Hundreds demand end to violence
in Toronto at vigil for slain teen
at 0:32 on December 31, 2005, EST.
TORONTO (CP)
- A vigil for a slain 15-year-old drew
hundreds of supporters on a cold Friday night to
remember Jane Creba and demand an end to
violence in the city.
The schoolgirl's friends sat together on the cold
pavement and wept as speakers offered their
sympathies and spoke about how the unending
violence is destroying so many lives.
"There's no reason why we should be here
tonight, there's absolutely none. (Jane)
should still be here, this shooting was absolutely
senseless," said a friend of Jane's named Adam.
"It's terrible to see that it took (so many) murders
for us to make such a big deal out of this,"
he said.
"Every time someone else dies, we fail them as a
city . . . and it's time it stops."
Candles were lit for each of the 52 people killed
by guns in Toronto in 2005.
Police have vowed to work around the clock to
bring to justice those behind Creba's "despicable"
killing, the result of a Boxing Day shootout that
officials say brought the growing plague of gun
violence to the front door of every Toronto
resident.
The shooting has galvanized many in the city and
Friday night's memorial was organized by people
who didn't even known Creba.
Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty attended the
vigil - along with cabinet colleagues George
Smitherman, Gerard Kennedy and Monte Kwinter
- and said he was glad to see so many people
turned out to support the Creba family.
"People have come out tonight to give expression
to what I believe is a very strong, collective desire,
on the part of all Torontonians, to extend their
sincere sympathies to Jane's family and to
express their common revulsion and disdain
for the continuing violence that has been
affecting this community," McGuinty said.
Toronto Mayor David Miller met with the Creba
family earlier in the day and told them the entire
city is offering their support.
"One of the things I mentioned to the Creba
family was that there are two-a-half million
people praying for them," said Miller.
"Torontonians are with that family, there's
absolutely no question about that.
"Yonge Street is our street.
Every family, wherever you're from in this city,
every family has come down to Yonge Street
on Boxing Day," the mayor said.
"I think that's one of the reasons this shooting
has so shocked everybody. . . . It's like a shooting
happening in front of your house."
Other people stepped up to an open microphone
Friday night to tell their story - often through
tears and anger - of a friend or relative who
was killed in gun violence.
While one man called for politicians to impose
marshal law in Toronto other speakers said
that the root cause of the violence must be
addressed.
The premier offered no specific promises but
said the government would work to do more
to stop the violence.
"All three levels of government and the police
have been working very hard to resolve this
issue. There are no quick fixes, no magic
solutions but I think we can all come to the
conclusion that what we've done so far has
been less than effective," McGuinty said.
A memorial of flowers continues to grow near
the spot on the busy Yonge Street where
Creba, an innocent bystander, was gunned
down.
Still, the brazen shootout - which wounded
six others - has sparked an outrage yet
unseen in a year when gun crimes dominated
the local news.
"The way this took place, just the
senselessness of the whole thing. . .it's just
outrageous," said Det. Sgt. Savas Kyriacou,
the lead investigator in the case.
"Anybody can see it's just a totally senseless
act, a despicable act."
Homicide investigators routinely deal with the
most horrendous of crimes, but Kyriacou cited
the time, location, and innocence of the victim
in explaining why the shooting has captured
the public's attention.
"Put everything into that to provide a whole
picture as to why it has outraged the city,"
said Kyriacou.
"Everybody's working around the clock on
this case. It's the number-one priority for me."
While police remained tight-lipped about the
investigation, court documents reveal one of
the two men arrested in connection with the
shootout faces numerous gun charges.
It's alleged that Andre Thompson, 20, was
carrying a 9-mm Ruger semi-automatic and
10 rounds of ammunition at the time of his
arrest the night of the shooting. He faces further
charges of firing a gun into a crowd and
violating his probation.
Thompson, who is scheduled to appear in bail
court Wednesday, has not been charged in
connection with Creba's shooting nor has the
second suspect, a 17-year-old who cannot be
named under the Youth Criminal Justice Act.
Better social programs for at-risk youth, a
handgun ban, and increased efforts at the
border to stop the illegal flow of guns from the
United States will be critical in the city's fight
against gun violence, Miller said.
Meanwhile, grief counsellors were brought
into Riverdale Collegiate Institute for a second
day to console some two dozen of Creba's
classmates still grappling with the tragedy.
"There's anger. . .but I would say sadness is
the overwhelming (emotion)," said Dave
Johnston, a social work co-ordinator with the
school.
Some 150 students came to the school on
Thursday to speak with counsellors and
remember the popular student athlete.
link:
http://www.940news.com/nouvelles.php?cat=23&id=123102
This means war against gangs in Toronto.
We are all tired of the killings of the
innocent bystanders but we also don't want
gang killing either.
The gangs must be broken up and the teens
find a better way of dealing with anger.
I am not accepting that proverty causes
gangs. I believe its laziness and downright
disregard for human life!
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