Serious Police Incident

There was a "serious police incident" on Nairn Avenue on Thursday afternoon.  It caused traffic to be rerouted which was an inconvenience for me.  Luckily, I am always early for everything so the considerable delay caused me to just be on time. 

When I was going back home, I was able to go on my regular route.  I saw the house.  It was completely burned down.  But, it was weird.  My house burned down in 1992 three weeks after my wedding.  Another red flag about the marriage that I ignored, but, that is another story.  My fire was the result of a coffee maker and our home had to be gutted.  The kitchen was completely burned down and the rest of the house had an uneven shell.  This house on Nairn Avenue was different.  You could see that the entire inside of the house was burned completely but the outside looked completely intact.  It was weird.

Apparently, there was a male who was high on meth and got into a car accident.  He escaped to this house.  His relationship to the people in the house is unknown.  At some point, a gun was drawn and the police became involved.  There was some sort of stand-off and then the house was set on fire.  The man is now in custody. 

Yes, this happened in Winnipeg.  I remember this house.  It was the location of the first homicide in Winnipeg of 2019.  The homicide was drug related and some of the neighbours described the comings and goings at the house.  I remember thinking that this neighbourhood would welcome a treatment centre. Now, the house doesn't exist anymore. 

The activity at the house will find another house and another neighbourhood will be terrorized.  It could be my neighbourhood.  It could be yours.  I don't think meth discriminates when looking for locations. 

I know a guy who I used to work with and socialize with.  Two years ago, he was in his mid 40s with a wife, two kids, and the white picket fence lifestyle.  Drove a compact SUV and was a rising star at work.  Today, he is unemployed, homeless, and has had many losses.  This is also in Winnipeg.  You just don't think it is going to happen to someone like him, until it did.  Meth is just that powerful.  Nothing like anything we have faced before. 

When I look back, I remember one evening when a group of us were out for supper.  I knew he had been smoking pot for a long time.  I remember him going out for a puff and coming back completely stoned.  Now, I wonder how could a seasoned marijuana user become that stone after one joint.  He wasn't mellow, he was agitated and irrational. 

Apparently, the street pot you buy today is not "your grandma's marijuana".  The THC content has been increased by hundreds of percentages, and it is laced with other drugs such as crystal meth.  It is highly addictive. 

It is a new world now as a result of methamphetamines.  We need to help people who find themselves addicted.  We need more.  More treatment.  More prevention.  More after-care.  More housing.  Just more. 

As I am typing, I just heard that Winnipeg had two more homicides over night.  We are almost at the number in the whole year of 2018.  I don't know any details, but, I am a gambler.  I am willing to bet that drugs were involved.

I think more available treatment would lead to less serious police incidents. 

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