ASSAULT IN BARRIE
I'm posting this e- mail from Julie Lapierre so that we can all share in the horror this story evokes.
Ben Strudwick, Co-chair, Steering Committee.
Good Evening Mr. Strudwick and Mr. Stevens
I received your names from Mr. Lehman. Below is an article that was in Thursdays Barrie Examiner. I spoke with Mr. Lehman from Sunnybrook Hospital after my son had gone through 7 hours of reconstructive surgery. My son is home now and recovering, the 47 staples in his skull come out on Wednesday and we are still waiting for him to get full use of both eyes. The surgeon said that once they started to operate the damage was more extensive then thought. His eyes have to retrain themselves to work together as the nerves were damaged and the signal to the brain has not reconnected. The reason for my call to Mr. Lehman and the e-mail to you gentle men is that I was unaware of how bad things were in the downtown core. I am frequently at our union office on Collier Street after business hours and never once had I been concerned about my safety. As you can imagine, that all changed last Sunday morning. I was shocked by number of people who contacted me and related stories of sons, brothers and husbands being assaulted in downtown Barrie at night. I am not sure how many of these had actually been reported to the police but the fact that they happened is really the issue. My concern was that I had never heard about this before my sons attack and if I had I would have been more diligent in keeping my 20 and 22 year old from attending bars in Barrie with their friends. Though Patrick's extensive injuries are not common, young people are being hurt after a night out with friends in downtown Barrie. I know what happens when young people drink but this particular attack was unprovoked. My intent of this e-mail is to ask you, the same way I asked Mr Lehman, what can we do to protect our young adults out there from these kinds of things. I am fortunate to have a large support group in Barrie, the surrounding area and the Canadian Military that helped my family get through this ordeal, others might not be as fortunate. So what am I trying to say in this long winded e-mail....I WANT THIS TO STOP AND WHAT CAN I DO????I don't want any other family to have to go through what we did this past week.
Julie Lapierre
Barrie's downtown isn't safe, mom says
CRIME
Posted By BOB BRUTON
Posted 36 mins ago
An Angus man required reconstructive facial surgery after he was beaten early Sunday morning in downtown Barrie.
Patrick Lapierre, 20, had his nose and eye sockets repaired at Toronto's Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre on Tuesday morning.
He is a private in the Canadian military, attached to Canadian Forces Base Borden, west of Barrie, and is awaiting training.
His mother, Julie Lapierre, says she has a message for parents about dangers in the city's downtown.
"This could be your son or daughter," she said. "You have to get them to believe they are not invincible.
"These were unprovoked attacks.
"I'm not blaming anyone, but I want people to know that it's not safe."
City police say there were numerous fights and disturbances there Sunday when the bars closed, and that several people required medical attention.
But Sgt. Robert Allan said Lapierre was the only one seriously injured, although the details of what happened are still somewhat murky.
"Three guys were walking down the sidewalk and got jumped by three other guys," Allan said. "We are still trying to find out who these guys are."
He said there were no weapons involved in the assault, which police say took place at about 2:30 a. m. in the area of Dunlop Street East and Owen Street.
"We've had a couple of busy weekends down there," Allan said. "I can't point to one reason or another. The d own t own bar district is always busy.
"We can't prevent everything. But we don't like to see this type of violence."
Lapierre says she doesn't blame her son's injuries on police, which have regular foot patrols in downtown Barrie on the weekends.
She says he was with four other friends and two of them were attacked.
"My son has no memory of it -- just his friend going down and waking up in the emergency room. He had a concussion," she said.
"He said 'I have nothing. It's a blank.' He does not know (what happened)."
Lapierre says her son and his friends were not in uniform, but all have short hair -- although she has no reason to believe they were targeted for their looks.
Being soldiers didn't help prevent the attack either.
"When you get sucker-punched from behind, training doesn't matter," she said. "This is what happens."
The city has security cameras at the Barrie Bus Terminal, which is also downtown, but none along Dunlop East and West where so many bars are located.
Lapierre said police are hoping that some of the security cameras from nearby businesses may have recorded the assault, and will help identify the assailants.
She says Patrick needed a metal plate to rebuild his nose and had to have his eye sockets realigned. He has staples across his skull from ear to ear and his vision remains blurry.
Despite his injuries and surgeries, Lapierre says her son could be going home today or tomorrow, and his doctors hope for a speedy recovery.
"He could be going home in no or little pain," she said.
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