(Supplied by Connecting Our Community - Lethbridge)

By David Opinko

Lethbridge residents to protest against crime Nov. 3

Oct 28, 2019 | 11:24 AM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – A group of people in Lethbridge have said enough is enough.

Spokesperson and Organizer of the Rally for Change, Mallory Kristjanson, says a significant portion of the city’s population no longer feels safe going about their everyday lives.

“We have calculated hundreds of stories of people who no longer feel safe leaving their houses, children who can’t even walk to school anymore, and this is a problem for us.”

Her organization, Connecting Our Community, was formed this summer when one of her neighbours was sexually assaulted while walking to a friend’s home nearby. As she called the police and awaited their arrival, she recalls seeing four attempted break and enters in her immediate surroundings.

Kristjanson says a lot of people are busy typing away at their keyboards about how they no longer feel safe, but she believes that more real action needs to happen before anything changes.

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“We’re allowing this to happen because we’re not stepping up as a community, we’re not advocating for our safety, for our childrens’ safety, for the vulnerable seniors who are living alone and don’t even want to leave their houses right now. It’s a problem and I’m going to stand up and I’m going to ask and invite the community to stand with me [and say] that we deserve better.”

She is specifically looking for greater police resources to be able to respond to incidents as they happen and to prevent officers from getting burnt out.

In an interview with LNN last week, Lethbridge Mayor Chris Spearman said he believed the City of Lethbridge had already done a lot to bolster law enforcement in the community through the introductions of The Watch and the Community Peace Officers. He will continue to advocate the province for more on its end.

Councillor Blaine Hyggen, however, is expected to introduce a motion at the Monday, October 28th city council meeting that will direct the Police Commission to look into hiring another eight police officers – an additional two per shift.

Kristjanson thanked Hyggen for everything he has done to support her group and to make Lethbridge a safer place to be, adding that this motion is a great start.

“I believe that those eight officers will make a difference, but we’re gonna be demanding for more funding for more officers so that these guys don’t get burnt out because they are working constantly, around the clock, to make sure that we are staying safe as a community.”

The organizer is expecting hundreds to come to the rally near the Nikka Yuko Japanese Gardens along Mayor Magrath Drive South.

The protesters will look to be as visible as possible from the side of the road, but Kristjanson told LNN that it will be a “peaceful, collaborative rally” that will not interfere with traffic.

It takes place from 12:00 pm to 2:00 pm on Sunday, November 3rd.