Chinatown community patrols document vandalism, help area businesses to build sense of safety
A group of volunteers is regularly conducting community patrols in Chinatown to help document vandalism and make the area a safer space for area businesses and residents.
The Chinatown Transformative Collaborative Society of Edmonton (CTC) leads the volunteer efforts to help revitalize the area by doing regular garbage cleanups and graffiti inventories.
"There's a lot of effort being put towards Chinatown right now through various agencies in the city to clean up Chinatown, so the need for that is not as great as doing a check on vandalism," said Margaret Smith, the city's McCauley and Chinatown revitalization coordinator.
Volunteers will walk through the neighbourhood and note any newly smashed windows, windows needing to be boarded up, graffiti, or hate messaging that's been tagged in alleys or on the side of businesses.
"What we're trying to do is create an inventory of smashed windows and create some sort of window replacement program," Smith said. "(It's) very cost prohibitive to a person who has their windows smashed over and over again.
"Because the more claims they make with their insurance, the more of a liability they are for their insurance company, and they become a risk," Smith added.
The group is working with all levels of government to try and secure funding to help area businesses cover the costs of replacing windows and cleaning graffiti. While doing their graffiti inventory walks, volunteers will also hand out naloxone kits.
Ultimately, the goal for the CTC is to make the area cleaner and safer, in both real and perceived terms.
"It's more than about litter and graffiti and smashed windows," Smith said. "It's about boots on the ground, seeing what's happening and then reporting back to agencies, like REACH and the City of Edmonton."
Jason Wang, a regular volunteer, says he's been going to Chinatown since he was a kid.
"My parents were always taking me to get groceries or go to the restaurants," Wang told CTV News Edmonton. "But in the last few years, especially since COVID started, a lot of us just stopped going — especially with other restaurants opening and places like T&T opening outside of the city centre.
"A lot of us stopped going, so I thought, I want to give back," he added. "I want to show that I still care about Chinatown."
Wang says business owners and area residents often come out to thank the volunteers for their efforts to take care of the community and for tracking the damage and vandalism trends.
"(Volunteering has) been a really positive experience," he said. "Obviously, it's frightening, and it's really disheartening to see that the state of Chinatown now. Residents and people like me, just visitors are too scared, and the business owners are scared too."
"Hopefully, we can turn it around and hopefully, we can make it a place where everyone's welcome, and everyone wants to come here."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
NEW After hearing thousands of last words, this hospital chaplain has advice for the living
Hospital chaplain J.S. Park opens up about death, grief and hearing thousands of last words, and shares his advice for the living.
BREAKING Police cordon off Iran consulate in Paris where man threatens to blow himself up: French media
French police cordoned off the Iranian consulate in Paris on Friday, where a man was threatening to blow himself up, Europe 1 radio and BFM TV.
Some Canadian families will receive up to $620 per child today
More money will land in the pockets of some Canadian families on Friday for the latest Canada Child Benefit installment.
BREAKING Iran fires at apparent Israeli attack drones near Isfahan air base and nuclear site
An apparent Israeli drone attack on Iran saw troops fire air defences at a major air base and a nuclear site early Friday morning near the central city of Isfahan, an assault coming in retaliation for Tehran's unprecedented drone-and-missile assault on the country.
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer denied bail after being charged with killing Canadian couple
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer, one of two men charged in the killings of a Canadian couple in Dominica, has been denied bail.
Ottawa to force banks to call carbon rebate a carbon rebate in direct deposits
Canadian banks that refuse to identify the carbon rebate by name when doing direct deposits are forcing the government to change the law to make them do it, says Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault.
Ontario woman loses $15,000 to fake Walmart job scam
A woman who recently moved to Canada from India was searching for a job when she got caught in an online job scam and lost $15,000.
After COVID, WHO defines disease spread 'through air'
The World Health Organization and around 500 experts have agreed for the first time on what it means for a disease to spread through the air, in a bid to avoid the confusion early in the COVID-19 pandemic that some scientists have said cost lives.
Prince Harry formally confirms he is now a U.S. resident
Prince Harry, the son of King Charles III and fifth in line to the British throne, has formally confirmed he is now a U.S. resident.