Boxing Day 2005 marked an important turning point for Toronto’s “Year of the Gunâ€. A brazen mid-day shootout between up to 15 youths resulted in the death of 15 year old Jane Creba and injuries to 6 others (all but one have been confirmed unconnected to gang activity). Creba, like thousands of other Torontonians and out-of-towners, was out deal-shopping with her family when she wandered into the path of a bullet intended for one of the youth combatants.
The reaction to this senseless murder was instantaneous and unprecedented:
- Lucia Campisi, the first paramedic on the scene, spoke candidly in TV interviews about the trauma she suffered and the subsequent counseling she now receives after learning her efforts were not enough to save Creba’s life.
- A candlelight vigil for the victim quickly became a major political event, attracting hundreds of mourners (instead of the usual dozens of mourners who attended vigils for other victims), advocacy groups and a who’s who of politicians seeking (re)election in 2006
- A online guestbook was setup online for friends and family to send condolences to Creba, and instead was flooded with heartfelt condolences from as far away as Australia
- A online guestbook was setup online for friends and family to send condolences to Creba, and instead was flooded with heartfelt condolences from as far away as Australia
- News columnists across Canada predicted doom and gloom for Toronto. Toronto Sun writer Connie Woodcock, in a column titled ‘Farewell, Toronto’, declared never to return to the city for her commercial needs: “Next time I feel like going shopping, I’m not getting any closer to Yonge and Dundas than the Oshawa Mall. I’ve never heard of a shootout thereâ€
- The Toronto Youth Cabinet, a grassroots community group previously ignored by politicians and much of the media (despite their constant suggestions on how to combat gun violence) suddenly found themselves on national TV via CTV Newsnet
- Prior to this shooting, public interest in Toronto’s spiraling gun violence problem was lukewarm at best. Despite the efforts of the local media to draw attention to the escalating violence and the social problems behind this violence (best exemplified by CityTV’s Stop the Violence Web/TV campaign), the response of the average Canadian was “Let them shoot each otherâ€, “Liberals / Caribbean immigrants / Mike Harris / 50-Cent is to blame†or “I hate Toronto anywayâ€.
So why the sudden outpouring of grief and emotion from the far corners of the nation and beyond? First, look at what it is most likely NOT the cause of the sudden public interest:
- The uniqueness of a Toronto murder. Jane Creba was the 78th and final Toronto murder victim of 2005
- The existence of gun violence in Toronto. Creba was 52nd and final Toronto murder victim of 2005
- A shooting in a highly visible area. 21 year-old Dwayne Taylor was shot to death at Dundas Square (just blocks away from the Creba shooting) nearly half a year earlier. The venue was equally crowded, being in the midst of the annual Caribana festival, and police were present during the time of the shooting
- The innocence of the victim. 18 year-old Jason Huxtable –a recent high school graduate who planned to study Business at Seneca College- was gunned down by a 15 year old boy for the unspeakable crime of visiting a girl who happened to live in the wrong housing project. 26 year-old Livvette Olivea Miller was killed in a manner similar to Jane Creba – the mother of four was caught in the crossfire between rival gang members at a crowded North York dance club
- Media coverage. As stated, local coverage of gun violence has been comprehensive. Apart from CityTV’s campaign, the Toronto Star and Toronto Sun have also run specials on gun violence and the social conditions behind them. Each shooting, and the profile of the victim(s) involved, has been well publicized
So if all of these factors could have logically been the cause, what’s left? The obvious thing no one wants to admit: Jane Creba is a 15 year old all-Canadian white girl who comes across as “everyone’s daughterâ€. While most of the limited public interest in previous Toronto shootings focused on the general menace of gangs (resulting in half-baked quick-fix solutions and/or slurs against the demographic of the shooters) there has been a concerted effort to focus on Creba as a valued life:
“It’s touched each one of us in Toronto, one of our own sisters, her life cut short by a gun,” – comment to the Toronto Star
“what a tragic end to a life with such potential. My heart goes out to the Creba family, and Jane’s friends. I only wonder why such a horrible things have to happen to such a wonderful young life†– posted to Creba’s online memorial
“I cannot imagine the pain you must feel at this moment on the tragic loss of Jane, She looks like a great person and I know that she’ll be miss alot. Toronto and the entire nation is standing side by side, mourning with you at this time. I sincerely hope that you can find the inner strength in the days and months ahead and my thoughts and prayers go out to you all.†– posted to Creba’s online memorial
Why were Huxtable and Miller not worthy of this sympathy? The apparent double-standard makes one wonder what people really meant when they were ok with ‘them killing each other’. Were people really referring to just the gang members?
The positive outcome of this sad double-standard is that the politicians and judicial system, under intense public pressure, will finally work on creating new laws and enforcing existing laws to keep those accused and convicted of gun crimes off the streets. It’s unfortunate that 52 people had to be killed by handgun before mayor David Miller and provincial/national politicians realized this problem wasn’t going to go away via blaming the U.S. or banning guns that are already prohibited. Still, one has to wonder whether we’d all be falling over ourselves to demand government action had Jane been another Mohamed or Shaquan.
We live in a democracy and politicians –who still need to be re-elected no matter how worthlessly they behave while in office- are ultimately captive to our collective will. As such, the people of Canada must begrudgingly share blame in the death of Jane Creba.
Update: Jane Creba – 1 Month Later
Update (June 13): Deaths = 1, Arrests = 25, Lessons Learned = 0
Good article. This states an opinion that I have given and heard in numerous conversations with other black people about this tragedy and the public’s and police’s politicians reactions compared to other equally tragic events in 2005.
You told it straight and dropped the facts on us. Keep it comming on various topics and this site get a serious fan base!!
You have touched the nail on the head.
The message left to the Star is telling. This “our sister” comment could not be made about Livette because she is not “their sister” she is not white, not upper-middle class. She had been a teenage mother when she had her first child. And Jason Huxtable lost his life in the midst of Caribana weekend, not given it’s due as part of the Toronto fabric of life. Though it has more promise than gay pride weekend it only gets a fraction of the economic support. Because gay men are still white, still upper-class, still European-based.
I’m not going to cry racism. I’m saying it firmly and with strength. Racism is no longer about outright scorn and physical distance. My white sister-in-law is married to my companion’s black brother and her racist arrogance is persistent in things I don’t think she notices. The whole attitude is one of entitlement and deserving. Livette, Jason and others didn’t DESERVE the same sympathies as Jane Creba: they were not in line to inherit this culture of commerce, this culture of European based theatrical expression, artistical expression, and media entertainment, they are actually a threat to all that the pioneers and conquerers of the 15th century have established and built to this day. Jane, conversely, was not: from her upper middle-class position, combined with the added boost of her attractiveness (which is heavily valued in this society) would have likely perpetuated this culture. Killing her is symbolic that the “dominant” culture is not safe anymore, and that the ivory tower is chipping.
My condolences are with her mother. And the mothers of all who have lost their sons and daughters in 2005 and before.
AO, I agree that Jane Creba may have received more sympathy than Livette Miller because she (Jane) was White. On the other hand, there was a lot of publicity over the murders of the Ottey sisters Tammy and Marsha back in 1995. So I don’t think race is the ONLY factor behind the outpouring of grief over Creba’s death.
Also, the reason the gay pride parade gets more economic support than Caribana does is probably due to the fact that potential investors don’t have to worry about shots being fired in the midst of the pride parade, something that seems to happen at a good number of Caribana events.
By the way, I feel sorry for your white sister-in-law. I’m sure if she breathes the wrong way she’s accused of being racist.
AO, answer me this. You say that “gay men are still white, still upper-class, still European-based.” Of course most gay men in Toronto are white, but so are most heterosexual men too. You don’t believe there are any gay men of colour? Well, take a tour of Church Street and you might be surprised.
emilia liz u r a racicst bitch i bet u ugly too
and wat da fuk u be doing down on Church St you ugly lesbian racist.
lol.
another thing, i bet sum nigga be blowin ya back out too huh?
yeah… more than likely
By the way, Rakim, I’m not a lesbian (and even if I were, I wouldn’t be ashamed of it, because I’m not homophobic). And how do you know I’m ugly or not if you haven’t even ever seen me?
And while you’re at it, why don’t you go back to high school and learn to spell correctly?
yawn…the race card.. how original..
did it ever occur to you idiots that the outpouring had nothing to do with race but more to do with geography? Thousands of people were at Yonge and Dundas on Boxing Day; myself, probably some of you and many of your friends. IT COULD HAVE BEEN ANY ONE OF US. I walked by that Foot Locker two hours before that shooting. It made me, and a ton of others people think about what could have been. Yonge and Dundas on Boxing Day is a symbol of this city. Shootings in Scarborough and Jane and Finch are further away from most people’s awareness. Neither neighbourhood is in the downtown core. For the record, how if a white women is found in an alley in Parkdale or Regent’s Park per week, as result of a drug overdose or a brutal john, do you think anyone cares? Nope.
Saying that poeple only cared about Jane Creba because she is white is not only ignorant, it is insensitive, opportunistic and poorly timed. Y’all are so obssessed with skin colour, it makes me wonder who’s the racist now?
So Keala … is it possible to in fact bring up the topic of race without it being lazily dismissed as “the race card”? To say race was no fact is as naieve as claming it was the only factor. Somehwere between your extreme view and the extreme you’re attibuting to me is the truth, and there’s no reason why this angle can’t be discussed.
Regardless, why do YOU think this hysteria was not present when Jason Huxtable died last summer or Chantal Dunn died this winter?
… besides Geography … which was covered already in the original article.
Its nothing new to see the media’s biases or inapropriatness called into question. I watched this story develop hour by hour and day by day, and before the identity of the victim (Jane) was released the focus of the story was on the shooting and the location. Once it was descovered who she was the story dramaticly changed focus and ALL took notice. This is undeniable evidence of a problem in our society that we are all aware of. That being said lets not be like the media and the politicans ect. that have and use there biases negatively, instead lets not let them win and take on there beliefs by fighting them and others who are simply trying to grieve for the loss of a wonderful young lady. if your concerned about the direction or focus of people in power and or the media focus on american networks like Fox and people like G. Bush and his partners in crime. Canada is lucky to have networks like CBC and CityTV that are noware close to the corruption seen in the states… i remind you of cityTV’s campaign to curb gun violence….Thanks
R.I.P Jane
Site looks good! Real good!;-)
wow! i read these comments and i was shocked. first i am happy that jane creba’s killer was found but when they announced it on the news today i was hoping that the news would cover the story of a young black man that died in my area on june 12/06. he was visiting from another country and was shot in his head because he was hanging out with the guys playing basketball. he got shot he was killed. one day of news coverage. yes he was black. jane was white. someone mentioned something about geography. that is bull. jane was killed one block away from a young blackman the previous year. news coverage was lmited to one day. he was black. yes they covered the ottey sisters death. that was 1995. the tolerance for blacks involved in gun violence has reached a boiling point. so if a shooting involves a young black man or woman what is the point of finding the killer let them kill themselves. that is the attitude of the news or maybe it’s the authorities. racism exsists in toronto. but it is up to each community to contribute in a positive way to their culture. then maybe society will start to respect us. after all we respect ourselves. all black men are not gansters. and gangs carry black,white,latinos,asian, and indians. every culture has it’s own stigma. the whites are crack heads the chinese, the blacks the latinos are gansters nad the middle eastern people are terrorist. contrbute to your community help other communities but dont say that if jane creba was black she woud have gotten the same coverage. good for her she is white or her killers would never have been found. God bless her mother because i am a mother. ONE LOVE YA’LL
People, Jane creba was gunned down at a buzy intersection and it was boxing day, the fact that those morons decided to have a shootout in the middle of a shopping day were thousands of people shop thats what made big time news! not the fact that a white girl was killed
Not only was Creba killed but 6 others were injured dont you think thats gona make bigger news than say only one person killed by a shooting ? doesnt matter on the race!
Dman…. Do you know any of the names, or know can put faces to the names of the people that got shot the same day jane died?…. What about Chantel Dunn… she was an innocent girl, honour student, in university studying law…did you see the same publicity she got when she died. Same situation and Jane, the only difference was that she was black.
short film based on Jane Creba, here is the link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZSrzWsXOSk&search=jane%20creba
I found this site under an msn search and I cannot believe in almost 3 weeks it will be exactly one year since Jane Creba was gunned down on Boxing Day.It saddens me to hear about the gang and gun violence taking over our city.I just wish something is done to stop the gang and gun violence in Toronto and make it a safe city to live because lots of innocent people are dying because of this and these gangs should be locked away for the rest of their lives and never get out of jail.The gang and gun violence is even more worse in Detroit and Los Angeles and I don’t understand how it has took over our city.This needs to stop or else more innocent people will lose their lives!
Today is Boxing Day One year later. I was there that day. I agree with you.
I’ve read the entire thread and found it quite interesting. Let me start by say that I was deeply saddened and livid when I heard about the circumstances surrounding Jane Creba’s death.
I personally believe that the Jane Creba shooting received far more attention than most if not all other ethnic shooting deaths. It is not location and/or number of people injured or were present as some have suggested; my daughter’s (black) classmate was shot in the eye on a bus on Jane St. Do you think more people can relate to being innocently shot on a bus than on Yonge St?
We all see the world relative to our personal experiences and backgrounds. I’ve had many conversations about this issue with many of my closest friends and it is very difficult for them to see that they are biased. Many however do admit that they do see the ugly face of racism in practically all facets of our society. Racism in Toronto and Canada is alive and well; don’t be fooled.
The black community needs to take most of the responsibility for the escalating violence and the senseless killings of innocent people. This cold, nonchalant, vindictive mentality is unacceptable and needs to be eradicated. The solution is not only stiffer prison sentences but also more equitable law enforcement and social intervention. This is a controversial subject in-of-itself because again, the hardliners are already thinking:
a) There are many poor and displaced people in Toronto who have not resorted to violence
b) Why should we fix “your†problem? If you want to senselessly kill each other, go right ahead just leave “us†out of it.
There would be no “your†or “us†if there was no racism. This is a difficult thing to grasp and only some will ever get it.
Let’s not sit around and wait for people to get it. Let’s start in our sphere of influence, which usually means our homes.
This site has been really valuable in framing some research I’m doing for a course at U of T. My interest in the media coverage/public reaction feedback loop which stratifies murder was heightened when I watched coverage of the Jean Springer funeral on CTV, and the reporter kept referring the loss of this apparently lovely woman as “a loss to her community” and “a valuable member of her community”, etc. No doubt she was, but my mind kept asking: why is Ms Springer’s death being essentially reduced to a rather limited loss, (Malvern, black people) while Creba’s was one we were all expected to share in? Why could I not remember Chantal Dunn’s name when I wanted to write about this? That says a lot right there – about the media, yes, but also about me. And virtually everyone I know.
Perhaps the reporter meant that because Ms. Springer was very involved in community affairs (her church, etcetera) her death meant that all those organizations to which she belonged lost a very valuable member. So it seems unclear whether “her community” meant the Black population as a whole or the actual circle of people with whom she dealt. Jane Creba on the other hand was much younger and didn’t have the opportunity to be so involved in community affairs.
I believe Jean Springer’s death has raised, again, the question about the mentally ill and whether they should be forced to undergo treatment. From what I read, the man who killed Ms. Springer was a schizophrenic who had gone off his medications. Now one might ask whether he should have been forced to take them or at least monitored. It’s a difficult question. Generally I support individuals’ choice to do things that I myself would not choose to do or would consider foolish, like drinking raw milk, smoking, etcetera. But in the case of the mentally ill, we have to keep in mind that they usually don’t reason like other people and that they can very well pose a threat to themselves or to others (not that all mentally ill individuals are violent or that all violent people are mentally ill). On the other hand, one has to ask the question: who is mentally ill? In the former Soviet Union, dissidents who were perfectly normal were confined to institutions. Homosexuality in the West was once considered a mental disorder. I have personally known a man who was misdiagnosed as schizophrenic (he in reality had epilepsy). But in the case of Ms. Springer’s killer, it is almost certain she would be alive today if he had been on medication. It’s a dilemma…
The issue on if Jane Creba or Livette Miller were black or white has no importance for what happened.
It doesn’t matter who got more ‘coverage’ or ‘attention’ in the media – the truth of the matter is a black man killed an innocent white girl.
No matter how you look at it..race-issue or not..the person in the wrong here was a black man.
So wether, you, the reader are black or white..that same ‘black’ man could have murdered you…
If you wish to know why alot of crime in the black community isnt solved just look at the reason.The cowards in that community refuse to come forward to help police.In the other communities most of the time these crimes get solved quickly due to the help of citizens from those communities.I was coming out of Sam the record man when the shooting started and with all due respect I no longer trust or want these criminals in my country.Every time a person of color gets caught for a crime they calim poverty made them do it,well i live below the poverty line and have never once committed a crime.The only reason these vermin commit crime is because they are to lazy to go out and work for minimum wage,so they take the easy way out and sell their drugs and pimp women.We didnt have these kinds of crimes before these Jamaicans and africans came to this country and these crimes won’t stop until ALL of them are deported.
Not true. Irish gangs caused the same problems in Toronto (including guns) at the beginning of last century. Unsurprisingly, the spoiled English started to grumble that ALL Irish people should be deported.
Man I’m so sick of not seing any of my fellow Uke’s on the front page, the white man must be stopped! Screw it lets just start a race war right now. That way the Italians and Portogese can duke it out and decide once and for all who the Gods of soccer are! And the Scotish can take on the all powerful English in revenge of William Wallace! And dammit if it has been too long since the Ukrainians and Polish have had a good street brawl! Oh wait I forgot we’ve all almalgamated into one race called “white”. By the way, when is the next rally?
“3. A shooting in a highly visible area. 21 year-old Dwayne Taylor was shot to death at Dundas Square (just blocks away from the Creba shooting) nearly half a year earlier. The venue was equally crowded, being in the midst of the annual Caribana festival, and police were present during the time of the shooting.”
The early hours of the morning at Yonge & Dundas, Caribana Friday, can only be compared to daytime Yonge St. Boxing Day by the extremely naïve.
The police presence at Yonge & Dundas, Caribana Friday alone is a clear indication of the likelihood for violence at this yearly rendezvous for many a gangster and hoodlum.
“4. The innocence of the victim. 18 year-old Jason Huxtable –a recent high school graduate who planned to study Business at Seneca College- was gunned down by a 15 year old boy for the unspeakable crime of visiting a girl who happened to live in the wrong housing project. 26 year-old Livvette Olivea Miller was killed in a manner similar to Jane Creba – the mother of four was caught in the crossfire between rival gang members at a crowded North York dance club.”
Right, but consider the combination of factors. For instance factor 4 (The innocence of the victim) factor 3 (A shooting in a highly visible area). An innocent death in the hood is business as usual, on Yonge St. Boxing Day, not so much.
Funny, isn’t it? Any where an African is, there you will find Africa.
Despite the mental yoga exhibited here — this selective outrage over the immutable sympathies of the Canadian public — the facts shine through: Jane Creba is mourned because she was innocent and uninvolved with the immigrant black gangs that are responsible for the nation’s only statistically significant violent crimes.
Really, what are you people apologizing for? Canada never owned slaves. This African crime wave is not your fault, nor your cross to bear.
It seems that the murderers’ connection with Africa is rather tenuous. If I remember correctly, they were from Jamaica, most of whose inhabitants came from Africa generations ago and have little if anything left of any African heritage other than genetically.
No mental yoga is needed to interpret your post, name.
HALIFAX
You think blacks cause the only significant crime-sources when the highest crime rates in Canada (prairie provinces) have virtually no black people at all.
1) PORT COQUITLAM, B.C.
2) EDMONTON
3) WINNIPEG
4) SASKATOON
5) VANCOUVER
6) CALGARY
7) SURREY, B.C.
9) TORONTO
(source: MacLeans national crime rankings)
You also haven’t picked up a history book lately. Olivier le Jeune was the first slave brought to our shores by the French in 1628. Slavery continued to be officially practiced in Canada until 1834.
Now do you honestly expect people to believe that you’d have as much sympathy if Jane Creba was black?
Make peace with those black kids who took your lunch.