Councillor Giorgio Mammoliti says give him four years and the co-operation of the municipal, provincial and federal governments and he’ll reduce gang violence in Toronto.
If, in the unlikely event, council agreed to give him permission to pursue an anti-gang strategy and he could get the help of the federal and provincial governments, he could reduce violence in the city, Mammoliti said Wednesday.
“If that did not show results over a four year period than I would resign my seat,” Mammoliti said. “I’m so confident that by adopting a particular plan, a tough plan, that you’d see a substantial decrease in what we’re experiencing right now.”
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Part of Mammoliti’s plan at the city level would see the city immediately cut off any social benefits for anyone caught co-operating with gang members or found with an illegal gun in their home.
“If they happen to be on welfare and it was found they knew (about criminal activity) they would immediately be cutoff from any government assistance,” he said.
If someone lived in Toronto Community Housing and had criminals living with them, Mammoliti said they would be kicked out of TCHC.
Money spent right now on “mentorship programs” aimed at older teens would be spent instead on kids between the ages of 3 and 5, he said.
“In other words, I’d basically say the 20-year-olds, we’re wasting a lot of money with, it is not going to work, it hasn’t worked,” he said.
Under his plan, Mammoliti said the province would need to make it easier for landlords to evict criminals and the feds to pass a resolution that would immediately deport any immigrant who was convicted of a gang-related crime.
“The other thing I would want changed federally is the definition of a terrorist because a gang member is a terrorist,” he said.
He also vowed to ask the federal government to bring back the death penalty
