Murder in a 'safe' city
Last Friday night, just a few hours after we reported on a new study by Maclean's showing Toronto is one of the safest cities in Canada, we were all reminded that statistics never tell the whole story.
In a shooting appalling for its cold-blooded brutality no matter where it occurred, a gunman approached six defenceless young men standing around the doorway of a Lawrence Heights housing project and opened fire from three metres away.
Captured on a security camera, the images show the gunman repeatedly firing into the group, who are not visible because of the angle, before backing up and walking away -- leaving six victims, aged 16 to 21, wounded, one fatally.
That is the reality of crime in Toronto today, every bit as much as statistics that say, based on per capita crime rates, we're well down the list of Canada's 100 most dangerous cities at 29th.
Yes, Toronto is a "safe" city statistically, by Canadian, let alone American standards.
But let's not kid ourselves, either.
Years ago, Toronto never experienced the number of brazen street shootings and executions it does today, in which it's not only rival gang members that die, but innocent bystanders as well.
Simply noting that "Toronto" is a safe city, doesn't tell the whole story.
Because if you're, say, a young black male living in Lawrence Heights or Jane-Finch, the odds of you being a victim of violent crime shoot up astronomically.
That's why we must stop treating crime stats as if they were just another argument to be used in the "culture war" between those who want tougher laws for street thugs and those who want more social spending on the root causes of crime.
Cracking down on crime and addressing its root causes are not mutually exclusive.
And while "statistically" Toronto is a safe city, we would all do well to remember that statistics mean nothing to the victims of crimes.
And that whoever coined the phrase there are lies, damned lies and statistics, knew what they were talking about.
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