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Mayor Lisa Helps: criminals are "desperate," not that "they're bad"


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#1 Mike K.

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Posted 30 October 2015 - 08:37 AM

In a CFAX interview with Al Farraby (ff to 50 mins) Mayor Lisa Helps, speaking about the third armed robbery of a marijuana dispensary in three months, said the following regarding individuals armed with hand guns who robbed a marijuana dispensary in late October: "People don't rob places because they're bad, people rob places because they're desperate."

 

An armed robbery is serious, serious crime. The individuals who were working at the dispensary may now suffer from traumatic stress, they may fear for their lives for a very long time following this robbery. The mayor's comments appear to insinuate that the individuals who robbed the dispensary at gun point were, in fact, the victims of our society, and not "bad" people. I don't know what to make of this.

 

"People don't rob places because they're bad, people rob places because they're desperate." - City of Victoria Mayor Lisa Helps. - October 29, 2015.


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#2 pherthyl

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Posted 30 October 2015 - 08:58 AM

"The individuals who were working at the dispensary may now suffer from traumatic stress, they may fear for their lives for a very long time following this robbery"

 

What does that have to do with the motivation of the robbers?

 

Never mind that in general terms she is correct.   The desperate do the robbing.   Simple statement of fact.   Doesn't mean robbing is any less a crime. 


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#3 Mike K.

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Posted 30 October 2015 - 09:10 AM

Some serious planning, resources and wherewithal went into the last armed robbery of the marijuana dispensary. I reject the notion that the individuals who perpetrated this were desperate.


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#4 spanky123

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Posted 30 October 2015 - 09:27 AM

Chief Eisner doubled down with Al this morning. Here are the paraphrased highlights from the conversation as I recall them:

 

Al: The Mayor said yesterday that there was a feeling of desperation downtown. Do you agree?

Chief: Yes I do. Police incidents are up significantly in the downtown core due to homelessness

 

Al: There have 3 armed robberies of dispensaries in the past 3 month and the Mayor even said one of them was in her neighbourhood.

Chief: Correct the desperation has brought crime into neighbourhoods.

 

Al: So should residents be concerned?

Chief: How do you mean?

Al: Well if crime into moving into residential neighbourhoods and incidents are up do people need to be concerned about their safety?

Chief: Um. Let me remind you that Victoria has one of the lowest crime rates in Canada and people have no reason to be concerned about their safety as none of this impacts them.

 

Chief: I want to thank the Mayor for her leadership

Al: You and the Mayor spend a lot of time on these issues?

Chief: Yes. We spend a lot of resources looking at these matters.


Edited by spanky123, 30 October 2015 - 09:42 AM.


#5 lanforod

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Posted 30 October 2015 - 09:29 AM

Apparently they spend a lot of time looking at them, but not a lot actually doing anything about them lately.



#6 pherthyl

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Posted 30 October 2015 - 10:09 AM

Some serious planning, resources and wherewithal went into the last armed robbery of the marijuana dispensary. I reject the notion that the individuals who perpetrated this were desperate.

 

Desperate people aren't idiots.  They can plan a robbery.  As for resources, what resources?  A gun?  That's it.

 

It should be abundantly clear that the robbers aren't living in a nice house in Fernwood.    Apparently the chief of police agrees.


Edited by pherthyl, 30 October 2015 - 10:10 AM.


#7 pherthyl

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Posted 30 October 2015 - 10:10 AM

Apparently they spend a lot of time looking at them, but not a lot actually doing anything about them lately.

 

What makes you think they aren't doing anything about it?



#8 Mike K.

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Posted 30 October 2015 - 10:19 AM

Desperate people aren't idiots.  They can plan a robbery.  As for resources, what resources?  A gun?  That's it.

 

It should be abundantly clear that the robbers aren't living in a nice house in Fernwood.    Apparently the chief of police agrees.

 

The police chief must be a psychic if he knows who the suspects were behind those masks and what their motivation for the robbery was.

 

The individuals who robbed the dispensary had access to guns. Where do you even begin to look for guns in a moment of desperation? Do you first steal them from a registered owner? Do you first acquire them through a black market supplier? Phyrthyl, can you enlighten us on where we can get guns when we feel we've become desperate and need to rob a business? And when we're desperate, where do we acquire a car for the get-away? Do we first steal it, which was highly likely in this scenario, or do we use a car we own, which would be a stupid move despite desperate people not being idiots, as you say.

 

Your theory on the desperation of these criminals is bunk.


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#9 spanky123

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Posted 30 October 2015 - 10:52 AM

Desperate people aren't idiots.  They can plan a robbery.  As for resources, what resources?  A gun?  That's it.

 

It should be abundantly clear that the robbers aren't living in a nice house in Fernwood.    Apparently the chief of police agrees.

 

The perception is that the Mayor and Chief are using the robberies to further their messaging on funding for the homeless and to set an urgency to the matter. If anyone would know who was behind the robberies it of course would be the Chief, but since he hasn't stated such we are only speculating.



#10 lanforod

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Posted 30 October 2015 - 10:54 AM

What makes you think they aren't doing anything about it?

It is apparent because of increasing panhandling, increasing daytime sleeping, increasing violent crimes, a large number of illegal businesses operating with impunity...

 

That's the impression I'm getting following VV. I don't go downtown often myself, so like I said, its apparent (not necessarily reality).



#11 nagel

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Posted 30 October 2015 - 11:00 AM

It is apparent because of increasing panhandling, increasing daytime sleeping, increasing violent crimes, a large number of illegal businesses operating with impunity...

 

That's the impression I'm getting following VV. I don't go downtown often myself, so like I said, its apparent (not necessarily reality).

Just because VHF's favourite hobby is taking pictures of people napping on the street doesn't mean we're turning into Baltimore.


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#12 Mike K.

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Posted 30 October 2015 - 11:01 AM

We're closing in on 30 illegal dispensaries operating in the City of Victoria, we're now learning that homeless-on-homeless crime is sharply on the rise, and the south Island has seen more murders this year than in recent memory. There are what, six or seven murders on record this year, and that doesn't include the murder-suicides. Meanwhile break and enters are as prevalent as ever, petty crimes as prevalent as ever, and there are more individuals loitering on our streets than I can remember. 

 

Meanwhile over the last 30 days there have been just over 40 robberies and assaults just in the City of Victoria. That more than one per day. And that's only what's reported.


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#13 Bingo

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Posted 30 October 2015 - 11:09 AM

Why would the desperates rob the corner store to get money for drugs when the can save one of the steps by just robbing the dispensary? 



#14 Mike K.

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Posted 30 October 2015 - 11:13 AM

There is no such thing as someone desperate for weed, though. It's not heroine, meth or crack. But it's great to re-sell if procured through a robbery, that's for sure.

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#15 spanky123

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Posted 30 October 2015 - 11:16 AM

There is no such thing as someone desperate for weed, though. It's not heroine, meth or crack. But it's great to re-sell if procured through a robbery, that's for sure.

 

Would be interesting to know to what extent the proliferation of illegal pharmacies is increasing the homeless problem. I wonder if people are now coming to Victoria for easy (permitted) access to drugs and the community that is developing around it.


Edited by spanky123, 30 October 2015 - 11:16 AM.


#16 Greg

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Posted 30 October 2015 - 11:36 AM

Desperate people aren't idiots.  They can plan a robbery.  As for resources, what resources?  A gun?  That's it.

 

It should be abundantly clear that the robbers aren't living in a nice house in Fernwood.    Apparently the chief of police agrees.

 

This could just as easily have been a crime committed by competing drug dealers who feel their turf is being compromised by the dispensaries. But more importantly, who cares. I mean, a little compassion for a guy who breaks a car window to feed his addiction may be in order. But when someone walks in with a gun and demands money, I personally no longer give two #$%^s about their back story and personal tragedies. 


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#17 57WestHills

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Posted 30 October 2015 - 11:57 AM

If we do not care about why a crime occurs because we don't like it prevention becomes essentially impossible. So these "it is bad therefore who cares, just punish" posts on here are just endemic of a poorly thought response to criminality. Why is important to make things better, stop offences from occurring, and to create effective deterrence.


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#18 aastra

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Posted 30 October 2015 - 12:00 PM

 

...when someone walks in with a gun and demands money, I personally no longer give two #$%^s about their back story and personal tragedies.

 

So you're saying armed robbery is armed robbery? There's no such thing as well-meaning gun-related crime? Apparently officialdom in Victoria doesn't agree with you.



#19 Greg

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Posted 30 October 2015 - 12:13 PM

If we do not care about why a crime occurs because we don't like it prevention becomes essentially impossible. So these "it is bad therefore who cares, just punish" posts on here are just endemic of a poorly thought response to criminality. Why is important to make things better, stop offences from occurring, and to create effective deterrence.

 

"People don't rob places because they're bad, people rob places because they're desperate" - Lisa Helps

 

Can't say that strikes me as well-thought out root-cause analysis, sorry.


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#20 Mike K.

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Posted 30 October 2015 - 12:49 PM

It's going to go down as one of the most poorly thought out comments made by a mayor in a city frought with petty ctime and a serious a issue with a burgeoning street community.

What do we do to take our community back?

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