The homeless are not a threat to your safety.

Being in Toronto, I have heard countless takes on TikTok, university campuses, and social discussions that Toronto has a violent problem because of the homeless. I have heard it outright said, and I have heard it implied, like the time my professor said, "People who look like they don't belong on campus" were responsible for an assault on campus (Note: the suspect description for the assault was that of a student)

I've gone over every murder in 2023 and 2022, and not one has been caused by a homeless person.

Everyone's go-to example is the man who killed two women in 2022 on a subway by High Park. That man was not homeless nor an addict. A week later, two people were fatally shot randomly across two nights by a young person from a stable household. The short crime wave that spurned this latest wave of fear against the homeless ended with two throats slashed at Yonge-Dundas by a 21-year-old with no history of homelessness or addiction.

Homeless people are the victims of murders, though, like in the downtown Toronto murder of Ken Lee, who was killed by a group who had traveled into Toronto from the suburbs.

So why do we blame the homeless?

Because it's easy, the real reason for crime waves and murders is complex. It can be linked to systemic failures relating to government ignorance of groups, misogyny, and poverty, to name a few. But should a mayor, PM, or premier want to address that, they'd have to address long systemic issues with no quick fix, which doesn't win votes. But saying, "Let's just have cops to watch homeless people," is quick and easy for politicians to rally behind.

In 2023, romantic partners, landlords involved in rent disputes, and condo board members have killed close to a dozen people, yet we keep thinking someone who lacks a roof over their head threatens our safety.

-J.A. Caza