Terrific Toronto???

I have always loved Toronto. There is so much to do and so many places to see. If you want any type of cultural food all you have to is take a walk down the street and you can find it. In my neighborhood alone we have Middle Eastern, Korean, Chinese, Deli, Greek, Italian to name a few... This city used to be a safe place to raise kids, walk the streets at night and enjoy life in general...recently Toronto has become a very scary place. I am honestly thinking that living here may not be an option for much longer if the gov't doesn't do something to stop the violence. I work in Scarborough and really feel uneasy about walking around the mall here after work hours with all the gang members and frightening people milling around. NEVER look anyone in the eye and certainly NEVER accidently bump into anyone or you might have a gun stuck in your face. Some days I am really glad I drive a beaten up car as that way nobody looks my way when I go the parking lot...no need to draw attention to myself by driving a flashy car in this neighborhod!

The rate of homelessness seems to be on the rise as well. One evening as I sat at an intersection in a fairly affluent neighborhood there were three homeless youth holding signs requesting money for food. Four corners, three homeless youth...seems to me there is a serious problem here. I used to give money on occasion to these people who seemed so desperate for food until one day when I handed over a toonie to a man who seemed grateful but noticeabley drunk or high (had I noticed his altered state before he came close enough to take the toonie I would have never given him the money) I decided that I'd rather give tzadaka in other ways. Giving money to known and established charities is much more fullfilling and rewarding plus I know the money is being put to good use. Doing things in the community is much more rewarding, really what is more precious than ones time?!?! I am on a search for the best volunteer position for me.

If anyone can think of ways to help combat the problems of this city (and many big cities across the world) we must voice our ideas and put them to use. This trecherous problem needs to be address immediately, gangs, drugs, youth homeless are things that keep me up at night wondering about the state of our world at large!