Group says "safety walk" nothing more than a publicity stunt
It was only hours after a 12-year-old boy was shot, that the Mayor of Toronto, the Police Chief and other politicians gathered for what they called a "safety walk."
The boy was shot in the middle of the afternoon, walking from a store after shopping with his mom. It was a stray bullet from the muzzle of a gang member's gun, intended for a gang member.
Sunday, is when the safety walk was held in an effort to show the community that they shouldn't be scared.
But the Jane Finch Action Against Poverty has a different view.
They called it a "symbolic gesture and meaningless platitude, designed to score cheap political points."
Instead of photo ops, they would like to see real action.
"We would have rather had long-term engagement, more structural transformation, thinking about what kind of investments we need so that no young person ever picks up a gun," says Sam Tecle from the group.
He says community policing is not the answer.
Instead, they would like to see less crowded and safer buses, decent housing, safe, secure and livable-wage jobs along with sustainable funding for programs and services.
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