'We're all doing heart work,' say patrol groups who joined Unity Walk in downtown Winnipeg
Hundreds of people joined the Unity Walk, and handed out food and water
Several Winnipeg patrol groups came together on Saturday for a walk to send a message of safety and the importance of helping those in need in the city.
Organized by the Bear Clan citizen patrol group, participants in the Unity Walk event hit the streets of Winnipeg's downtown, where they handed out water and food to people in need.
Kevin Walker, interim executive director of the Bear Clan, said the goal was "to make sure that the city and our communities know that we are united and we stand together, and that we are going to be unified in the future to make a stronger community."
With recent news focusing on high-profile incidents of crime in the city, an event like Saturday's Unity Walk is important to recognize the work of grassroots patrol groups, he said.
"Having those front-line organizations that are out there on the street every night … it's important that we have a time to get together and show our respect for one another and the work that we do."
Among the community groups that participated in Saturday's walk were the Mama Bear Clan, West Broadway Bear Clan Patrol, Ogijiita Pimatiswin Kinamatwin (OPK) and Community 204.
"We're all doing heart work, we're all giving back," said Daniel Hidalgo, founder of Community 204 and co-founder of Sabe Peace Walkers.
For Hidalgo, the walk was a chance to catch up with other local patrol groups, and discuss the work they're doing for their communities.
"All of us have been just sharing positive moments, positive results, and positive interactions with the people. I think that's the biggest and most important focus," said Hidalgo.
"Our focus is so driven by positivity and love and compassion and empathy — those are qualities that often get overlooked."
'My life's work'
Meeting community needs is a common focus of the grassroots groups that participated in the walk, says the co-ordinator for West Broadway's Bear Clan Patrol.
"We are out there and we're trying to help in any way we can, and it's all about boots on the ground and moving forward and keeping people together and safe," said Angela Klassen.
"This is my life's work, being a former addict, and it's a struggle for me every day, but to keep sober and to keep moving forward … I don't know what I would do without it."
That connection to the community is well established for the local patrol groups, who approach their work without judgment, said Walker.
"We meet people where they're at, we're non-judgmental, non-confrontational, so it allows us to earn the trust from the community," he said.
"By us keeping [at] what we're doing, maintaining that, it's just going to grow and be a stronger community all the way around."
Walking together on the street was also an opportunity for the patrol groups to raise awareness of the work they do.
"It's important to see that people are partaking in an action — it's not just talk, and there's opportunities for more people to join," said Hidalgo.
"People in Winnipeg want to help, they want to reach out, they want to do positive things. They don't always know how, and this is the perfect chance for that to come to fruition."
WATCH | Winnipeg patrol groups join Unity Walk in downtown:
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