Little did I know that there are pockets of the U.S. where the fear of being randomly attacked is so pervasive that certain individuals view casual, friendly encounters with enough suspicion to fear for their lives.
Case in point: Walt Wawra, a veteran police officer from Kalamazoo, MI.
On a recent visit to Calgary, Mr. Wawra and his wife had the misfortune to encounter two young men on a paved path in beautiful Nose Hill Park. The young men asked Mr. & Mrs. Wawra if they'd been to the Stampede yet, in a tone that Mr. Wawra found "aggressive", even "menacing". When he brushed them off, he says they looked "bewildered". They left and Mr. Wawra thanked the Lord Jesus Christ that they had not been carrying a weapon because Mr. Wawra - as an American - was not allowed to carry his off-duty sidearm on him while in our country.
photo courtesy of Parks Foundation Calgary
His Letter to the Editor was taken by many people to be a joke at first. It's hard for many of us to understand why a grown man - a police officer at that - would be frightened of people just asking him a question. When interviewed by the CBC this morning, Mr. Wawra said that he was taken aback that someone would speak to him without being invited to. The sheer silliness of the idea that two men could have been shot for simply asking a stranger a question soon sparked the hashtag #NoseHillGentlemen on Twitter (the funniest thing we Canadians have done on Twitter since #tellViceverything) and articles on Gawker and other U.S. websites.
In between guffaws at all of the jokes being made at Mr. Wawra's expense, I started to feel a bit sorry for the guy. Not because people were mocking his formal language or behaviour, but because I can't imagine what it must be like to live in a world where I'm suspicious of every stranger, every casual encounter, every uninvited interaction.
The idea that I need to be careful of not ticking anyone off or catching them off-guard - lest I get shot - is not my idea of living in the "land of the free". It's like the terrorists have won, except that it's each other that we have to be afraid of. That's no way to live.
I appreciate the levity of #NoseHillGentlemen, if for no other reason that it reaffirms how sensible the majority of us are about guns and gun control. Regardless of whether you agree that guns should be registered or if certain types should be banned outright, it's clear that most of us think that the idea of shooting people for asking a question is ridiculous.
To me, it says that we assume people have good intentions until they show us otherwise. Just one more reason to be thankful that I'm raising my kids here, in the True North Strong & Free.
I just read an article on this situation earlier tonight! I agree, it's sad when someone hits a level of paranoia that they feel threatened because someone spoke to them. Even if I were spoken to by someone behaving oddly or maybe a little inebriated, I still wouldn't assume they might pull a gun on me at any point in time. Yikes!
ReplyDeleteImagine, & seek a life where you needn't be scared b/c a stranger approaches you & asks you a question.
ReplyDeleteSuch a loss of freedom to perceive that others are out to do you harm.
Thank you for this post.
ReplyDeleteStop being so naive! I am sitting here in Edmonton this morning after witnessing a home invasion last night in a really nice neighbourhood. As a witness, I had to fill out a police report--one of many I've had to fill out since moving here. People in this city are aggressive, belligerent, and scary. I have to be on guard all the time regarding personal safety--we have had a number of women attacked and assaulted while walking, and yes, I live in a so-called nice neighbourhood. Do you think I'm being paranoid? I think not. You guys live in a bubble, where you must never leave your safe cars while driving around. It's smug and arrogant to assume because you've never had an encounter, that your city is somehow safe.
ReplyDeleteIrishlass,
ReplyDeleteI lived in Edmonton from 2002 - 2008, both downtown and in a "nice" neighbourhood. I walked to work through somewhat sketchy streets every day for a year. I had to fill out a police report once after our car was broken into.
There are certain situations that are inherently more dangerous than others (i.e. I don't make a point of walking alone at night) and I think that we have to accept that there will always be some level of crime and violence in our communities, but I have NEVER felt like I needed to carry a gun to protect myself from random attacks. I suppose if that makes me naive, well then so be it.
I also wanted to say that I'm sorry to hear that your experience with Edmontonians has been so negative. The people that I met while living there were pretty much the opposite of what you've described.
Irishlass, I live in downtown Toronto. I volunteer on a weekly basis in one of the poorest areas of the city.
ReplyDeleteI can tell you from regular contact with the kinds of people you seem so terrified of that they are FAR less frightening than your average police officer.
I think you're the one living in a bubble- one constructed of your own fear, bigotry and ignorance.
My father is a member of the RCMP. A few years ago, he was tasked with providing training to officers for coping with the stresses of the job. One of the sad potential consequences of having to deal with the underbelly of society is the inability to shut down the tendency to view all people as suspicious - including family members and neighbours. (I realize that being constantly suspicious could often be a bad way to do police work, but dealing with bad people all day can take its toll on your emotions.) Although I think Warwa may also be disconnected from reality in other ways, I suspect it's this kind of 'people are bad' impulse that would cause him to misconstrue an innocent question as a threat.
ReplyDeleteI can see your point Mike. It's hard for many of us to leave the job at work, so to speak. I don't doubt that it could be difficult for police officers to do the same.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Cameron Reid, for your mean-spirited and classless comments and the broad assumptions you so easily jump to.
ReplyDeleteI do not live in fear and I'm not suspicious of everyone I meet--I consider myself outgoing and friendly.
Of course there are good people in Edmonton, but I'm just tired of seeing everyday violence here (like fistfights on the Whyte Ave in broad daylight and no one does a thing to stop it-- people yelling and cursing at one another, etc.)
The point is, people are mocking this man because of the impression he had of his encounter with these men in a strange city--he reacted as a police officer would ---but it's so smug when people say they live in a place where guns are not
allowed and they're somehow more worldly than him and their environments are wonderfully safe while seemingly unaware of their own surroundings and what's happening to people in their communities.
I totally agree with the comment from Irishlass. What a bunch of naive people we have here in Canada, you can add smug also. They have no clue how quickly a relatively tame situation can turn deadly. They also have no idea of the fear that grips you when you are put in a truly life threatening situation. BTW, do people even understand the difference between a casual question among strangers and an aggressive move with the potential of turning violent? You would if you were in the shoes of the Michigan Police officer. I would strongly suggest that he of all people understands body language and the difference between a safe situation and a potentially dangerous situation.
ReplyDeleteThe story below is one of many random attacks that have happened in our "Oh So Safe" Canada over the last several years. It turns out the young guy that attacked the elderly couple woke up in the morning and decided he just wanted to kill someone that day. It wasn't even a robbery. Oh but wait, attacks like this aren't supposed to happen in Canada. The difference between US and Canadians is most Americans are streetwise while most Canadians are potential victims.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/story/2008/04/17/senior-stabbing.html
I'm a Canadian living in the U.S. and still shake my head at gun mentality. In the aftermath of the recent Colorado incident, a bunch of people in the area (and presumably wider) have run out and purchased guns.
ReplyDeleteI can just imagine if several other people in the theater had had guns with them. Would the perception have been "OMG there's more than one shooter!" Everyone with a gun would likely be shooting at others with a gun and of course the police would be shooting at anyone without a uniform. How many people would have been killed?
The scary thing is that if this had actually happened, I'm not certain people down here would get it. I'm nt certain this would not stop them from still rushing out to buy guns!
You can barrage people with facts about how many people are killed in this country versus other developed nations, how many people are killed with their own weapons, etc, etc - but there is just no listening here. No idea what would change perspectives as it seems to get worse rather than better over the years.
This may seem off-topic, but I want to highlight only one of countless positive interactions that happened in Calgary during the Stampede.
ReplyDeleteI am one of 2,500 Calgary Stampede volunteers. I work on the Caravan Committee at free breakfasts at city malls. Each day 150 Caravan volunteers take the Calgary Stampede to the community in two different locations.
For many, this is their only Stampede experience. Our breakfasts feature entertainment, pony rides and more. This year our committee alone served 100,000 breakfasts. This does not count the thousands of other free breakfasts that were served by other committees, communities and corporate Calgary
This year, on the first Saturday I was given the task of giving four passes to Stampede Park to a deserving family. I walked around the parking lot where the breakfast was in full swing. There were about 5,000 people standing in line, eating, watching the entertainment etc.
I walked for quite a while, looking at people, trying to see who might enjoy the experience the most. Eventually I came across a mom, dad, two teenage daughters and a young son. They looked like they could be new to Calgary.
I walked over to them, a complete stranger, and started chatting. I asked them if they were having fun, if they were from Calgary and other small talk. Turns out, they had only been here for nine months from South America.
I asked them if they had been to the Stampede and if they would like the passes. They were ecstatic! They hugged me, took my picture and called me an angel. They said they could never have afforded to go if they had to pay. It was touching and great to make them so happy.
This is what I would like the "take-away" to be about the question: Have you been to Stampede yet? This is a big part of what the Calgary Stampede, especially this year, is all about.
P.S. they had to buy a ticket for their son, but that was only $8.
Irishlass, I don't think there's anything remotely smug or naïve about celebrating the fact that we live in a country that--so far, at least--has chosen not to succumb to the mindless love affair with guns that seems to have gripped our neighbours to the south. Does it mean we live in a crime-free paradise? Of course not. But by comparison, imagine how safe those two young men in Calgary would have been had Mr. Wawra been permitted to carry the firearm he seems to have so much difficulty living without. I have two words for you--and if they don't mean anything to you, I suggest you Google them--Trayvon Martin.
ReplyDeleteBut there are two separate issues here. One being the gun issue, and one being the issue of whether one can live without fear in Calgary. I'll address the latter.
ReplyDeleteMy husband's granddaughter, who is in elementary school, lives with her working single mother in a not so great part of Calgary. One where, due to its proximity to bars and major roads, there are sometimes drug dealers right out front her house, with their angry stares and their customers. Calgary police cannot do anything, they say. They cannot even drive by to make Calgarians feel safer, they say.
That single mother had her home broken into while they were sleeping by a man looking for drug money. She hit him on the head with a frying pan to protect her daughter who was at the time a toddler -- so hard he was put into a coma. It took the police over ten minutes to show up. The Calgary Police then told her that they were going to charge her with assault and that she must be involved in drugs and that she must have invited this man in and then assaulted him. However, when the man awoke, he was asked what happened and he confessed that he broke into a stranger's home to steal money for drugs. If he hadn't confessed, she would have gone to jail and lost her daughter, her job, and her home. If she hadn't hit him, she could have lost her life, or her daughter's life.
I was attacked as a teenager during a late-night slurpee run by a group of three young men. I fought back and was lucky to get away.
My mother, while her head was bald from chemotherapy, was assaulted by a group of young hooligans, but again, the police said nothing could be done, and that they could not even speak with any of their families, though their getaway car was certainly owned by an adult.
Another time she was shoved -- assaulted -- by a group of teenaged women from the neighbouhood who usually spent their time bullying and beating on me. Again, nothing could be done.
I had a drug user, who lived in my apartment building, try to kick down the door of all three women who lived on my floor. Thank God they were metal doors, so he did not get in. Police arrived and, with the use of batons, convinced him to leave our floor and go back to his own. Minutes later he was back and trying to get his hands on a woman -- why? Only God knows. But he eventually came down off his high, got tired, and left. He was later evicted, which I imagine was very frightening for the landlords, as having him in that building was for us women.
I had someone try to smash down my glass patio door while I was home.
And my personal experiences go on and on and on. But I've never had the luxury of living in a nice neighbourhood in Calgary.
Irishlass is right, that many people are scary in cities in Alberta. But I will say that I think it's worse when you have to live in poorer neighbourhoods, but she is right that no one is immune.
And Cameron Reid needs to tell me with his bravado on full how much time he's spent as a woman at the corner of Jane and Finch, and while he's at it he needs to get off his high horse. He may hate police, but he is not the majority opinion. His bias is colouring his perceptions.
In any case, people, usually middle-class and above and who have never been the victims of violent crime, certainly seem to love to pass judgement on those who are afraid. It is sad that they are so totally devoid of compassion. And so totally devoid of awareness of the problems that cities like Calgary and Edmonton have, and have not effectively dealt with.
IrishLass,
ReplyDeleteI live in Edmonton as well, born and raised. I am female, and I often work late at night, sometimes through the night, and I have never felt unsafe. I am more fearful of bad drivers than anything else.
BTW, Edmonton was not like this in my childhood, in the 1970's. You could walk the length of 118 Street, or McCauley/Norwood (where I lived) at 4 a.m. with no problem. I wouldn't do that now, but I have no problem walking in my neighbourhood in the SW at any time, day or night, alone.
I think what has changed is a huge influx of people from all over. Same in Calgary.
I think also, the drug culture is to blame. I know exactly when that change happened, and it was in the early 1990's. The trade just grew to an unmanageable level. I have little doubt the home invasion you witnessed has some tie to drugs.
I live in Calgary and can say "yee-haw" and "howdy" without fear of getting shot!
ReplyDeleteI love this city and I know this city loves me back. If not, how come my wallet was returned to me, contents intact, 3 times over the course of the last 14 years? My phone was also returned to me the one time I lost it. My ID was mailed to me via snail-mail at the cost of the store owners' where I left it, without me knowing or expecting it in the mail. I left my handbag on the floor of a department store during the Christmas season a few years back and found it exactly where I left it a couple of hours later, when I realized I lost it somewhere and retraced my steps.
Sure, there is crime here in Calgary, it's just not the norm. We - thankfully, live in a city where we can be at peace. We recycle. We wave at the car who let us in as a gesture of recognition. On the sidewalk (etc) we bump into others and THEY are quick to say "sorry". When caught looking at you, a stranger will smile and say "hi". I live right around the corner of 24h "crack Macs" in down-town (vewy, vewy dangerous!). There are a few suspicious (raggedy/drugged) looking people walking around, asking for money - or cigarettes, and they don't stab me when I say "sorry, got no money on me, good luck!". This city is growing, crime rates will grow accordingly, and I will continue to show new immigrants (I am also one) to wave their hands as a polite gesture when you get let into traffic. I will continue to teach, by example, to say "hello", "please", "thank you", "you are welcome" (not "ya"), etc. I am a proud Calgarian and grateful to this city, which graciously opened its doors to me and took me in as its own.
It must be very hard for Mr. Wawra to live in such state of fear, where he believes the world is a very dangerous place. Still, I am grateful he does not live in this city - we don't need him here. I don't want people to live in fear of their neighbor, because I am one of them. I am a kind and loving person and want to remain like so. People like Mr. Wawra make it difficult to live in peace.
Mr. Wawra, please don't come back. I don't care how many invitations you get from good-natured Calgarians to show you how hospitable we are. You are not welcome here. Keep yourself - and your guns, to yourself - and your city. Your whole country has no reason to be proud of, regarding this matter - and if they are, there's something seriously wrong with your culture.
I have a relative who lives in the States. When visiting Canada, we went camping at a site. It was late at night and people where going to bed. We were sitting by the fire and some drunken guy came stumbling through our site. My relative felt VERY unsafe. Wanted to find a weapon he could use against this "could-be" murderer. He could not understand that the guy was just there to have a good time. He could not understand that maybe, he was just taking a break on the long way back to his tent. This guy sat down with us and started talking while my relative grew more and more anxious. We hinted to the guy to go to his tent. He left, we never saw him again. After this incident, every time I visited the States I started noticing the fear induced advertising and notifications aired through massive American media. "Are you prepared?" "Is your family prepared?" "Terrorism", etc. are typical weapons used against Americans to induce fear into their lives and keep them "walking the line" their government outlined for them. This is just my humble, uninformed opinion. Feel free to bash me.
I love Canada, I love Calgary, I love peace and I am grateful this man didn't have a gun on him that day. Because he would have certainly ended up with innocent Canadian blood in his disgusting "lord praising" hands.
Violence and peace DO NOT go hand in hand!