page 12 - January 28, 1976 - North Shore News

Aurder stirs unrest

on. lower Lonsdale

by Rex Weyler

Fear does not have to be rational to be. real, and the mood of fear can be

contagious and crippling. In an attempt to get a temperature reading of the
mood on lower Lonsdale following the unexplained murder of Brenda Young
we spoke with shopkeepers-and residents of the area.

‘*When I hear a sound at
the back door the first thing I.
think is ‘where are the
scissors!’ I have actually
carried the scissors to the
back door. I know | that
sounds horrible, but we are a
little freaked around here.”’
Angeia McQuannie of the
Moodyville Landing plant
shop explains her paranoia.
“I have two locks on all the
doors; . it looks like Fort
Knox in here. I’m never
alone in the shop anymore,
there are always two of us.’’

The lower Lonsdale area,
once planned to be a quiet,
friendly shopping area with a
personal character, has not
evolved to many people’s
expectation. ‘‘I left because
the area wasn’t what city
people said it .was going to
be,’’ explained Erol Baykal,-

owner of the Gallery’ of

Photography which. moved
from the area two years ago.
‘I waited for the. area to
blossom, but it t just never.
happened. ”

Angela McQuannte:. “I: take.

scissors to the back door.”
‘Rod Marining, .a student.

who lives in the area, did a |

study of growth and land use:
for Capilano College,” and
blames the density. increase
in the vicinity) for most of
the problems.. “The area isa.
study in. “poor planning,”

says Marining. ‘Developers, .
have been greedy in cramm- ©
ing too many people into this *
area; there are'no, parks, no."
recreation areas,.the water-
front is all private industry.

© qu uality of life has gone. |
Mead y downhill, the pop-.

ulation density has. tne up,”
and naturally the ‘crime rate“
is on the increase." ;

nye.

Colin Gabelmann, ex-MLA.
for the area said last year,
‘that area is over-populated
there is far too little park
space...growth is pai ach ling
lower Lonsdale, the highri
mentality persists, and the
crime rate is climbing.”’
Laying these words aside,
Gabelman went on the back a
Dunhill Development project —
to teat down a block of old .
houses and trees to build a 21

story . apartment - complex. ”

This ‘was in July last years
when two wom Ke
Drummond — and Kathy
Allison, perched | atop a tall

cottonwood cree_to stop the -

clearing and protest the
development.

‘drastic mistake,”’

Marining feels the city

‘council made a mistake in

allowing the apartment com-
plex to go through. “‘It was a
he said,

**This building will bring 500
people into an area that is
already over-crowded. When
they cut down that tree it was
the last symbol of space
versus. greed.”

“Lisa: ‘Ferguson:

some kids.’ -

der, Kathy Allison who still -

| lives on first avenue, won’t

allow. her children to go to
the store, after .dark...“*This

-fear,”’ says Marining, “‘is the:

price we have to pay for what
_ some people call: ‘Progress.””

“Robbery
becomes a way of life for”

Following the Yung maur-

Angela’s partner, Lisa
Ferguson, describes a recent
break-in: “‘Two weeks ago
someone broke in the back .
door at night and stole cash
from the shop.. The police -
caught the two young boys. -
who did it; they had a record -
of 17 previous robberies! The
boys were - charged... and
released, because they were
minors. Two night later the -
boys broke into another, store .
in the areal”

“Harry | O'Day,» owner. of

.O’Day’s bookstore, next door

to the Good Earth- where
Brenda Young was -mur-
dered, says that the neigh-
borhood has — deteriorated -
during the 16 years that -he
has been there. ‘It. was
milder then, at least it seems
that™.‘way,”’ he . recalled.
. “This murder has upset the.
_ people ‘around here, but in)
fact the situation has gotten’
steadily ..worse. over

Seeman

The problem inthe lower
Lonsdale area is not unique,
_As .urban: population -: ‘den-.
sities ,jlicrease, as Housing
becomés: depersonalized, as:
open - space dissappears,
crime and paranoia increase.
The’ solution is in. the |
-planning stage, because once ‘
the cycle begins, - fear‘ ‘and
crime breed more fear and
more crime.

“Kt. is ‘time. that. North -

° “We: were shocked by that . Vancouver takes a long, hard
murder, * says Angela back ' look’at> the’: quality. -of. its
at the plant. shop..‘‘That is: lifestyles,’’ -
something: that. is” supposed . ‘Drummond, defender of the

‘warned’ ' Brée

to happen in New. York: or cottonwood tree, ‘‘before our
‘Philadelphia. The murderer. neighborhoods. Pecome 8 gerr-

must have been’ a. a lunatle ”

, Hons of fear,”

whet
‘

the —

Local resident Rod Mariaing,
: feels” ‘population density is.
to ‘blame ‘for. the loss. of : a:
neighborhood feeling and“an *
increase in violence. ‘The
area {s_ a study in poor
-9

anyone can wear them. .

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