A new group is being stereotyped for crimes they don't commit.

Today, TMU Safe, TMU's security system designed to alert students of threats, sent out three alerts in quick succession. They detailed the existence, movement, and eventual 'all clear' of an individual armed with an Ax adjacent to and later on campus. Luckily, the situation was resolved without further incident, and no one was injured. This garnered prominent discussion and was, for some students, understandably unsettling and frightening.

Students at TMU are, broadly speaking, progressive. And, like many progressives, are what is casually called 'woke,' progressive in the 'right' ways. Modern progressives exist in a state of being aware of the institution of racism and their roles in it. Many progressives claim they would never profile a person of color as a criminal, and if you asked, 'if you heard about a crime, would you assume the race of the perpetrator?' you'd get gasps and a response along the lines of 'Never!' They aren't wrong either. Most progressives, I hope, would not profile by race.

But there is a critical flaw about, a lack of thinking beyond just what these progressives have heard it woke. They wouldn't profile because they have been told it's wrong. But there is a shortcoming in applying that knowledge beyond just what an infographic has told them is woke.

Immediately after the axe incident was cleared and the downtown campus streets again flooded with students, one would repeatedly overhear the same rhetoric. Sometimes in passing causality, sometimes in humor, sometimes in fear.

"Crackheads,"

"Homeless,"

"Victoria Street"

That's the shortcoming. Many who would call themselves progressives or leftists also regularly spew this rhetoric. Any time a violent crime takes place, the blame is immediately put on these three groups. Without even getting into those terms, their flaws, or even how they are not remotely interchangeable, this is alarming.

These conclusions are jumped too without any evidence or reasoning. Too many hear of a crime and immediately think and remark with certainty what group committed it. Yet, more often than not, those responsible for stabbing at Yonge and Dundas or a subway pushing are from home families and have no addiction issues. In an earlier article, the Toronto Compass revealed not one murder or notorious TTC violent crime of 2022/23 was committed by an addict or a homeless person.

Homeless people are far more likely to be the victims of crime, as seen with the summer murder of Ken Lee. This casual cultural acceptance that crimes downtown are committed by homeless or addicts until specifically proven otherwise will lead to more violence, discrimination, and unjustified fear for these groups.

Progressives, upon feeling understandable fear from a violent incident, immediately let the fear win and blame a specific group with no evidence. This fear leads to danger and is how cops, the right wing, and other groups capitalize on violence to gain power.

One should not feel guilty for being afraid when hearing about a violent or potentially violent incident in their community. But progressives must watch out to not that fear win.

-J.A. Caza