Hi Everyone,
In case you missed it, the city of Toronto’s top public health offical, Dr. Eileen de Villa, firmly believes that Canada should decriminalize all drugs for personal use and not everyone agrees. Perhaps we should look into the not so distant past to help us decide. This is what I mean.
On Monday July 2, 2018, I walked over to Yonge and Dundas Square for some free entertainment. I mean, really, even if there isn’t something going on, people watching is the best! Free exercise, free entertainment and fast food for dinner if I wanted was a bonus.
At about 7:30pm I walked east on Dundas past the main intersection and saw a young female sitting on a pile of blankets in the small emergency exit of Forever 21 smoking something in a glass pipe. She was so out of it that she didn’t see me looking at her.
A few minutes later, I decided to walk between the Eaton Centre, where the old Sears Employee Entrance used to be and another building that I think is Best Buy. Once I got to the back of the Eaton’s Centre by the church, the first thing I saw was a young female dancing in front of a man who was sitting on the church steps injecting something into his calf. He was less than 300 metres, (and I am being very generous regarding the distance) from the Safe Injection Site on Victoria which was open then.
As I turned the corner I saw a group of young Asian males smoking a joint. From the look of fright on their faces, they must have thought I was going to call the police. In my head, I thought compared to what I saw in the last few minutes, smoking a joint is nothing!
As I rounded the bend, I saw an overflowing shopping cart sitting on the landing by the Trinity Church entrance. A group of people were around it and they too had blankets and the like on the cement. In the past, I have seen people sleeping there, but I have never seen so many people at one time though.
A young lady and an older man left the now closed Eaton’s Centre by the side door closest to Nordstrom’s. They look at the group of people by the church’s entrance and walk cautiously to the Marrriot. From their attire, and the foreign language they spoke I am guessing they were tourists. They did not look impressed. In my head I thought, Good thing you’re not walking on the other side of the church.
Since all the action is really at or close to Yonge and Dundas Square I headed back. What I forgot to mention earlier is all of the panhandlers. This one guy was lying, stomach down on the sidewalk holding a cup as he asked for money. The second I saw a shirtless man, aggressively gesturing as his tall frame swayed with every step he took, I crossed the street. A police car with two police officers were sitting inside. With the passenger window rolled down, I told them about the man. “There’s nothing we can do,” I was told. Unfortunately, I have heard that too many times. Police officers in Toronto aren’t really allowed to do a whole lot. The sad truth is police officers have more authority over people who sit in the park drinking than they do with people doing drugs, behaving erratically or both. I am serious.
If a police officer sees someone in the park or anywhere in public drinking they can make that person pour out their drink right then. BUT if someone is injecting themselves, smoking crack or crystal meth, all of which are illegal drugs the police can only politely ask them to “move along”. That’s it. And just a reminder, alcohol is legal, illegal drugs are illegal and thereby not. Just saying. I invite anyone to explain to me how that works! If the Toronto police can’t arrest people for doing drugs in public, then aren’t drugs in Toronto already decriminalized? It would appear so.
Once the police saw the shirtless man, they went to speak to him. What I didn’t notice was a person standing behind me waiting to speak to the police officers when they got back to their car. After they had a few words, the police went into the Shopper’s Drug Mart. I am not sure, yet I am under the impression that the person waiting was an undercover store walker and someone was caught stealing. In my head I thought, Well good luck with that Shopper’s. You wanted this location. You may have caught one booster, but there are 9 more in the store and 12 more on the way. Drugs are expensive.
Even though it was around 8 pm, it was still hot so I headed to Burger King for an ice cream and some air conditioning. On my way there, a woman with a Spanish accent stopped me to ask where the Hard Rock Cafe was. A man, who I am guessing was her husband, was wearing a Hard Rock Cafe T-shirt, and standing by a teenage boy and girl, who I am guessing were their children. In my head I thought, They look like a nice family visiting Toronto. After I told them that the Hard Rock Cafe has been replaced by Shopper’s Drug Mart, I suggested they try Milestone’s or Jack Astor’s by the cinema. All family members may have been listening yet it was her son who replied to me in English. In my head I thought, Even the tourists speak and understand more English than some people who have lived here for years. Then I thought, I wonder what horrors they’ll see between here and the restaurant.
Burger King closed at 7 pm so I headed to the McDonald’s up the street. The police car minus the police officers was still there. A few panhandlers asked me for money, and there were a few more bodies moving in an erratic way. So the usual.
McDonald’s was packed! I overheard woman tell her friend that the line for the washroom wasn’t moving but she wanted to wash her hands. I offered my hand sanitizer, both accepted and we began talking. One woman was from New Zealand and the other was also a tourist. The woman from New Zealand mentioned that while she was visiting British Columbia she discovered that there were a lot people who did drugs there. In my head I thought, Yea but they are all in pretty much one area. We here in Toronto want to spread them out. You know so all the people paying hundreds of thousands of dollars for shoebox sized condos can unwillingly have their eyes opened right along with the tourists. “Yea, I’ve heard that too,” I replied.
If the police see you day drinking in a park, or any other public space they can make you pour out your alcohol. If you are injecting yourself, or someone else, smoking crack or crystal meth, the police will politely suggest you to move along. Illegal drugs in Toronto are already decrinimaled, thereby legal.
Thank you for reading, A. Rebel’s Rant! ;D
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