A Tale of Two Cities
These iconic symbols are central to the core of two cities that are close to being twins in terms of size and focus, yet it is their differences which set them worlds apart in terms of liveability.
What is life without hope for the future?
While Victoria struggles to alleviate challenges posed by homelessness – at this moment a tent city that sprung up near the courthouse – it is still a city where the majority of our people live comfortable lives and look towards the future with optimism. There is another city on this continent that is in many ways a mirror image of Victoria, yet that city is on a downward spiral that leaves little hope for a better future for more than half the population. It is a port city like Victoria and at 360,000 is only slightly larger than our own.
As one of the most popular tourist destinations in North America, in 2014 that city attracted ten million visitors who left behind seven billion dollars, an economic windfall many times larger than that of Victoria. With that huge economic advantage it is hard to understand how the city has become one of the most poverty and crime ridden metropolitan areas in the United States.
That city, of course, is New Orleans – The Big Easy. Over the first three months of 2016 the city experienced 118 shootings with 31 murders. Over the past 22 years it has remained in the Top 3 for murder, and for 13 of those years it was #1. From 2010 to 2012, the most recent three years in which it ranked #1, the city averaged 450 shootings and 189 murders in each year and murder is only the tip of a violent crime epidemic that penetrates to the very core.
It takes the integrated New Orleans PD an average of 1 hour and 13 minutes to attend a 911 call. Non-emergency calls can sit for days and many never even receive police attention. The 1200 member NOPD force is currently 400 under strength due to a lack of funding combined with resignations, firings and general attrition.
By comparison, Greater Victoria’s mix of 7 Municipal, City and RCMP forces with a total of 540 sworn members and each force is close too their authorized strength. The response time in the Capital Region for 911 emergency calls will be no more than a few minutes except in extraordinary cases and all the local police forces generally follow a policy of ‘No Call to Small’.
Dozens of other comparisons and contrasts between Victoria and New Orleans were covered in a 2015 editorial titled New Orleans, Peeling Back the Mask. That article is being brought forward today after reading an April 15th editorial in National Post titled Shooting casts a grim light on the Big Easy (A3). These articles serve to remind each of us just how well off we are in Victoria and, for that matter, in every other city across Canada.
While homelessness in Victoria, Vancouver and other cities needs serious, ongoing attention, we are fortunate that the issue, along with other similar social issues, regularly make headlines that invoke many people to become involved in trying to solve the problem. In New Orleans and many other US cities, the type of social issues we face in cities and towns across Canada do not even come close to being on their radar.
We should all give thanks for that imaginary line referred to as the 49th parallel. Now, take a few minutes and read the full background on New Orleans and what it means to taste poverty in a rich, modern day democracy where the dividing line between the rich and poor is turning into a chasm (link)
Regards,
Harold
National Post (A3), April 15, 2016. In the past I could link articles such as this, but that no longer seems possible even though I buy a single paper most days of the week. I shall explore how to better access these items. Perhaps one of my FB friends who are more knowledgeable in these matters could provide some advice. hdm
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