Thursday, October 11, 2007

sound and fury


Mayor and Council;

Now that the red zones are enacted and the security forces are moving the crackheads along from businesses, who is going to do anything about the ever increasing drug traffic in the alleys of Victoria and Prideaux, the vagrant sex trade and drug trafficking on the Finlayson cul-de-sac and Victoria Road(day and night) and the large numbers of crackheads doing drugs in Nob Hill Park again...and again....and again....
I have to drive my car two blocks to go downtown unless I want to walk a gauntlet of drug/sex traffic and it is difficult to even get a restful night's sleep with the noise of these folks outside all night.
I'd offer our beautiful home up to any one of you that might be willing to actually see what it is like to live down here(one week, maybe, if you could last) in hopes that you might be compelled to act upon our issues down here in the south end.
(my letter dated October 2nd sent to Mayor and Council)



Thank you for your email regarding the Victoria Road and Finlayson Street area. Each member of Council has received a copy of your email and I have forwarded a copy to members of our senior staff and the Nanaimo Detachment RCMP. (from Administrative Assistant to Mayor and Council, the only response I have received to date.)


Mayor and Council:
I would just like to add that today, my neighbour, who has lived here 15 years, has put his house on the market...we are losing another good, decent person here. His reasons? This latest upswing of drug trade and sex trade on Victoria Road and the alley behind us, being on hold to dispatch long enough for a drug deal to not only transpire but the drugs to be consumed and the needles to be thrown in street in front of his house, the constant awakenings due to crackheads yelling and screaming in the alley and on the cul-de-sac all night, and finally the frustration of knowing there seems to be nothing to be done about it AGAIN.
Today, there were so many crackheads on the Finlayson cul-de-sac that we could not pull into our alley. We could not pull into our alley!
We are so discouraged with the disregard that southend communities receive that we, too, are thinking of selling. Only when we sell, we would take our tax dollars, our incomes, our mortgage to another city. We see no point in putting that money and effort into a city that has such an obvious dichotomy in what is considered acceptable from neighbourhood to neighbourhood.
Once again, I extend an invitation to Mayor or any member of Council to reside in our home for one week. I may be able to persuade some of our very kind, decent, hard-working, tax-paying neighbours to do the same. Perhaps on Finlayson? Or Cavan?
(my second letter sent on October 03)

I did receive one letter from one Council member assuring me that he makes it a point to drive though my neighbourhood every day. Does he get out of his car and try to walk on my street? Is his sleep disturbed nightly by the crackheads yelling, screaming and fighting? Are there people shooting up in his back alley leaving him the needles to clean up? Would he stand for twelve people standing on his corner dealing/doing drugs/ intimidating passers-by, himself or his neighbours or would there suddenly be a solution run through Council? More RCMP involvement?


I don't know the answer...but I gotta go now. Have an appointment with the Beauty Queen.

11 comments:

.:.KC.:. the brown eyed girl said...

I'm sorry about your neighborhood. Hopefully something will get done.

Anonymous said...

Oh, this is just such a pity. I am sorry you are going through this. I've been a regular lurker on your blog for some time now and often I drive through this area and want to cry. I feel your pain. This is really unfair. Putting aside my compassion for these unsavory characters for a moment; there really are a great number who don't care to do a thing about their lifestyle, rather they seem to revel and thrive in the disgusting standard of living they've set for themselves... and they don't seem to give a rat's ass who has to clean up the mess or suffer because of them. My ex lives very close to you and my son visits him regularly there. I am always concerned about him walking through that neighborhood even though his dad defends it saying it's not as bad as people make it out to be. I should send him a link to your blog. It really is that bad.
You have my sympathy. When you went away this summer I really got the sense that you needed to escape those miserable surrounding for a little while. Maybe you need to consider moving on permanently because you seemed so much happier while you were away.
I know, it's much easier said than done, but... it's your life we're talking about.
Anyway, just 2 cents from a strange r and fellow Nanaimoite.
Take care.
(and yes... the council here infuriates me to no end as well).

Olly said...

Can sure tell where city council members don't live. So sad to see such neighbourhoods of historical houses ignored and the Land-o-malls seen as the preferred area.

Like you, if we were to sell up (home and business) it would be out of Nanaimo. The north end holds no appeal for us. Might as well live in Surrey.

When we moved here 10 years ago we were warned that Nanaimo was "a dirty little town with its dirty little politics". I have defended this town for years, but the warning turned out to be so true. I think the big awakening happened when the convention centre was approved along with the New-Hope centre around the corner. Council claims that many conventions are "already booked". I hear those are all small local bookings. Who is going to put thousands of dollars into having a convention so close to soup kitchens and Crack-central?

Kootenays sure looks good right around now.

CindyDianne said...

I am so sorry for this...

Maybe this is just what you need to ensure you won't look back when you decide to move on. I don't know...

katy said...

oh it must be so heart breaking, wanting to make a difference and the council not being bothered. i know i couldnt live there and i applaued you for trying so hard to get people involved to eradicated the problems, if only they were as committed as you to letting everyone live a deccent life eh.

Coffeypot said...

Me thinks the Councilman who rides through your neighborhood is actually looking for his Miss Right-Now, his Hooker Honey of the day. It would destroy his routing if the area was cleaned up. I don’t trust anyone in politics because the have their own agenda and it almost never agrees with yours. By the way, are there any cute redheads hanging around? I’m just curious. Honest!

dilling said...

Oh Coffeypot...none of them are cute! These are crack hookers...ew.
We also entertained the thoughtthat the Council member was trolling and wondered if myself or one of our neighbours has ever yelled at him driving through...
and I think it's an awful shame that the answer to this is to move...like crackheads have more rights to this neighbourhood than the taxpayers.

Heidi the Hick said...

what if you go at it from the TAXES angle? You know,

"I pay TAXES that support the INFRASTRUCTURE in this town and I DEMAND ACTION because I'm a TAXPAYER!"

...since they seem to be all about money...

Biddie said...

I saw that photo and my shoulders just sagged. It is apalling, and disturbing, and just plain WRONG.
I hope that your letters will finally push these law makers/councillers into action.

dilling said...

Heidi...been there, done that...

Michael Colvin said...

It's a shame when we are not listened to by our local councils. They all seem to be populated by people that have their own business agendas and want to fill their pockets with our cash.

Personally I would move on. Home needs to be a safe and relaxing place.