Frustration over vandalism boils over

The ongoing problem of vandalism in Prince Rupert has pushed one local business owner to rather drastic measures to get the message out that enough is enough.

Data Boy, the Third Avenue computer shop suffered a broken window on Monday evening, leading the owner to post his message for city council prominently in the space that once held a plate glass window.

Rob Vallee, who has been victimized in the past by vandals, wrote on plywood an accounting of the cost of each vandals attack and the cost of doing business in a city that he feels isn't doing enough to tackle the problem.

The local on line site htmf, has seen numerous participants engage in a debate over the issue of vandalism in the city, with one regular poster providing a picture of Mr. Vallee's sign and plea to city council to take some action.

Petro Canada on Hays Cove is another location that frequently seems to be a target of vandals, and once again passers by can see plywood in place of glass at the entrance to the gas and convenience station.

In addition to the the acts of vandalism, there have been a number of arson's set recently, giving residents cause to wonder who is responsible for the acts and who might be responsible for those that are committing them.

Wednesday's Daily News had details on the Data Boy incident, which according to the owner resulted in the participants being released from the police station and managing to make it back downtown before he did.

The latest incident and the reaction to it, highlights a problem that seems to be getting harder and harder for local residents to accept . City council may wish to take note, for it seems that there is a bit of a backlash brewing and frustrations that go unresolved; sometimes find comfort when it comes time to mark an x on a ballot.

Store owner calls for vandalism crackdown
By Kris Schumacher
The Daily News
Wednesday, September 12, 2007

The apparent increase in the amount of senseless vandalism and mischief in Prince Rupert has driven one local business owner to put a sign in his store window proclaiming: "window $1,500, prop. tax $6,000, city not caring about youth vandalism - priceless. Welcome to Prince Rupert".
.
Rob Vallee, owner of DataBoy computer store on Third Avenue West, put up the sign after having his storefront window broken on Monday night, the second time it had happened during the summer.

"My glass alarm was actually shut off, because about five times a week kids will come by and bang on the window and the alarm will go off," said Vallee.

"The police charge you $130 every time they show up, and there's no leeway on that because they say it's a false alarm."

After a citizen saw his window was smashed this week, he got a call at home. He went to the police station to find out if the RCMP was going to arrest the two youths they picked up who were responsible for vandalizing the window.

"The cops said they didn't know where their parents were, so I asked what they were going to do with them," explained Vallee.

"He told me: 'well, I'm going to have to let them go. One said he pushed the other into the window'. So I get back downtown and they were back downtown and they were yelling at me."
.
While Vallee is upset that little appears to have been done from a policing standpoint about his window, which will cost him $1,500 to replace, he's more upset that he pays $6,000 in annual property taxes but is still charged for so-called "false alarms".

"My building is appraised at $130,000, but even after it's paid off you're still paying $500 a month for the building just in tax, and what do you get for it?"

The RCMP has three officers on duty at night. Vallee wants more.

"I think, at least, there should be more patrolling of downtown, and possibly a curfew," he said.

"Thirteen-year-old kids shouldn't be out at 1 a.m. I'd be mad if my 13-year-old kid got into trouble and they released him back on the street because he said he didn't know where I was. I'd be mad."