Orléans community taking to social media in a battle to curb swarming incidents

By OttawaMatters Staff

Parents, their kids and other residents in Orléans are coming together to raise awareness and curb swarming incidents in their neighbourhoods.

Concerned parent and local hockey coach Greg Shore created a Facebook page called “It's your city, let's make Orléans safe,” where residents are encouraged to share stories about suspicious activity they see.

He took to social media after hearing multiple stories from players he coaches and his own child.

Shore told The Rick Gibbons Show on 1310 NEWS, groups of local teens have been recently been harassing and intimidating other young people, as well as some women and seniors, and in some cases, robbing them.

“There's kids as young as 11 that have been approached or chased [by these groups of teens],” said Shore. “Kids have been pushed to the ground, choked out, hit with a number of different objects, and quite often they'll have a bike stolen, their cell phone stolen, clothes stolen, and so on.”

Listen to the full conversation with Greg Shore:

He explained that the Facebook group is a way for parents and kids to know they are not alone, and encourage each other to report incidents of threats or swarmings so the Ottawa Police Service can investigate them.

Shore wants kids in Orléans to be able to be kids, without worrying about their safety every time they step into their own neighbourhoods.

“In a number of the stories being shared [on our group's page], the kids are being asked to stay indoors,” he said. “When they go to a friend's house, they're driven to a friend's house. They no longer — or very rarely will they be given the latitude to drive over on a bike or walk.”

The “It's your city, let's make Orléans safe” group is holding a community meeting at 6:30 p.m. on August 8, in the Fallingbrook Room at the Ray Friel Centre.

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