Windsor had 0 reported murders in 2010 for first time since 1963

**JimminyCricket** · January-01-11, 07:05 PM

http://www.thestar.com/news/article/...rder-free-year

Windsor closes in on murder-free year

The Toronto Star
Dec. 30, 2010

Windsor, Ont. — A city synonymous with economic turmoil and high unemployment — is on the verge of ending 2010 without a single murder. It’s a remarkable feat for a city with a population of more than 215,000 people and that borders Detroit, which was once dubbed “murder city.” Windsor’s mayor, Eddie Francis, says the murder-free year is just a sign of the city’s rise. “The fact that we’re going to have, hopefully, zero murders I think just allows us to really reinforce how safe we are as a community to the rest of the province, the rest of the country and to the rest of the world,” said Francis. Windsor’s reputation, said Francis, has been marred by old, unfair perceptions.

“Obviously we were battered by the economic recession because of our concentration of automotive industry and heavy manufacturing here,” he said. “But over the past several years we’ve used that opportunity to reposition this city.” According to Statistics Canada, 5,700 new jobs opened up in the Windsor-Sarnia region last year. Over the same period the unemployment rate fell slightly from 10 per cent to 9.4 per cent. It’s still, however, the highest unemployment rate in Canada.

But through the hard times the people of Windsor have been resilient, Francis said. They’ve stuck together, persevered and made Windsor “a very different city, very different region, very different community than it was two or three years ago.” In “32 blissful years” with the Windsor police force, deputy chief Jerome Brannagan has never seen anything like it. In fact, the city’s last murder-less year was 1963.

Windsor has averaged five murders a year for the past decade. According to the most recent numbers from the FBI, Detroit had 146 murders between January and June of 2010. That was down 28 per cent from last year. Detroit police won’t release their homicide total until the end of January. Toronto has had 60 homicides this year.

“The thing that most fail to take into consideration is the great people that live in this very strong and very giving community of Windsor-Essex County,” Brannagan said proudly. “They’re good, decent people,” he said. “Just because you lose your job, it doesn’t mean you’re going to become a drug dealer.”
In part, Brannagan credits the police force’s focus on preventing gangs from Toronto and the United States from creeping into the downtrodden border city.
He also credits luck. “You cannot live in with close to a quarter of a million people and have situations not arise where the opportunity for homicide doesn’t raise its ugly head,” he said.

**Left_For_Texas** · January-01-11, 07:56 PM

It's amazing how much of a difference an international border can make. Within the last two months, Juarez, Mexico was named the most dangerous city in the world and just across the meager little Rio Grande river is El Paso which was named the safest large city in the U.S.

**cmubryan** · January-01-11, 08:50 PM

It just doesn't have to be an international border. Look at Detroit and Grosse Pointe, Benton Harbor and St Joseph, etc.

**JimminyCricket** · January-01-11, 10:52 PM

Originally Posted by cmubryan

It just doesn't have to be an international border. Look at Detroit and Grosse Pointe, Benton Harbor and St Joseph, etc.

OK, but do those places ever go an entire year with 0 murders?

NorthEndere · January-02-11, 01:21 AM

Originally Posted by JimminyCricket

OK, but do those places ever go an entire year with 0 murders?

Sure do. I don't believe St. Joseph recorded any murders over the entire decade, and Benton Harbor didn't have any murders in 2000, 2005, 2007 & 2008. But that's really not a surprise; the area is really too small to record many murders to begin with with twin cities not much above and below 10,000 folks, each. We're talking about a county with only 162,000 to begin with, so even one murder is too much. Still, I guess it's impressive when you consider Benton Harbor recorded 20 murders in 1994.

That said, their comparison to Windsor is kind of silly. Windsor is a substantial city with a legitimate metropolitan area, not two small towns that wouldn't even make a city between the two in a mostly rural county.

**Django** · January-02-11, 01:33 AM

Thats it, Ive had it, Im movin to Windsor.

Ill report back as soon as I find an abandoned warehouse to live in.

**jerrytimes** · January-02-11, 03:49 AM

Originally Posted by JimminyCricket

OK, but do those places ever go an entire year with 0 murders?

I think just a couple of years ago Grosse Pointe has its first murder in over 30 or 40 years.

**windsor_shane** · January-02-11, 03:51 AM

Originally Posted by Django

Thats it, Ive had it, Im movin to Windsor.

Ill report back as soon as I find an abandoned warehouse to live in.

theres a great albert khan structure sitting empty in my neighbourhood...

**blackmath** · January-02-11, 12:23 PM

Originally Posted by Django

Thats it, Ive had it, Im movin to Windsor.

Ill report back as soon as I find an abandoned warehouse to live in.

Or if you prefer something more modern, there's a large abandoned pharmaceutical factory by the mall that's only been vacant a few years.

Then there's always the massive closed down GM transmission plant. Nice central location, close to every amenity you'll need and if you get bored there's a paintball place next door.

Happy hunting.

**Magnatomicflux** · January-02-11, 01:14 PM

Originally Posted by Django

Thats it, Ive had it, Im movin to Windsor.

Ill report back as soon as I find an abandoned warehouse to live in.

C'mon over Django!

The old Webster Mfg. building....... this was designed by Albert Lothian, 1929.
http://maps.google.ca/maps?f=q&sourc...,0,-15.0233426
Great river views, next to a nice riverside park. To the west is the old Riverside Brewery, but I think it's owned by an aggrigate company.

**Gannon** · January-02-11, 01:17 PM

That's just...un-American!

Zero murders...where's the outrage here?

Some of our nearest neighbors helping make us look bad...

**Magnatomicflux** · January-02-11, 01:25 PM

Sorry 'bout that Gannon.

I think we're more into stabbing and blunt force trauma over here, not so much with the guns.

**Meddle** · January-02-11, 03:08 PM

Nothing vacant near Hiram Walker so one could get in a bit of samplin' ?

**Magnatomicflux** · January-02-11, 03:33 PM

Originally Posted by Meddle

Nothing vacant near Hiram Walker so one could get in a bit of samplin' ?

I think this is vacant , Meddle. If I remember right, it's an old carriage house. If you like taking the train, VIA is just across the way.
http://maps.google.ca/maps?f=q&sourc...68.08,,1,-1.28

Or there's this beauty. The old Walker Power building. I'm pretty sure it's condemmed because of fire hazard related things.
http://maps.google.ca/maps?f=q&sourc...12,223.76,,0,5

Huh.....I think that's it for Walkerville!

**blackmath** · January-02-11, 03:48 PM

Originally Posted by Meddle

Nothing vacant near Hiram Walker so one could get in a bit of samplin' ?

Screw Walkerville. Too trendy. Go Westside and live somewhere with a pulse.

**Magnatomicflux** · January-02-11, 03:56 PM

lol

There's not much abandonment over there either aside from Matty's boarded up bridge stopping bungalows.

Oh wait.....there's this cool little service station. I can't tell if it's vacant or not though. I seem to recall a news story about an old man that lives there but was being kicked out because of H&S issues.

http://maps.google.ca/maps?f=q&sourc...42.87,,1,-2.02

**Downriviera** · January-02-11, 09:25 PM

I had a killer lap dance at Jasons, but I lived through it, so I guess that doesn't count.

**Danny** · January-04-11, 11:24 AM

Windsor Ontario, a murder free city. It really must be the SAFEST 'pre utopian' CITY in the earth. Those Canadians know how to use gun control seriously. Good job for them. Most of the Windsorites actually leave their doors open all day and night. Even they are not home.