Power Line is not an agency or government office of any kind. It is an anonymous network of community members run by one person, to whom they report suspicious activities and problem houses. In Point Douglas that person is Chris Burrows (956-4090). Chris then reports the information to the Investigations branch of the Manitoba Justice program Safer Communities & Neighbourhoods Act or other appropriate authorities.

We could not have done all this without the enormous cooperation of the police, the liquor control board, the school division, & PSBIU. "311" has been so helpful, I communicate by email, which is the best way and gives me a record of their reply. top

Power Line (956-4090) is the number to call in North and South Point Douglas when you want to anonymously report any criminal or suspicious activity going on in a house or building in your area. There is no Call Display function on the Power Line phone so your call will be completely anonymous.

Once you report a problem house to Powerline, they will report the location to the Public Safety Investigations branch of Manitoba Justice, which works through the Safer Communities and Neighbourhoods Act (SCNA). This Act is a civil law which holds the property owner responsible for activities happening on their property. There may or may not be police involvement, depending on the situation.

These are the things people need to document and report in order to have a house deemed a 'problem house'. You can report all these things to the Power line:

The investigators will set up surveillance and monitor the activities at the house and then go to the property owner with their findings. The property owner will be held responsible for the activities going on in his house and most often will evict the problem tenants. The SCNA initiative has been very successful in its efforts on behalf of our community and others.

If you want to call the Investigations unit directly, you can call them at 945-3475, anonymously. top

To set up your own network, as we’ve done in the Point, you need one or two people (and more, as the network grows) on each block in your area to watch what’s going on, and phone or email in the information. The Investigative unit will begin its work very quickly. The people who do the reporting will never be identified. Power Line has no meetings, they communicate by email (email addresses are not shared) or telephone.

August 11/11 - Winnipeg has seen a rise in deliberately set fires this summer. Here are some ways to keep your property safe;

- Keep gasoline and other flammable liquids locked in a safe place.

- Dispose of garbage, leaves, scrap lumber, and other bulky waste as soon as possible.

- Store large bulky waste items at the rear of yard. Call 986-5858 for removal.

- Keep firewood away from house or garage.

- Do not give arsonists a place to hide. Place adequate lighting around your home.

- Install smoke detectors and change batteries once a year.

- If you see any crime in progress call 911 immediately.

- If you see anything suspicious in your neighborhood, call 986-6222.

June 20 - PUBLIC ADVISORY - SUMMER PET SAFETY C11-125754 C11-126250 C11-126394

Over the past 24 hours, members of the Winnipeg Police Service have responded to several calls for service regarding pets being left unattended inside vehicles during the daytime heat, for prolonged periods of time.

For the safety of all pets, the Winnipeg Police Service would like to remind members of the public not to leave pets in parked vehicles for any period of time without proper ventilation or access to water. Even on a warm day with a vehicle parked in the shade and windows slightly open, extreme temperatures can be reached which can have a devastating impact on any animal.

If you observe an animal in a parked vehicle this summer, and are concerned for it’s well-being, notify management of the business closest to the vehicle in attempt to locate the owner as soon as possible. If required contact police.

May 9/11 - We just watched several youngsters 11 to 14 years walk down Rover and come back with bikes; there could be several innocent explanations; but since several stolen bikes were recovered from one of these youths houses last summer, I suspect the bikes were stolen. Please be aware that we have alleged young bicycle thieves living right here in the community.

New bicycles are very desirable; even if gang bangers have a bike they are always ready to upgrade with your new bike or take it and sell it.

Never leave a good bike lying around in full view; put your bike out of sight and locked with a strong chain. Overnight take it indoors or put it in the porch or garage also locked securely.

Teach your kids to put their bikes out of sight , even if they are just running indoors for a few minutes, as they can be stolen in less than a minute.

If you are not too worried about style and coolness factor, firmly attach a metal or even better a wicker basket on the front. This makes them less attractive to thieves!

If you have a cell-phone with a camera take a couple of photos of your bike and keep them, so you can show what your bike looked like and prove it was yours.

We woke up to a little chirping noise and figured one of the fire alarms needed a new battery, we checked they were fine. Following the noise which was getting much louder and lasted longer we realized that it was the plug-in carbon monoxide alarm.

So we phoned the fire dept. they said go outside so we dressed very fast and went outside, four or five very pleasant and good looking firemen marched in the house, with their special device they measured the amount of Carbon monoxide in the house, it was zero.

Then we learned that this false alarm can happen and it is caused by dust build up, they recommend vacuuming the device regularly and putting it outside briefly to air out. So another little chore - vacuum your monitor!

As the warmer weather approaches, the Winnipeg Police Service would like to remind motorists the importance of the safety of our children as they go about their activities during Spring Break.

Children can be unpredictable around roadways and therefore motorists are requested to reduce their speeds and pay extra attention to areas in which children may be present.

Parents and guardians, please talk to your child about traffic safety and teach them when and where it is safest to cross the street, while stressing the importance of using crosswalks whenever possible. Children should visually scan potential dangerous areas such as parking lots and driveways for vehicles.

Parents, guardians and other motorists should consider the volume and speed of the traffic in your area. Be mindful of children in the area and pay particular attention near schools, shopping malls and playgrounds as children could dart from between vehicles at any time.

March 28/11 - Spring is here, spring break this week so we are probably going to get a lot of complaints like the one below; these are difficult as they are a big annoyance and really not big enough to call the police.

There have been a number of young teens/youth girls at the park heckling me all day as I go outside and let my dogs out and such. This is the corner of Lorne and Beaconsfield. They are now knocking on my door and ringing the doorbell and running away. This is getting my dogs barking like crazy. At last time I saw them there were 3 young girls and possibly a couple younger boys. This harassment is getting to be too much. I can't even leave my house n sit on my steps to enjoy the weather for 5 minutes without obscenities being yelled at me. My kids don't recognize them as they go to school across the river. So I only assume they live in the area. Don't know what you can do but maybe it can be a heads up for other residents

March 21/11 - We are experiencing an increase in people allowing "Booze Cans" in our area, this is usually a rented house where the renter opens their apartment or house to be a party place for friends and acquaintances.

Neighbours are kept awake by these inconsiderate revellers and police time is spent dealing with drunks rather than more serious crime.

Neighbours are calling police for help in shutting down these late night, early morning parties. These are not just a birthday party gone a bit wild, these are regular events where you see already drunken people arrive in Taxis and worse some drunks drive themselves there, they unload copious amounts of beer and booze; sometimes a taxi will just deliver several cases of beer to an already drunken group..

Landlords/owners of houses are usually not enthusiastic about tenants who allow or encourage this kind behaviour as it leads to a lot of damage to the property.

We have had a lot of success by calling the home owner and explaining what is happening, frequently the official tenant will be evicted. More and more owners/landlords are forming a group that works together to find themselves better tenants, many of them share their contact info and become part of the Powerline.

We have also learned that there are allegedly unscrupulous owners of businesses on Main Street who are allowing their premises to become after hours Booze Cans; the police are aware of several of them.

We know we have problem houses on Grove, Prince Edward, Hallet, and Lusted, also the alleged places on Main. If you know of others please let me know.

A big thanks to the people who have volunteered to help with sand bagging in Point Douglas, Chris B

March 15, 2011 - Last night yet another ganger was found on the porch of XXXX - Anystreet, trying to break in to the empty downstairs suite. When approached by one of the residents of the upstairs suite and told to leave, the ganger threatened the man with a sword, (I know this sounds ridiculous, but it happened). The ganger was about 5 feet 2 inches, slim, young, wearing the usual black pants and black Hoodie, when he finally ran away he ran towards Lisgar. The incident # was 110050546.

Before this last incident occurred the tenants at XXXX - Anystreet were already totally fed up with gang kids and dealers using their alley way and porch to allegedly deal crack. I am including the letter written by XXX's father.

"Why, does it seem like our house at XXXX - Anystreet, has become an " MAGNET" for young and old Drug Dealers??? They prefer the ALLEY between the houses, as it provides a fast escape route!!!!

Buyers come along Anystreet to the front of the alley as well as along the back lane; they come back day and night. You would think that the Police would get tired of chasing these "kids" over and over again?? The police respond and arrest the dealers, but the “kids” are back the next day. Could the bail arrangement state that these dealers are not to enter Point Douglas again?

Maybe we should put up a Lighted Sign that says "DRUG DEALERS ALLEY”, and charge admission for the dealers...
Flood lights would help them do a better business; the dealers could then tell who is coming from where ever!!! Taxis know the place by heart!!! If the city was to issue a vendor license to these dealers, a portion of their profits could go to better Point Douglas!!!! Why not, everything else seems to fail!!!

As a community we need to put an end to these drug dealers and make our streets a better and safer place to live."

PLEASE READ!!!

-----Original Message-----
From: Young, Robert (Police) [mailto:RYoung@winnipeg.ca]
Sent: March 15, 2011 8:59 AM
Subject: FW: vehicle and male of concern

Hi everyone just for your information.

Should a vehicle or male of matching the below description be seen near your school please notify me.

Vehicle: White Malibu, license # EUY 614
The male driver is 75 years white..balding with grey hair 5.9, 170 lbs and he has bright blue eyes

Cst. Robert Young
School Resource Officer
Winnipeg Police Service
Divsion 13 Community Support Unit

260 Hartford Ave. Winnipeg Mb
204-391-2707
204-986-2542
email @ RYoung@winnipeg.ca

Jan 29/11 - The recent stabbing of an individual on Austin near Euclid should serve to remind us that we must all continue to be vigilant, and continue to report suspicious activities to the police and to Powerline. A resident was out delivering a notice to homes on Austin, Lorne and Lisgar on behalf of the Powerline, about someone stealing cheques from mailboxes on those streets. We suspect it is the punks who hang around between the houses, doing drug deals. They tried to challenge him and called him a rat, followed him for a bit and threw iceballs at him, but didn’t follow him all the way home, fortunately. Obviously they’re trying to maintain their turf and threaten others.

We need to remind people that they have to keep reporting what they see, we can’t become complacent. If you see people hanging around between the houses on Austin street, call and report it - 956-4090. If you see vehicles making short stops with the motor running while someone dashes into a house and comes out minutes later, note the license number, description of the people, number of the cab, and the frequency of these visits. This will establish a pattern that the police and/or MB Justice can follow up on and deal with this activity. If we don't do these things, the gangs will come back.

Has anybody heard of a group of gangers calling themselves the POINT DOUGLAS GANGSTERS, supposedly they hang out around Lorne?

Good News; the Dufferin Powerline has closed their second crack house an we just turned another in to the PSBIU in the Dufferin area today.

We just received a lot of Powerline (COWs) fridge magnets which we will deliver soon. to homes in our area.

I was at the dental college today getting yet another tooth fixed, While I was there the student asked me if I knew anybody who needed dentures , they need patients who need denture work. The deal is mor or less all work done is half regular price af work at a dentist, but you do need time as the appointments are long, because evrything is checked by the proessors at every stage. I have had many different students over the years and they all have been friendly and have done good work..

Beware Of invisible cows ....Citizens On Watch: COWs Keeping Point Douglas drugless and thugless

If you no longer wish to receive Powerline emails, please let me know at <point.powerline@yahoo.com> and I will remove your name from our contact list.
Ms.Chris Burrows

Jan 18/11 - Hi all, a big thanks to a young man who called the Powerline today to let us know kids were playing on the edge of the ice at the far end of Michaelle Jean park, we had a Fire rescue truck there in minutes, I think it was a truck involved in the search attempt for little Nathaniel beside Rover, Please tell all the kids the river is treacherous this year, it is not freezing in the normal way and is still not safe to play on.

Jan 14/11 - I am forwarding this because ,a neighbour left her car running with two teens in it, the teens decided they wanted to go in the store and jumped out, then a youth jumped in and drove away with her car, she did get it back.

It is even worse if you leave a young child in the car as the thief may not notice the child and then it becomes a terrifying event. - Chris B.

FRIDAY, JANUARY 14^th, 2011

11:00 a.m.

PUBLIC ADVISORY

The Winnipeg Police Service along with the Manitoba Public Insurance Corporation would like to remind motorists to be mindful when leaving their running vehicles unattended. Recently, within the City of Winnipeg a number of vehicles have been stolen when they were left unattended while they were warming up.

As well, each year a number of vehicles are stolen in Winnipeg as a result of keys left in the ignition, or spare keys left within the passenger compartment of the vehicle (in the glove box, under the floor mat, etc.)

Vehicle owners are strongly encouraged to protect their keys. Do NOT leave spare keys within your vehicle as thieves will find them. Vehicle immobilizers are highly effective in stopping vehicle theft however the immobilizer is ineffective if the thief gains access to the vehicle keys.

For further information contact either:
Constable Natalie Aitken, Public Information Officer
Constable Jason Michalyshen, Public Information Officer

Office: (204)986-3061
Fax: (204) 986-3267
Email: WPS-PIO@Winnipeg.ca
Web: www.winnipeg.ca/Police

Share this mailing with your social network by clicking on the appropriate link:

Winnipeg Free Press - ONLINE EDITION

Powerline tip leads to drug charges

By: Staff Writer

Posted: 16/12/2010 9:52 PM View article online

A 21-year-old man has been arrested and faces several drug-related charges after a Winnipeg Police search warrant was executed in Point Douglas Wednesday night.

The police were tipped off about the Austin Street dealer by the Dufferin and Point Douglas "powerlines," call centres designed to receive anonymous phone calls to improve the safety of the crime-heavy neighbourhoods.

Sel Burrows, the inner city activist behind the powerlines, said within days of the alleged drug dealer setting up his operations, seven invisible "cows," or citizens on watch, in the area had identified his activities and called in. Winnipeg Police subsequently interviewed witnesses and obtained a search warrant.

"The sense of success that this event has built in several neighbours who participated in identifying the house is huge and builds on the continued confidence that the Point Douglas community has in our community support unit," Burrows said.

As a result of the raid, cocaine, marijuana and ecstasy with a street value of nearly $13,000 has been confiscated. About $4,300 in Canadian currency was also seized.

"There will be more drug dealers attempting to set up their businesses in North Point Douglas. This arrest should be a warning that the people of North Point Douglas and the Winnipeg Police do not accept drug dealing," Burrows said.

top back to 'Updates'

Dec 1/10 - Hi everybody, please keep reporting overflowing autobins and abandoned furniture, so that we can get it cleaned up. You can phone 956-4090 and leave a message if we are not home, five rings till the answering machine picks up..

If you send in to 311 <311@winnipeg.ca>; you will need to put your own name and address to the complaint.
You can email directly to Powerline but I must have the exact address where the mess is located, that includes the house number. Nobody has to pay it is just so the truck can locate the problem.

Chris B.

top back to 'Updates'

Nov 13/10 Update - While we have seen a drop in drug dealing and dealers over the last three years, we are still having problems with theft and vandalism; often involving kids who are out of control.

However there are also adults who are stealing things in our neighbourhood.

Try not to leave your garage door open, as thieves often like to check out a location before breaking in later.

We have also noticed groups of youngsters and adults who automatically try every car door and house door as they pass, hoping to find a forgetful person who has not locked up.

The crime prevention tips below are a useful guide.

I noticed one omission in the tips; A DOG! Thieves avoid dogs, because they make a lot of noise and draw attention to a break in; also a burglar cannot judge whether the dog is friendly before they enter a premises.

Many thefts are the result of "friends or aquaintances" who have visited your home and so know what you have and where it is.

Another good way to discourage theft is not to have anything worth stealing, for instance my 15 inch TV is just not worth taking!

Please call or email the Powerline if you see youth checking cars or doors, we know that many of the youth are not local residents they drifit in from the other (west) side of Main.

We are seeing WS graffiti all over the Point, that usually means West Side kids are leaving their calling card.

CRIME PREVENTION TIPS

You can't be on guard 24 hours a day or be expected to stay up nights wondering if a criminal might
be lurking around your property. There are things you can do to minimize your risk of becoming
a crime victim. Among them:

• Make sure all doors, windows and skylights to your house and garage are always closed and locked.
• Park your vehicle in a locked garage if possible.
• Keep your vehicle locked at all times.
• Use your exterior lighting. Regularly check to ensure all exterior lighting around your home is
powered and operational.
• Install exterior lighting around the complete perimeter of your home if you don’t already have it.
• If you have a back alley or easement, be sure no unauthorized person can get into this area.
• Beware of landscaping that may provide cover or concealment for someone lurking around your home.
• Trim back trees and bushes on your property.
• Ask your neighbours to keep an eye on your home with the promise you'll do the same for them. Concentrate
on houses where people are away on vacation.
• Make sure there are no sources of flammable materials left out in the open, like rags, wood, gasoline cans,
newspapers etc. Lock and chain barbeque propane tanks including spare tanks to prevent them from being
stolen, used as a means to break a window or as a source of flammable material.
• Be aware of your surroundings at all times.
• Report any suspicious person(s) or events to the police.
• Do not delay in calling the police. Hesitate only long enough to ensure your safety. Then call immediately.
The faster the police are able to respond, the better the chances the criminal(s) will be arrested.
• Sunday the 7th of November 2010 is daylight savings time and also time to change batteries in smoke alarms.
Make sure smoke alarms are installed on every floor of your home and they are regularly checked and are operational.
• Talk to your family about a fire plan and how to get out if a blaze strikes your home. Remember to arrange
a specific meeting place so everyone knows all the members of your household escaped from the home safely.

Ms.Chris Burrows
40 Grove Street
Winnipeg MB
R2W 3K7
Tel# 956-4090

top back to 'Updates'

Oct 8/10 Update - Our police officers cooperation with City of Winnipeg community services and with province of Manitoba social services and the province of Manitoba public safety investigators (PSBIU); has made a huge difference in Point Douglas, several multi unit residences have been cleaned up and many neighbours have commented how quiet things are now.

If you see continuing problems or new problems please let our officers know by calling 986-6222 or if that is uncomfortable for you call the Powerline at 956-4090

So a big thanks to all the people who have worked together to make the North End safe for us all.

Chris

WINNIPEG POLICE SERVICE COMMUNITY SAFETY INITIATIVE

Safety and Community issues present in a variety of forms. Over a number of years as a Police Service we have been challenged to respond and resolve effectively safety and community concerns involving “multi-unit dwelling houses”. The challenge has been to address the issues in an effective and permanent way. These dwellings present several challenges and traditional approaches to community safety issues have not proven to be as effective or efficient in some cases.

The Winnipeg Police Service North End Community Support Unit has been partnering with City of Winnipeg and Provincial Departments over the last several months to address safety and community issues. They are as follows:

City of Winnipeg Community Services
By-law Inspectors
Health Inspectors
Fire Inspectors
Zoning
Housing
Province of Manitoba Social Services
Province of Manitoba Public Safety Investigators

Several multi-unit dwellings in the North End of Winnipeg have been identified during this process and corrective measures have been undertaken as a result of area residents and business complaints, calls for service, Community network information/partnerships, 311 and complaints to the Province of Manitoba Safer Communities Inspectors.
top back to 'Updates'

Sept 27/10 Update:

Hi Citizens On Watch (our invisible COWs), some great news and a warning. 815 Main Street which has been one of our more public"dealers" has been closed by the fire commissioners office, but not before our WPS officers had made several visits and several people left with them. The seniors at 817 Main have been calling with the news, and they are very grateful.

The warning below came from a COW on McFarlane, so just a reminder to keep things locked up.

Enjoy the beautiful weather too....

Hi Chris

I wanted to report some odd activity and ask that you send out a warning to the neighbourhood. I found that the screen on my back door at door handle height and the screen in my back window had been cut. As I keep everything locked, there was no easy entry and none happened. That being said, this was likely someone looking for an easy opportunity. It never hurts to remind people to make sure windows and doors are locked and secure before you go out! top back to 'Updates'

Aug 25/10 Update - Day of Governor General Michaelle Jean's visit to North Point Douglas

What a Wonderful Day!!

How do you describe a day like today? It was a celebration of life, especially our life in Point Douglas.
What a wonderful woman Michaelle Jean is, how lucky we are that she found us and we found her.

The Graffiti Gallery hosted an absolutely delicious lunch, with a large number of guests who are involved in bringing art to Inner city youth. The lunch was catered by Patal or The Chocolate Shop, it was a splendid event for some "networking" and it was thrilling to see individuals bonding over possible future art projects.

Then we moved over to The Norquay Community Centre for a youth dialogue, where we heard from aboriginal youth and young new immigrants who shared the difficulties of their lives.

Michaelle Jean is a wonderful listener and later she shared her own youthful difficulties as an immigrant child and teen, you hear her sharing the same frustrations and then you realise that she is presently representing the Queen of England. It shows that almost anything is possible; seeing her amazing role model from migrant child to the Governor General.

Michaelle Jean did not ask "what could Canada do for her", she asked "What can I do for Canada?"

Maybe she inspired us to ask "What can we do for our community?"

Today we all celebrated what we all have done; we celebrated with music, dancing and speeches. We shared our cultures, we shared another tasty meal at the Norquay Community Centre catered by our own Tallest Poppy.

This wonderful day with perfect weather ran so smoothly because of the cooperation of many of our local groups, The Graffiti Art Gallery, the Point Douglas Residents Committee, The Point Douglas Women's Centre, the Mount Carmel Clinic. Thank you all so much.

We were honoured by the presence of not only the Governor General, but our Premier, our Mayor and so many of our MLAs and city councillors that I am not going to try to and name them all, because I don't want to leave anybody out and so many of them have helped Point Douglas.
We were all protected by members of our dedicated police force to whom we owe so much.

What a wonderful day, WHAT A WONDERFUL COMMUNITY!

Thank you all so much, Chris

Photo by Phil Hossack

Governor General Michaëlle Jean Visits North Point Douglas: The Power Line was just one of many initiatives that were taken by community members, all of which were sparked by the courageous actions of a group of Grade 5 and 6 students from Norquay School, in Point Douglas.

These children and their teachers wrote a letter to the Governor General and read it to her when she came to visit the Graffiti Gallery in 2007, pleading for her help to make their dangerous community safe for them.

The Governor General stepped up to the plate, and helped make change happen. Over the years she has watched our progress and spoken of us wherever she's travelled, as a model for other communities.

In August, 2010, she returned to the community to recognize the efforts and successes of the residents and organizations, and in turn was honoured by the community for her part in its transformation.

View Photos of Visit top back to 'Updates'

May 28/10 Update - Point Douglas an island of calm on Crime Stats map:

Hi to all of you, thank you all for your courage and caring; because so many of you are so quick to let me know where you see trouble brewing and unsafe situations developing we manage to keep our neighbourhood safe and friendly.

Of course we still have our problem addresses but they know we are watching them.

Please keep your emails and calls coming, if you know of any guns in the area or youths carrying knives, either call the police or contact the POWERLINE.

Scroll down and check out the map reference and feel really proud.

Thank you so much,

Chris

top back to 'Updates'

April 29/10 Update - Iron Cops Run a Huge Success!

Thanks to all the wonderful volunteers who came out Sunday, April 29, very early to be marshals and helpers at the 3rd. annual fun run with the two chiefs; Keith McCaskill our chief of police and Kevin Chief who runs WASAC (Winnipeg Aboriginal Sports Achievement Centre).

WASAC had it's kids out in full force wearing their bright orange T-shirts. The majority of the marshals were seniors so it was an inter generational event.

The music for the event was lively and loud, so who do you call when the it is the cops cranking out the music early Sunday Morning?

The photos were taken by the police photographer.

top back to 'Updates'

Feb 17 Update - SUCCESS!!

I am not sure that you can actually smell success, anymore that the neighbours on Lusted could actually smell the "insanitary" house that has been boarded up on their street forever.

But it is certainly an "icky" feeling to have a house with that sign on it a few homes away from your own and so wasteful when there is a shortage of houses in the city.

I sent out an email a while ago encouraging residents to start their own street petitions to get the boarded houses on their street cleaned up and opened, to harmonize with a general push the POWER LINE coordinators are doing to open up the boarded and vacant houses in our area.

Congratulations to the residents of Lusted, you have done it, it was almost miraculous. A street monitor started a petition and had not even turned it over to the POWER LINE and suddenly the boards were down, the place is cleaned up and rented out after many years of being boarded up!

BRILLIANT, this is the power of the residents in a community when they decide to take control of their own neighbourhood.

I would love to go out and get signatures myself on the petitions, but due to a chronic disease I have developed I am more or less under house arrest for the winter.

The disease is Scleroderma, quite rare, but my hands often go numb with cold even inside the house while I am typing, and I have lost most of the strength in my legs and can't walk very far. Even thinking about a walker for my birthday, OH great!

Good job being the POWERLINE person keeps me busy and can mostly be done from home. (It is an auto immune disease and not contagious so no worries there!)

Recently Roanna the chair of PDRC gave me a button it says:

NEVER DOUBT THAT A SMALL GROUP OF THOUGHTFUL COMMITTED CITIZENS CAN CHANGE THE WORLD: INDEED IT'S THE ONLY THING THAT EVER HAS.

Margaret Meade

Thanks Ro, Point Douglas is the living proof of that statement! top back to 'Updates'

Feb/10 Update

Hi everybody, we are looking at getting some of the boarded-up houses, opened . There is a huge shortage of housing and it is ridiculous that we have houses that have been boarded up for years.

One of our residents on Lusted has decided he is fed-up with a house on his block that has had an 'insanitary' sign on it for years, so he is starting a petition to get something done.

He wondered if there were others in the Point who also would like to see unused houses dealt with; I know of at least two houses where people would either like to buy them or see them fixed up. Some of the houses are not boarded but just left empty in rather shabby state.

We thought that if we could send a number of these petitions at once to the city we might have a better chance of getting something done. You can write up your own petition or you can print it from this page. Click on the link - print petition - go to 'File' and click 'print'. When you've collected signatures from people on your block, please bring the petition to us at 40 Grove Street.

I would love to see the unsightly house on our street become a family home. It really is the only really shabby house on the street; this owner has four houses, one he lives in and the other three are empty.

Right now is a good time to sell as prices are way higher in the Point than they have been for years.

Please get back to me if you plan to start a petition so we can coordinate sending them in.

Chris top back to 'Updates'

Dec 31/09 - Looking over the most recent police reports for the city, it is good to see the police are very busy in different parts of the city and it helps us to understand why we don't always see them as fast as we would like here.

Please remember when you make a report to the non emergency number to ask for an incident number, even if they can't send a car out at the time, your making a report with an incident number means that the incident is recorded.

Officers are often assigned according to the number of incidents in an area, so by making sure the police are aware of local crime, we get better service.

Coming home from a family get together last night we watched a drug deal on Austin and reported it then turning down a back lane to get to our home saw the same car make another deal at a different house on the back lane of Barber, so we reported that too and have our incident number to prove it!

Have a very safe, healthy and Happy New Year,

Chris top back to 'Updates'

December 29/09 Celebrating a Great Year!

Hi Everybody, the New Year is fast approaching and this has been a great year for the POWERLINE network; we have grown. More people on our email and a lot more random callers.

BUT despite the growth of our network or maybe because of it, we are receiving fewer reports of crime and negative behaviour in Point Douglas.

I check the crime stats for our area every time they are published and it is looking very, very good.

Point Douglas is now a low crime area. Families with children are moving into the area, we have artists and skilled trades people coming into the community.

The homes right around us have been upgraded significantly and we have some very good landlords buying up rentals in the area.

I have added an update about the POWERLINE, below, as a reminder of all that we can do together.

I thank you all for continuing to share the concerns in your neighbourhood and wish each one of you a very happy and pleasant new year in our lovely riverside community.

top back to 'Updates'

COMMUNITY VICTORY ON AUSTIN

Point Douglas Power Line, AKA, Point Douglas Citizens on Watch, working with neighbours have had drug dealers evicted and or arrested at two addresses. Thanks to the Dept of Justice Community Safety Act and police, but mostly thanks to the neighbours who decided they wouldn’t put up with it anymore.

Want to be part of cleaning up Austin and surrounding streets? Call Power Line. We still have a few drug houses to go to make Austin St. a safe place to live. The powerline is an all volunteer, totally anonymous group committed to making Point Douglas a safe and a pleasant place to live. The powerline also reports overflowing garbage, kids not going to school (September), and abandoned furniture.

If you want to be part of the solution email point.powerline@yahoo.com or call 956-4090. There is no call display and only the coordinator of the powerline, a retired teacher, knows the email addresses, so no one will know you called unless you choose. Let the powerline know if you see crack dealing, suspicious cars picking up stuff (licence plate # very helpful), or other criminal activity. If it’s an emergency call 911.

Guns are a problem and the police want to know where they are. You can call the police service at 986-6222 or contact the Power Line and we will put in the complaint for you. We know many people are afraid of retaliation, so this is a way to keep your street safe without letting anyone know who you are. Presently there are eight people living on Austin who are active on the powerline. Want to join them? We know there are more good guys than bad guys and we can win.

Join your neighbours to drive crack dealers and gangs out of Point Douglas. There are now over 100 powerline people in Point Douglas. Add your eyes. No one will know who you are. Our goals are: no crack dealers, no gangs, no sex trade workers on our streets, no broken windows, no overflowing garbage, no kids not going to school.

POINT DOUGLAS CITIZENS ON WATCH

point.powerline@yahoo.com 956-4090

Leave a message if we aren’t home.

This is an entirely volunteer group.

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Press Release - Sept 11/09

Point Douglas Citizens on Watch (COWS) Point.Powerline - Community Policing Huge Success in Point Douglas

With well over 100 citizens involved in Crime Prevention through the Point Douglas Powerline (an anonymous phone and email line run by volunteers), our community has been working closely with the Winnipeg Police Service and the Police Community Support Unit.

This week that relationship showed amazing results. Neighbours on two streets had identified the leaders of small groups of youth who were selling crack from between houses. In two different actions the police arrested the ring leaders. One was found to have 32 ‘rocks’ of crack in his possession.

The police officers involved were searching one apartment after the arrest when there was a loud knocking at the door and a man yelling...”open up...I want a couple of rocks”. You can imagine his surprise when the police opened the apartment door and invited him in.

Two days later another guy was pounding on that apartment door. A neighbour asked him if he needed any help. The fellow said, “I’m looking for my buddy so I can score some crack”. The neighbour in the lovely bluntness one finds in the inner city replied. “Your buddy is in jail. Get the F*** out of here or I’ll call the cops and you’ll join him.” The fellow was last seen scurrying down the street.

There is real power for neighbours knowing they aren’t alone in wanting to stop crime .

The Point Douglas Power Line has enabled neighbours who want a safe neighbourhood to communicate their concerns with no threat of retaliation.

Recently a gang member told one of our residents, “we stay out of Point Douglas, Too many people watchin.”

The Police in District 3 , have incorporated a new structure so that the police officers work the same community on an ongoing basis. This allows the Powerline to provide more detailed background of criminals or alert them to incipient crime. The response time to concerns has increased immensely. When we first set out to “Make Point Douglas A Crack Free Zone” two years ago, it would often take months to deal with an issue. Now, with improved police systems and an active community, most situations are dealt with in days or weeks.

I say most because we know there are certain criminals in our community that are skilled or sneaky enough to escape our ‘eyes on the street’. However, just keeping the bad guys nervously looking over their shoulder protects the community. We know the main crack supplier doesn’t live in Point Douglas but in a large house in a very pleasant neighbourhood. Could she be your neighbour?

Recently Point Douglas Power Line has added a whole new tactic to our toolkit to keep the bad guys on the run. Previously we had a few landlords we worked with who would actively cooperate with us in evicting criminals. Now we have discovered that the huge majority of landlords are willing to work towards making our community safe. Many of the younger ganglet members are couch surfers. They move in with relatives, girl friends and use that address as a base for their criminal activities.

We now have many landlords, including several very large ones, who will go to their legitimate tenant and tell them they are responsible for what goes on in their suite. Get the bad guy out or you face eviction. Many tenants find this really empowering , having a concrete reason to tell the kid to get out. This saves the police a lot of time so they can focus on the more serious criminals.

One landlord recently evicted a young man and his friends who were caught with crack. While one will probably spend a long time in the youth centre the other two have indicated they want out of the ganglet subculture.

We have learned in tackling crime that no one solution fits all. We need the police for the heavy lifting, for the dangerous ones. However, when the community sends a strong message that criminal behaviour is not accepted, a lot of crime is prevented.

We occasionally face criticism with our crime prevention methods. We know they aren’t perfect, but with the increased community orientation of the police and over 100 neighbours involved, Point Douglas is fast moving from a high crime area to a low crime area.

Chris Burrows

Coordinator, Point Douglas Power Line

956-4090 point.powerline@yahoo.com top back to 'Updates'

July 13/09 Update - Hi all,

On Saturday we had a call from ------ Street, a young man had found what he assumed to be crack in a plastic bag in his yard, gang kids often just throw down their bikes in the back lane and hide in spaces where they will not be visible to police.
We suspect that some kid ditched his stash there and may have planned to come back for it later.

This was kind of a first for all of us; the young man who had found it, wanted it gone immediately so the Power Line went and took it down to the main desk at The Public Safety building. We called in to the non-emerg # to let them know we were coming.

I guess there is no protocol at the station for this...granny and grandpa turning in crack? As nobody really knew what to do with us or it!

I had phone calls this morning asking what had happened on Austin, nobody remembers it being so quiet on a weekend in a very long time.

Pepper spray is in the Austin and Lorne area so be careful don't stop with car windows down. We were checking out an alleged dealing address and had to move very fast from a burst of spray. We gave a very good description of the youth involved.

Anyway, thanks for all your help, we are so proud of the people on Austin who are saying NO MORE to the drugs and gangs; one very bad alleged dealing address is up for sale.

So please keep up your great work, little by little we are taking back the neighbourhood.

It seems things were pretty nasty on the other side of Main this weekend, so I'm glad we were behaving better in Point Douglas.

Ms. Chris Burrows top back to 'Updates'

May 23/09 Update - Thanks very much to all of you who came out for the riverbank clean up where we were helped by The United Way's day of caring and dozens of teenagers came out to help.

Thanks also to the people who showed for the annual spring clean up today.

Despite the cool spring weather our community is clearly taking far more pride in North Point Douglas.

A few years ago 3 BFI dumpsters were needed for all the garbage on our streets and boulevards. It is amazing but we were hard pressed to half fill about 20 green garbage bags today.

Thanks to Roanna for organising these events and also for the great job she did on our Residents Committee AGM. back to 'Updates'

May 8/09 Power Line Update

How sad that the last two murders in our community were as a result of drinking/drugging/partying gone wrong. I always tell my friends, it's not so much about where you live as much as who you know. Statistically family and friends are most likely to hurt you.

The Police have been very active and helpful in the area lately, paying visits to some of our alleged crack houses and some arrests have been made. I thank the police for Point Douglas and I tell them that I get as many calls and emails about what they are up to in the area as to what the bad guys are doing, so we also know if they have been professional in the treatment of all our residents.

It is bicycle weather again, so we see the silly gang-bangers flying around, my 8 year old grandson was horrified because one of them "gave me the middle finger". I just giggled, they know our car.

Anyway quite a few bicycles are being stolen and dumped. We turned in three the other day that had been dumped in someone's back yard. Bike recovery at 311 is an easy way to get them picked up, also if you see a lot of bikes gathering in a yard, they are probably stolen. We mentioned to a neighbour that the police were looking for bike thieves and suddenly all those bikes disappeared, sadly I don't think the police have time to track down bike thieves. Let me know if you do see a lot of bikes dumped in one yard please.

Please keep turning in abandoned furniture to me when you see it anywhere in our neighbourhood. It makes the place look so much better and amazingly has cut down on dumpster and back lane fires.

If you want to turn in abandoned furniture yourselves, it is much quicker by email....

311@winnipeg.ca

They will need your name, address and phone number. the number of the house where it is to be found, and whether it is on the boulevard or back lane. There is no charge for this service to the number of the house where the stuff is or to you for giving your address when turning it in. If there was a charge I'd be in bankruptcy by now, just wish they gave out air miles for turning stuff in! I love 311 especially by email, they are efficient and friendly.

So a big thank you to all of you people who are watching out for their neighbours, and all those who work with us to keep our lovely Point Douglas safe........I just wish there was someone we could call about the weather.

Happy Mothers' Day to all,

Ms. Chris Burrows

40 Grove Street

Winnipeg MB

R2W3K7

Tel# 956-4090

Face these Facts....In over 90% of child abuse cases, the offender is a family member, friend or someone else that these children know well; and we all worry about STRANGERS? Fathers account for 97% of inter-familial sexual abuse perpetrators.

Inform yourself at this Canadian site...... http://www..zebracentre.ca

Take pride, you live in beautiful Point Douglas, the Historic Centre of Winnipeg.

Apathy, lethargy and fear make accomplices of us all. top back to 'Updates'

A testimonial of the Power Line's success - straight from a gangster's mouth

A short time ago, we received the following email from a resident:

Hi, Chris, I just wanted to share this with you, as it speaks volumes about the success of the Power Line. My son got a job in a rough part of the city and a co-worker was telling him that he and all his cousins were in gangs, and he could tell my son which areas were safe and which streets to avoid. My son, who had just moved into Point Douglas, thought his co-worker was talking about Point Douglas, not the area where they were both working.

When my son asked him if he was talking about Point Douglas, the fellow said "No, no, man! Nobody goes to the Point no more! Nobody can do nothin' there, too many people watching all the time. We can't do nothin' there!"

When my son told me of this, I was so excited I just had to share it with you. Please tell everyone in your network what a great job they're all doing, and to keep up the good work!

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