THE COMEBACK:

I SAW YOUR COUSIN

YESTERDAY. WHAT A DOG!

IF IGNORANCE IS BLISS,

YOU MUST BE THE HAPPIEST PERSON ON THE PLANET.

THE MESSAGE:

GUNS AND GANGS IN TORONTO.

The problem is real. it exists in most big cities, where children are raised without knowing who their father is and come under the influence of gangs who recruit them to a world of drugs, sex, and gun violence. All of us have feelings about innocent victims of violence. But some of us are just getting tired. Tired of the excuses. Tired of the words complicated and complex. Tired of the avoidance of the other F word: Fatherhood.

In some Canadian communities, fatherhood has taken many bullets. Many fatherless teens on the wrong track value things in their lives like a tricked-up car, an iPod loaded with gangsta rap, and a gun loaded with shells. Why do we avoid dealing with this issue? The answer coming from many is they’ve got everything they need. Even if they join a gang they will develop a code of morals and values from the rest of society. But these kids don’t know what it’s like to have the kind of dad most of us grew up with. A father with high expectations of us.

TONY TODAY:

For many years now there have been those in society who have said it shouldn’t matter whether a kid has a dad in his life, it shouldn’t matter whether he has a strong male role model. Government programs can make up for the gap. Well, the truth is that the only social program worth a damn is a good dad. All the others fall short.

THE REALITY IN TORONTO

Dozens of the shootings on Toronto’s streets can be linked directly back to social media feuds between competing gangs. Experts say they are doing it for a currency called 'street cred'. Much of the activity of local police forces surrounds the monitoring of known accounts and community areas that create threats of violence.

City News Reporter Cristina Howorun examines the causes behind the sources of Toronto’s gun problem and the impact the violence has on victims and their families.

Getting an illegal gun has never been easier according to former gang leaders and criminals. While getting one legally can take months, finding a gun on the streets can take mere hours. By and large, the guns found on the streets aren’t stolen or purchased from stores or even from legal gun owners, but rather smuggled in over the border.

A social media challenge takes on a whole new meaning when gangsters are involved. Dozens of the shootings on Toronto’s streets can be linked directly back to social media feuds between competing gangs, where its exceptionally easy to wage war from behind a computer screen.

We see a lot of things played out on social media where threats to different neighbourhoods in YouTube videos are happening,” explains Toronto police Insp. Joe Matthews, who heads up the city’s guns and gangs unit. People in those communities feel like they are being victimized.