TIME TO 'CLEAN UP ABBOTSFORD'

"They cleaned up New York - now it's time to clean up Abbotsford,'' says a
resident of a Clearbrook neighbourhood plagued by prostitution, drug
dealers and vandalism.

Cheryl Sarkozy of Pineview Street was among petitioners appearing before
Abbotsford city councillors this week, urging them to enforce and
strengthen existing bylaws - and come up with a "social development plan''
for B.C.'s fifth largest city.

In response, Abbotsford's deputy mayor says a public meeting will be held
on the "urban decay issues'' facing the city at council chambers within the
month.

A petition with close to 1,400 names was presented to council Monday night,
which bluntly stated the "noxious and offensive'' sex trade in Abbotsford
endangers the health and welfare of innocent young lives. Seven hundred
names were gathered at Meadowfair Mall alone, Sarkozy told the Abbotsford News.

"We're just asking them to help save our neighbourhood,'' she said this
week. "A ghetto begins with one house at a time.''

One house on Pineview, now vacant, was a particular nuisance as it
attracted prostitutes, but neighbours banded together to put pressure on
the landlord. In response to the concerns raised Monday night, council has
asked staff to prepare a public meeting at Matsqui Centennial Auditorium to
address what elected officials agree is an extremely serious problem facing
the city.

In the absence of Mayor George Ferguson, Deputy Mayor Ed Fast chaired
Monday's council proceedings.

Ferguson was at a meeting of Lower mainland mayors in Vancouver, and had "a
very legitimate excuse'' not to be at the meeting, said Fast.

October's meeting will address what he calls "urban decay issues'' that are
an "extremely serious problem facing the city.

"We need an entirely new look at what we're doing,'' he said, saying bylaw
enforcement officers and police will be asked to see how they can push the
envelope of enforcement.

Part of that new look is an option recently introduced by the city - a
"good neighbour policy,'' which a landlord can be required to sign.

"It gives the city authority to walk in and take action if any problems
occur,'' said Fast.

Mickey's convenience store on Gladys has signed such an agreement, said
Fast, after its business licence was pulled by the city because of liquor
on the premises.

"We're absolutely committed to addressing this issue,'' Fast stressed. As
for prostitution in particular, he is in favour of a program of regular
stings: "So that on any given night, the johns know that one of the girls
they may be picking up is a police officer. ''

Said Sarkozy: "I think Ed Fast is starting to realize it's not just
Pineview Street. Pimps are actively recruiting young girls. As neighbours,
every time we see a young girl, we wonder, is she one?''

And her neighbourhood is not the only one facing such problems.

Ricky Skene has lived on north McCallum Road for 24 years, and while there
are good neighbours who own their homes, there are landlords - such as the
owner of a derelict property on Nelson - who are attracting bad elements to
the area.

"We're one of four or five neighbourhood groups that are angry and becoming
active,'' she told the Abbotsford News this week.

"We're looking for leadership from the mayor and city council - we want to
know there's some kind of plan.''

While there has been support for her neighbourhood's crime problems from
the Integrated Services team and the Abbotsford Downtown Business
Association, an influx of transients, drug dealers and prostitutes have
caused the residents to form their own silent Neighbourhood Watch, writing
down the licence plates of suspicious vehicles.

Coun. John Redekop is cautious on a bylaw approach to urban decay: "I would
want to consider very carefully how far we could go. Only the federal and
provincial governments deal with crime.''

However, he added: "We can through police powers have a sting operation,
and I favour frequent or even perpetual sting operations.''

Two stings were performed by Abbotsford Police undercover officers in the
1990s.

Lenient sentencing by the courts also play a role in the urban decay
problem, Redekop believes, as fines for marijuana grow operations are
frequently considered "the cost of doing business.''

Redekop hopes the meeting at MCA will include as many community groups as
possible.

"The courts, police, school board, religious organizations - we all have to
address this problem.''