DRUG CRIMES WORRISOME

Many residents of the Quince Street area are concerned about the
recent surge in drug-related vandalism, fires and violence in their
neighbourhood.

On Friday afternoon police stormed a barricaded crack shack or "crack
fort" in the 2200 block of Quince Street and arrested 12 people.

On Sunday afternoon a man was shot in the neck at a suspected crack
shack only a block away.

Nearby Strathcona Avenue, Oak Street, Spruce Street and 17th Avenue
have all also been the scenes of recent violence, crime and police raids.

Quince Street resident May, who asked for her last name to be
withheld for privacy reasons, said she's deeply concerned for the
safety of her children.

"I'm moving at the end of June because of it," May said.

Her teenage daughter, Christine, said she isn't allowed to walk
anywhere by herself.

"One day this weird guy started singing to me and followed me down
the block," Christine said. "I ran back home and locked the door."

Melinda, who also didn't want to be named, and her mother have lived
on Quince Street since 1996. They said they've seen the crime rate
rise and fall during their time there.

"I think what they need to do is get more people owning these
places," Melinda said. "Or if the residents get found out doing
illegal things they should be evicted."

Hopeful "for sale" signs were displayed in front of rundown rental
houses all along their block.

"I think they need to put a stop to people moving in and doing drugs.
That's our biggest problem," she said.

Melinda said they keep their blinds closed all day so their
neighbours don't think they're watching them. Her mother said they've
had three drug houses on their block.

"The last one, they took three or four different paddy wagons full of
stuff away. They clean it up, but then it goes back again," she said.
"And there are people roaring up and down the street. One of these
days a kid is going to get hit. Especially after welfare day and
child allowance day it gets bad down here."

They were forced to call the police when a vicious domestic dispute
took place on their block. "We heard one girl down the street - we
could hear her screaming," she said. "The police came, but she told
them it was okay. When they left she started screaming again and we
called the police back. They arrested her boyfriend that time and my
daughter went over to help her. There was blood all over the walls."

Terisa Courtorielle said she is very worried about the violence in
her neighbourhood and how it could affect her young daughter.

"I'm scared for her to even stay on the front porch," she said. "We
need more RCMP patrolling - both day and night. I don't know if that
will help, but it might."

However, not all Quince Street residents are worried.

Don Carpenter said he is not very concerned about the situation.

"It seems this part of Quince is more low-income families," Carpenter
said. "I do see police coming around from time to time, but I don't
know what they're doing."