Ever Get That Feeling Of Deja Vu? The Police Returned

About two hours after the three police cars were on my street my husband said I should have a look down the street. I threw a sweater on, and put some shoes on my feet. I went outside, and to the sidewalk.

Sure enough, they were back. There were three police cars parked in front of the same house. I didn't see what they were doing, if they went inside the residence, or if anyone came out with them. I did not see if any more citizens of this fine city were put into the back of any of the police cars. All I know is that we do have a police presense on my street.

As we were walking back to the house my husband mentioned that he was out in the back lane. He went there after I mentioned prostitutes were in the neighbours yard, according to word I received from another resident. He said he found evidence of them. Well, I could not let that go. I said I wanted to see this, because I could not find any evidence. Not when I was looking. I mean, I know there are always used condoms in the back lanes. But you can never find a used condom when you want to take a picture. Off we went in search of the evidence. And sure enough we found it. There were a few condoms in that particular back yard.
And wouldn't you know it, while we were in the back lane, the same time the police were sitting on the front street, there was a cab parked in the lane. Cabs do not park in back lanes to pick up or drop off regular fares. They park in back lanes when the fares are running illegal product. Bicycles and cabs. Thats how drugs move, well, in the North End anyway.

The Mayor Has Not Answered My E-Mail

I sent an email to the mayor on Sept 10-10. I wanted to know what he was doing regarding his promise to take care of the issue I had with the City By-Law Office. It seems they are not able to find the person who illegally dumped items in my dumpster. Although I provided a photo including the person, their vehicle, and the license plate number, the City By-Law Office cannot research the license plate number. I was told they do not have access to the MPI database to find out who the person is.
Well, the Mayor, when he called me, said he would look into this personally. He said it is a shame that a citizen would take the time to report a crime and nothing is getting done about it. I guess the Mayor is just another person who is not doing anything about the illegal dumping of garbage in the dumpster in my back lane. I know it is just garbage. But what it really is, is the City By-Law office having By-Laws that cannot be enforced. And that, citizens of Winnipeg, should not be ignored.

Here is the letter I sent the Mayor, that is being ignored:

I would like to know the status of my issue sent to the City By-Law office regarding illegal dumping of garbage in the dumpster in my back lane. The mayor called me regarding this issue and said he would take care of it personally. I would like an update on what is being done with the issue, ticket number 405412 reported Aug 20. I was advised on Aug 26 that City By-Laws had no access to vehicle license information to process the ticket. On Aug 27 the mayor said he would take care of this issue for me.

Please advise.

I still want an answer on what is being done with the issue I reported. I am prepared to go to court and testify against the person who thought he had every right to dump his garbage in my dumpster. I do not consider my back lane a garbage dump that the rest of the city can use to deposit items they no longer want. As a citizen of this city, I demand something be done about this. And as a citizen of this city, I would think a promise the Mayor made to me would be kept.

How Many Police Cars Does It Take To Collect One Boy Or Man?

How many police cars does it take to collect one boy or man? Well, on my street it takes three.
If I were them, I would be careful going into these houses too. The person looked young. Wanna bet he is a youth? Wanna bet he will be home for supper?

Didn't I just tell someone that my street isn't that bad? Wasn't I just looking down my street at the various houses thinking most of them are owned by people living on my street? Wasn't I just saying we really only have three bad houses?
I think I need to do a re-count on how many houses I believe are good houses. How about I say that most of the houses on my part of my block are good. Ya, that might be more like it. How about this ... There are really only five possible bad houses on my part of the street. You know, the houses I can see from my front window. Ya, thats more like it. I think the other eleven are good houses. That doesn't sound so good any more. I think a third of the houses I can see are a little suspect.
But still, we don't have issues with machettes on our street. There are prostitutes, but they are quiet. Except if you have one working outside your bedroom window. Just a little something I heard from a bird.
Ya, our street isn't that bad, really.

Action At The Party House, But Different Than The Usual

There was action at the party house again tonight. But it was not the usual noisy party at all hour of the night. This time the action was around 8:30pm. It came in the way of an ambulance. There was a police car at the scene, and the usual supervisor car for the ambulance. A couple of women and a few kids were walked into the ambulance. The stretcher was not used to transport anyone. The police did not stick around until the ambulance was ready to leave. The supervisor vehicle left as well.
Maybe one of the women or kids needed medical attention. Maybe they needed a ride to the Health Sciences Center area. I just hope the kids are alright. They are the innocents in all of this. One of the kids was quite upset about having to go into the ambulance and was heard yelling "I don't want to go". I could hear him crying in the ambulance.
A few cars had to turn around on the street and go back the way they came. They could not get past the ambulance on the street. One resident was on their way out, and had to turn the car around to leave. An ambulance on the street is not that unusual. We have had our share.
If the ambulance was called as a glorified taxi ride, it is adding to the shortage of ambulances we have in the city. And it may be keeping an ambulance from attending a real emergency.
It's just another day in the hood.
And in the distance is another siren.

What Happens To A Recycling Box That Is No Longer Wanted?

What do you suppose happens to a recycling box that is no longer wanted. I know. It goes into the dumpster in my back lane. There were five recycling boxes and part of a table in one dumpster. The next dumpster had the remainder of the table, a chair, and a small trampoline. Then the next dumpster had a large childrens play castle and some sealed cardboard boxes marked garbage. The next dumpster had several garbage bags. The next dumpster had some lamps .....

This was all garbage that was deposited last night from the late night menace in my back lane. I don't know who they were. I do not have a description of the truck or the license plate. It wouldn't really do me any good anyway, since the City By-Law office does not have the ability to investigate these issues when a vehicle license number is provided.
All I have is an address that was written on one of the recycling boxes. And I cannot prove who put it there.

Chasing The Late Night Garbage Menace

I heard a vehicle in the back lane a little while ago. I got up and checked out the window. Sure enough there was someone stopped at the dumpster. I could hear them throwing stuff into the dumpster behind the house. My husband and I got our shoes on, I grabbed the camera, and we ran out of the house.
The truck had finished putting stuff in our dumpster and went down the lane to the next dumpster. They were filling the next dumpster with suff from their truck.

We ran down the lane to get closer to the truck. We heard the guy in the back of the truck yelling at the person driving as he was banging on the top of the truck cab. "Hit it, Go, Go" as the truck went to the next dumpster down the lane. "It's Full, Hit It, Go, Go". We tried to catch up with the truck. They drove to the next dumpster. "Go, Go, Hit It". They kept going down the lane. I managed to get one picture of the truck, but it was too far away, and it was already dark outside. They stopped at the end of our lane, and deposited more garbage in another dumpster. Then they proceeded down the next lane. We could hear them all the way down the lane. "Go, Go, Hit It" and "It's Full, Go, Go" as they made it down the back lane of the next block.
As we made it back to our yard we waved at the Police who were casually driving down our lane.

311 Was Correct In Directing My Complaint to Police, But ...

I sent an email to 311 to request a noise complaint be forwarded to the department that takes care of the Neighbourhood Liveability By-Law. It was a noise complaint regarding people making noise in the middle of the night. It was a noise complaint regarding repeat offenses of people yelling, screaming, swearing, and smashing property in the middle of the night, over several nights.
In the email, I asked that the issue be forwarded to the department that takes care of the Neighbourhood Liveability By-Law. The issue was forwarded to the police.
I was under the belief that the By-Laws were enforced by the By-Law department. When I spoke with a member of the Police Community Support Unit, I asked who enforces the Neighbourhood Liveability By-Laws and was told it was the By-Law department. But what I failed to ask is if the entire Neighbourhood Liveability By-Law was enforced by the By-Law department. It seems that Section 67 is not enforced by the By-Law Department. In fact, Section 67 (which deals with human and animal noises) is taken care of by two different department, depending if it is human noise or animal noise. The human noise is taken care of by the Police, and the animal noise is taken care of by Animal Services. How confusing is that!
So, when I asked the member of the Police Community Support Unit who takes care of the issues I was referring to, I should have asked "Who takes care of Section 67 as it applies to human noise, of the Neighbourhood Liveability By-Law?". That was my mistake, and I wish to apologize for the error.
Now, I just have one more question. Does anyone fine the people who are in violation of Section 67 as it applies to human noises, of the Neighbourhood Liveability By-Law? Or do the Winnipeg Police just go to the location of the violation and ask them to be quite?
I have to be honest with you. When I first read Section 67 of the Neighbourhood Liveability By-Law I got excited. I thought finally, there was something that protected neighbourhoods from excessive noise. I thought this little By-Law could prove to be useful in taking care of Party Houses. What I know so far is that I have to call the police each time the noise happens, and call when the noise is happening. And I have to keep doing this over and over again. I am not sure to what end just yet. But that is what's required.
Do the Police fine the individuals making the noise? I don't have an answer on that yet.
How many noises can a noise maker make? I don't have an answer on that yet either.

311 Will Not Send My Complaint To By-Law Office

I sent a noise complaint to 311 regarding the Party House a few doors down. I did this because the neighbourhood has rights, according to the Neighbourhood Liveability By-Law. I want the By-Law department to be aware that there is a noise violation occurring on my street. I want the By-Law people to know the Party House is continuing to disturb the neighbourhood in the middle of the night, waking up the residents of my street.
I already talked to the police, and made a report with them. I also asked the officer if he could tell me who actually enforces the Neighbourhood Liveability By-Law. I asked because 311 sent me an email saying they sent my complaint to the Police. The officer told me the By-Law department enforces the Liveability By-Laws. The officer said the offending people will be fined for making the noise.
So I replied to the 311 e-mail. I specifically stated in my email that I wanted the complaint to go to the By-Law department. I received a reply from 311 that the Police deal with noise complaints regarding people and the By-Laws department only deals with noise complaints made my machinery.
Do I have to quote the By-Law act to them? Do I have to educate the 311 agents? Or am I and the police officer I spoke with both wrong? I specifically asked for my email to go to the By-Law department and it was refused. So, I forwarded the email to a person in the By-Law department to see if 311 is correct. I want to know if I am allowed to request this information go to the people who can fine the individuals making the noise.
If the By-Law department are not aware of the noise issues taking place at the residence, then they are not able to get a complete picture of the By-Law related infractions at the residence. I was not calling 311 at 4:00am asking them to go to the residence and tell them to be quiet. I was not calling 311 to take immediate action on an issue that may get out of hand. I was contacting 311 after three instances of noise to have the repeat issue forwarded to the department that takes care of noise violations.

Here is the noise section of the act that pertains to human noise and animal noise:

Noise nuisance prohibited
67(1) Except to the extent permitted under this By-law, a person must not make or continue, or cause to be made or continued, or own or harbour an animal that makes:
(a) an unreasonably loud, unnecessary or excessive noise or sound;
(b) a noise or sound which unreasonably disturbs, injures or endangers the comfort,
repose, health, peace or safety of a reasonable individual of ordinary sensitivity; or
(c) a noise or sound which is so harsh, prolongued, unnatural or unusual in time and
place so as to occasion unreasonable discomfort to any individual or so as to
detrimentally affect residential properties or places of business.
67(2) In determining whether a noise or sound has been made which contravenes subsection (1),
the following factors, among others, may be taken into account:
(a) the time of day and day of the week on which the noise or sound was made;
(b) the nature and use of the area from which the noise or sound emanates and the
nature and use of the area at which it is received;
(c) the nature of the event or activity producing the noise or sound;
(d) the volume, duration and nature of the sound, including whether it is recurrent,
intermittent or constant; and
(e) the ‘A’ weighted sound level of the noise or sound and the ambient sound level, if
measured, but not ‘B’, ‘C’ or ‘linear’ weighted sound levels.
Certain activities prohibited