Lethbridge residents continue to press for change after elevated crime near south side motel – Lethbridge

It’s an issue that has continued to escalate over the previous three years, in line with some south aspect Lethbridge residents.

“It’s not an irregular prevalence to see somebody utilizing medicine, somebody on medicine within the technique of tweaking out (or) who’s overdosed and we have to name the ambulance,” Cayley Pierzchala stated about her Victoria Park neighbourhood.

“Myself and my children are topic to that. They’re seven and eight years outdated.”

The world is seeing an increasing number of illicit exercise, together with a taking pictures incident in September that compelled a lockdown of a close-by elementary college.

Pierzchala says the rise can all be related to at least one place: the Superlodge Motel.

“The Lethbridge Police Service has really had a number of massive drug busts on the Superlodge,” Pierzchala stated. “The problem is they are going to bust somebody and so they transfer them out and somebody new simply strikes in. There’s zero accountability to the Superlodge.”

Pierzchala has instructed her kids to not contact issues on the street and says the alley between her dwelling and the motel is usually lined with needles and different drug paraphernalia.

“My daughter has been afraid to even journey to the automotive, as a result of she sees individuals within the alley and we all know that they’re harmful and we’ve needed to discuss to them about issues of safety,” Pierzchala stated.

“They don’t get to simply really feel comfy. In the event that they need to go to the yard we’ve obtained a digicam again there and so they don’t go except they create the canine with them.”

“That is rising exponentially from three years in the past when it appeared just like the Superlodge was a really accountable member of our neighborhood to what I seek advice from now as crime central,” George Hufnagel, who has lived within the neighbourhood for 15 years, stated.

Lethbridge Police verify they’re very accustomed to the enterprise and just lately seized $25,000 in medicine, together with meth and cocaine, in a raid on the motel on November 4th.

Officers attended the Superlodge 92 occasions in 2019. That quantity jumped to 218 final yr and has already been surpassed with 232 visits to date in 2021.

That features greater than 50 visits alone since August.

Insp. Russ Lawrence says sources will proceed to be devoted to the world, however couldn’t converse to specifics.

“We will goal sure areas the place it seems to be like police presence could also be required or fight crimes when these numbers are up,” he stated.

The priority amongst residents is with the elevated violence, somebody might find yourself caught within the crossfire.

“What occurs if one of many younger kids is hit by a stray bullet?” Hufnagel asks.

“What occurs if somebody looses a life?”

Lawrence provides it’s not solely the residents being affected, however the individuals coming to the motel as effectively.

“They been gravitating in the direction of the (Superlodge), utilizing the alleyway to camp in and spend their evenings and I feel they’re victims greater than we’re as a result of the drug sellers are preying on these individuals.”

A gaggle of neighbours has contacted the resort chain, however isn’t discovering them overly cooperative.

“I’d need to know what they’re going to do sooner or later to make sure this stops taking place,” Pierzchala stated.

A query that — for now — will stay unanswered after the overall supervisor of the Superlodge Motel declined to be interviewed or present an announcement for this story.