Bell: Danielle Smith willing to send sheriffs back to Calgary streets

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The story does not surprise. It confirms reality.

Workers at a Calgary grocery store and a pharmacy in the city’s East Village now sport body-worn cameras because of the violence.

Dan McLean is a councillor and crime and social disorder is all around nearby city hall and sometimes in it.

He knows the East Village. He knows the stores. The Real Canadian Superstore, the Shoppers Drug Mart.

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His bank is there.

The East Village, the new high-rises east of Calgary city hall, is a place designed to curb the crime and social disorder from the area’s bad old days when it was looked upon by the local authorities as a patch of urban blight needing to be obliterated.

Alas, last November, city top cop Mark Neufeld told city council the operators of Real Canadian Superstore wanted a police presence since security incidents were eight times higher than anticipated.

McLean will not sugar-coat the nasty facts on the ground today.

They are facts, no matter how many sorts who believe in a hug-a-thug justice system remain in denial.

McLean sees the drug use, he knows the risk people take of being assaulted or stabbed.

The councillor feels sorry for businesses who are trying to “make the East Village a nice, trendy place.”

“People do not want to hang out there. I wouldn’t buy a place there. I feel terrible for the people who bought condos there. To walk out their condos to go the grocery store and it’s a gong show,” says McLean.

“It’s scary. It’s Zombieland. It should never have got to this point.”

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Along with many others, McLean attacks those who push an approach that’s soft on bad actors, treating them with kid gloves and explaining away with their misdeeds.

“A civilized society should never let this happen. There are norms in a civilized society. You don’t just let people do whatever they want, wherever they want, whenever they want.”

McLean says the messaging out of city hall has to be much stronger, much tougher.

City cops have to know city hall backs the blue and is behind their efforts.

Dear reader, don’t take it for granted that’s the attitude of everyone at city hall.

“They feel they do not have the tools or the support to clean this crap up.”

They’re right.

Calgary did get 50 police positions after this scribbler talked to city police Staff Sgt. Lee Dunbar about the need for more officers while on a walk-along in and around the East Village.

Then I wrote about it.

Premier Danielle Smith read the column.

On Friday, Smith knew all about the latest goings-on.

Both Calgary and Edmonton had a dozen sheriffs working with city police.

Calgary didn’t want to keep the sheriffs saying they didn’t make a difference.

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There are those who say the sheriffs didn’t do much good because they believe it was not enough help.

They want even more assistance.

Smith says she’s willing to send the sheriffs back into the fray. She says they are being trained to the same level as the police.

“The sheriffs are already working in our cities and we would be happy to be able to lend some more boots on the ground if it’s requested,” says the premier.

“We stand by, ready to be able to help.

“But it does have to be at the request of Calgary. We’re waiting for their call.”

Smith also takes yet another jab at the federal government’s weak-kneed attitude to law and order.

“Their approach isn’t working. It’s creating chaos. It’s making people feel unsafe. All of the premiers are fed up.

“There’s more that needs to be done. Albertans have had enough. People in every big city have had enough.”

The premier adds all the defund the police talk demoralized those officers on the street.

By the way, you don’t hear as much about defunding the police as the next city election approaches in a year’s time.

The East Village.

Years back, Curtis Sliwa of the New York City citizen crime-fighting Guardian Angels toured the East Village before all the new high-rises, a time where the only street in the area with a name was the nicknamed Crack Cul-de-Sac.

Sliwa saw the East Village as a horror movie.

Now, despite all the talk making over the downtown and with tons of money thrown into the area by the city, the situation actually looks worse.

It will be interesting to see what happens if the so-called city culture and entertainment district gets off the ground. It’s not far from East Village.

Some voices will say things are not that bad, that it’s being blown out of proportion.

McLean, the councillor, has an answer.

“It’s real. I’ve seen it. Come downtown and walk around after dark, then we’ll talk.”

rbell@postmedia.com

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