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HALIFAX CRIME AND THE COMMONWEALTH GAMES |
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Written by By Alex J. Walling
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Sunday, 12 November 2006 |
By Alex J. Walling
 Our fine mayor, Peter Kelly, has a major problem and it deals with the Commonwealth Games.
It’s called finding a weakness in the opponent and the competing cities of Abuja, Nigeria and Glasgow, Scotland have found one in Halifax and I expect them to exploit it, big time.
Good sports teams especially when they play a strong competitor look for a weakness. Sometimes it only takes one and you exploit it.
NHL coaches study hours of tape on the opposition especially the opposing goalies trying to find a weakness. Is a goalie’s weakness the five hole, short side, up high, etc?
In the NFL a few weeks ago we saw Indy Colt quarterback Peyton Manning play a very good Denver Broncos team who contained his top receiver Marvin Harrison. So he exploited the other cornerback and the result was Reggie Wayne caught 12 passes in that game. An all time high for Wayne.
I’m one of many who are in favour of the Commonwealth Games, not so much for the athletic part of the competition but for the legacy of the infrastructure that it will leave behind. Infrastructure that not only is needed for Halifax but for all of Atlantic Canada. I’m fed up with our kids having to go to Quebec or Alberta to train for high level competition. I’m fed up of not having federal dollars pumped into this area as it is across this land.
However Halifax’s competitors now have found a weakness, the Halifax Crime Scene and that is why Peter Kelly called his ‘crime meeting’ this week.
I really believe Halifax is the front runner in getting the games. I’m not buying that the games have never been Africa bit and they should get it. Not only is the government of Nigeria unstable but who in the heck wants to have games in 40 degree temperatures! And that is what one will get if it goes there.
As for Glasgow, no way. Manchester just had them and London is getting an Olympics so there is no way they are staying on that continent.
But. Yes, there’s always a but and this one involves crime. If you are in charge of ‘image’ and ‘public relations’ and are trying to get the games to Nigeria or Glasgow you want to point out the ‘deficiencies’ of your opponent.
The deficiency of Halifax is crime, lots of it.
Yep, good old fashion beatings, muggings, swarmings and killings can and will be used to tell the world that Halifax, Nova Scotia is not a place to visit.
Every incident by the bunch of punks who beat up on the elderly, who swarm other kids is probably chronicled by Glasgow and Abuja and sent to all those delegates who have to make the decision a year from now.
Every robbery including the one at Fabricville (yes, Fabricville) last week will be highlighted by the opposing sides.
And I have no doubt the stabbing and killing of the American sailor Damon Crooks is already being made into one of those ‘USA negative politician ads’. I can hear the commercial now.
(Deep voice announcer) Halifax, a great place to come to. Sure it is… if you like muggings, swarmings, and mob violence. And that’s just for starters. They say the downtown of Halifax is a ‘lively’ place but it wasn’t for this man (insert photo of Crooks and include a shot of his pregnant bride to be).”
No, it isn’t a pretty thought and we’re kidding ourselves if we don’t think this is happening as we speak.
Peter Kelly’s summit on crime last week wasn’t about making the downtown safer. It was about trying to change the negative image and save the Commonwealth games.
Instead of calling it the ‘Security Summit” he should have called it ‘The Spin Session’ because that’s what it was. He also called the incidents such as the swarmings a ‘blip’. Mr. Mayor they are not. Nearly two years the CFL announced their exhibition game for June of 2005 and one of the lines at the press conference held in the spring of that year was ‘On the night of the game, with some 80-90 football players walking downtown, their will not be swarmings’. We had swarmings then, around two years ago and if anything they have escalated. Spin, spin, and more spin.
Come on, give us a break. One doesn’t need a conference to tell citizens that they are going to install cameras downtown and get beat cops.
The image and P.R. campaign for the games has begun and in that respect Halifax is not shinning.
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