Want to make Toronto better? Learn from a drug dealer

Rev. Jim Parker.

The Boston preacher wanted to make his crime-ridden, shady neighbourhood better.  He wanted to reach out to the youth in positive ways, but everything he tried didn’t work. 

Finally in desperation, the Boston preacher approached the local drug dealer. 

“Sir,” he said, “I want to help the youth of this community, but nothing I do seems to attract any youth.”

 “Yes...,” the drug dealer replied. 

“But I notice,” responded the preacher, “that your Youth Ministry is doing quite well.” 

“Yes...,” replied the drug dealer. 

The preacher then asked his question: “What, may I ask, is your secret?” 

“You really want to know?”

“I do,” the preacher nodded emphatically, “I really want to know what makes you so successful.”

“It’s simple,” declared the drug dealer sincerely, “I’m there ... and you’re not.  When Jamal comes home from school, I’m there and you’re not.  When Susie wants excitement, I’m there and you’re not.  When Mark wants a job, I’m there and you’re not.”

This is a true story that speaks volumes of truth for our city.  The good people of our city must stand up and “be there” -- be an active force for good, be a presence for peace, productivity and constructive decisions.

Our politicians need to “be there”: we need politicians who are not so concerned about getting re-elected, being politically correct, looking brilliant, or doing the minimum, but rather primarily concerned with supporting positive groups, with looking out for the best interests of our residents, with helping to keep our city from unproductive forces, and with doing what is right. 

We need to elect men and women committed to positive action and “getting their hands dirty” to improve our city.

About Rev. Jim Parker

Comments

[Paul Francis]

I was born and raised in Toronto.
Just as a cheerleading team can help inspire a football team, a song can inspire a city. At the present time, Toronto has no song. When you think of New York you think of the song "I LOVE NEW YORK" by Frank Sinatra. A song can give a city an identity and put it on the map. I have written and recorded an upbeat welcoming song about Toronto titled "QUEEN OF THE GREAT LAKES" bringing out some of the great qualities of Toronto such as it's muliculturism, the C.N tower, our wonderful airport, beaches, shopping malls, the zoo, flea markets, sporting events, theatres, festivals and the C.N.E. The song brings out the fact that Toronto is a great place to live, the name came from our native people and Toronto is Canadian.
I write and record songs locally under the name Franman. I will attempt to send an email to the Star with the song as an attachment.
I hope you like the song and hopefully Toronto will make it it's own.
Paul Francis

[Terry Robert]

I believe there is a lot to be said for Toronto becoming a separate province, but we shouldn't stop with Toronto. Generally, our provinces are too big in relation to the size of the Canada.
All the provinces from Quebec east to British Columbia are huge, not in population perhaps but in land mass. To split Quebec would be very difficult, but a practical solution for very different regions in the province. Like most other provinces the North has different priorities and needs that put stress of the province financially and likely ends in those residents not being serviced adequately. It would be preferable to have the financial burden supported by a Federal government until an adequate population would be attained - a territory like the Yukon, North West Territories and Nunavut.
Ontario should also be split so that Northern Ontario, probably from Sudbury west would be a separate province or territory. Manitoba has a huge area for a small population of just over one million citizens. It likely should be limited to a northern border just north of Thompson/Flin Fflon, at the most.
Saskatchewan's dividing line should be similar to Manitoba's and Alberta's and British Columbia at a line just South of Edmonton in Alberta and Prince George in B.C.
It's not about to happen of course, but current size not only puts too great a burden on on small populations, but in larger provinces creates a dysfunctional relationship with the country as a whole, with provinces too ready to asume the role of a Federal government. .

[Sonny Yeung]

Our heavenly father we pray that someone will address this issue. Though the Toronto crime rate is falling due to an aging population compared to Boston...

Would engaging youth at their point of interest like sports, music, performing arts etc, do the dirty work? Empowering people at a grass roots level might be a solution. There have been populist movements in the Global South based on liberation theology.

[Jamie]

but then all the politicians would lose there corporate support, and we can't have that

[Jesse Ewles]

Quite true. People fall into poor drug habits in absence of things like community engagement, hobbies, family, casual sports ect. I reject the image of the drug dealer as one of the "bad people" though. Are we in Kindergarten? Dealers are a symptom of poor city planning, not the cause of it.

[John David Stanway]

There are plenty of politicians who are more concerned with supporting us than with getting elected. We just don't vote for them, usually because their posters are smaller.

[Adrianna]

The problem with Toronto is over population (they never learn). More people than jobs, and what jobs there are, both parents must work in order to provide a meager income. The rates for anything in Toronto are ridiculous, and over-inflated. There are no free programs for kids anymore. It has become a business. And let's face it, most kids are on their own, and parents are too tired to notice these days, if they care at all.
The problems with an overcrowded city are many, and varied, and cities never learn. The overpopulation creates problems with crime, poverty, and the ability to find acceptable living accomodations.
Once they run out of room in the cites, they just extend it and move the incoming population to the outskirts, which just creates new places of the same problems, except now you can add traffic accidents/deaths due to the highways then being over populated.
Eventually, we will turn into the hell California is, without the year round sunshine, and access to a so far, unpolluted body of water.

[Michael]

If you cut after school programs to save money, close pools to save money, charge money to use public parks and tell the kids to amuse themselves in the mall after school because there are no soccer, basketball, swimming or whatever classes what you get is gangs and guns. Remember Mike Harris? All the cut cut cut brainless neo-conservative thinking was predictable in its outcome and here we are.
It takes adequate taxes properly directed to social programs to cure social problems. Want low low taxes and lots of crime and guns? Live in the US or if Harper has his way, Canada. Connect the dots folks and be there for the kids.

[deborah]

having options are a great thing in a great city; kids need to know that they can choose what they want to do with their lives, but they also need to have a choice & a voice.

[e mason]

Oh come on - forget borders, forget politicians, forget putting it all on everyone else - one of the few, free [and doable] things Toronto citizens can do is take responsibility for and pride in themselves and their city.

I look around at all the streets with sweet houses and no gardens, I've travelled in the dirty cabs with crazy drivers, I've stood in the subway with grimy walls, trawled the city looking for green space, walked the harbourfront hundreds of times looking for a clean place to sit as far as possible from the overflowing garbage cans - I watched the weeds grow in public gardens in summer, the long unkempt lawns and the lack of mulch on garden beds in winter. And last night I watched a guy take the last drag of his cigarette and stamp it out on the ground to sit among hundred of other similar butts. Trash everywhere, spit and gum on the sidewalks, homeless sleeping and standing on street corners - I've lived here 18 months and I cannot believe how badly this place is treated.

I don't suffer from OCD - but I do not allow the same shoes that walked those streets to walk into my house.

Thing is, in the context of Your City My City, your problems are no different from those other cities face - some of us chew gum, others smoke, some know what garbage bins are, we all have homeless, we all have development pressures, we all have trees...

But other similar cities seem to make the best of their natural and built assets, they maintain them, they do whatever is needed to ensure most things balance out... they make them assets, to ensure everyone lives and works in a place they can be proud of.

Toronto appears to be taking care of its own in a partcicularly special way. And when I look at the skyscrapers popping up everywhere, all those people moving in, I do wonder where all that money is going?

Lead by example people - take notice, take responsibility for your place in it and take some time to think about how you can do it proud.

You might find that the rest will take care of itself.

[wayne]

Why do liberals, (and Torontonians in general I guess) confuse the role of parents with the role of politicians?

It is parents that need to “be there”, not politicians. Politicians need to manage ad run our societal infrastructure.

[CanadianGeorge]

As a latch-key kid before the phrase was ever invented back in the '60's, and an immigrant to boot, my family and I took great pride in being a 'Torontonian'. This pride is missing not just in today's youth, but in their parents as well. Too many secular divisions, too many ethnic walls, too many people thinking they're SPECIAL. In the 'olden days' we were happy just to have a place to live, work, food, school, and friends. Today if seems that everyone has UNREASONABLE EXPECTATIONS. Pride in being 'from Toronto' will never occur given today's selfish multi-cultural attitudes...it will take a major change for everyone to work together toward a common good and common groundwork for the future. Given a few small successes the medium and then larger ones will become self-fulfilling prophecies....the reverse is also true on the downward slide to worse.

[Andrew]

Great article! Worth repeating.

[Bryan]

You make sense in a perverse way. It is simple as you said. The leader of our community should learn from what you wrote. We as the community should stop ignoring those who needs help and stop pretending that they do not exist. As you said-someone has to be there for them.

[Hank The Crank]

Too much expectation by people that the government do everything for us. We need to reduce government and free up personal funds for individuals so we can take the time to be the people you describe. Instead, we are taxed into a coma and generally don't have time to consider being a better person because we're too busy working to pay for government.

[Geoff]

The cure to what ails us: everybody on the entire planet pretends for one whole day that there are 6 billion other people sharing the same space who, at their cores, want food, water, shelter and a conversation.

[Bill R]

Social programs? How about a supportive family life to build strong citizens in the first place, so our kids have the self worth and knowledge to tell the drug dealers where to go? You want a stronger city, start with spending more time on your kids, instead of more time pursuing the almighty dollar. Parents, stop expecting the government and the teachers to do your job for you. Your kids always need you, but especially before the age of 5. Strong communities are built on strong families.

[Kev]

Alot of times we think the urban kids are all "hopeless" becuase they got themselves into trouble. the fact is that because they don't have anyone to rely on, they have to resort to drugs and gangs. If we all try a little bit to help these kids by being there for them, it will help for sure.

lets do our part together to help the future of the city get back on their feet! :)

[Michael]

I have recently moved to Japan; and coming from Toronto I have noticed stark differences in both people`s attitudes AND the way things are run.

People here don`t spit in public, because it`s gross. People would look at you with shocked faces - `did you see that guy spit on the ground? how inconsiderate... others will step in it.`.

People don`t throw garbage anywhere except garbage bins, and on the other hand the bins are emptied so frequently that you would never find an overflowing one.

People pick up garbage, even if it`s not their lawn.

People don`t throw their cigarette buds on the ground, but then actually they try not to smoke on the street in the first place as not to bother other people around them. But then again, streets are swept frequently so that if there were any garbage it would be gone by sunrise the next day.

If you get caught stepping over the barrier to sneak on a train, the police will not fine you, but they will inform both your family and your place of work. Same goes for speeding.

Actually, if you drink and drive, you go to prision straight away. The legal alcohol limit is zero. If there are people in the car with you, and you are driving drunk, they get fined too. If you have an accident, everyone in the car goes to jail. Heck... the people you were drinking with at the bar, if they know you drank and they knew you would drive and let you, they will get fined too. Needless to say, rarely ever do you hear of drunk driving accidents.

Those thin-wire bicycle locks still do just fine as bicycle thefts are quite uncommon; there are no bike lanes but rarely ever do you see cyclists and cars fighting for space.

I have yet to see any graffiti.

Schools offer a variety of clubs (baseball, soccer, basketball, languages, cooking), which students from grade 7-12 MUST attend every day after school (4-5) and on Saturday mornings.

There are virtually no drugs, nor guns. If you get caught with drugs, you go to jail.

Even though many rural or downtown alleys have no streetlights, crime and especially muggings are rare. I have never felt so safe walking home from the train station at 2am along a deserted road.

Don`t blame the politicians for the things that are wrong. These are all symptoms of a society which just simply doesn`t care enough to take care of each other if it costs them time, money, or if it makes their hands dirty.

Unless you are an angel, I am sure that you have spit on the street, or dropped garbage, taken a wee in an alley after the club, dropped a cigarette, driven intoxicated or know someone who has, know someone who does drugs or used to do drugs or have done drugs yourself. WE are what`s wrong with this system! If we can`t help ourselves, by god I hope politicans will. YES i want people to go to jail for drugs, and guns, and murder, and driving drunk. Unless everyone picks up garbage that doesn`t belong to them, our streets will never be clean.

[greg]

I was raised in a city where the government maybe does 1 / 100th of what the government in Toronto and Canada as a whole does. After school programs for example, were paid for by the PTA, churches or local businessmen in some cases even streets were paved or maintained by local residents, ridiculous.

Public Servants did so little, and took a lot of taxes. One difference I do notice between there and Toronto however is the level of pride residents had in their city. They never let disappointment in public services stop them from progressing.

I have never seen someone spit on the floor of a bus until I moved here. Kids as young as 12 are smoking at lunch time? Nobody cares. Ditch classes at school , the teacher won't call your parents to talk about it, an automated system sends a voicemail to the student's home , which the student in turn will delete before their parents get home.

Here someone else's problem is not your concern. Parents won't dish a dime to help upkeep anything in their children's school because its the governments job, you don't know your neighbors in some communities, during the garbage strike, people took pride in dumping their trash on the street? Where is the pride. Is that the responsibility of the government too?

Face it , politicians are in charge of constituencies with thousands of people, in Toronto's case they make decisions impacting millions, they won't be walking down main street every day kissing babies. People need to take responsibility for their own community, know your neighbor know the principal of the school down the street, no social program designed by a distant politician can replace the sense of community that can keep many Kids out of trouble.

Some would rather pay a tax and forget about it, dismissing all social responsibility, but Its time we all take some responsibility for our own neck of the woods.

[PAthena]

The reason people take drugs like cocaine, heroin, and marijuana is that they are pleasant - not because something is wrong with them. Rats were put in cages where they could take as much cocaine as they wanted; it was so pleasant that they forgot to eat and died! People from rich to poor take these "recreational" drugs for fun. The side effects are not fun - stupidity, loss of income, etc.