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Councillor Blames Uniacke Square Violence On The Media |
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Written by Hal Jesso
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Tuesday, 22 November 2005 |
 To quote a Halifax politician (Alexa), "I'm shocked and appalled."
Did Councillor Dawn Sloane really blame the media for the violence in Uniacke Square while appearing on a local talk radio show Monday?
I have absolutely no doubt the boisterous water squirting councillor for the downtown core will deny it today, but I'm sure just about everyone that happened to listen in on the Hotline broadcast yesterday will agree with me, she did.
Ms. Sloane attempted to link low self esteem among children in Uniacke Square with negative media coverage. Thus, the media's vigilant and responsible reporting of gun violence and other forms of criminal activity in the Square has a negative impact on the self esteem of area youth - resulting in the birth of a criminal mind, or a local drug dealer.
Sloane also accused the media of glorifying the shootings in the neighbourhood.
The councillor was rather irate with the local media for focusing on the "bad events," while neglecting to file reports on the "good things" that happen.
I've got news for the councillor, if it bleeds it leads, and that goes for any neighbourhood in the HRM. The feel good heart warming coverage can be found on Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood or locally on Eastlink Cable 10.
When Rick Howe's on-air riot cooled down, (you had to be listening) Howe focused on what had to be done next to clean up the neighbourhood and make it a safe place for the law abiding residents.
Everyone agreed that the first thing that had to be done was to rid the area of the drug dealers, the prostitutes and other unsavoury criminal elements. However, to be successful, it would require the participation of the residents, who for the most part, live in fear of retaliation if they collaborate with the legal authorities.
What came out of Ms. Sloane's mouth next was nothing less than shocking.
Sloane indicated the criminal element in Uniacke Square - the drug dealers and prostitutes - depend on the money raised from these criminal activities to feed their children and pay for other necessities of life. She suggested that before these criminals could be put out of business, the tax payer would have to provide some sort of safety net for them, because it's very difficult to live off of social assistance alone.
Did it ever occur to Ms. Sloane that maybe, just maybe, working for a living was a option?
Yet another example of the culture of entitlement in our society today. |
