Grime in the Junction

july-27-2009-070
The back of The Sweet Potato store on July 27 2009

There is an established link between grime and crime, which is reported in a lot of studies. The Junction currently has an a lot of this – grime spreading crime. Looking at the intersection of Keele St and Dundas St. West, and west to Mavity Ave, which is an area of higher crime and grime in the Junction the opinion proves itself . july-27-2009-071

Which is why it would seem reasonable that everyone should keep their area clean – free of garbage and grime.  Yes the blog knows there is a garbage strike on, yet most of the other businesses and residents in the Junction managed to keep their properties clean – why not the people who own the store pictured above on Dundas St West . Insert update,  And this is not to say the  Sweet Potato store is directly contributing to crime, but adding to the grime iis not good for the community.

The local BIA hired even a dumpster for it’s members – which they are one.

UPDATE: This post has stired a few people, other that the state of their garbage The Sweet Potato store is fine place, and  extrapolating anything else about the establishment is just not right, this is simply a post about their garbage issue (not good).

25 Comments

more disturbing than the fact that the trash is there (i'm skeptical that temporary piles of trash outside one business will cause a direct increase in crime) is the fact that they don't seem to separate garbage from recyclables. 🙁

Isn't there better ways of dealing with this, as you were walking past couldn't you have dropped in and said something? Instead of posting on this blog? It could have been sorted out.

Walking along Dundas on the south side from the Beet to Keele, absolutely disgusting.

One more thing I only noticed: 'The local BIA hired even a dumpster for it’s members – which they are one.'

Today! It needed to be advertised more and that sign taken out of the window as it is nearly 2 weeks out of date.

Dave sounds like you are offended, and in the tone of your comments there is a seemingly a relationship between you and this business. 1st ,sorry you are offended, it was never the intention of the blog to offend you or the business in question. But simply is a blog about the community. If the blog side stepped every issue like this the blog would be of no service to the community. If you are connected to this business and would like to set out your side of the garbage pile , you are welcome to write a response post and we will publish it.

If I reading you right….they are having another dumpster today, in addition to the one they had two weeks ago?

Another pot shot a local business. First you want them to have sidewalk fruit stands, but where would THAT garbage be kept? Under the stands? Now you're whining about their boxes piling up DURING A GARBAGE STRIKE.

Honestly, some people in this neighbourhood are pathetic. Get a life, stop lurking in alleyways to find issues.

HEY, HOW-ABOUT THE ROOMING HOUSES ALONG DUNDAS WEST THAT ALLOW PATRONS TO OPENLY DRINK AND ABUSE DRUGS ON THEIR STOOP AND PREMISE???? THIS IS A REAL ISSUE… not someone not cutting down boxes at their business!!!

Some of you people are LUCID… LUUUUUUUUUUUCIIIIIIIIIIID

for Jon, links to studies

Respect and renewal: a study of neighbourhood social regeneration

http://www.jrf.org.uk/publications/respect-and-renewal-study-neighbourhood-social-regeneration

The influence of neighbourhood deprivation on people's attachment to places

http://www.jrf.org.uk/publications/influence-neighbourhood-deprivation-peoples-attachment-places

Transforming disadvantaged places: effective strategies for places and people

http://www.jrf.org.uk/publications/transforming-disadvantaged-places-effective-strategies-places-and-people

The party has published a 13 page pdf detailing how innovative Conservative councils have tackled environmental crime.

http://conservativehome.blogs.com/torydiary/2006/04/crime_and_grime_1.html

Hei Theirry, ever thought that I respect this business enough (The Sweet Potato) to point out an observation. In no way is it a pot shot, why would the blog do that, they just have the biggest pile of garbage in the community.

respect means telling the truth,

because. It's a simple matter that bloggers are chicken (redacted) with too much negativity on their mind. Walk into a place and be polite about something they don't like isn't in their nature. Instead they pick to make hard working people look bad for trying to survive. While they live their own poor existence of a life.

Thanks for the links, I appriciate it. Lots to read 🙂

I was mainly concerned with the link being made between crime and grime, a link that you allude to in your opening paragraph. I feel that the study that you mention(the conservative 13pg article) is a specific problem, a problem that i can't see happening in the junction. I could go on how the cons are riding the coat tails of the current green movement but that would be a different blog. My point is: garbage on the streets, that's grime and should be fined. However, using CRIME is misleading, yes perhaps an enviromental crime is being committed, but make it clear that it's an enviromental crime. The burden of a GRIME filled junction should be addressed by its residents and not blamed on local business. Linking both can be hurtful to establishments, essentially, you're stating that the sweet potato is adding to CRIME in the area, which i truly doubt.

If crime is an issue, which residents on this forum have mentioned, then why not start a police-community partnership that targets drugs, prostitution, gangs etc. actions that are typically associated with CRIME. Anyways, thanks again for the reading material, I always enjoy a good british journal, just not a politically motivated one.

HI Jon, thanks for your insightful comment.

In the post the blog does not say the stores grime (garbage pile) results in crime and anti- social behaviour. It does state the Junction has problem with this, and it asks would it not be reasonable to expect people people and business to take the extra step to not contribute to the level of grime.

So I have changed the headline as I really respect this business and what to see them not feel offended – but do want to see them clean up their garbage.

I will get email about though too 🙂

I agree, we're whining & complaining during a garbage strike…about the amount of garbage accumulated by a local business. Maybe the Sweet Potato just didn't know about the dumpster available to them by the BIA (which to me seems likely as the BIA seems to lack….communication means – to say the very least). And yes I agree with Thierry on there being bigger, more insidious problems in the Junction, such as the crack whores, junkies, criminals from the detention centre etc on the strip just east of Keele & Dundas. Then again, it wouldn't be the Junction without that flavour…..it'd be Bloor West Village!

Ya this is a non issue to me too. I mean hell, most of my neighbours yards currently look like that but what can you do? It's a garbage strike!!! Frankie says relax. It will be over soon and cleaned up even quicker.

I'm with Thierry on the drug front. When are we going to acnowledge that there are businesses openly selling drugs on the corner of Keele/Dundas West? I notice that this issue is always burried. Neither the police nor the politicians want to talk about it.

Without my usual ranting, Junctioneer; if you are so concerned about their garbage, why not offer to assist in cleaning it up? Is it easier to spot the problem then it is to solve it (as someone said to me about a week ago)? Talk is cheap, and theres a tonne of talk on your blog.

Ok didn't want to say this as people think I am picking on the store – which I am not, I mentioned the garbage issue a few months back to a person in the store, when "the store" left a lot of garbage on Dundas St West, for a number of days. must have mixed up the collection day I thought but is was blowing everywhere – the person looked at me as i was nuts.

Well, its nice that you commented to them Junctioneer, I can appreciate giving a business owner a "heads up" for the sake of a cleaner neighbourhood for us all. However far too often there seems to be a limitation between wanting to see something clean, and offering to lend a hand to make it clean. I read a lot of "we should do this", and then a committee is organized, or a "think tank" is put together. Why all the bureaucracy? Why not just DO IT… why not just get some twine and tie up their boxes if you're so bothered, or grab a bag and pick up some garbage (within reason of course)? That would have a double effect: the mess would be cleaned, and the store would see through your generous actions that in fact they can do better to keep the streets clean. A message without the message, so to speak.

I was annoyed yesterday, walking along a woman walks past, stinking of smoke, throws a cigarette away and goes in there straight away and goes to a till to work. I go in, need to buy fruit and was not going to be served by her.

While I can't help but agree with the commentors who feel that this was a cheap shot. They piled garbage up on their own property during a garbage strike.

If you're looking for "grime" in the Junction, there are plenty of out places to find it. Perhaps you can redeem yourself by exposing some other areas like the South West corner of Keele and Dundas W that so many people commented on?

….and what about the other food retailers who didn't pile up garbage during the strike and had it removed at their expense, they are the businesses that deserve praise, not the one who didn't.

You're comment does not make sense. Why should we praise businesses for taking out their garbage? The topic of praise has not been broached here, just the topic of picking out one business and taking cheap pot shots, which is what you did. Don't try and back-peddle.

And @Junction Resident… you might as well forgot about a real discussion regarding the criminal activity taking place in our neighbourhood. Too many on this site prefer to sweep it under the rug… hence this thread going ice cold once i brought it up (same as the time i broached the topic previously). People around here just don't want to accept that there is a real, constant issue of crime, or accept that the community isn't as nice all-round as advertised. They just want to complain about things like train frequency & noise, litter, etc…. Sadly I guess its going to take someone that reads this blog getting robbed or assaulted before action is taken. Classic society….. a reactionary position instead of a precautionary one, when the latter is essentially being begged for.

The comment makes complete sense – under the current circumstances of the strike, I would think actually know as a know a few of them) it was real difficult for the stores on Dundas, to remove their garbage during the strike, those who did should be praised. During the strike – going to the transfer station was not fun – long line ups – and much waiting. Many small businesses just simply could not afford the wait and bypassed the Ingram site went 100 meters around the corner and attended the private transfer station and paid a big price, it cost them in employee wages/gas etc.

Perhaps businesses that managed their garbage better do deserve some praise, but that isn't what you did, is it? For some reason, in the midst of a long garbage strike, you decided to single out one business for criticism.

I have no interest in defending The Sweet Potato here. I shop there but it's far (far) from perfect.

You (redacted) up. Listen to what people are telling you, admit it, and move on. Being defensive here just makes you look worse.

Just to be clear here, my comment said s c r e w e d up and not anything which might be offensive. I'll assume that it was altered by a piece of software and not an overly sensitive human.

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