Tired of not being heard, Chinatown residents launch association to amplify safety concerns

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As he often does in the morning, Yvan Michaud woke early on Sunday to sweep away any filth left over from people who spent the night on the front steps of his building in Chinatown.

Except this time he found debris and remnants of a fire set overnight, right next to the building’s gas line. He called the police and ensured the line hadn’t been damaged.

“I’m starting to be really, really worried,” said Michaud, 65, who has lived in the neighbourhood since the late 1990s. “Because there’s no control.”

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On Wednesday, Michaud joined other Chinatown residents as they launched a new association to help amplify their concerns over a spike in homelessness and public safety issues in the neighbourhood.

After years of speaking out about the issue, residents feel their attempts to find solutions and calls for help have been ignored by all levels of government. The association now aims to hold meetings with elected officials and the Montreal police, as well as bring together local businesses and stakeholders.

At a meeting and news conference, residents spoke of neighbours moving away because of safety concerns, available apartments sitting empty after would-be renters visit the area, and longtime merchants closing up shop.

“There’s always been homelessness in downtown Montreal, that’s not new,” Michaud said. “But what’s new is how present it is and the amount of criminality that comes with it.”

In addition to the fire outside Michaud’s home, on Tuesday morning damage from a fire was found on the exterior of a local daycare.

Last week, a naked man wielding a knife also broke into a student’s apartment in the neighbourhood.

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“It’s become a violent place and, as residents, we’re in a constant state of hyper-vigilance,” said Marie-Josée Leblanc, who raised her two daughters in Chinatown.

Leblanc recalled two incidents in which her now adult children were followed or harassed by people who stay in a makeshift encampment outside her building.

“We just don’t know when they’re in crisis and when they’re not,” she said, recognizing the people need help and services. “That’s the issue.”

Fo Niemi, executive director of the Center for Research-Action on Race Relations, said recent advocacy by Chinatown residents has built relationships with the police, but elected officials haven’t been listening to their concerns.

Around 2,500 people live in Chinatown, Niemi added, a diverse group of residents of different ages, ethnicities and income levels.

Niemi said that whether it be in Chinatown or Milton Park or the Village, residents all say they have nothing against unhoused people, but also want to feel safe and listened to.

“Local residents and merchants are not being involved, are not being consulted,” he said. “And they’re the ones who, in their opinion, bear the brunt of all the negative consequences of ‘the policy of cohabitation.’”

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In an email response on Wednesday, the Montreal police said the situation in Chinatown is part of a wider context involving complex issues such as homelessness, mental health, drug addiction and the housing crisis.

The department said it has been working closely with city partners in recent months to address residents’ concerns and has consulted with community members to find solutions.

It has also increased its presence in the neighbourhood, it said. That has included sending in officers on horseback, as well as adding bike patrols and cadets to support the local police station’s work.

Speaking at the news conference, the owner of the building the man broke into with a knife last week  —  terrifying the female student who lives there  —  called on authorities to curtail open drug use and violent behaviour.

Vincent Lupien also questioned what more needs to happen for elected officials to take the situation seriously.

“Will it take a student being killed,” Lupien asked, addressing Mayor Valérie Plante, Premier François Legault and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau by name.

“Is that what it will take to understand this isn’t working?”

Jacob Serebrin of The Gazette contributed to this report.

jfeith@postmedia.com

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