Bloodz vs. Cripps - Toronto housing complex plagued by gangs

From the Globe and Mail (Youth of Chalkfarm caught in violent tide by Omar el Akkad, March 13, 2007):

The residents of Chalkfarm Drive know the score. The building at 170 is Bloodz territory, they say; 160 is Cripps.

Such is the calculus of everyday life in one of Toronto's most crime-ridden corners.

"If you want to feel like you're living in the ghetto, this is the place to be," said one resident, who asked not to be named for his own safety.

Plagued by gangs, drugs and guns, the four apartment buildings here -- three identical 23-storey towers and one of 28 storeys lining Chalkfarm Drive near Jane and Wilson -- seem caught in a rising tide of violence.

On Valentine's Day, as the resident was making his way to his apartment in one of the three identical buildings, he said hello to a neighbour, 18-year-old Alexander Lewis. A few hours later, police came knocking -- Mr. Lewis had been stabbed to death in the hallway outside the neighbour's apartment.

Less than a month later, a 13-year-old boy was stabbed in the neck outside one of the buildings. A 19-year-old suspect surrendered to police last Friday and is now facing various charges, including attempted murder.

[. . .]

Read all of Omar el Akkad's article.

See also:

Project Top Hoodlum - Fear of 'escalating conflict' with Regent Park gang led to Project Originals arrests

Anti-gang sweeps placing huge strain on Ontario legal aid plan

Technorati tags: gangs Toronto crime Toronto