There’s a new problem highlighted with the return of CFL football in Ottawa. Fans are turning the surrounding neighbourhood into a public toilet, urinating on walls and lawns, and in recycling bins and garbage cans. This isn’t just the typical late-night troublemaking; fans are doing this on their way to the game, as people are out enjoying their yards and community.
Before last month’s home opener, Bentley and his wife were in their kitchen when they saw four men peeing into his yard along his fence. When he went outside and confronted them, he said they laughed and one of them told him to relax.
“The part that’s really surprising is how unconcerned everybody is about it,” said Bentley, an engineer officer in the military.
“Try to imagine: you’re going out to sit and have supper in your backyard, and you’ve got dudes p—— on your fence and laughing at you because you’re upset about it. That’s pretty hard to take.”
This is clearly a problem. The stadium, blocks away, has washroom facilities, but people have decided that they want to drink (illegally, mind you) in the Beer Store parking lot and relieve themselves on nearby homes. The city has been pretty good about responding to other issues throughout the first half of the season, so hopefully they’ll be a little more mindful of people befouling residences.
Unfortunately, not only are fans pissing all over homes, Ottawa residents are pissing all over each other. If you read the comments on linked article, you should be astonished at the vitriol leveled at residents of the Glebe (similar to the abuse hurled at residents of Lakeside Avenue). You would think these people are a menace for moving into the RedBlacks’ greater latrine area.
Similarly, a story comes out of Kanata regarding noise complaints. Local bars and farms are disturbing the peace, and residents aren’t happy about it, as many of us wouldn’t be. We have noise bylaws, and we expect everyone to be able to live relatively peacefully without burdening neighbours too much.
But, again, commenters on the article can’t wait to hurl invectives at residents. For wanting to be able to sleep, they’re bad people. For not wanting to hear simulated gun shots every ten minutes, they’re entitled snobs. The hatred of others and their lives is truly disgusting.
This is not community. This is not how we should live. If you believe that people deserve scorn and abuse solely based on where they live, you’re a bad person.
And I kind of hope someone pisses on you.