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Duly Quoted: Adam Vaughan and Rob Ford

Dueling views on how to combat gun violence in Toronto.

By

“If, when the three levels of government come to talk about this issue, all they want to talk about is jail, they can go to hell.”

—Councillor Adam Vaughan, (Ward 20, Trinity-Spadina), in response to news that Mayor Rob Ford is seeking a meeting with Stephen Harper, as well as a meeting he has planned with Premier Dalton McGuinty, regarding this week’s string of shootings in Toronto.

And then, on the other hand…

“Once they’re charged and they go to jail the most important thing is when they get out of jail, I don’t want them living in this city… [T]hat’s what I’m going to sit down with the prime minister and find out: how our immigration laws work.”

—Rob Ford, speaking to AM640, explaining what he hopes to get out of a meeting he is seeking with the prime minister. Nobody has been charged in conjunction with any of this week’s shootings, so it’s not clear that immigration played any role in the crimes. Ford also said it was a “proven fact” that homicides peaked in Toronto when community grants did (part of his general contention that community grants, which he consistently opposes in council, are not a good use of taxpayer funds)—a claim which the Star quickly debunked.

Comments

  • Anonymous

    Ford is a fucking idiot.

    • Hollow Island

      True, I don’t see what that has to with the suggestion that exile might be a suitable solution for those who terrorize this city. Chances are that once they get out of jail they behave in the same way, because our prison system is designed to punish, not rehabilitate. If we’re not going to address the root causes of crime (as though crime is a disease that can cured), then the least we can do is ensure that the public is safe.

      We should build a town for them, Outlawville. We can send environmental criminals there, too.

      It’s interesting that many people are blaming various levels of government for the violence that has been gallivanting around Toronto, but few “progressives” are willing to hold the people who actually commit the crimes responsible. We may not have absolute free will, but we have enough that we can choose not to pick up a gun and use it.

      If soldiers can be held responsible for their actions – and they are barely even people, such is their docility in the face of authority – then surely these guys can be, too.

      • Anonymous

        Kicking them out of Toronto is akin to putting the homeless on a bus and making them some other city’s problem. It doesn’t solve anything, just moves it around.

        But where Ford’s fucking idiocy comes to light is where he blames crime on immigration – which also means he blames the government for this shooting.

        • Hollow Island

          Exile solves nothing, but since we’re not trying to solve social problems, and given the fact that the shock doctrine was implemented to perfection, these problems are probably only going to get worse. So why not try something radical and exile them to a city where they can run wild? Or maybe that’s what we could turn Ontario Place into: a private battle ground for gangs. We can build a fake city, it’ll be like paintball but with bullets.

        • Anonymous

          homeless people are innocent and murderess are not!! so don’t compare.

          • Anonymous

            I compared the strategy, not the people. Dial back your sensitivity.

      • Anonymous

        i dont think if your loved one got shot by some like that, you would care so much to educate that person that did that!

  • Anonymous

    Ford is an idiot sure. But Vaughan (whom I’m usually on point with) is just as much of an idiot with his “ban” talking points.

    • lfiemeanslife

      Ford coaches at risk youth everyday. Vaughan should put up or shut up

      • Anonymous

        Ummm….

      • Gnarlk

        ford only coaches his fellow aryan youth…

        • http://twitter.com/mikeykolberg Michael Kolberg

          That’s not true, don’t be an idiot.

        • OgtheDim

          I’m no fan of Ford.

          But Gnarlik, that statement goes beyond stupid.

          Grow up.

      • Anonymous

        Ford should do his job as Mayor, full time. He should take the time to understand the issues, so he can actually answer questions like, “Why did you vote against grants to community organizations that are helping victims of the Danzig shooting right now?” instead of shutting his mouth and running away to the safety of his Escalade.

        It’s great that he likes to coach football, and maybe he’s even helped some youth in the process (as you probably know, some of his former players are on record as saying that he was a very negative influence in their lives). In any case, all of that is entirely irrelevant: we don’t pay him 200k a year to coach football.

    • Anonymous

      What ban? He’s criticizing them for talking about jail exclusively.

      Also, I thought the businesses-in-apartment-buildings was part of Miller’s Tower Renewal plan.

      • Anonymous

        I know. but isn’t Vaughan the one towing the “ban” line? That’s all I meant.

  • OgtheDim

    Its a proven fact that everybody listening to Ford on that program does not care to actually look up the facts that are supposedly proven.

  • Anonymous

    What’s more is Ford’s second quote:

    “I don’t know and that’s what I’m going to sit down with the prime minister and find out: how our immigration laws work.”

    Umm… Assuming of course they ARE immigrants… Otherwise I’m PRETTY sure (not 100%) that they are allowed to live wherever the f they want and it’s protected under our Human Rights Code

    • Anonymous

      Ford is buying into the myth that immigrants increase crime when the fact is, proven by study after study, google it, that immigrants have a fraction of the crime rate that those born and raised in Canada do. The same is true of immigrants from any country to any country. Considering that 49% of Toronto citizens are foreign born, a rate higher than in any other city I know of, if it wasn’t the case that immigrants commit far fewer crimes Toronto wouldn’t be one of the safest cities in North America despite these recent murders and shootings. Chicago with approx. 20% of its citizens foreign born and about the same size of Toronto, has had something like 270 murders so far this year compared to Toronto’s approximately 30. I forget the exact numbers for both cities but the difference in murder and violent crime rate is massive. If immigrants were mainly responsible for crime like Ford and friends seem to think then Toronto should be a far more dangerous crime ridden city than it is.

      • Anonymous

        All one has to do is look at Manitoba and Saskatchewan.

        In my experience immigrants help to positively transform neighbourhoods.

    • Stephanievonawesome

      I personally like the notion that our Prime Minister has nothing better to do than explain to the mayor of Toronto, a city with more immigrants than Canadian-born folk (according to the 2006 census), how our IMMIGRATION LAWS WORK.

  • Jails, Jails, Jails

    my name is rob ford and i think the blacks should be deported, too violent.

    • Anonymous

      …sadly that’s the gist of what Ford is saying

    • Anonymous

      i am white and i disagree. there are a lot of good black people that are innocent, educated, and hard working.they don’t deserve to be deported because of other peoples mistake. but those that do commit crimes should defiantly be deported.
      please be realistic!!! read the article and click like because this is the closes thing that can happen to your wish :)

  • Toronto Truth

    Because only immigrants shoot people, and only football programs make sense for youth

  • Nex

    If only little Ginny was in a football program during the sweltering summer months and if she only lived in Etobicoke, then none of this insane immigrant perpetrated violence would have occurred !!! *rolls eyes*

    • @TheRealRob

      my name is rob ford and i need to purchase this parkland to erect a security fence to protect my children from immigrant bullets.

  • Anonymous

    Vaughan seems way smarter than Ford, but then so do most people I know. It is excruciatingly embarrassing that Toronto elected this buffoon.

  • BROCKTOON

    FUCK YOU FAT FORD

    • Anonymous

      Stick to the topic at hand and try not to make any snide remarks about the man’s weight. It cheapens the debate and speaks volumes about you.

  • Lxpatterson

    Send em all back to Africa!…. Man is this Ford guy some sort of Heritage Front “racialist”?

    • Anonymous

      why africa??
      this will be for everyone it does not matter what country people come from!

  • Anonymous

    Rob Ford handing out his business cards and running away to his Fordmobile, won’t help keep kids out of trouble.

  • Yahoo

    Adam for mayor.

  • P Parker

    Adam Vaughan for Mayor? That’s as scary as ‘Prime Minister Jack Layton’! Both of these idiots seem (seemed) mostly interested in making headlines, and getting their pictures in the paper…mainly by trying to please everyone and I’m sure they think if everyone did as they say we’d live in Utopia now. Some of the truly looniest ideas of Silly Haul came from Layton, and Vaughan seems intent to replace him. I love his ideas about banning bullets. All those illegal gun owners would no longer line up at Crappy Tire with I. D. in hand to buy their ammo.They didn’t use illegam ammo too did they.

  • Anonymous

    check out this article comparing tough on crime with smart on crime policies:
    http://www.economist.com/blogs/democracyinamerica/2011/07/norwegian-v-american-justice

  • Lezzlie

    Rob Ford has a very tiny brain. Everything is one dimensional with him – black or white. He’ll never get it. Jezze – he never GOT it. Can someone start the countdown to 2014 when we can FINALLY vote this nimrod out of here!

  • Anonymous

    canada use to be the best country to live in.now its not!
    we should try to eliminate as much gun violence as we can.
    our children are growing up in this country and we would never want them to be a stand by in a shooting and get shot.
    if someone is capable of shooting innocent people just because of pride or other issues that they have. obviously means that they most likely capable of doing it again.(keep in mid little kids get shot).it shows that thoes people have no care for others.they dont feel others pain.they are sociopaths.
    not every person is capable of doing that but those that do could have killed you or your loved one.
    they deserve a punishment. they should go to jail and should be deported so we have less of those people here.
    jail punishment time is very long for those who get convicted they will get institutionalist and wont know how to live life in public so what 99% will happened they will commit another crime and go back to jail.that means more taxes for us to pay.
    getting deported is not as bad as death penalty so don’t make a big deal!!!
    it just means less criminals in canada
    another issue is where people like that get guns in the country without having gun license.
    they should come up with a better way to prevent people buying guns with no gun license and people selling guns.

  • Anonymous

    canada use to be the best country to live in.now its not!
    we should try to eliminate as much gun violence as we can.
    our children are growing up in this country and we would never want them to be a stand by in a shooting and get shot.
    if someone is capable of shooting innocent people just because of pride or other issues that they have. obviously means that they most likely capable of doing it again.(keep in mid little kids get shot).it shows that thoes people have no care for others.they dont feel others pain.they are sociopaths.
    not every person is capable of doing that but those that do could have killed you or your loved one.
    they deserve a punishment. they should go to jail and should be deported so we have less of those people here.
    jail punishment time is very long for those who get convicted they will get institutionalist and wont know how to live life in public so what 99% will happened they will commit another crime and go back to jail.that means more taxes for us to pay.
    getting deported is not as bad as death penalty so don’t make a big deal!!!
    it just means less criminals in canada
    another issue is where people like that get guns in the country without having gun license.
    they should come up with a better way to prevent people buying guns with no gun license and people selling guns.

    • Anonymous

      “canada use to be the best country to live in.now its not!”

      Deport yourself.

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