Handling people who just don't want to follow the rules can still be held accountable.

By Pepper Parr

March 31st, 2020

BURLINGTON, ON

What do you do when you become acutely aware of someone who either doesn’t understand what social distance means or just doesn’t give a dam?

The Mayor has been out there every day saying over and over – walk – don’t stop. Take care of yourself.

As Mayor Marianne has a “Bully Pulpit” – she can be very persuasive.

Most of the people who listen to the Mayor already know the rules – they follow them – but there are those who don’t even want to follow the rules.

You call the Mayor – there isn’t all that much she can do.

You call public health and there isn’t much they can do.

The police don’t have time for these small issues – which aren’t really that small in the big picture.

Can by law enforcement officers play a role? Give them a bull horn and an address and have them drive out and explain.

The federal government has enacted the Quarantine Act – that gives them the authority to take people into custody – but who wants to grab someone who might be COVID compromised and put handcuffs on them?

The biggest tool we have is social peer pressure.

A reader makes mention of “a guy beside me who has been holding court on his driveway and his porch sometimes with as little as 1 foot between him, his wife, and another neighbour.

“When I emailed the mayor’s office about this her assistant sent me a link about social distancing (SD) — I pointed out how unhelpful this was because I understand SD and was asking that someone inform the three families that are hanging out together about SD.

“Halton Dept. of Health said they can’t do anything because it’s a choice these people are making and that I can only keep myself safe.

Something along these lines could be created in a couple of hours – and pressure city hall to get the bylaw officers out on the streets.

“Right now he is sitting at the bottom of his driveway with a beer trying to get kids and adults to come over and talk to him.”

Some people will recall when Neighbourhood Watches were created; they began developing in the late 1960s as a response to the rape and murder of Kitty Genovese in Queens, New York. People became outraged after reports that a dozen witnesses did nothing to save Genovese or to apprehend her killer. Inspired in part by Jane Jacobs’ The Death and Life of Great American Cities (1961), which stated that Americans need to keep their “eyes on the streets” and connect with each other in their neighborhoods.

Look for someone on your street to lead something like this and pressure city hall to get the bylaw enforcement people out on the road.