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Group forms to fight against crime and drug issues

Protest marches to be held on June 23 and June 25
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People in the Cowichan Valley are fed up with the growing crime and drug issues, according to Sarah Senkow.

Senkow said she doesn’t blame the police or local governments for seemingly out-of-control crime and drug rates in the Valley.

“I think they are doing the best they can with what they have,” she said to a group of concerned citizens that gathered in Duncan on Monday morning to discuss the problem and plan solutions.

“We don’t have all the answers either, and we know that even if we had them, they couldn’t happen right away. But I don’t want our movement to fizzle out either. There has to be more that can be done and, hopefully, we’ll announce a strategy later this week.”

Senkow, who has had her own issues with drug abuse and depression but is now a successful businesswoman, said she started a social media campaign on the issue on June 9 and had approximately 1,300 local people signed up to do whatever they can to help by June 12.

Protest marches are planned for June 23 and June 25 that will march from Cowichan Secondary’s Quamichan campus to Cowichan Secondary School beginning at 11 a.m. on both days.

Drug use and crime along that route that many students take on a daily basis between the two schools has become major concerns for a lot of parents, many of whom were at Monday’s meeting.

Senkow said the group also intends to start a non-profit organization to take on the issues.

“I’ve lived here my entire life and it’s clear that the situation the Valley has gotten bad and it will only get worse if people don’t do something,” she said.

“Duncan was once known as drunken Duncan, but now I hear it’s being referred to as junkie Duncan.

Audience member Shelley Lockwood said it’s important that local youth are shown that the community’s adults are dedicated to keeping the streets safe.

“This is not about blame or hate, it’s all about finding long-term solutions to these problems that we face,” she said.



Robert Barron

About the Author: Robert Barron

Since 2016, I've had had the pleasure of working with our dedicated staff and community in the Cowichan Valley.
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