News Article: December 7, 2005
Youth want more security at clubs
By MATT KIELTYKA, 24 HOURS
December 7, 2005
In the face of rising violence at clubs across the Lower Mainland, one man has taken it upon himself to find out how youth feel about the issue.
James Miller, founder of www.youthandviolence.com and a group of volunteers are surveying people about how safe they feel going to clubs.
They are passing the information along to cities, police and government officials.
"In order to find solutions, you have to find the people that are being affected by it the most and what they think about it," said Miller, who lost a friend to club violence almost 10 years ago. "Those people have more insight on what's going on."
Miller went out in Gastown by himself last weekend to conduct the first part of his survey and said most people he talked to wanted more police presence, properly trained security guards, blacklisting of people known to be violent and use of ID scanners.
This weekend, he'll have five volunteers helping him conduct the six-question survey and plans to poll 1,200 people.
Among his preliminary findings, Miller says 60 per cent believe staff and management at clubs don't do enough to reduce violence.