TOWNHOUSE COMPLEX IN FEAR AFTER TEENAGER GUNNED DOWN

No one was packing their bags or scouting for new rental apartments at
a townhouse complex near Finch Ave. W. and Martin Grove Rd. on Monday,
but there was quiet fear.

"We live in a violent neighbourhood," said Marie Dawson. "It's tough
for kids growing up . . . they don't get a chance at a decent life."

Dawson babysits three grandchildren, including a teenager, in the
two-storey Toronto Community Housing complex where Andrew Naidoo, 15,
was shot to death Sunday night.

Naidoo, who had been shot multiple times, was found in a courtyard at
about 11:30 pm. He was rushed to surgery at Sunnybrook hospital but
died of his injuries.

At least 10 shots were fired, police have said.

Naidoo lived in the complex with his mother, brother and
sister.

In these rundown townhouses inhabited by low-income families and
single mothers, it wasn't the first incident of violence.

And it won't be the last, said Dawson. "What chances do you think kids
have of staying away from gangs or drugs even if they want to . . .
it's all around them. It's a pretty hopeless situation."

Naidoo wasn't involved with drugs or gangs, she said. "But someone you
know knows someone who is . . . and kids get drawn into that circle."

A few metres away, two teenaged boys stood in a small playground,
their hands in the pockets of their jeans and eyes filled to the brim.

"It's tough to grow up in this sort of a neighbourhood," said James,
15, who did not want to give his last name. "Everyone knows there is
drug-dealing around here. You can try and stay away from those who
deal in it but, you know, it's almost impossible," he said, adding
everyone wants to fit in.

The orbit of gangs and drugs is ever present, said Manny, his friend.
"Good luck trying to stay away from all that s---. You keep your
distance and people think you are with another gang."

A friend of his was stabbed a few blocks away two summers ago "because
he wouldn't deal in drugs."

And then there's the easy money associated with drugs. "How do you say
no . . . it's such easy money."

But Jessica Fordjour, 19, who lives at a similar public housing
complex at John Garland Blvd. and Martin Grove Rd., said staying away
from trouble isn't really tough.

"It's the choices you make in life," said Fordjour, who studies
criminology at Seneca College. "It's not about bad neighbourhoods but
how you handle yourself, who you choose as your friends. I have grown
up in this neighbourhood and I have turned out okay."

Naidoo attended Monsignor Percy Johnson Catholic Secondary School near
Rexdale Blvd. and Kipling Ave. CTV reported that Klayton Wynter, a
15-year-old stabbed to death in Brampton a month ago, also attended
the school.

Meanwhile, investigators are looking for suspects and possibly even
another victim. Police say more than one person was involved in
Naidoo's shooting.

On Monday morning, more than a dozen yellow markers sat in the
courtyard where he was shot. A basketball net still lay toppled as
investigators took photos and canvassed the neighbourhood.

Naidoo's death is Toronto's 23rd homicide of the year and the 13th
fatal shooting. There were six fatal shootings by this time last year.