AFP/ Getty Images
A majority of Ryerson students said they are concerned about their safety, despite no definitive increase in gun-related violence over the last five years according to police data.
“Every day we have young brothers and sisters who are losing their lives for no good reason, its destroyed families, its destroying communities,” second-year student Hanad Sheekh said.
Data from the Toronto Police Service shows that there have been more shootings than at the same point in 2017. There have 329 shootings recorded from January 1 to October 14, while 2017 data shows 392 shooting incidents throughout the entire year.
Neil Price, the associate dean at the School of Social and Community Services at Humber College said that while violent incidents this year are not record-breaking, there certainly has been a spike.
“There is a heightened awareness around violence of this sort,” he said.
According to a university-wide poll, the results show that only 4.5 per cent of students responded that they were not at all concerned, while 34 per cent said they were “fairly concerned” and about 21 per cent said they were “extremely concerned.”
While it may seem like gun activity is increasing, according to a Global News article, the number of gun-related deaths this year are close to the average from 2014 to 2017.
These episodes may just be isolated incidents. Ryerson student Aijal Qazi said he is not concerned with violence in Toronto. “You might take one or two incidents and blow them out of proportion and blast them on the news,” the business management student said.
The issue has been magnified because of recent violent activity that has affected communities “not as accustomed to violence” said Price, who has written extensively about youth and gun violence.
Price is referring to the van attack that killed 10 people in North York in April and a shooting on Danforth Avenue in July that left three dead.
Another student said she is not concerned. Nikita Azeez, a third-year business management student, said she feels safe on campus. Azeez, who has lived in downtown Toronto for two years, said she thinks the violent activity over the summer is not surprising for a big city like Toronto.
Gun violence has been one of the most highlighted issues in the mayoral race. With the upcoming election date on October 22, Toronto’s current mayor John Tory, who is seeking re-election, pledged to invest $25 million dollars towards community safety programs. Tory’s proposal included hiring more community police officers and funding community youth programs in at-risk areas.
“You’re representing Toronto as a whole, you absolutely have to address it,” Price said.
Price also expressed that while gun violence may not be a key issue that resonates on university and college campuses, these institutions need to consider when students leave campus to their broader communities.
“Colleges need to have an understanding of students and their situations both on and off campus,” Price said, “We have to be aware that students may be living in situations where they are more vulnerable than others and are bringing this to campus.”
Price said that he believes universities need to be more responsive in creating space and dialogue to respond to violence-related issues.
While gun violence may not be the forefront of a university’s concern, with mayoral candidates pledging to address gun violence and students’ concerns for safety, these institutions may need to take a stance for their students’ safety.
Ryerson School of Journalism students conducted in-person surveys about Toronto election issues with 1,081 undergraduate and graduate Ryerson students in October prior to the municipal election. The results are considered accurate to within plus or minus three percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
RSJ/ Cassidy Garbe, Hanin Atighi, Jaeden McLeod and Sydney Bartos
Leave a Reply