“No gang

Forum tackles
Lynn Valley

teen troubles

THE NORTH Shore does
not have a gang problem,
North Vancouver RCMP
Insp. Dave Roseberry told
more than 300 people
Wednesday night at a
forum on youth violence
at Lynn Valley’s Argyle
Secondary School.

By Bob Mackin Jr.
Contributing Writer

But he said a group of less
than 30 individuals is wreaking
havoc in once serene
neighborhoods like Lynn Valley.

The forum resulted, in part,
from a recent series of North
Shore News articles chronicling
drug and gang-related activities
on the North Shore.

“We on the North Shore,”
Roseberry said, ‘‘do not have, in
our view, a gang problem. We
have a youth problem, a prob-
lem in the way youth is acting
and reacting on disputes.”’

Four or five years ago, he
said, disagreements between
youths over girlfriends, money
or sporting events were often
dealt with on a ‘‘one-on-one sit-
uation’”’ behind their school.

But now, he said, disputes
over similar matters involve
more people and often danger-
ous weapons, such as baseball
bats, steel bars and chains, and
firearms.

Roseberry stressed that there is
a hardcore group of ‘‘20 to 27
youths, some who attend school,
some who have dropped out,
who are the problem. These
people have been charged with
assault, extortion, weapons of-
fences, breach of probation and

Friday. October 19. 1990 - North Snore News - 3

NEWS photo Stuart Davis

MCDONDALD'S DISTRICT supervisor Darrell Horst addresses concerned Lynn Valley residents at
Wednesday night's forum on youth violence in the community.

muggings.’’

Roseberry said members of the
hardcore group can sometimes
attract ‘‘up to 150 looky-loos
and wannabes’? who form a
loosely-knit group that commits
smaller crimes and _ frequents
local businesses like 7-Eleven
and McDonald's, often
alienating regular clientele.

Roseberry added that there is
a pattern of citizens’ complaints
against unruly youth.

He said activities seem to slow
down during summer holidays
and when the weather is general-
ly good. But once school starts,
problems such as those that have
plagued Lynn Valley over the
past two months increase
dramatically.

McDonald's district supervisor
Darrell Horst agreed.

“During summer and_ nicer
weather, I don’t know where

they are,’’ Horst said. ‘‘But I
know where they are not!

‘‘When it gets cold and rainy,
for whatever reason, we will
often get a whole group of
youths.”’

‘Sometimes we put on an ex-
tra manager to keep people mov-
ing (through the restaurant) so
they can have a bite to eat for a
reasonable amount of time and
they can move on,”’ Horst sail.
“The problems happen with
larger groups when alcohol is
involved — which is not un-
common — and people get
braver in groups and fights hap-
pen. That's when we call the
police for help.”

Len McGeouch, Loss Preven-
tion and Public Relations man-
ager for 7-Eleven stores, said vi-
olence among youth is not new.

‘*As we (the baby boomers) all
grew up, there was always that

group in society that wanted to
perform for the other people.
These things are cyclical, and
now we're finding these things
recurring.

“Our challenge is to convince
them as passively and peacefully
as possible that this is not the
place to hang out.”"

Among 7-Eleven’s tactics are
the playing of muzak over public
address systems at store outlets,
which has discouraged loiterers
in Victoria and Edmonton, and
participating in community
events.

Lynn Valley Youth Worker
Helen Swanston said violence is
the symptom and not the prob-
lem.

“By punishing violence and
not doing anything to help the
teens is not a solution to the

See Business page S

Teens fear drop-in centre shutdown

TEENS ATTENDING a

drop-in centre located at

William Griffin Community Centre say North Van-
couver needs more of the neighborhood centres.

Said 14-year-old Handsworth
student Dom Hons, ‘‘More peo-
ple would be staying in their
own areas with their own
friends.”’

Hons and his friend J.P.
Valdes, 15, regularly attend the
Griffin Teen Centre. But they
say that other teens attracted to
the community centre have
threatened its continued ex-

istence.
Said Valdes, ‘‘It used to be,

Trevor Lautens
to run weekly

in the News

OUR GARDEN OF
Biases is growing.

By Michael! Becker
News Reporter

like, 23 people going there. But
now on Fridays there are, like,
200 people down there. I think
they’re looking for parties and
it’s a totally different crowd.”’

And according to Hons, some
parents are not allowing their
children to attend the communi-
ty centre.

Said Hons, ‘Behind the scenes
the parents are really worried
and they’re scared, and some
parents deal with their kids by
using fear tactics. But all that
does is it makes us more mad
and we go out and do whatever.
Some people are doing things
they wouldn’t do normally. They
do it because they think, ‘If they
see me, (other kids) I'm cool.’
But Terry (youth worker Terry
Bulych) really cracked down on
that — drugs, alcohol.’’

Hons said teens attending the
drop-in still have some time ‘'to
straighten things out.”

“Some people come down and

want to sell dope and to those
people we said, ‘Look, get out
of here. We don’t need you.’
Those guys are a joke,’’ he said.

The drop-in centre was estab-
lished as part of the Capilano
Youth Project about four years
ago to offer teens a supportive
alternative to hanging out in the
street.

Added Valdes, *‘People come
down there on drugs and we say,
‘Why don’t you take it some-
where else — you're just getting
us in trouble, and the GT might
be closed. It was very close to
being closed.’’

Chambers granted appeal in
coke conspiracy conviction

VANCOUVER LAWYER Martin

lowing an
authorities.

investigation by

Canadian

clean up problem areas

and U.S.

fears for
son’s life

THE MOTHER of an
Argyle Secondary School
student who was attacked
by an angry mob of about
30 youths just hours be-
fore Wednesday night’s
forum on youth violence
in Lynn Valley told the
crowd ihat she does not
know what to do and said
the police are equally
helpiess in such situations.

By Bob Mackin Jr.
Contributing Writer

The woman, who did not
want to be identified for fear of
violent reprisal, said during a
question period that her son had
been assaulted and held at knife
point several times during the
last couple of months.

The situation eventually blew
up and the woman’s son was
followed home by a group of
**28 to 40°’ youths who then
beat him up.

The boy suffered a oroken
nose and is now fearing for his
life, should he venture away
from home.

When the police arrived, the
mother said the youths did not
leave.

“They know the police are
powerless,’’ she said of the
youths, many of whom remained
on the scene.

Although she knows the iden-
tity of many of those who at-
tacked her son, the distraught
mother is reluctant to press
charges out of fear of another
gang attack.

But North Vancouver RCMP
Insp. Dave Roseberry said he is
concerned with the attitude of
many victims of crime, who will
not give a statement to police or
press charges because they are
disillusioned with the legal
system.

The attitude, he said,
frustrates the efforts of police to
like
Lynn Valley.

Roseberry conceded that the
penalties fer young offenders are
limited.

“People are afraid to go the
route to get them charged, even
though the penalties are not
great,’ he said. ‘But identifica-
tion is the first step. People must
and the

proceed support

system.”’
el

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Chambers has been granted an appeal for
his 1987 conviction for conspiracy to im-
port cocaine.

On Thursday, the Supreme Court of Canada
ordered a new trial for the Deep Cove resident. Six
justices upheld the appeal with Madame Justice C.
L’Heureux-Dube dissenting.

Chambers’ lawyer in the Supreme Court case
Thomas Berger said it is now up to the crown to
decide whether to proceed with the trial.

‘After al! he’s already been through two trials,’’
said Berger. ‘‘It's been before the courts for almost a
decade.”’

In 1987, a jury found Chambers guilty of conspir-
ing to import cocaine after hearing 53 days of evi-
dence. He was originally arrested in 1981 with 10
other individuals and charged with drug offences fol-

A long legal battle ensued.ending in the 1987 trial
at which it was alleged that Chambers and several
other co-accused were involved in a conspiracy to
import a kilogram of cocaine into Canada from
Miami.

Two co-accused accepted # plea bargain, pleading
guilty to the lesser charge of conspiring to traffic in
cocaine, while the Crown stayed charges against
other co-accused.

Meanwhile, Chambers was sentenced in May 1987
to nine years in prison by B.C. Supreme Court
Justice William Trainor.

Starting today (see page 12),

provocative column by
Trevor Lautens will appear
every Friday in the North
Shore News.

Garden of Biases, which is
exclusive to the News, was first
published in Sune and has been
appearing in the newspaper on
the second Friday in cach
month.

Lautens, a columnist’ with
the Vancouver Sun, first began
writing for daily newspapers in
the mid-1940s at the tender age
of 1h.

the 7
@ Paul St. Pierre

@ What's Going On... .25

Weather

Friday, cloudy with sunny
periods and a chance of
showers. Saturday. periods
of rain. Highs near 12°C.

In June, 1987, Chambers filed an appeal with the
B.C. Appeal Court which upheld the conviction.

If the case goes to trial, it will be heard in the
assizes court.

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