Minority communities participate in crime prevention summit in Montreal – Montreal | 24CA News
The Centre for Research Action on Race Relations (CRARR) continued its two-day crime prevention summit on Saturday afternoon.
More than 20 minority group organizations from Montreal’s English-speaking neighborhood participated.
The summit acted as a roundtable dialogue and aimed to draw extra sources to fulfill the English-speaking minority neighborhood’s crime-prevention wants.
“How do we develop programs and services to tackle crime, to prevent crime, and how do we get access to resources,” stated CRARR Executive Director Fo Niemi.
“How do we work together with the city and the police and the schools, eventually, to address the needs of the youth,” he added.
Saturday’s session additionally targeted on financial alternatives.
“In the end, it’s about combatting poverty,” stated Niemi. “It’s about giving young people a chance to believe that they can get a good job if they don’t stray away.”
According to many consultants, monetary literacy is essential to combatting poverty.
“If there is poor economics, that means there is going to be poverty,” stated the Vice President of the Canadian Foundation for Economic Opportunities, Brian Smith.
“That means there is going to be less opportunities for people, that means they turn to more illicit activities, which leads to a life of crime,” he added.
But, he added, holding discussions is simply a part of discovering options and that everybody has a task to play.
“Everyone has to come to the table. How are we going to change things in the next three to five years but have a firm commitment from everyone who is involved?” stated Smith.
Participants from racialized and deprived teams have been additionally invited to debate and determine concrete boundaries going through their communities.
Montreal’s Chinese neighborhood says it’s seeing much more crime in Chinatown.
“There’s a lot of crime and criminal activity taking place in Chinatown in the last three years,” stated Bryant Chang, the vice chairman of the Montreal Chinese Association.
“Especially since the start of COVID,” he added.
Bryant hopes to see extra police presence in Chinatown and stated he thinks Montreal’s newly appointed Police Chief Fady Dagher will take his job severely.
Many English-speaking minority teams additionally concern Bill 96 and say the province’s reformed language legislation could have devastating impacts on their every day lives.
“English-speaking communities and families will face many more challenges, so it’s about time to be more creative and to address bread and butter issues,” stated Niemi.
St. Laurent Mayor Alan DeSousa spoke on the seminar. He stated language shouldn’t act as a barrier however as a facilitator.
“We should find everything we can to make sure that barrier is removed,” stated DeSousa.
“That we can reach the right people, let them know what the opportunities are so that they can make the right choices.”
SPVM Police Chief Fady Dagher addressed a crowd on the Union United Church in Little Burgundy on Friday.
He promised new recruitment methods throughout the SPVM, with a deal with discovering officers who can create dialogue and construct relationships with neighborhood members.
