Winnipeg community vows to protect its young women

A Winnipeg community, stirred by recent events in the city, is taking action to protect young women in their neighbourhood.

JamesFavel,chair of theDufferinResidents Association, said thediscovery in August of Tina Fontaine's body in the river,and the recent Drag the Red operation, has inspired thecommunity association totake back their neighbourhood from the sex trade to make sure no more women end up missing, murdered, or in the Red River.

"You know, it is frighteningsomebody that is driving through our community currently looking for sex. Is this the person who is responsible for taking the lives of these women?" saidFavel's wife, ShannonMoar.

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"Is there one person that's coming or is there several people that are coming through the community and doing this to our women to victimize them. We don't know."

The association met Wednesdaynight to discuss theiraction plan, whichstarts with reachingout to young children about what is and isn't acceptable behaviour, Favelsaid.

"We're talking about an educational campaign maybe going into schools and talking to the young girls and women in our community that are badgered by unwanted sexual advances by the johns," he said.

"I guess we've become kind of numb to that kind of activity in our community and it doesn't go reported to police. We're trying to change that."

The community wants young girls to know it is wrong to get catcalls and flattery from johns trying to pick them up, he added.

"I want to teach them that this is not how life has to be," said Moar.

"You don't have to be victimized by people coming through the community and honking their horns and trying to pick you up on the way the school and on your way home from school and at bus stops. This is an ongoing problem. We see it every day and we would just like it to stop."

The association also wants to restartthe Bear Clan community patrol in their neighbourhood.

They have $1,000 in a kitty to start up the patrol, which would have memberswear shirts and walk the streets taking down the plate numbers of johns.