Community Happenings Blog

Things continue to improve with the All Saints curb appeal initiative thanks to the community at large and donations from Cabbagetown South.  The plants have all taken and quite a few weeds, but we're getting there!

Hi Everyone,

Just to let you know that I represented Cabbagetown South at the meet the chief last night.

Homewood/Maitland asked questions about street prostitution.  The chief made it clear that he felt neighbours confronting Johns and Hookers could be a dangerous situation but encouraged neighbours to be out on the streets in a non confrontational manner and to continue to contact police and politicians with complaints about Hooker Strolls.

I brought up the issue of surveillance cameras and he said the recommendations from their study was not in yet.  I also raised the issue of mobile surveillance units.  He likes the idea of  solutions which prevent crime from happening in the first place.  He suggested that we direct letters to him on the issue.  I will come up with something and get something regarding this initiative on the website for the Board's approval.

The meeting was reasonable well attended.  There were a couple of off the wall questions but for the most part the Chief kept people on topic about the community issues.  The CPLC did a good job in arranging this meeting for the east end neighbourhoods.  Having said this I still prefer that officers come to Cabbagetown South meetings on a regular basis.  Officer Ewan McDermott was there and I touched base with him as well.

I will also contact Smitherman's office to find out if John School is still up and running (a provincial program I believe) and if so see if we can get some print ads on neighbourhood bus shelters reminding Johns that the police are making arrests and if caught trying to pick up a Hooker in our area you will be arrested.  It never hurts to ask.  Plus it is time that a rep from Smitherman's office made an appearance at our meetings to answer such questions.

Regards Don Purvis 

Here is an email from Michel Bencini, HMSA, to 51 Division, forwarding an earlier letter from Paul Hyde, a business owner on Homewood Ave.  Mr. Hydes email went to many people but was addressed to Kyle Rae.  

*****

Officers at 51st Division,

Attached please find Paul Hyde's synopsis about the latest goings on in the area's unofficial red light district. This kind of nonsense cannot be allowed to continue and degenerate. We are at a point where the area is in need of a PROACTIVE stance and not a reactive one.

Would you please consider this email as an official request of HMSA for a meeting with your division to devise ways and means how to deal effectively with this criminal element plaguing our community. If unchecked, this situation is going to escalate since the neighbours can't be expected to contain their frustrations without dire consequences to their personal safety and that of the prostitutes in question.

Please advise.

Sincerely, Michel Bencini HMSA

416-924-2807

Attachment: 

Mr. Rae,

As a matter of record I am providing you with a description of events relating to sex-trade at Homewood/Maitland neighbourhood for period weekend as above.

With the warmer weather approaching HMSA members were aware to expect an increase of sex-trade activity at Homewood & Maitland, but I'm truly sad to report the following.

Friday night March 13th, there were as many as 6 accumulated at the corner at 10pm.  These sex-workers strolled proudly up Homewood to the verve tower corner, flashing and making lewd gestures at cars.  We called the police immediately. Later that night, at approx. 1am, we were awoken by screams from sex-workers to discover that they were fighting with each other directly in front of 73 Homewood;  we called police. At 3:45 am, once again a nasty fight between two sex-workers broke out.  The screams woke us and we called police.  This time residents from 60 Homewood were shouting out at the sex-workers to be quiet, and then the sex-workers began shouting back at the residents.  This went on for 30 minutes.

Saturday March 14^th.  This the worst night of all. At 12:30 am, 4 sex-workers got into a terrible, loud fight in front of 65 and 60 Homewood.  They were in the middle of the road shrieking at each other and fighting, cars could not pass and the sex-workers would not leave the road.  Drivers began to honk their horns, and get out of their cars to yell at them.  Once again residents of 60 came out to yell at them also;  we called the police. At 1:30 pm, another loud fight between 2 sex-workers broke out right out in front of 73 Homewood, and the residents of 60 came out to yell at them again;  once again we called police. At 3:30 am, again a loud fight broke out in front of 60 Homewood with more sex-workers between each other.  This went on for more than 20 minutes, and again, residents came out and yelled and threw things from their balcony;  we called police. At 4:30 am, again another yelling match between 2 sex-workers with screams so loud and so much yelling it woke up ourselves and neighbours;  once again we called the police.

Sunday March 15th at 9:30 pm a family, mom and dad and 3 children, were unloading and getting out of their minivan parked at 69 Homewood to enter the Homewood Inn.  Directly on the other side of the street was a sex-trade worker that refused to leave when we asked her to,  yelled back obscenities and took out his penis and yanked on it in front of the family;  we called the police.

Naturally, I had irate customers on my hands , we had a to comp a stay, try to settle a couple down, and 2 of my rooms checked out that morning upset with us, and the street. I hope you can understand how upsetting it is as a business owner to work so hard to promote tourism to have this happen to our customers.

On Monday March 16th, I met with Jean McLaren and another HMSA member, and we have decided that sadly we have to go back out to the corner Friday night. It was truly my hope that our efforts over last summer would have provided improvement that the behaviour of the sex-workers could be tolerable, but after this nightmare of a weekend, we collectively felt the only way to address this is to return to our posts Friday and Saturday night.

To those residents and HMSA members copied here please be advised we will meet at Homewood and Maitland at 10pm this Friday, March 20th.

Paul Hyde

73 Homewood Ave