Crime, homelessness and a barbershop

On Tuesday I walked down Dundas Street West from Victoria to McCaul. It was a snowy day, but that didn’t keep the crowds of people from walking the streets. One thing that I noticed was that on almost every block was either a police car or a parking attendant. On my walk I passed 52 Division. Now I have read articles in the past about that particular Division.

Recently I stumbled upon an article that said, “Through crime analysis and community consultation, the Toronto Police Service has identified specific areas within our communities that are experiencing elevated levels of crime.” One of the areas happens to be 52 Division which includes where the Dundas streetcar travels.

Regardless of the amount of crime and regardless of the snow falling people still flooded the streets at noon. I pressed on looking for something uplifting in what seems to be a section of the street full of trash and a smell that can only be described as eggs mixed with car fuel.

On Dundas at McCaul and across from the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) was an old-time barbershop called Pat’s Barber Shop. It was the red and white barber pole that caught my attention. Other bloggers remark about Pat’s “fine variety” of playboy magazines.

On the way back to Ryerson University I noticed a few homeless people asking for change. A couple nights before, on Sunday to be exact, one homeless person on Dundas approached me while going out with my friends about lending him some cash. His reasoning for needing money was that he just spent the little he had on acid. Among the homeless were some street performers commonly found outside the Toronto Eaton Centre and at Dundas Square.

The strip is diverse like the people who work, live and play on it. And just think only an intersection or two west of McCaul and I would be in a whole different atmosphere again (Chinatown).