Cops target squeegee kids

[Automation Gallery]

Its about time

Deputy Mayor Doug Holyday hopes to outlaw squeegee kids and panhandlers from Toronto streets after a 43-year-old motorist was attacked and left bloodied on Queen St. W.

The victim, a Newmarket man, was attacked after stopping at a traffic light at Queen and Spadina Ave. around 3:15 p.m. Monday and a man with a squeegee suddenly began cleaning his windshield, Toronto Police said.

The motorist got out of his vehicle to confront the so-called squeegee kid. And that’s when the situation apparently turned violent.

Holyday, a city councillor, said he’s convinced there is the political will at City Hall to ban panhandling and squeegee kids from Toronto’s streets.

“We are going to do something about this,” he vowed.

Holyday — who has been pushing for city council to tackle what he sees as a panhandling problem — said incidents such as Monday’s attack are bound to happen.

“There are bound to be conflicts if we keep letting people not use our public property properly,” Holyday said. “This is not the first incident and it won’t be the last.

Const. Tony Vella said that in Monday’s incident, the motorist told the squeegee-equipped beggar to stop cleaning his windshield.

“The accused allegedly struck the victim a number of times with the squeegee,” Vella said.

The motorist’s face was bleeding badly from a gash to his head when he was taken to hospital for medical treatment.

“We recommend if you have an issue with a squeegee kid that you stay in your vehicle and call the police,” Vella urged.

Holyday conceded it may not be for Toronto councillors alone to solve, acknowledging a panhandling crackdown may need some changes to Ontario law.

“We may require the province to help us,” he said.

Jason Ortiz, 23, was charged with assault with a weapon in connection with Monday’s attack.
http://www.torontosun.com/2011/06/07/outlaw-squeegee-kids-holyday

Altercation prompts call for harsher controls on squeegee kids
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news...her-controls-on-squeegee-kids/article2050969/

Squeegee kid beat driver, police say
http://news.nationalpost.com/2011/06/07/squeegee-kid-beat-driver-police-say/

 

[dt_toronto_geek]

I'm not against cracking down on squeegee kids, what they are doing is dangerous, intimidating to drivers and can delay traffic. I'm more sympathetic to panhandlers though it looks bad on the city through a tourist's eyes with so many of them throughout the downtown. Every summer there seems to be more of them, sadly it's probably a sign of the times.

 

[Bruvyman]

The motorist got out of his vehicle to confront the so-called squeegee kid. And that’s when the situation apparently turned violent.

Duh.

Wow...a confrontation turns into a violent situation. That's odd. Since the guy with a squeegee is poor and has no car, it was obviously his fault and not that of the guy who got out of his car to start something. Better do something about those squeegee kids!

This is an isolated incident. The squeegee kids are far fewer than they were a few years back (and far less aggressive as I recall). Once again, the Ford administration is making an issue out of nothing. This is a big city, hence there will be poor people, and panhandlers, and squeegee kids. Deal with it and stop being so hyper-sensitive.

Reminds me of that Simpsons episode where in a promotional video for the idyllic town they are moving to, a homeless person is *poof* turned into a mailbox.

 

[taal]

I'm not against cracking down on squeegee kids, what they are doing is dangerous, intimidating to drivers and can delay traffic. I'm more sympathetic to panhandlers though it looks bad on the city through a tourist's eyes with so many of them throughout the downtown. Every summer there seems to be more of them, sadly it's probably a sign of the times.

hmm, really ? I was going to say the opposite, there's a lot less then there were 5+ years ago. Still enough. I agree that 99% of them are not intimidating at all, but you can argue it doesn't help tourism.

Now squeegee kids, that's simple, lock them up (no matter how nice they are) ... and that's already the law as far as I'm aware. Really the only way I'd make an exception is if they all asked before they started, which you can't enforce and the majority don't.

 

[TrickyRicky]

"about time....my cousin from Texas was amazed or disappointed to see how much graffiti,beggars and garbage is in the downtown core,she havent seen the city in 9 years are she notice it right away how grimey the city looks now.She loves our city because how well all races get a long , so many restaurants and entertainment are close by but she said in her Cedar Hill area you rarely see tags and the streets are pretty much spotless.One thing that she notice havent change is how "unfriendly" people are...LOL..welcome to Toronto cuz........."

If this is how you feel I totally understand so I'm not mocking you but I've got to say it brought a smile to my face. There should be a template for this statment where you just fill in the blanks for "relation" from "x part of the world" etc. LOL

 

[Ak2809]

Duh.

Wow...a confrontation turns into a violent situation. That's odd. Since the guy with a squeegee is poor and has no car, it was obviously his fault and not that of the guy who got out of his car to start something. Better do something about those squeegee kids!

Are you saying that someone verbally confronting someone else justifies assault? Because this is what I'm taking from that statement, as it seems you're trying to shift the blame for the assault to the victim.

I absolutely agree that this is an isolated incident and hardly worth the fuss that's been made of it, but what I take issue with is your assessment of the situation.

 

[Bruvyman]

Are you saying that someone verbally confronting someone else justifies assault? Because this is what I'm taking from that statement, as it seems you're trying to shift the blame for the assault to the victim.

I absolutely agree that this is an isolated incident and hardly worth the fuss that's been made of it, but what I take issue with is your assessment of the situation.

No, I just think there`s a lot of assumption going on here. Have they got both sides to the story? Doesn't sound like it. Did the guy in the car get out and physically attack him or just verbally? I don't know because it just says "confronted". All I'm saying is that we don't know what happened, yet the kid with the squeegee is being made out to be a violent assailant when it is POSSIBLE that he was attacked by the motorist. I don't even think that's a likely scenario, but again, I don't know, so i'm not going to take this isolated incident and make sweeping claims to use it as proof that the squeegee kid issue is a major public-safety problem that is a city hall priority.

I get annoyed by squeegee people too. Annoyances are a part of life.

 

[Bruvyman]

hmm, really ? I was going to say the opposite, there's a lot less then there were 5+ years ago. Still enough. I agree that 99% of them are not intimidating at all, but you can argue it doesn't help tourism.

Now squeegee kids, that's simple, lock them up (no matter how nice they are) ... and that's already the law as far as I'm aware. Really the only way I'd make an exception is if they all asked before they started, which you can't enforce and the majority don't.

I don't know the law exactly as it applies to this issue, but my understanding is that there is nothing that prohibits you, me, or anyone from approaching a vehicle, squeegee in hand, and soliciting money by offering a windshield washing service. I know that there is a law called the "safe streets act" (or something similar sounding) that prohibits things such as aggressive solicitation, impeding another person etc. and makes it tougher to be a squeegee kid.

"...lock them up (no matter how nice they are) ..." is not the law as i understand it.

 

[Ak2809]

The issue is ridiculous because there is no realistic way to regulate people offering these services, and so you're left with two choices. Either accept squeegee kids and crack down on extreme cases, or outlaw it altogether and prosecute those who engage in the practice.

The question is, however, should squeegee kids be made into criminals? Personally, I don't believe in creating criminals out of a group of people some people find annoying.

 

[Bruvyman]

The issue is ridiculous because there is no realistic way to regulate people offering these services, and so you're left with two choices. Either accept squeegee kids and crack down on extreme cases, or outlaw it altogether and prosecute those who engage in the practice.

The question is, however, should squeegee kids be made into criminals? Personally, I don't believe in creating criminals out of a group of people some people find annoying.

Well said, and if I may .... +1

 

[CanadianNational]

A car is your private property.

Squeegee kids do not have the right to do anything to that property without your consent.

I believe panhandling, begging and squeegeeing should be illegal. Not unto criminalization - but rather to prohibitory measures. The safe streets act is a good piece of legislation for that.
One thing Toronto and the province needs to get to task on, though, are massively improved and expanded welfare and disability payments, psychiatric care, health services, housing and shelters for these people. If they want to be nomadic, that's a different kettle of fish. But something could be worked out. You can't shut the institutions and dry up the payments people need, until they can't support themselves and expect them to not get worse.

Along with public mental illness and destitution I think the amount of begging we see is a measure of society's failure to improve. It's not just the individuals.

Now if we could just do something about those white-collar criminals, we'd be talking.

 

[Bruvyman]

A car is your private property.

Squeegee kids do not have the right to do anything to that property without your consent.

I believe panhandling, begging and squeegeeing should be illegal. Not unto criminalization - but rather to prohibitory measures.

On what basis or justification would you make those activities illegal?

 

[thepatrickblack]

Your car might be private property but you're driving it in a public space. Things will happen to it.
How do we regulate illegal panhandling? They might not have money to pay a fine. For some of them, putting them in jail is a reward. And come monday, they're on the street again.
Preventative solutions are best. And I agree, giving people a leg up is more helpful.

 

[Eug]

The question is, however, should squeegee kids be made into criminals? Personally, I don't believe in creating criminals out of a group of people some people find annoying.

Annoying? I find some of them quite intimidating. And it seems for good reason: One guy has the "stupidity" to actually stand up for himself, and he gets his head bashed in. In fact, the very reason I don't stand up for myself when they approach me is because I'm afraid they'll do something to my car, or worse, something to me or my passengers. It's hugely foolish to call them merely "annoying". They should be outlawed.

P.S. What I do find annoying is the suggestion that because they're less fortunate than the rest of us, and because it's an issue with many facets, we should just accept their intimidation.

 

[paraone]

To be fair nobody knows what happened between the two, we don't know that he was just "standing up for himself" and we don't know if the driver was the aggressor either. Arguing about the intent of either is really a moot point.