LETTER FROM JULIE LAPIERRE
Thought I'd pass along this email from Julie to encourage us all to continue to work towards solutions for the downtown.
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Hello Everyone
I attended a few of your meetings(BDNA) this year as a result of my son Patrick's brutal unprovoked attack in Barrie just before last Christmas. Your group seems to be headed in the right direction from a residents perspective in trying to clean up the downtown area. I have to admit that my son, daughter, myself (with the exception of attending your meetings)and any of our friends have not ventured downtown since his attack either in the day or night time. I know you are working so hard to make things better.
After this past weekends chaos I have to ask what are the politicians, police and bar owners doing to deal with these issues. At your meetings, we were told that extra officers where hired for the downtown and in the e-mails I have been receiving, the AGCO is also involved. A friend pointed out to me that after the murder a few weeks back the police's take was that it was "an isolated incident" we all know that this is not the case. Why are the police and elected officials downplaying the dangers in downtown Barrie? This question has been asked of me over and over again and from the information I have gathered this problem is not new and has
been around for many many years. The numbers of incidents are actually higher because many of the incidents and altercations go unreported to the police, the answer when I ask why they didn't report was simple, "Barrie Police will do nothing, unless they absolutely have to"
Now I have assured people over and over again that if they don't report it, the police can not do anything but the faith in the Barrie Police Force is gone. I know the media reports on the information they are given from the police and that even when we went through our trauma, Bob Bruton contacted the police for information but I believe he got most of it from us! My main concern is with all that is going on downtown and with your group working so hard to get things done (cameras, drug paraphernalia removed etc) why are the Barrie politicians, bar owners and police taking so long to get on board. There seems to be a lot of talk from them but not a lot of action!!
Keep up your wonderful work!!
Thank you for listening
Julie Lapierre
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Hello Everyone
I attended a few of your meetings(BDNA) this year as a result of my son Patrick's brutal unprovoked attack in Barrie just before last Christmas. Your group seems to be headed in the right direction from a residents perspective in trying to clean up the downtown area. I have to admit that my son, daughter, myself (with the exception of attending your meetings)and any of our friends have not ventured downtown since his attack either in the day or night time. I know you are working so hard to make things better.
After this past weekends chaos I have to ask what are the politicians, police and bar owners doing to deal with these issues. At your meetings, we were told that extra officers where hired for the downtown and in the e-mails I have been receiving, the AGCO is also involved. A friend pointed out to me that after the murder a few weeks back the police's take was that it was "an isolated incident" we all know that this is not the case. Why are the police and elected officials downplaying the dangers in downtown Barrie? This question has been asked of me over and over again and from the information I have gathered this problem is not new and has
been around for many many years. The numbers of incidents are actually higher because many of the incidents and altercations go unreported to the police, the answer when I ask why they didn't report was simple, "Barrie Police will do nothing, unless they absolutely have to"
Now I have assured people over and over again that if they don't report it, the police can not do anything but the faith in the Barrie Police Force is gone. I know the media reports on the information they are given from the police and that even when we went through our trauma, Bob Bruton contacted the police for information but I believe he got most of it from us! My main concern is with all that is going on downtown and with your group working so hard to get things done (cameras, drug paraphernalia removed etc) why are the Barrie politicians, bar owners and police taking so long to get on board. There seems to be a lot of talk from them but not a lot of action!!
Keep up your wonderful work!!
Thank you for listening
Julie Lapierre
I am pretty sure than when the recent and unfortunate incident happened in the downtown, the police investigated, and laid some fairly serious charges as a result of a lengthly investigation. What more can they do besides patrol which is obvious by the shear number of police cars downtown during a typical busy bar night. As unfortunate as these incidents are, they aren't as epidemic as some believe and the fact of the matter is that when you congregate 6000 people under the influence of alcohol in a geographical area confined to two - three city blocks, things are going to happen! More needs to be done, but casting police into the mix, saying the faith in our police service has been lost seems a little like throwing the baby under the bus. The police didn't create an entertainment district, the city did. i am not so sure you can even lay blame on the bar owner businessman trying to run a business there.
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