Street festivals are an integral part of summer in Toronto. But a deadly shooting over the weekend has raised questions about how safe they are and what can be done to prevent future tragedies.
About 13,000 people were attending a salsa festival in St. Clair on Saturday night when gunfire erupted in the crowd. Witnesses described panic and chaos in the street as festival-goers fled the scene, where two people were killed and several others were injured.
Since then, several business owners and area residents have said they want to ensure greater safety at future festivals.
One business owner who was sheltering people in her butcher shop said she wasn’t sure her business would participate in the festival anymore, or if it would even be held.
“The moment just crushed us,” said Angela Mazza, owner of Macelleria Atlas. She said people were drinking more than at past festivals and that she didn’t feel as safe this year.
WATCH | The owner of a St. Clair butcher shop recalls the heartbreaking scene:
Business owner talks about letting people inside during St. Clair shooting
Macelleria Atlas, a family-owned butcher shop, became a safe haven for many after owner Angela Mazza let people inside during the chaotic moments of the deadly shooting at Toronto’s Salsa St. Clair Festival on Saturday night.
St. Clair Avenue Bakery owner Tomer Markowitz said he and other business owners closed the store early Saturday due to concerns that problems might arise, saying they were calling on city and festival officials to beef up security.
He suggested stopping the festival earlier in the day and requiring attendees to go through metal detectors. He also said he hopes the festival will be held at a different location next year, “somewhere else where they can accommodate it.”
But one expert who studies disaster and emergency preparedness says that while the city and police should look for any possible safety improvements, outdoor festivals cannot be completely safe and the focus should be on addressing the root causes of gun violence.
Gun violence is a bigger problem than safety, says professor
“The point is that place is not the cause of violence. Period,” said Jack Rozdilski, assistant professor of disaster and emergency management at York University. “Simply changing the location of community festivals will not solve the problem of gun violence.”
While metal detectors and bag checks are effective measures at indoor events, Rozdilski said they are not as effective at outdoor festivals, which have multiple entry and exit points in the form of businesses, residences and other roads and alleys.
Outdoor street festivals are known as “easy targets” for criminal activity, Rozdilsky said. This is where the main priority is to celebrate the festival itself, rather than strict security.
“Essentially we’re doing everything we can to make things as safe as possible,” he told CBC Radio. Metro Morning Monday, noting that there was a lot of visible security at Saturday’s festival. “(The number of) adaptations to create a completely safe environment would change the entire street.”
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Mayor Olivia Chow addressed the city’s gun violence problem in a video message Monday, saying the city “will not allow reckless criminals to stop Toronto’s tradition of outdoor street festivals.”
Chow noted that the incident at the festival was only one of three shootings in the city over the weekend. One person was killed in a targeted shooting Friday in North York and several people were injured early Sunday in a shooting outside the Rebel nightclub on the city’s waterfront.
Chow said she spoke with Canadian Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangari and urged him to talk to American leaders “to stop the flow of illegal guns onto our streets.”
According to Toronto police, 49 people have been injured or killed by gun violence this year, with a total of 130 shootings and gunshots reported.
City councilor checks street festival safety
Saturday’s fatal shooting was not the first time safety issues have become a concern at the Toronto street festival.
There had already been complaints about the level of security and overcrowding at the Do West Fest in June, which ultimately led to its cancellation after organizers said they did not receive the additional police resources they requested.
Safety concerns are being addressed in real time as several more street festivals are planned in the city this summer.
Taste of the Danforth returns this summer after a two-year hiatus, and GreekTown BIA chair Tony Petakas said in a statement Monday that they are working closely with the city, private security and Toronto police on a comprehensive security plan.
WATCH | Latest news on Saturday’s Salsa shoot in St. Clair:
Investigators review evidence after Toronto festival shooting, no arrests made
Police say they believe at least two people exchanged gunfire at the St. Clair Salsa Festival in Toronto on Saturday, leaving two people dead and others sent to hospital. Police are now reviewing phone records from the scene, witness statements and evidence from three crime scenes. They have not yet announced any arrests.
Graph. Josh Matlow said city officials have been working to improve safety from vehicle attacks since last year’s Lapu-Lapu Day attack in Vancouver and they will also learn lessons from Saturday’s shooting.
The city is considering changing the festival’s location and hours to improve safety, he said, adding that he has spoken with festival organizers, business owners and residents about their concerns about future festivals. But there are no easy answers, he said.
“We really need to think about what we can do to make public gatherings safe and allow them to happen,” Matlow said. “(We) must ensure that we can still be a free society and be able to celebrate together, gather and celebrate.”
The day after the St. Clair salsa shoot, the Little India South Asian Festival continued as planned. Nathaniel Joseph, who spoke at the festival, said his wife was worried but he felt safe under police patrol.
“The show must go on,” he said.