Accused's mom weighs in on causes of youth crime
Mother of youth arrested for break-in turned in son
April Hudson
Northern News Services
Thursday, August 18, 2016
LIIDLII KUE/FORT SIMPSON
Summer crime could have a relatively simple solution, according to one mother whose son was arrested in relation to a recent break-in.
A smashed window in a door at the Unity Convenience Store resulted from a break-in on Aug. 1. - photos courtesy of RCMP
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Deh Cho Drum is not identifying the mother, who is referred to in this story as Jane, in order to protect the identity of the son, who is a youth and therefore protected under the Youth Criminal Justice Act.
On Aug. 2, video from a surveillance camera circulated on social media, showing footage of a break-in of the Unity Convenience Store in Fort Simpson that occurred the night before. That same night, the Seven Spruce Golf Course was broken into.
The video was a shock for Jane, who immediately recognized some of the youth in the video as friends of her son, who had come home in the early hours of the morning.
"I watched (the video) again and I put two and two together. I said to him, 'That's you,'" Jane said.
Given the choice between staying silent and turning her son in, Jane knew she could not take the easy way out. She picked up the phone and called RCMP.
"I didn't do it for any other reason than that I'm accountable for my child," she said.
"A lot of people came and thanked me for coming forward . I didn't expect any of that. It's not about that. It's just about the way I feel."
Jane remembers attending camps as a youth growing up in Fort Simpson. She recalls spending a month in the bush, learning how to sew, clean fish and make dryfish.
She remembers writing letters to her mom, and the sound of the old bush radio.
"I loved it," she said.
"And I didn't have time to do bad things."
A lack of youth camps this summer have contributed to boredom among young people, she suspects, saying that the majority of youth crime only happens during the summer months.
While Dehcho First Nations has hosted two youth camps, there's only enough room for 12 children and last only a week each, leaving young people to busy themselves the rest of their two-months summer vacation.
As well, many of the targets were seasonal: the Seven Spruce Golf Course and the Fort Simpson swimming pool are not open during the winter and lack incentives for burglars - alcohol in the case of the golf course and a pool in the case of the village recreation facility. RCMP Const. Jonah Candy confirmed there is often an uptick in crime during summer months, an issue not limited to Fort Simpson.
"We need to offer more programs for the older youth. These teens need something to do, and later hours," she said.
"It does take a lot of volunteers . and it's expensive to offer on-the-land (camps). But kids like that. They'd love to fish, and even if it's a .22, take them out there and shoot a rabbit or duck, teach them how to shoot a moose - I think they would really enjoy that."
Calling the RCMP on her son was one of the hardest things Jane has done.
"It broke my heart," the mother said.
"I just told my boy, this is the right thing to do. This is serious . and you'll learn from your mistakes."
With her and her son's names known by many community members, she said she is encouraging her son to keep his head held high.
"People look at him differently. I said to him, 'Just walk down the road, keep your head high.' Even me, I'm not embarrassed my child did something bad. No one's perfect around here," she said.
"We as adults ourselves need to get along. The youth watch us - we need to be better role models."
And if her example encourages other parents to come forward, Jane is all for that.
"I know you want to protect your kid. Everybody protects their kid. But there comes a point where what's right in society, and what's right in this world?" she said.
"When you know your kids are doing wrong, you need to come clean."
