WHO CARES ABOUT CRIME VICTIMS?

 

Enough Is Enough: Where Is the Concern for the Victim?

Nanaimo has learned the script.

A shocking incident hits the headlines. Politicians line up for microphones. The public is told “we take safety seriously.” Then the news cycle moves on — and the people who were actually harmed are left to absorb the damage in silence.

Today, we’re not doing the script.

Today, we’re putting the focus where it belongs: the victim.

Below is a screenshot of a public Facebook post from a Nanaimo bakery owner. In it, she describes a violent encounter that she says caused serious injury, ongoing pain, time away from work, and lasting fear — and she asks the simplest, most uncomfortable question of all:

Where is the concern for me?

Because while the system can produce endless explanations for repeat offenders — and even courtroom language about how “the system failed him” — it somehow can’t consistently protect the people who are getting hurt, losing work, losing sleep, and losing their sense of safety in the place they’re trying to earn a living.

If the answer is “no one,” then we don’t have justice. We have a revolving door — and ordinary citizens are the ones getting crushed in it.

The Silence Factor (and why the public rarely hears this)

There’s another layer to downtown violence that almost nobody talks about openly: many business owners stay silent. Not because nothing happens — but because they don’t want to chase customers away, invite backlash, or turn their business into a magnet for more trouble.

When violence becomes “bad for business,” silence becomes a survival strategy.

And once enough people stay quiet, the problem looks smaller than it is. That makes it easier for decision-makers to offer statements instead of solutions — while victims are left isolated, hurting, and unheard.

A community can’t fix what it’s afraid to name.

Questions Nanaimo deserves answered

• What court order, conditions, or restrictions were in place to keep the individual away from her and her business — if any?

• If there were violations, what happened after the first breach — and why did it allegedly happen again?

• Who decided “release” was acceptable — and what risk threshold is being used when the same names keep returning?

• What is the actual victim-protection plan for downtown workers and business owners who can’t simply “avoid the area”?

• Where are the measurable results the public was promised — not announcements, not speeches, results?

What VON will do

VON will be seeking on-the-record responses and publishing them. If the public is expected to live with the consequences, then officials can answer for the decisions — in plain language.

Enough speeches. Enough sympathy-only headlines.
It’s time for the system to show as much concern for victims as it routinely shows for offenders.

Screenshot of a Facebook post by Red’s Bakery (Jan. 18). Shared for public-interest discussion.

Legal note: The statements in the screenshot are allegations and opinions expressed by the author of the post. Any individuals referenced are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.

If you have experienced violence or repeated incidents downtown:
You do not have to go public to help establish the truth. VON will accept information on the record or confidentially (details verified before publication). Contact: voiceofnanaimo@mail.com

— Voice of Nanaimo