People of faith in the Malvern neighbourhood of Scarborough, Ont., are working together to make the often troubled community a better place. The second installment of Celebrate Us brought together Presbyterians, Anglicans, Pentecostals, Muslims and Hindus at Malvern's Wickford Trail Park for a family day in August. "No matter what your culture or language, you're welcome here," said Habeeb Ally, the event's MC and disc jockey of an Islamic talk radio program. "We're here to promote peace, love and harmony among ourselves and celebrate our diversity in a grand way."
Malvern Presbyterian Church, where three-quarters of the congregation are of African or Indo-Caribbean descent, was one of the main organizers of the event. They previously helped organize interfaith prayer rallies and peace marches through the streets. "We're trying to be active in our community," said Rev. Wayne Kleinsteuber, Malvern's minister and a member of the planning committee. "Events like this are breaking down the barriers between ethnic and religious groups."
More than 1,000 people enjoyed the all-afternoon affair which featured a barbeque, games for kids, local musical entertainment and ethnic dancers. Participants experienced the Muslim call to prayer and readings from the Koran, and were also led in prayer by Kleinsteuber, who asked God to "spread love, peace and joy between people." Corporate sponsors were in attendance, as were Toronto police and the Muslim Welfare Association. The Presbytery of Pickering is another staunch supporter, donating $500 last year and doubling that sum this year.
"We really have cultural harmony here," said Toronto city councillor Raymond Cho. "Malvern is one of the most caring communities and it's starting to develop some pride."
Things haven't always looked so bright. The Malvern community is about 90 per cent non-white, and about 62 per cent are immigrants, according to 2001 Statistics Canada figures. In March 2004, the area's trouble with gang violence came to a head when four men were shot in one week, three fatally. Things in Malvern have improved some since then, but Toronto's problem of gun violence has not disappeared altogether. So far this year, there have been 32 gun-related deaths in the city. Two particularly violent weeks witnessed 22 shootings.
The rash of violence has prompted Mayor David Miller to hire 150 additional police officers by 2006. He hopes the extra officers will have the success it did in Malvern last year, when officers arrested 65 people, mostly involved in gangs.
Jim Greenwood, staff sergeant of 42 division (representing the most culturally diverse community in Canada and in which Malvern is included), said both violent and petty crimes in Malvern are down from last year. However, increased police presence isn't the only thing that's needed to heal a terrorized community. "Events like this are extremely important," said Greenwood, who was also involved in the planning of this year's gathering. "Some people have the idea that you make a few arrests and the problems are over. That's not the case. Law enforcement is important, but you also have to interact with the community."
Building such relationships was evident at Celebrate Us, where police officers took photos and posed for pictures with participants, and Greenwood received loud cheers and applause when he stood up to say a few words. The hands-on strategy in Malvern has been so successful that it is being used as a prototype in other troubled neighbourhoods. "Malvern is a different place now," said Greenwood. "It's much friendlier."
Don Meredith, minister with the Grace Christian Life Centre in Scarborough and chair of the Greater Toronto Area Christian Alliance, has been an active and outspoken proponent of ending violence by building strong communities. "It's about working with residents, building on the positive and taking away hopelessness," he said. "We need to bring people out of their homes and take back the streets. And we need to show people that churches care."
