Violence at North End housing unit frustrates neighbours

Residents of a street in Winnipeg's North End say they are fed up with a Manitoba Housing unit that they claim is the centre of crime and violence in their neighbourhood.

People living on Flora Avenue allege that drugs are being sold out of a suite in the Manitoba Housing multiplex, which is located on their street.

The concerned residents say they have complained to police and Manitoba Housing staff, but nothing has been done to date.

One mother of three, who is not being named by CBC News due to concerns about her safety, said her nephew was beaten up by kids from the multiplex in question.

The woman said when she confronted the housing unit's occupants earlier this week, they promised retaliation.

"They threatened to bomb my house," she said.

The resident said she just wants a safer neighbourhood for herself, her children and other children who live in or visit the street.

The block of Flora Avenue at the centre of residents' concerns is near a section of Selkirk Avenue that is home to numerous social service agencies and theMeet Me at the Bell Tower neighbourhood meetings.

'At my wit's end'

Bert Berriault, who lives just a few doors away, said he was beaten with a bat on the street last year.

"I have sleep insomnia, where I hear a pin drop and I'm up and patrolling my yard and my surroundings," he said.

"I mean, I'm at my wit's end," he added.

Berriault, who has lived on Flora Avenue for three years, said he believes young people from the multiplex are a big part of the problem.

"It's a lot of young kids with nothing to do who choose to drink, do drugs and then go around the neighbourhood and start terrorizing everyday people," he said.

He added that people from a couple homes on the street that are not Manitoba Housing units can be contributing factors.

Berriault said he has seen someone loading a shotgun behind the house and called police numerous times to report people running around the neighbourhood with machetes.

He said he also called police after seeing some kids throw their weapons into his yard upon seeing a passing patrol vehicle.

While Berriault said police patrols do pass by the block, he has had enough of the constant violence.

He said he has one wish: "To be able to sit on my deck and enjoy a coffee or say hi to my neighbours that aren't going to be there five minutes later fighting out with weapons."

Community officer assigned

Winnipeg police told CBC News they do not have a record of an alleged bomb threat and have received just a few calls about the multiplex in question.

However, the police service has assigned an community support officer to speak with concerned residents, said Sgt. Bonnie Emerson of the North End community support unit.

The officer will also check to see if people living in the multiplex are subject to any court conditions and orders, she added.

Emerson urged residents in any neighbourhood to call the police non-emergency lines if they want to report problems that are not imminent threats.

They can also file a complaint with Manitoba Housing about tenants, and they can contact the Public Safety Investigation Unit of Manitoba Justice, which can look into issues relating to safety involving weapons, drugs, gangs or prostitution.

"It's partly a matter of sharing information," Emerson said.

Emerson said the police have worked hard at informing the public about their options, but it takes time and trust to get people to make the calls that are needed so police can start acting on information.

"We need to work with the residents on these problems," she said.

"Going and putting a Band-Aid on it hasn't worked in the past [and] is not going to work. We need to work together to solve these problems."

A spokesperson for Manitoba Housing says it cannot discuss the activity at specific addresses.

However, tenants or others with concerns or complaints about Manitoba Housing units are encouraged to contact the agency's communications centre at 204-945-4663.