“I’d like to trust Halifax and the people in it,” said Suzy, walking along the Halifax Common yesterday.
The 29-year-old student didn’t wish to provide her last name when approached by Metro.
“But even when you guys just approached me now, I was like ‘Oh God.’”
Suzy lives in north-end Halifax. She has been living in the neighbourhood for 2 1/2 years, and says she has never had cause to worry about walking alone or at night. But a recent spate of swarmings in the north end has made her think twice.
“It definitely (concerns me),” Suzy said, adding she’ll be changing her habits in the wake of the assaults.
Halifax Regional Police spokesman Const. Brian Palmeter said the most recent swarming Tuesday night doesn’t appear to be related to the six between Friday and Monday. Around 9:30 p.m. on Tuesday, two 18-year-olds were surrounded and beaten by a group of six men near the skate park at the corner of Bell Road and Trollope Street.
While the incident is being treated as unrelated, Palmeter said police are as concerned about it as the others.
The perpetrators of the weekend swarmings showed a “complete disregard for the victims’ well-being … (and) were looking for a conflict,” said Palmeter.
He said Tuesday’s incident was “slightly different,” even if the end results were the same.
