Home sweet Montreal

Back home in Montreal - I still think of it as home, even though it's been four years or so that I haven't really lived here. I was walking randomly through the downtown area the other day, just soaking up the atmosphere, thinking how great it is to be back. As I was walking, I could feel a whole layer of - something - peeling right off. Self-defensiveness (is that a word?), or aloofness? It's not that I actively worry about getting mugged in Philly, but certainly I feel the need to be more vigilant when I'm there. I generally act rather like I don't see anyone when I'm walking in Philly, a sort of preemptive measure against solicitations and aggressive panhandlers. (Perhaps this is also why I see so many more people talking into their cell phones as they walk in Philly compared to Montreal.) Here, I feel so much more comfortable just sauntering about, looking at the people and buildings around me, a simple "non, désolé" sufficing to turn down a panhandler on the street corner, with a smile if he wishes me good day.

On homicides in Montreal and Philadelphia

So far in 2007, Montreal has had 7 homicides, of which 6 are street gang related. This has fueled a slew of articles about street gangs in Montreal in the Canadian press, and speculation of a gang war quickly quashed by police (links from the montreal city weblog). Just to say, 6 gang related homicides in 6 weeks in Montreal is considered newsworthy, and is considered to be a serious problem.

Meanwhile, Philadelphia has had 47 homicides (this comes out to roughly one homicide per day this year). I've gotten used to seeing the phrase "no arrests have been made, and police are still trying to determine a motive" in these articles. There is a general acknowledgment that Philadelphia has a high homicide rate and that this is a problem, but nothing much seems to be happening to deal with it, other than people talking about it and saying how it's a problem.

For comparison purposes, the population of the city of Montreal is around 1.5 million. The population of the city of Philadelphia is also around 1.5 million. (Note that the Philadelphia metropolitan area is more populous than that of Montreal.) Sure, Philly is a big city, and big cities often have lotsa crime, but this is inexcusable. I find the violent crime rates here in Philly put a serious damper on the quality of life. One big reason why I still pine for Montreal. I'm still looking for violent crime stats (ie. not just homocides) for both cities, and hopefully will post something on that later.