There is no easy fix to the recent spike of violence in the gang capital of Canada, an MP and victim of violence told a community rally in Surrey yesterday.
Surrey North MP Dona Cadman, whose son Jesse was stabbed to death in 1992, told a crowd of about 600 people at Central City Plaza in Surrey yesterday that efforts to curb gang violence will require the involvement of community leaders and all three levels of government.
“Everyone would like to find an easy solution to this violence in our midst, but it’s not that simple,” said Cadman.
“We here in the community can not expect the police and the courts, on their own, to fix this for us. We parents must be part of the solution: Know your street, know your neighbour, and most importantly, take time to know your children.”
Cadman said stronger sentencing is needed for chronic offenders and gang members. She also called for judges with “backbone” to make use of strong sentencing guidelines and to look at ways of making judges more accountable.
The rally, organized by two young Surrey men, Trevor Loke, 20, and Paul Hillsdon, 19, included speakers whose families have been impacted by gang violence.
Eileen Mohan, whose 22-year-old son Chris was an innocent bystander killed at a Surrey highrise in 2007, said that public safety and security should be the No. 1 priority of elected officials and implored the crowd to visit their MPs office or send emails demanding change.
