirteen and 14, up to 15, it’s a really heavy recruitment period. It’s one of the most transitional phases of your life. This is where the insecurities set in. This is where the gangs can help fill that void,” Mitchell said.

“Gang imagery in our city is very strong, it’s very well-rooted. Some of them are very sophisticated. It can fill that void, that sense of who do I belong to.”

Mitchell also described what he called the “idle hands” theory, where those who may seem bored can be ripe for recruiting.

“Gangs look for that. I’ve seen it,” he said. “Are they involved in drug use? It can and probably will lead to some form of gang affiliation.”

Shelley Marshall, a clinical nurse specialist who works in public health, led community members through an interactive crash course called Mind Altering Drugs 101, with a specific focus on what Winnipeg police Chief Danny Smyth called the “insidious nature of fentanyl and opioids.”

“The conditions for drug-related harms are usually shaped by the whole social structure,” said Marshall, citing physical, mental, emotional and spiritual pain as big factors.

One of the most alarming issues surrounding fentanyl is that people often have no idea they’ve put it in their bodies.

Marshall presented a chart showing the risk of fentanyl poisoning when using other drugs that have been “adulterated,” with cannabis and meth on the low end of the scale while heroin, counterfeit prescription pills and cocaine are on the high end.

She predicted the 145 average overdose deaths a year in Winnipeg is likely to grow in coming years. Those at the meeting were shown a chart documenting all naloxone administrations done by first responders in 2016, with 57 per cent of them happening in downtown and Point Douglas.

“We’re kind of surrounded by it,” she said.

Insp. Jamie Blunden, who recently took over the North End district, spoke to the crowd about significant changes he’s trying to bring to the area.

Blunden said a turnover in senior staff led to a new direction with more focus on community engagement, rather than the traditional “arrest the bad guy” approach.

“We looked at that as an opportunity to change the culture of how we do business,” said Blunden. “We want to get to know you as individuals in the community.”

Several booths were set up Monday with information on recruitment, opioids and Crime Stoppers. Members of the Winnipeg Police Board were also in attendance and had a table set up to educate the public about what they do.

“This gives us an opportunity to educate the public about things going on, but also to hear back from the community,” Smyth told the audience regarding the value of the public forum.

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca