Toronto killing a wake-up call to homeless crisis in cities
- Stabbing to death of former Hong Kong man underlines the grim reality for ethnic Chinese immigrant families, who long thought they were immune from such misery
At night, when you walk along a street lined with homeless people in their makeshift tents, often consisting of no more than cardboard, well under sub-zero temperatures, you will quickly be convinced that basic housing should be a universal human right. Unfortunately, that’s not the case.
One of the economic and social paradoxes of rich countries is that, for many of them, homelessness has been a worsening problem in the past few decades, with no sign of improvement. What’s the point of being the richest people in human history – and lecturing everyone else on human rights – when you can’t even house a substantial segment of your own population and protect them from the elements?
The problem, unfortunately, is so multidimensional it’s unlikely that any government or politician with a limited term of office will have the will, incentive, vision or resources to seriously address. It has not only to do with housing supply and urban decay, but crime, alcoholism, drug addiction such as the fentanyl/opioid crisis across North America, mental health, and systematic – probably irreversible – funding cuts across the board in social welfare services. Neither charity nor individual goodwill can address the problem, though they may help some, perhaps even many, individuals in need, from a human perspective.
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Canada, and Toronto in particular, is a case in point. The city is consistently voted as one of the most pleasant in the world in which to live. For sure it is, provided you don’t stray off to low-income and high-crime neighbourhoods. But, I suppose, that goes with most “great” cities.
The killing of a homeless man, originally from Hong Kong, underlines the reality of homelessness for many ethnic Chinese immigrant families who, whether out of cultural arrogance or experience in life, long thought they were immune from such misery.
Homeless Ken Lee, 59, was swarmed and stabbed to death last month by a group of eight teenage girls, who met on social media. The girls have been charged with second-degree murder. He was reportedly trying to defend another homeless friend. A crowdfunding effort has raised nearly C$60,000 (HK$349,680) mostly from the Chinese community, to help his family cover funeral costs and possible legal services.
Canadians used to think that even if they hit rock bottom, there was always government social welfare to take care of them. Far fewer people think that any more. And ethnic Chinese families like to think when all else fails, their tight-knit networks of friends and relatives will always take care of their own. Lee’s case should give them pause.
The much-advertised Canadian humanitarianism and liberalism often look rather different on the ground. So far this winter, 15 people have died on the streets, according to the Toronto Homeless Memorial, 12 of them in the past month alone. We wouldn’t know how many died from cold exposure, but being left on the street can’t be good for your health. In the past 20 years, the memorial has recorded more than 1,000 dead.
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And yet, the city’s government can be quite merciless. Last week, in downtown Toronto, more than a dozen police officers and a comparable number of city workers showed up with a bulldozer and a tractor to demolish tents erected by a group of homeless people. Reports varied as to whether they were given previous warnings. One 70-year-old man said he even had his warm winter coat taken from him.
It was a significant deployment of officers, from a police force that regularly shows up late at crime scenes or emergencies because, it claims, of manpower shortages as it demands – and usually gets – higher funding. The number of homeless has risen to more than 8,600 from 6,000 in just two years. Most experts believe officials underestimate the numbers.
At least in Toronto, violence against the homeless is much rarer than in Vancouver and many American cities. It has taken a killing to make many people recognise a humanitarian crisis in their midst.
