Looking at Terrace’s Crime Severity Index ranking in the Macleans magazine ‘Most Dangerous Places in Canada’ list, you’d think our city is overrun by crime.
According to Macleans, Terrace jumped from being the 79th on the list to the eighth most dangerous this year.
Shortly after the rankings were released, we reported on a story about Mike Anderson, who was sprayed in the face with an acidic substance on an evening walk home.
Anderson wasn’t walking along an unlit alleyway, but a public sidewalk downtown — he was in a well-lit area with a fair bit of vehicle traffic. Still, he was attacked, unprovoked, by two young men who thought harming another person would be a funny joke.
Except it wasn’t funny. It was cruel.
Anderson has a history of medical conditions. His vision, which was already limited, was put at risk when the two assailants sprayed him directly in the face.
Stories like this can be disheartening to read. Many have commented since publishing, some in shock, while others were seemingly pessimistic about crime in Terrace.
However, what happened after the attack is the true heart of this story. Several local businesses and organizations decided to make a difference, so many that it was challenging to mention them all.
The Helping Hands of Terrace is covering any of Anderson’s prescription costs. The Kimmunity Angels is looking into whether they can reimburse his September flight to Vancouver.
In the days since the story came out, donations to Anderson’s GoFundMe page have increased from around $7,000 to more than $10,500, surpassing its original $8,000 goal. Messages of love and support are all over the comments section, reassurances that despite everything Anderson has been through, he would be OK.
“With all the bad publicity with Terrace’s ranking on crime rates and dangerous places to live, I think people need to know the good far outweighs the bad here,” Anderson wrote in an email to the Terrace Standard. “The support myself and my family have received from everywhere in this community proves that.”
Well said. This is what Macleans didn’t capture in their annual rankings — our community’s dedication to helping out those in need, turning what would otherwise be a tragic event into something positive.
What makes us unique, what sets us apart, is our ability to show compassion and kindness to our neighbours. Let us remember how each of us can make a positive difference in our community, no matter how small. At the end of the day, that’s all that matters.
READ MORE: Terrace man with medical conditions burnt with suspected battery acid
READ MORE: Terrace ranks in top 10 of magazine’s ‘Canada’s Most Dangerous Places’ list
brittany@terracestandard.com
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