The fight against Surrey crime needs a champion
Harry Bains has spoken out for years about the scourge of violent crime in Surrey. Now it is a cruel twist to see the latest spasm of deadly gunfire claim a member of his own family.
Officials confirmed the NDP MLA’s nephew, Arun Paul Singh Bains, was shot to death Sunday morning, in one of nearly two dozen acts of gun violence in a little over a month in Surrey and Delta.
“He’s devastated,” NDP Leader John Horgan said Monday about the three-term MLA for Surrey-Newton, where much of the violence has erupted.
Harry Bains was not at the legislature and not talking to the media. But he will start speaking out again. It’s just a question of timing.
A community forum will be held Tuesday at 7 p.m. at Tamanawis Secondary in Surrey. It’s a chance for residents to speak up and for police to provide an update on their investigations.
“Harry wanted to come to the meeting,” Horgan said. “I’m going to leave that to him to decide. I suggested that he stay away rather than become a symbol of this. This is not just about Harry. This is about violence in the broader community.”
But it’s also about individual families dealing with a gang lifestyle that’s proving fatally attractive for too many young men.
Police said Arun Bains was associated with people connected to the street-level drug trade that is fuelling the ruthless conflict between Somali and South Asian rivals. Sources told The Province that Arun Bains was the son of Harry Bains’s brother.
That’s why I think it’s time for Harry Bains to begin speaking out even louder. Maybe this problem doesn’t need a “symbol,” but it does need a champion. Bains has seen the devastating trauma on families up close.
Whether he chooses to attend the Tuesday night forum while his family is still grieving will be a difficult decision. But I expect he will try to turn this incident into a teachable moment for others.
He has called for more police in Surrey. He has called for improved social services to stop the relentless cycle of property crime associated with addiction and mental illness. He has called for new ways to combat the lure of gangs to young people.
“You don’t have a long lifestyle if you’re involved in gang violence,” said Liberal cabinet minister Amrik Virk, who is also a Surrey MLA and a former cop. “You live a life by the sword and unfortunately you shall die by the sword.”
As the politicians in Victoria deal with the reality of violence affecting one of their own, Horgan said he hopes “the interest of non-partisanship” will prevail.
But then he couldn’t resist taking a partisan shot at the Liberals anyway, noting that Justice Minister Suzanne Anton does not plan to attend Tuesday’s community forum.
“If it was me, I would have shown up,” Horgan said. “You need to demonstrate leadership at these times.”
Ah, the spirit of “non-partisanship” indeed.
Hopefully we’ll get more constructive words from Harry Bains. He is one of the good guys at the legislature. He has done a great job of speaking out on crime in his riding.
When he is ready, his voice will be welcome. And needed.