Toronto remains under the watch of the best paid pl'eece service in Canada, but it's still the 'city of the gun'. There has been no slow-down in the weekly roster of gunshots and subsequent ambulance runs. By the same token, there seems to be no real social desire to do much about it.
Cases in point, the current round of court cases arising from some of the more notable episodes.
Jane Creba was a 15 year-old Christmas shopper got one in the back as she tried crossing the road during a Main St. Toronto gun-battle 2 years ago. She won't be Christmas shopping any more, but the Wyatt Earps and Clanton boys are in court now pleading their cases. Most of those present have been dealt with (lots of dismissed charges) a couple have received jail time but none get to pay anything like Jane Creba. For it was a 'accident' don't ya see, peeps?
The current two on trial now are accused of firing a 9 mm ruger down the busiest street in Toronto 9 times that night. It's the only one of what are 'estimated' (that fine p'leece service stuff again) to be the five guns fired that night . It was taken from a 15 year-old arrested on his way home after the shooting. He was, of course only holding for somebody he didn't know. Colour him innocent. The other guy, whose prints were found on the gun will have story about that and since his fingerprints haven't been found on the ejected cartridge cases colour him not guilty as well. We'll see.
The second case is a 'gun tale' tangentially. It involves a 'wilding' in a public housing community a year and a half back that saw a 15 year-old beaten and chased and beaten again over a period of three hours or so by 15-20 'youths'. When his body was found the next day he had also been stabbed some 23 times. The immediate story was that he'd been on the,'wrong turf' and has been stealin' . The neighbours of course hadn't seen anything and had nothing to tell the police. But eventually somebody did roll over and the police arrested 12 or thirteen of those present, they were charged with serious offenses and most held under house arrest. Until to-day that is, when one of them a dread-locked wonder copped a plea to first-degree murder. That left the 'mob' facing charges not much more serious than making too much noise. We'll see what the defense has planned for the confessor, but the word is now that the dead kid was offed for taking $1,500 for a gun he failed to deliver. Nobody's thinking to ask where a bunch of 'student youths' in a poor neighbourhood are getting $1 500 bucks and why they'd need a gun?
If I was the judge every one of those 'onlookers' in court would be asked to produce the income tax return they filed last year. If they weren't working then , they'd be going to jail now. If you're at a murder, even if you didn't do it, if you don't call the police - or tell your mom, you're guilty.
The third case involves the sad case of a guy who went to the store for milk and got his head blown off when he walked between a couple of drunks and the bouncer who had kicked them out of a Yonge St. (geez that's a shooting gallery) boozer. The interesting part of this 'doozie' is that the two boneheads in question are charged with second degree murder - I guess because shooting the guy they did was some sort of 'accident'. They had no intent to shoot him, they only wanted to shoot a bouncer. Even if one of those clowns was licensed to carry a concealed firearm - and there are very few Canadians licensed to do that. I'd say that taking it with you for a night on the town is definitely outside any reason for you being licensed. That, in my estimation, shows intent of some kind. Pulling it out, pointing it and pulling the trigger on a public street shows another intent, even if you are pissed up, or pissed off. The guy that stuck that gun in his jacket, and his buddy who knew he had it, caused that man's death, the only accident was him, and it was fatal. They deserve life and first degree charges.
Last but not least is the trial of two 'gangsta teens' (of course they're not, they're just misguided 'stoodentz' who accidentally brought a gun to school because they were scared, and victims of whitey's pride) accused of shooting their friend at a Toronto school two years ago. This case caused a massive shake-up in Toronto schools - more security and 'black-o-centric' education to stop the killin'. The two were seen with the victim moments before the shooting. And one of the accused returned to watch what happened next. He even managed to pass a comment about modesty when somebody tried to find the dying boy's wound. The other fellow, who had been suspended and shouldn't have been in the school, left after one of the pair rifled their dying friend's pockets. Needless to say the murder weapon is still in somebody's sock drawer.
The black community 'rose up' to blame whitey's pride for sending their children off down the wrong path of anglo-centric education. The black principal of that high school, who was accused by staff of taking a very 'hands-off' approach to discipline, was moved to another position, probably a promotion, the next year. The mothers of all three are sufferin' - all three kids are victims, you see? But they're not looking for that gun.
Toronto will remain a city under the gun until the courts start to treat gun crimes as something more than ordinary and excusable. Either that or declare hunting season and let everyone go armed.
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