Violence in the North End of Winnipeg

2011 marked the bloodiest year for Winnipeg with 39 homicides, most of which took place in the North End of Winnipeg. As the level of violence rose, so too did the many good people of the North End to counter it. Local champions, such as Michael Champagne, are leading efforts to rally the community and retake the North End for love and unity.

I, like many others, have reflected about what causes such levels of violence? The answers are many and not unrelated. Some of the key causes have been noted as:

·         Racism (http://www.agoracosmopolitan.com/news/our_canadian_cities/2011/11/21/1808.html) , which is alive and well in Winnipeg (in RCMP offices, in media)

·         Poverty

·         Social exclusion

·         Oppression

Perhaps some background into the demographics of the North End might help. Neighbourhoods in the North End have high concentrations of Aboriginal people and immigrant populations. The employment rate is as much as 4 times lower than more “affluent” neighbourhoods, the total household income is similarly less (average of just over 20,000 annually), government spending at all levels for recreation and amenities is lower in the North End than in wealthier neighbourhoods, housing is in greater state of disrepair, the neighbourhood is grossly underserviced by banks and stores.

Racism and its brother, oppression, results in less opportunities for those on the receiving end. Less opportunity results in poverty. Considering that nearly all of the amenities, sports opportunities, recreation programs and entertainment options cost money, poverty leads to social exclusion very quickly.

All of the discussion and rhetoric in the media and among politicians and academics are focused on how to fix this. They discuss the justice system, crime & punishment, preventative programming (which must be noted that PM Harper is vehemently opposed to), police presence, etc. What seems to be lost in the discussion is lateral violence, which I began to discuss in a previous post (here).

For starters, the justice system itself is inherently racist – specifically against Aboriginal people. A very well documented discussion on this very point was discussed in another blog (here). Not only is the justice system unfairly harsh and unjust against Aboriginal people in terms of unfair processes and stiffer sentences, generally, but the law enforcement side of the justice system is also racist. Despite International condemnation over the fact that there are over 600 missing and murdered Indigenous women in Canada and virtually no action from law enforcement, there is no change.

Yet, each and every time a white woman is missing, a nation-wide manhunt is launched almost immediately with endless media coverage and public outpourings of support. When it is an Indigenous woman, almost at once, the media and public begin to accuse the missing woman of being a prostitute or drug user. They then sweep the ordeal under the carpet falsely assuming the woman lives a “high risk lifestyle.” Worse still that the general public believes that if a person makes certain lifestyle choices, they are not as important as the good middle class working people.

The message is clear, when you combine these two facts. If you are Indigenous and oppressed into poverty, your best bet is to steal from other Indigenous people or oppressed groups. If you steal from a white person, you will be slammed full force with the heavy hand of justice. However, if you steal from Indigenous people or other oppressed groups, the justice system either turns a blind eye or offers half hearted efforts.

The justice system in Canada and the media (specifically Sun Media who have a deliberate agenda of racism) encourage lateral violence. It is precisely this phenomenon that Winnipeg’s North End is facing. The majority of crimes committed in the North End are either committed by one person of an oppressed group (i.e. Indigenous, immigrants, etc.) to another. There is even ongoing gang conflict between the Indian Posse (a gang formed by Indigenous youth) and the Mad Cowz (a gang formed by African immigrant youth) all of whom are primarily in the North End.

What is the solution?

I do not have an answer. Although, efforts like Michael Champagne’s is one part of it. Initiatives to address poverty and racism are other parts of it. Efforts to address lateral violence also need to be part of the discussion. In an indirect way, the organization Winnipeg Afro-Aboriginal Cross Cultural Association is trying to address the issue by bridging the two communities and showing how much they actually have in common.

One thing for certain, we must not fall into the trap that Divide and Conquer tactics bring. We are often pressed to compete with one another as to whose oppression is greater and therefore, who merits government funding. This is self-defeating. We cannot eliminate oppression, if we begin to oppress one another in our efforts to eliminate oppression. A great summary of this is contained here.

Miigwech,

Ken