TORONTO – Toronto police have taken a man into custody in connection to two attacks that left the city unsettled. According to Toronto Police, the suspect in question approached victims from behind and slashed them in the face with an “edged weapon” in what are considered unprovoked attacks.
In recent days, many people in Toronto say they feel unsafe while walking the streets after a series of unprovoked attacks in recent days. On December 4th, 29-year-old Junlan Li was stabbed with a needle by a stranger at Yonge and College while waiting for the lights to change. Then on December 8th, two women were stabbed by a man they didn’t know while riding the TTC. A 31-year-old woman died, while a 37-year-old woman was taken to the hospital for non-life-threatening injuries.
Online, people are now calling Toronto “Gotham City”.
People are Concerned about Violence in Toronto
“Toronto really needs to do something about all these crazies in the streets.. I’m tired of hearing people getting randomly slashed in the face.. All my money goes to rent so I can’t even afford a car to escape these purge streets.. Someone call Batman cus Toronto turning into Gotham City!” wrote TikTok user @dawgyjotti.
“It doesn’t matter where you go in the city, it seems that you’re getting hurt when you’re at home and you’re getting hurt when you’re outside, you just gotta be careful,” said user @callmerobgf in a video posted to TikTok, encouraging others to be safe and spread positive energy.
But are good vibes enough? Many people don’t think so, and are calling for city officials to step up and do something to combat the violence in Toronto’s streets.
“Someone threatened me and my 11 year old daughter in Popeyes a few weeks ago. It was [a] random crazy, but it was still scary and has never happened to me before in this city,” shared one mother.
“When the team is losing, you fire the coach first. John Tory, chopchop,” commented another.
“We could have had mental healthcare as part of OHIP coverage but people wanted more Doug Ford so….. Here we are,” shared someone else on Instagram.
Others agree that improving mental health services is needed to address this problem.
“Mental Health is a huge part of our neglected system. This is Americanization at its finest – create distressed individuals and then point at them like they are the problem,” commented one person.
“The issues are systemic and start with mental health, addressing homelessness and investing in vulnerable communities so that people don’t end up in these conditions. There will always be sick individuals and people who make terrible choices, but the amount of crime in the city is tied to poverty, substance use, and lack of opportunities, among other factors,” someone else suggested.
Let us know in the comments, how do you feel?
