Being in the downtown core of Canadas largest city, we all accept that there are certain aspects that arent all sunshine and roses. To me this is one of the reasons I love the city and it ensures compassion because I dont get to forget how fortunate I am vs others. Being an aware and socially connected community means our safety increases substantially, but we should also be vigilant - so here is some information about the aggressive panhandler and what to do so that we can make sure no one gets hurt and get him the help he needs or get him off the street and back in jail if thats the more appropriate action. Thanks to Nadia Lloyd for forwarding me this information which I believe came from the Liberty Market Building Management. As most of you are likely aware, there has been a very aggressive panhandler frequenting Liberty Village in the past several weeks. He is intimidating, verbally abusive, threatening and persistent. This individual’s name is Jason Chambers and he is well known to Police. According to Police, he used to frequent the commercial complex at King and Dufferin and made it very difficult for the businesses there to work in safety and attract customers. The Police explained that with the help of several vigilant business owners who gave statements of their encounters with him, a number of charges were laid against him and several convictions landed him in jail for eight months. Though the Police were short on details, they did inform us he is in fact dangerous. In addition to those charges, Mr. Chambers was ordered by the court judge to stay away from that commercial complex for two years. The Police have warned us that Mr. Chambers is looking for a new area to panhandle and it would seem that he has his sights set on Liberty Village. Management has been in contact with PC Haywood and PC Balet, who are committed to dealing with Mr. Chambers. They instructed us and those who are accosted by this individual to call Police at 14 Division (416.808.1400) and let them know the call is regarding Jason Chambers. Call 911 if you feel he is an immediate threat to your safety. Our staff have been instructed to do the same. PC Haywood and Balet are asking for our assistance as a community. They ask that individuals who have contact with Mr. Chambers keep a log of their encounters and provide statements to them. These should include Date, Time, his Demeanor, and Specifics. They pointed out that specifics are very important and gave the example of making a record of exactly what was said by Mr. Chambers, rather than using a general term like ‘vulgarities’. They also stressed that it is very important to not give Mr. Chambers anything, such as food, money, cigarettes etc. as this will result in Mr. Chambers repeating and potentially increasing his aggressive tactics in Liberty Village. These statements and logs can be submitted to Management or directly to PC Haywood. His contact info: Bradley Haywood PC 8724 14 Division Community Response Unit Bus: 416.808.1469 Fax: 416.808.1402 Email: [email protected] I would encourage everyone to follow the above advice so we can deal with this quickly.
Posted on: Mon, 25 Aug 2014 14:45:08 +0000
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