Author: Chris Rider
According to the Globe and Mail, Toronto’s mayor, Rob Ford, has “declared war on thugs” following the recent shootings in Toronto. At this time, he doesn’t appear to have made any mention of the underlying issues that create gang cultures – the most obvious of which are inequality and an inability to envision a better life.
If he was serious about stopping this kind of thing from happening in the future, a focus on supporting and empowering youth from underprivileged backgrounds seems like it would be a far more effective tactic. Locking up an at risk youth is not going to turn them into a valuable member of society – they are for more likely to simply turn into a hardened criminal. The net benefit? Zero! This is why the US has the worlds highest incarceration rate, but has not succeeded in reducing the levels of crime.
Rob Ford visits the scene of the shooting (picture courtesy of the Globe and Mail)
Fighting this kind of issue by declaring “war” on it is like trying to stop mosquitoes with a fly swatter when the window is open. You might put on a great show and feel satisfied when you look at the mosquito’s you’ve killed, but you did nothing to solve the underlying problem.