MY NEIGHBOURS THE DRUG DEALERS

It's A Crime That These Criminals Go Unpunished

THE new neighbours didn't seem like the drug-dealing type.

They looked like clean-cut, respectable kids with nice vehicles.
Heck, even their mom -- a short native woman -- was there to pitch in
on moving day. She had a fancy vehicle, too.

They were just young men; maybe students on their own for the first
time. But after a few days, the truth was obvious.

I was painting my house and I couldn't help but notice the constant
procession of people going next door, and leaving less than a minute
later. No time for small talk.

There were people on bikes, people in cars, old people and young
teens in various stages of disrepair -- all beating a path to my
neighbours' doorstep.

I heard snippets of conversations, too. Further confirmation. They're
small-time drug dealers, but dealers nonetheless. Scary stuff.

"Is that a crack house?" my dad asked when he dropped by. He counted
about 40 people going to my neighbours' house in 15 minutes. Business
is good, but not so great for us.

So, what do you do when drug dealers move in next door? I went online
and did some research on the Safer Communities and Neighbourhoods
Act; it's enforced by the Manitoba Justice Department.

Here's how it works. You put in a complaint with Safer Communities.
Your complaint is confidential. They investigate the complaint to
make sure it's true.

Drug dealing, child exploitation, gang activity, prostitution, and
having unlawful weapons or explosives are grounds to invoke the Safer
Communities Act.

If the investigators find out what you're saying is true, they can
issue a warning letter to the property owner, resolve the issue out
of court, or essentially order the landlord to evict the people in
question. Landlords who don't kick out renters lose out, too. They
can't rent the property for 90 days.

But nothing on the Justice website said people guilty of crimes get
charged for them, or if the rules apply to homeowners. Oversights I hope.

The people might move, but it creates a false sense of fixing things.
Around here the problem then just moves a block or two away. Like
Gordon Sinclair Jr. said, the Safer Communities Act just displaces the problem.

The dealers keep dealing. The young girls keep getting exploited. The
gangs keep enlisting more kids. The only thing is you don't see it
next door anymore. Out of sight, out of mind doesn't work so well in
this neighbourhood.

We're all connected. We all feel the effects, good or bad.

In my case, fate stepped in and I didn't have to do anything.

I woke up at 4 a.m. to yelling. My neighbours had 30 of their closest
friends over for a party. They spilled out into the yard, the
sidewalk and the street. A couple arguments got really heated. I
hoped nobody had a gun.

Those kids had radar. They'd go back inside their house just before
the cops would drive by. I went to bed, but not before someone
smashed their picture window. The party's over.

The morning news said a shooting happened a couple hours later, a
block or two away. Another guy is dead. I wonder if it's where my
neighbours' party moved to.

A day later the kids showed up in their mom's vehicle. They packed it
up quickly and efficiently, all the while keeping a close watch for
enemies. Then they were gone. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't relieved.

The landlord was there the next day to fix the window and clean up
the aftermath. I felt bad for him. He said the kids had spotless
references. They were getting some kind of sponsorship from their
reserve. Their mom has some high-paying government job.

There's nothing worse than our own people abusing a system struggling
to support others truly in need. Some deserving kids could have
benefited from that sponsorship money.

I'm left to wonder where those kids are now. Have they learned anything at all?