Maritime Morning - Andrew Krystal

The backlash against violent crime in Halifax comes now from an unusual source – statisticians and the media itself. Lurid counter-headlines like “Actually, Violent Crime is down” and a Globe story announcing that crime is down 7.7 per cent over last year contrast the shrill “Summer of Fear” headline bombast from The Chronicle Herald (we are concerned, but now cowering).

Qualifications however, were also supplied as to the nature of the recent attacks — the depravity, the randomness and the gratuitousness of them. Many of the reported incidents were not “crimes of need”, they were spiteful and arbitrary.

The nature of these incidents is what goes unqualified in raw statistics and, also, the impact of these events. Psychological impact is not just measured by the nature of the attacks themselves, but our reaction to them, and our expectations from the media to express concern.

The Herald referred to Halifax in its headline today as “rough and tumble” with the highest rate of violent crime in the country. Others dispute this stat (even though I read about these same stats last year) and say Halifax is 5th. It doesn’t matter.

There is a violent culture here that is troubling.

The reaction of the Father of the boy who was charged with attempted murder four times following his alleged attack on four security guards was that “they are trying to make an example out of him”. Yes. Correct. Who wouldn’t? My callers today went crazy on that.

Meantime, the mother of one of the 15-year-old girls who allegedly attacked a 65-year-old woman with a metal table leg for no reason has had trouble with the law, including drug charges.

Children are the problem and parents, most times, are the cause may be a blatant truism, but when the public is confronted with the insensitivity of some of these parents there is disbelief and actual shock.

Just wait till the dispossessed reproduce.