(This column was published in the North Shore News on July 14, 2004)
Race an issue in fatal shooting
By Leo Knight
ON June 30, a perennial troublemaker, Robbie Ramsey Araji, was stabbed to death in Waterfront Park in North Vancouver City.
The RCMP, under the auspices of the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT), issued a statement identifying Araji, 24, as the person who died.
Certainly, I might add, not entirely unexpected for the protege of Aly Khan Mawani, currently awaiting trial on charges of first degree murder.
Now, forgive me if I stick my nose in here and mention that North Vancouver City Mayor Barbara Sharp has spoken out a number of times complaining about the IHIT arrangement, where the North Vancouver RCMP detachment seconds one position to the IHIT unit.
Her narrow, parochial viewpoint is dramatically out of step with the reality of the violent world of gangs and organized crime so pervasive throughout the Lower Mainland.
In my view this mayor is rarely right on any subject, despite the fact she seems to have finally voted correctly on RAV after dangling around for the first two votes on the end of CUPE's puppet stings.
One wonders how many pieces of silver, metaphorically speaking, it took for her to change her vote?
But I digress.
Araji was the furthest thing from an angel.
He first came to police attention at the age of 11 years old.
A meeting happened at the time between school officials, concerned parents and the then North Vancouver RCMP school liaison officer, Const. Mike Lidstone.
The topic of discussion was the late but not lamented Araji, clearly demonstrating signs at that tender age that he would not adhere to society's rules.
Rumour has it that after Lidstone told the parents of Araji victims there was nothing the law could do until he was at least 12 years old, he was met the next day by several masked men under the overpass on Capilano Road and given a chat about his bullying, thieving and malicious ways.
But despite the efforts of some concerned members of the community, Araji continued on his criminal path.
The IHIT press release says the murder was not "random or racially motivated."
Inasmuch as the Chief of the Squamish Nation has appealed for calm and cool heads, and even imposed a curfew on the band youth, one wonders how race doesn't play a role in this.
The RCMP IHIT unit issued a statement through the Vancouver RCMP saying they were encouraging "Squamish Nation and Persian community leaders to come forward and co-operate with investigators."
OK, and race is not playing a factor?
Seems to me that inherent in that statement is that race is playing a major, if not the primary factor.
Byron Joseph, a member of the Squamish Nation council, echoed the statements of the RCMP
in saying to the North Shore News in an article published on Sunday, "I have gathered over the last little while that this was not a racially motivated or pre-determined act."
Interesting.
We seem to have a dead guy from a visible, identifiable community.
The leader of another visible, identifiable community is appealing for calm and saying the killing wasn't racially motivated all the while denying his own community's youth has been subject to a curfew.
At the same time, he said in the story reported in the News on Sunday, "Our community is concerned for the well-being of our young people and we are taking precautionary measures; as any community would do to ensure that our young people and those in other communities are OK."
Certainly, the IHIT investigators are working on the premise that the killer of Araji is a member of the Squamish Nation and the word on the street is there will be reprisals, hence the statements of Joseph.
But the real story here is one of escalating gang violence and how the respective community leaders are seemingly in denial or protection mode.
It doesn't matter whether we are talking about a recent drive-by shooting in Lynn Valley or a stabbing in Waterfront Park, the violence level between rival gangs in our community is rising.
The time is now for action to dismantle these gangs, and fight their illegal and violent activities before more lives get wasted and the inevitable innocent person is caught in the cross fire.
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