Hayward Park: residents denounce acts of violence and vandalism

A father said his son was hit by a pallet gun and confirmed that he himself was struck in the face. One group hit another young person. The man denounced numerous acts of vandalism such as: broken home windows, damaged cars, presence of many syringes on the ground, etc.

“You’ve taken our park away from us. You better act before we experience a similar situation that occurred in north Montreal. You have to take huge measures like hiring a security officer and installing surveillance cameras. What is needed is a zero tolerance policy. These incidents have coincided with the Maison des jeunes, the establishment of which was done in an irresponsible manner – that’s my opinion.”

Mayor Manon Barbe explained that several measures have been taken and that several others will be implemented. The workers in the community (Borough, police officers, park monitors and Maison des jeunes personnel) met together to find possible solutions. “We’d like to send the message that parks are public places and belong to all LaSalle residents. No one can take the park and claim it as his territory.”

As far as the Maison des jeunes is concerned, the Mayor said: “I understand your reaction but as a society, we have a responsibility to take care of our young people. There are competent people who are working with them, guiding them and taking them out of the streets. Since the “pallet gun” incident, there have been people of authority who are constantly in the park. We want to win and the only way to do so is to be present on-site. We will not let you down. We will be around for as long as needed so that the park is safe at all times.”