‘Wake Up Surrey’ pleads for help in tackling gang violence
Anger and sorrow brought thousands of protesters to Surrey city hall Wednesday evening to protest the ongoing street violence that left two boys dead last week.
Parents, community groups and government officials gathered at the “Wake Up Surrey ” rally to support victims’ families in their call for government action.
On the evening of June 4, the bodies of 16-year-old Jaskarn (Jason) Singh Jhutty and 17-year-old Jaskaran (Jassi) Singh Bhangal were found by police on the side of the road near 192 Street and 40 Avenue, both having suffered gunshot wounds. The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team believes the shooting was targeted.
Rally organizer Gurpreet Sahota said the boys’ deaths were a “turning point” for the city. The rally was organized to “wake up” society to an escalating crisis, he said.
“Beforehand, we were seeing that the gangsters getting killed are (the) age of 30-plus and now seeing gang violence close to schools and the kids dying are 16 years old, 17 years old with no involvement in crime, so what’s next?” he said.
An organization called Save Canadian Kids handed out literature calling for society to shift the blame for gang involvement from parents to the illicit-drug trade. They believe the drug supply should be regulated in order to stop gang violence.
Another group launched a community initiative, #StandingUpForOurKids, that seeks a “critical intervention” involving police, teachers, mental-health workers, parents and students.
Friends and family of Jason and Jassi wore shirts emblazoned with the boys’ faces and carried their photos and signs calling for justice.
Mothers and fathers wept and squeezed their children close as they listened to Mandeep Bhangal, Jassi’s aunt, speak to the crowd. “I beg all of you guys,” she said. “Please. It’s hard for the parents, it’s hard for everybody to go through this pain. I hope everybody listens and talks to the government and whoever we need to talk to. I hope they get the word that this needs to stop now. Enough is enough.”
Sahota said the federal government’s claim it is tackling Metro Vancouver gang violence is a “big lie.” He said he’s met with police who claim they have yet to see the $327.5 million over five years earmarked by federal Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale to combat gang violence. He hoped the government was listening to their calls for action.
“The thing is, if you don’t cry, the mother won’t give you milk,” Sahota said.
Cynthia Allaire-Bell, whose 19-year-old son Devon was killed by five people while playing soccer with a friend in 2011, shared her grief that his killers walk free on the streets of Surrey.
“When will people start to realize that these senseless murders do not need to happen?” she said, weeping. “When will people realize that although our skin is different in colour, we all cry, bleed, mourn and laugh the same. Let’s help stop violence in our community and maybe one day we can all walk the streets safe and once again our children can play without fear.”
B.C. Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth told reporters he was attending the rally at the request of organizers, who wanted him to listen to what the community had to say.
He said there was no simple answer to the violence, but his government has committed to working with Surrey’s government, police and school district to build on work already done in prevention and enforcement.