Newscaster: We're about to introduce you to
a man who believes he is part of the solution.
He was recruited from Detroit, another place
that knows a thing or two about violence.
He works for the city of Toronto now, but
he's no ordinary employee.
He wears a bulletproof vest, but he's not
a cop.
The CBC's [inaudible 00:00:18] spent time
with him last night as he hit the streets.
Reporter: It's dark, it's dangerous, and it's
why they're here.
Gene Jones: Does not know you're a big drug
sweep or something like that.
We're just out here doing things differently.
Reporter: These are special constables with
Toronto's Community Housing Corporation.
Gene Jones: Try to get invited to dinner if
you can.
Reporter: And this is their new boss from
the flak jacket to the late-night prowls,
Gene Jones is all about being different.
Gene Jones: My name is Gene Jones.
I'm the new president and CEO of TCAC.
If there's any problems, call me.
You have my card.
You have my cell phone number.
Here.
Let me give you my card.
Let me give you my card.
Okay.
No cameras.
I'm just giving you my card.
Reporter: Jones has been cleaning up social
housing complexes and cities like Detroit
and Los Angeles for nearly 30 years by doing
the unexpected.
Reporter: But why do you come at night?
Gene Jones: Because I've got to see what's
going on.
I've got to see if there's any criminal activity,
who's coming in, who shouldn't be here.
Reporter: And by expecting the worst.
Why do you wear a flak jacket?
Gene Jones: I'm not stupid, okay.
But I know if I have to go somewhere - if
there's an emergency call, and I have to go
somewhere else, I just want to be prepared
when I go over there.
Reporter: Gunfire is not uncommon in Canada's
largest social housing complex.
Gene Jones: How are you doing?
Gene Jones.
Do you live here?
Resident 1: Yeah.
Gene Jones: Where at?
Resident 1: I just moved in over there.
Gene Jones: Over here?
How do you like it?
Resident 1: It's all right.
Reporter: This teenager is afraid of getting
shot again.
Gene Jones: Okay.
Resident: I got shot on Victoria today.
Reporter: You were shot?
Resident 1: Yeah.
Victoria.
Down in the West end near my dad's neighborhood.
But it's just a bunch of hooligans.
But it makes me know that there's actually
people here actually caring and trying to
find out what's going on in the streets and
stuff.
Gene Jones: Only one month on the job, Jones
walked into an unprecedented crisis - the
mass shooting at a social housing block Monday
that killed two people and wounded 23 others,
including a baby.
And there have been two other deadly shootings
in other sites in the last two days alone.
Reporter: Have you ever seen anything or encountered
anything like that in Detroit or anywhere
else in the U.S.?
Gene Jones: Nothing like that in any social
housing, public housing in the United States,
nothing of that magnitude.
There may be two or three shootings and maybe
one person killed, but not twenty-five people
being shot, trampled on, and two individuals
being killed.
It's unprecedented.
Right, and that's bad.
Resident 2: Yeah, it's bad.
Especially for the kids.
Gene Jones: I agree.
Reporter: Jones says the gun culture here
reminds him of the U.S.
So does what he's hearing tonight.
Resident 2: Bad people come from outside to
here.
Some of them here have a connection.
Not all of them.
Gene Jones: You guys don't want to talk?
Are you guys having a party?
A lot of these kids come out here.
They don't live here.
They threaten the residents who live there,
because they want to be a part of this neighbor
and do bad things for us.
And so we just keep track of that.
When you don't want to have your picture taken,
then that's a red flag for us.
Reporter: So are you going to come back?
Gene Jones: Um-hmm.
Resident 3: No cameras.
Unknown male: No cameras?
Gene Jones: No. they're bashful.
Okay.
That's fine.
Unknown male: Hi sweetie.
Gene Jones: Here.
Just give them my card.
Reporter: A few minutes later, another red
flag.
Gene Jones: So see if you don't come out at
night, we'll never catch anything.
Like that unit we just passed.
There are a lot of young kids in there.
It may not be nothing, but we need to check
it out.
But what we're going to start doing is not
only are we going to stay here and pretend
like we're leaving, we're going to come back.
Maybe not tonight but we're going to start
coming back.
We'll come here, go, and then come back.
Then we'll just break up their happy home.
Are you guys okay?
Do you guys have enough things to do out here
at night?
Or do you guys just sit around?
People who want to take advantage of our kids,
especially these former prisoners who are
trying to come back to our developments, trying
to recruit these young kids.
That's who we need to start identifying.
Reporter: The immediate strategy is to call
police.
This is what takes longer.
Resident 4: I've seen guns.
I've seen knives.
Resident 5: Last summer, the SWAT team busted
in a door over here.
Unknown male: You can be anonymous.
You don't have to give your name.
Unknown female: You can call us.
Unknown male: This is why we're here now - The
new CEO wants to promote.
And he doesn't want the residents to be afraid
to call anyone.
Reporter: But the wall of silence doesn't
come down so easily.
Resident 4: Afraid to speak up.
The drugs, the weapons.
Everyone's afraid that it's going to come
back on them.
Reporter: Jones says that's typical at first.
But his strategy has been successful in the
U.S. cities he's worked in.
Gene Jones: The word is going to get out.
Reporter: What does the word do?
Gene Jones: It helps them, it gives them confidence,
and it gives them reassurance that we're out
here for them and not for ourselves.
That's what it gives them.
Reporter: How does it keep a shooting from
happening?
Gene Jones: We can't keep it from happening.
We can just find where those red flags come
up.
That's the story that's never been told.
We have deterred a lot of this crime on our
properties because of our intervention in
the beginning.
All right.
Any questions?
Reporter: And he says this is just the beginning.
Gene Jones: You know I'm no b.s., right?
Unknown male: Yes, sir.
Gene Jones: And I'm no procrastinator, correct?
Multiple speakers: Yes, sir.
Gene Jones: All right.
Thank you very much, you guys.
I appreciate you.
Multiple speakers: Thank you.
Thanks, sir.
Reporter: [inaudible 00:05:26] CBC News Toronto.
