Point: Jobs Aren't the Problem; Guns Are the Problem

There was a shooting last Monday at a block party on Danzig Street, which is part of a Community Housing development in Toronto’s east end neighbourhood of Scarborough. The amalgamation of a family-oriented block party and a falsely promised “Hennessey Party” (just like it sounds) promoted on Twitter — served as the context. Of the estimated 200 patrons there, 25 were injured and two died when two men allegedly exchanged gunfire. 14 year-old Shyanne Charles and 23 year-old Joshua Yasay were killed; a 22 month-old infant was grazed with a bullet.

When pushed for a solution to Toronto’s mounting gun violence, Mayor Rob Ford once again brought up his war on gangs (a total misnomer — but more on that another time) and touted the incident as a “disgusting act of senseless violence,” but then decided to impart a bit of personal wisdom by stating “the best social program around is a job.”

Now, I'm not usually one to bull-bait Ford and his Will Sasso impressions, but exactly how the fuck would JOBS have prevented this shooting, given that the shooting was at 10:45 at night on a Monday?

Unless all of Danzig Street’s unemployed and destitute somehow got jobs working the flip at a local Lowe's, they were gonna be at home with their families at that hour, anyway — or maybe attempting to beat the 32’ C July heat outside — as they were on Monday night.

Then, I guess, Ford assumes that after the rest of Toronto’s idle hands find occupation, we will — ipso facto — stop blowing each other away. I’m not even going to speak on the myriad reasons why jobs are hard to come by these days — especially for people in communities like the one Danzig Street is a part of — and although Toronto needs them, jobs are not the answer to this all-too-present gun violence.

Jobs will not prevent guns from entering Canada; Ontario; Toronto. Jobs will not prevent goons from being goons and lighting a place up over trivialities. Jobs could not have prevented the shooting that occurred on Monday night, or the one just 6 weeks ago at the Eaton Centre.

Employment is not the problem; lax gun legislation coupled with rampant buffoonery is. Shit, when a baby gets grazed by a bullet and all the mayor can pull out of his advisors is “GET A JOB,” you know that there’s a fundamental flaw in the way that politicians have been approaching the issue.

An ideal solution to said issue would be an outright handgun ban. Forget this three-year sentence for possession; we need real penalties. Top down, starting at the federal level, otherwise the problem just gets fanned to the more libertine areas remaining.

“But Andrew, what of my freedoms?” You might ask. Fuck your freedoms. Want to shoot something? Play Dead Space like the rest of us.

Realistically, the ensuing red tape and economic toll of such a proposition would be staggering, and it makes this scenario a shaky one, though the cogs appear to be moving slightly. In the meantime, Toronto could easily make a stink about Para-Ordnance (now owned by the Freedom Group), a firearms manufacturer with an estimated yearly revenue of over 10 million dollars, and a facility that has been operating IN Scarborough for 25+ years. All kinds of shady dealings have been associated with this place; Para-Ordnance president Thanos Polyzos even “gifted” Toronto Police Services Board Norm Gardner with a Tac .45 once.

In 2001, three Para-Ordnance employees who had been smuggling yet-to-be-serialized handguns out the factory were arrested; they had been selling them on the street for as little as $500.

Toronto rapper Mayhem Morearty was also quoted in 2008’s Enter the Babylon System claiming that Para-Ordnance handguns are readily available on the street of Toronto. “Oh yeah, man.” He says in response to the posed question, “Para-Ordnance got that new joint with thirty in the clip. It’s like an Uzi, but it’s not, youknowhatImean? It’s crazy! Big shout-outs to Para-Ordnance, man!” Y’all need to sponsor me.”

A few other obvious choices for decreased interim gun violence would be increased firearm awareness, policing and neighborhood security services; we could also call for a border crackdown (Americans, we love you, your untaxed liquor and your rap music, but it will benefit us both).

These incidents are not isolated, and politicians need to stop treating them that way. The binding thread of this problem is that handguns are being created in Toronto's backyard, proliferated with ease, and no one’s willing to get down and dirty when another innocent life gets taken. We get half-assed press releases where Ford tells the city to “move on”; a sound byte of a grieving mother. So fucking what? We owe these people more than a 15-second homage to their dead relatives.

Dudes are wyling out here, too — I got a .38 snubnose shoved in my face once because I chuckled at a guy bringing his girlfriend into Zanzibar Strip Club (which is about two city blocks from the Eaton Centre, I should add).

Thankfully, Mayor Ford sat down with Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty and some provincial officials this week, so hopefully we’ll see some concrete legislative changes soon, or perhaps one of Ford’s cunning “war on gangs” stratagems, of which I’m sure he has many. In the meantime, if you can, give Scarborough your patronage. It’s filled with great people, offers some of the best roti in the city, and needs your love now more than ever.

@arennie

Andrew has written for NOW Magazine, Tourism Toronto, Outpost and more. He is an occasional rap DJ, full-time curry enthusiast and is Scarborough born and bred.