TIME TO ACT ON DOWNTOWN'S PROBLEMS

A city's downtown is its heart. The health of a city can be measured
in a stroll through its main downtown shopping and business district.
So the continuing problems in Victoria's downtown need to be
addressed, and as quickly as possible.

Since Friday, the Times Colonist, in conjunction with CH Television,
has been focusing on the problems in the downtown core -- the city's
so-called "Red Zone." We aren't suggesting that downtown Victoria has
deteriorated to the level of Vancouver's Downtown Eastside, or even
that our city core is unsafe. It's undoubtedly safer to walk through
downtown Victoria than it is in most small cities in North America.

But while safety is not a major problem, comfort is. Too many people
find downtown Victoria an uncomfortable place to be, especially at
night.

The problem is in the mix of people who have chosen to spend their
days and nights on the streets, in the alleys, and in the parking
garages of our city core. Many suffer from drug addictions, others
from mental disorders -- some from both. Many survive by panhandling
or through petty crime.

There's no question they have a legal right to be there, and it's no
surprise they've been drawn to our city. If you're going to spend a
night on a street in Canada, it makes sense to do it in Victoria. That
they stay is no surprise, either. Advocates for the homeless may
disagree, but our community has ensured there are plenty of places to
find a meal and a place to sleep. As a man called William told Jody
Paterson and Louise Dickson during their 24 hours in the Red Zone,
"This is the best town in the Northern Hemisphere for free food and
shelter."

As the number of people on the streets increases, more people who are
uncomfortable with their presence will simply choose not to come
downtown, especially at night. That could lead to a downward spiral --
unless we face up to the problems quickly.

There are many reasons people have ended up living on downtown
streets, so the situation will have to be tackled in many ways, by a
variety of agencies as well as by the business community.

The efforts to control the downtown problem were given a boost a week
ago when city, health officials and police launched a program to fight
the growing substance-abuse problem. The plan will result in more
youth detox spaces and an adult sobering and assessment centre, as
well as a police crackdown on drug dealers and more social workers and
health workers on the streets.

The plan makes sense, because there is no point dealing with a symptom
without addressing the disease itself. Drug abuse is often the cause
of other problems.

But there is more to be done. The police and the courts must also get
tough with petty crime, making it clear that nothing will be tolerated
in our downtown core.

Business owners complain that people arrested for a minor crime are
back on the streets in a matter of hours; the frustration they express
is valid.

One symptom of problems downtown is graffiti. The city requires
businesses to clean it up within 14 days, because it has been shown
that quick action against graffiti tends to discourage the people who
like to deface the property of others. (Ideally, of course, the
cleanup would happen overnight, leaving the taggers precious little
time to enjoy the fruits of their labour.)

The campaign against graffiti is similar to the "broken windows"
campaign that was started in New York City in the 1990s and has since
spread across the United States.

The theory is that taking quick action against minor crime, such as
vandalism, sends a message that major crime will not be tolerated. In
New York, the campaign was credited for a dramatic improvement in the
level of safety in what was once one of America's most violent cities.

Victoria's problem isn't major crime, it's the minor stuff -- and
sometimes, actions that break no laws at all. But the basic philosophy
would work in our downtown because the crimes that would be targeted
- -- the "broken windows" -- are the very ones that are causing us the
most grief.

Business owners, the ones with the most to lose if downtown continues
to deteriorate, should keep up the pressure for action.

The downtown core is one of Victoria's most precious assets, too
precious to lose without a fight.

The time for action is now.