Visit lane at night to justify our fears

Re Angst in the Annex’s angry triangle, Micallef, Feb. 2 I live in the Davenport Triangle. I also have no idea what a Tesla looks like. But I have been mobilized to write this letter because sensationalism and lack of depth are a problem, whether expressed by Tesla owners or by journalists who weave a story that works on people’s emotions by simply pitting affluence against poverty.

To gain a better understanding of the complexity of the issues, perhaps Shawn Micallef should hang around the laneway late at night. He should take along a vulnerable person he knows, one who is dear to him, such as a teenage daughter or aging relative. Get them to park their car after dark and walk the laneway to their building.

He should then ask his vulnerable relatives how they feel when unfortunate individuals who have not been able to get a bed in the shelter for the night behave erratically in the laneway, night after night, menacing passersby, or when police instruct them to take immediate shelter because of a “trending” incident involving one of these vulnerable individuals.

Then observe the behaviour of people living along the laneway when it is dark. Find out whether the facts justify their anxiety. Ask them whether they would feel safer with better lighting, better security and better social services for those who cannot access the shelter and are at a loss as to where to spend the night.

Esther Geva, Toronto