Edmonton launches new campaign to curb violence

Last Updated: Wednesday, July 4, 2007 | 11:43 AM MT

CBC News

Edmonton's mayor and police chief have unveiled the second phase of an anti-violence campaign, but at least one criminologist says it will take a more than a slogan to turn the problem around.

The Fight Violence campaign was unveiled on Tuesday and the words are shown in campaign materials imprinted on an outstretched hand of youth from Edmonton.

Edmonton's mayor and police chief unveiled the second phase of an anti-violence campaign Tuesday called "Fight Violence."
(City of Edmonton)

Young people will be encouraged to take pictures and videos of themselves using that pose and then post them on the web. The slogan will also be used in an ad campaign.

Police Chief Mike Boyd said the first campaign, called Enough is Enough and launched six months ago, changed the nature of random violence in Edmonton by taking it off the streets.

That campaign featured commercials with politicians and sports personalities that ran on TV, radio and in newspapers.

Boyd said he hopes this second campaign, which encourages young people to take responsibility to help spread the message, will have an even greater impact.

"Some of the messages I think may even assist in keeping some young people from gravitating into gang activity," he said.

University of Alberta criminologist Bill Pitt, however, told CBC News he isn't convinced a slogan will get through to troubled kids.

Questions 'gimmicks'

"Putting these types of gimmicks in front of them is only going to fuel their already jaded, cynical viewpoints of the establishment," he said.

"It's going to take dollars, it's going to take imagination, it's going to take long-term problem solving skills that go far beyond the gimmicks of sloganism."

But young people who are part of the current campaign said they are buying into the message.

"For action to happen there has to be some kind of interaction and discussion," said Nikolas Sereditch, a member of the City of Edmonton's youth council.

"If people don't know about it, if people don't talk about it, how are they going to do something?"