THE following is the B.C. Sikh Motorcycle Club’s memorandum that was presented to Assistant Commissioner Dwayne McDonald, Officer in Charge of Surrey RCMP, on Wednesday evening:
“Respected Officials of RCMP,
Sikh Motorcycle club is a progressive, peace loving organization which is always at the forefront when it comes to contributing towards the betterment of the society. We have always made an endeavor to create awareness about issues concerning our community. Last year, you might recall, a few of us travelled 12600 km to the east coast on our motorcycles to create awareness and to raise funds for Canadian Cancer Society. We were delighted to be able to raise $115,000 during this ride.
Today, we stand together to fight another cancer that is affecting all of us – random, regular shootings and drugs on the streets of Surrey. It has bothered all of us since long but recently there has been an increase in such incidents. Also, these have now happened on busy streets, near retail stores, in front of a pediatrician’s office. This is now getting scarier. We must understand that a bullet does not differentiate between race, color, gender. It just kills.
We are here today to share our deep concern with you. We need your immediate attention, concern and action to make our city a safe place for all again. We have felt that lack of RCMP’s presence where it is needed the most is one big concern. We urge for your presence around schools and the youth social program sites to make these places safe and to check the lawlessness that might be gaining ground here.
We, as a community, need to make immediate amends. We want the RCMP too to take immediate responsibility and attend to the glaring shortcomings. Increased, effective and collaborative surveillance is required across the city. We want our city to regain its reputation as a progressive city rather than as a city of random shootings on the streets. We want our children to feel safe and secure again. We stand with you but your contribution is needed the most for this outcome.
