Edmonton’s alarming crime problem

Viewpoint

Bing J. Jaleco bingjaleco@yahoo.com

Raleigh “Bing” Jaleco was a veteran journalist and public relations consultant in the Philippines. He started out as a correspondent for Ang Pahayagang Malaya and then moved on to be a reporter, and then an editor, of The Manila Chronicle. He also served as news editor of The Manila Standard, business editor of The Manila Times, and sub-editor at the Manila Bulletin. He landed as a permanent resident in Canada in 2016.

EDMONTON is up in arms over what appears to be a rising wave of criminality in the city. In once quiet and secure suburban communities, we notice a lot of ranting and venting among residents about theft, property damages, or worse. Since we landed in this city in 2018 to start a new life, I noticed more and more news reports about criminal activities in the city. Then I chide myself about Edmonton starting to feel like home, although deep inside I know that this is no laughing matter.

I Googled some statistics to try and prove to myself that the news reports are just exaggerations. Sadly they are not. In Edmonton, the total crime is 51% higher than the national average. Property crime is 62% higher while violent crime is 18% higher than the national average. So how did we get here?

Crime is a product of many factors such as the economic situation, population and geographical densities, social and psychological conditions, and, to some extent, immigration. All of these things, when combined under certain conditions, breed and fuel criminal activities. Some experts say this is a by-product of urbanization or, to some extent, rapid and unmanaged urbanization.

Whatever the reasons are, we are all in this state of collective trepidation now. As recently as five years ago, it was unthinkable to imagine criminal activities happening here in the city. Such things were reserved for the big cities like Toronto, Vancouver, or even Calgary. Not here in Edmonton, a quiet city in the Prairies where people went about their daily lives without having to deal with such “distractions.”

It is 2023 and the reality of the times should jar us all into the realization that the “quiet life” is nothing more now than a memory. This is the life we now live where we must worry about crime on top of pandemics and rising prices. Not good.

Recent news reports stated that the Alberta government is investing a modest $4.4 million to establish two province-wide police units to tackle organized crime. The Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams (ALERT) is the recipient of the funding and will be used to fight gangs across the province.

“The rapid rise of fentanyl in our city has made the gangs rich and our streets more dangerous,” says Public Safety Minister Mike Ellis who noted that last year, there were 126 shootings in Calgary, an increase of 30% over the previous year. “Unacceptable,” Minister Ellis says.

Investing in peace and order is a critical public sector undertaking, and the provincial government is on the right track here. The city government must step up now in upping its anticrime campaign and complement the province’s initiative. As the criminality numbers in the city continue to grow, we could be a crossroad and not even realize it. One important takeaway from other major cities in Canada and elsewhere in the world is this: you address criminality head-on with a sense of extreme urgency with all the tools necessary or you lose the war in a blink of an eye. If we want to keep Edmonton special, then we have to keep it safe.

Black heritage, and who prefer lighter or fairer complexion to the extent of using skin whitening products on themselves. “Darker” Filipinos have also experienced barriers in succeeding in the entertainment industry.

On March 21st, LINGAP-Canada therefore joins millions of peoples and many Governments, agencies, and institutions in celebrating the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination through activities that affirm all human beings are equal in dignity and rights and that seek to dismantle doctrines and policies of discrimination based on false beliefs of “racial superiority”. In 2021, LINGAP-Canada held a virtual forum presenting the views of five panelists of Filipino, Indigenous, African, Japanese, and Caucasian descent on the theme of “Understanding Racial Discrimination, Promoting Anti-Racism: Reflections on Experiences in Canada and the Philippines”. In 2022, LINGAP-Canada held another online forum on the theme of “Systemic Racism: An Intergenerational Conversation” featuring the thoughts and experiences of two Canadian youth and two “elders”.

For this year (2023), LINGAPCanada is compiling quotations of Filipina/o/x-Canadians, Filipina/o/xs in the Philippines and members of diverse cultures, ethnicities, and religions or faiths worldwide which motivate and inspire everyone to build a culture of non-discrimination and respect of all cultural and racialized identities, and to take action to overcome all forms of racial discrimination and racism! Examples of a few quotations which can be viewed on LINGAPCanada’s website www.lingapcanada. com on March 21st, 2023, include:

Pope Francis Racism is a virus that quickly mutates and, instead of disappearing, goes into hiding and lurks in waiting. Instances of racism continue to shame us, for they show that our supposed social progress is not as real or definitive as we think.

Surah Al-Hujurat, 49:13

“An Arab has no superiority over a non-Arab nor a non-Arab has any superiority over an Arab; also a White has no superiority over a Black nor a Black has any superiority over a White except by piety and good action.”

Daisaku Ikeda, Founder, Soka Gakkai International

"...the problem of racism is not merely social/economic/political/educational/ penal/etc. It is not only a secular issue but also a spiritual one, in the sense that racial identity is deeply implicated in how we understand ourselves: who we think we are and how we should live in the world. If so, any genuine solution to the social problem of racism will necessarily involve a spiritual dimension. From a Buddhist perspective, our basic delusion is the self—that is, the sense of separation between myself and the rest of the world, including other people"

National Chief RoseAnne Archibald, Assembly of First Nations

Women are the backbone of our society and children represent our future. Generations of Indigenous children have experienced and continue to experience trauma because of colonialism—colonial systems, colonial beliefs, colonial mindsets—as perpetrated and justified by the 1493 papal bull supporting the Doctrine of Discovery. I have personally asked Pope Francis to formally revoke this vile document. The systemic racism that we as Indigenous people have experienced and continue to experience has had major consequences on outcomes of poverty, substance abuse, violence, and mental health.

Dr. Jose Rizal (Philippines National Hero)

…everyone is born equal, naked and without chains. Not created by God to be enslaved, not endowed with intelligence to be blinded, and not adorned with reason to be deceived by others.

Victoria Tauli-Corpuz (Kankanaey Igorot, United Nations Special Rapporteur on the rights of Indigenous Peoples by the Human Rights Council, 2014-2020)

An essential element for overcoming discrimination and achieving economic, social and cultural rights of indigenous peoples is the design and delivery of adequate social services, especially within the education and health sectors. Culturally appropriate services are related to higher achievement outcomes.

Nelson Mandela (South African President, Nobel Peace Laureate)

No one is born hating another person for the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than the opposite.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (Prominent Leader in the civil rights movement) bell hooks (American author and social activist)

We must rapidly begin the shift from a "thing-oriented" society to a "personoriented" society. When machines and computers, profit motives and property rights are considered more important than people, the giant triplets of racism, materialism, and militarism are incapable of being conquered.

We knew that there could be no real sisterhood between white women and women of color if white women were not able to divest of white supremacy.

We need to think about racism, talk about racism, stop racism, in Canada, in the Philippines, and in the world!

Visit our website (lingapcanada.com) on the 21st of March for a fuller collection of what sages, scholars, activists, and ordinary people say about racism.