>DRAKE, WE NEED YOUR HELP
Crime Stoppers, fans urge rapper to speak out against gun violence,
Toronto rapper Drake’s silence about the incident has not gone unnoticed since a deadly shooting at an OVO Fest afterparty at Muzik nightclub early Tuesday morning claimed two lives. Echoing calls from fans and members of the public on Twitter on Wednesday evening, Crime Stoppers called on Drake to use his influence to help end gun violence in the city.
“Drake we need your voice to help #StopTheViolence in #Toronto,” said a post from Crime Stoppers, which has been retweeted more than 100 times. “Can we set up a meeting? #NoMoreGuns.”
Gunfire broke out at the official afterparty on the third night of OVO Fest, Drake’s annual music festival.
Ariela Navarro-Fenoy, 26, was found with gunshot wounds near Dufferin Gate and died in hospital, while 23-year-old Duvel Hibbert was found dead on a patio at the club. Three others were injured.
Drake, who was photographed with his former Degrassi castmates at an event in Toronto on Thursday, has not made any statements regarding the shootings. His publicist did not respond to a request for comment.
Sean Sportun, vice-chair of Crime Stoppers, reiterated his message to the rapper in an interview with the Star. “He has great reach and he’s a positive figure within the community,” said Sportun, adding he hoped for a meeting or a phone conversation with Drake to “educate (him) on what Crime Stoppers is all about if he’s not aware, and present some possible ideas to him on where we think using his voice as a partnership would benefit the community.”
Sportun has confidence in Drake’s ability to change the public’s perception of Crime Stoppers, he said. Many, including friends of the victims, expected Drake to publicly denounce the violence.
“It’s very upsetting,” said Katherine Andrade, a friend who had known Navarro-Fenoy since elementary school. “A lot of people are asking him to take some time and show some respect to family and friends.”
“It’s embarrassing. It’s his city, and he hasn’t said anything about it.”
Sportun, however, says the tweet was in no way intended to “call out Drake or create any type of controversy, laying blame.” He said, rather, that Drake’s voice would help “make it cool to prevent crime.”
“Somebody must have known the intentions of individuals heading to an event with a firearm or knew of a plan or saw what they were about to do,” he said, adding that the responsibility to prevent crime falls equally on everyone in the city. “We need to make that change in the community, and we see Drake as a perfect partner for that.”
As of Thursday, Crime Stoppers had not received a response from Drake’s camp. “Drake, call us,” said Sportun. “We want to hear from you.”
Kashif Khan, managing director at Buzz Public Relations, told the Star there’s a unique challenge for notable people like Drake in situations where they may find themselves tied in global headlines to “a heinous act that they share no responsibility in,” however much they may want to denounce the violence.
“We understand his current public silence while the results of the investigations by authorities get released and the public gets better informed, but also anticipate him reaching out to the families of the victims in private.”
Although Crime Stoppers gathers anonymous tips to help solve crimes, it’s a separate entity from Toronto Police. In response to the tweets, Const. Viktor Kwong said that while any way of reaching a wider audience is appreciated, police could not comment on someone else’s PR. With files from Dan Taekema, Lauren Pelley and Jacques Gallant