Lethbridge Residents Continue to Push for Change After High Crime Level Near South Side Motel – Lethbridge | The Canadian News

It’s a problem that has continued to grow for the past three years, according to some residents on the south side of Lethbridge.

“It is not an abnormal occurrence to see someone using drugs, someone drugged in the process of being altered (or) having an overdose and we have to call the ambulance,” Cayley Pierzchala said of her neighborhood in Victoria Park.

“My children and I are subject to that. They are seven and eight years old. “

The area is experiencing increasing illegal activity, including a shooting in September that forced the closure of a nearby elementary school.

Pierzchala says the rise can be connected to only one place: the Superlodge Motel.

“The Lethbridge Police Service has had several major drug arrests at the Superlodge,” Pierzchala said. “The problem is, they will arrest someone and move them and someone new will just move. There is no responsibility for the Superlodge ”.

Pierzchala has told her children not to touch things on the street and says the alley between her house and the motel is often littered with needles and other drug paraphernalia.

“My daughter has even been afraid to travel to the car, because she sees people in the alley and we know they are dangerous and we have had to talk to them about safety issues,” Pierzchala said.

“They don’t just feel comfortable. If they want to go to the backyard, we have a camera there and they won’t go unless they bring the dog with them. “

“This is growing exponentially from three years ago when it seemed like the Superlodge was a very responsible member of our community – what I now call crime hub,” said George Hufnagel, who has lived in the neighborhood for 15 years.

Lethbridge police confirmed they are very familiar with the business and recently seized $ 25,000 worth of drugs, including methamphetamine and cocaine, in a raid on the motel on November 4.

Officers attended the Superlodge 92 times in 2019. That number increased to 218 last year and has already been surpassed with 232 visits so far in 2021.

That includes more than 50 visits since August alone.

In sp. Russ Lawrence says that resources will continue to be devoted to the area, but was unable to discuss details.

“We can target certain places where it seems like police presence is required or fight crime when those numbers go up,” he said.

The concern among residents is with the increase in violence, someone may end up caught in the crossfire.

“What happens if one of the young children is hit by a stray bullet?” Hufnagel asks.

“What if someone loses a life?”

Lawrence adds that not only the residents are affected, but also the people who come to the motel.

“They have been gravitating towards the (Superlodge), using the alley to camp and spend the nights and I think they are victims more than us because drug dealers are taking advantage of these people.”

A group of neighbors have contacted the hotel chain, but they do not find them very cooperative.

“I would like to know what they are going to do in the future to ensure this stops happening,” Pierzchala said.

A question that, for now, will remain unanswered after the general manager of the Superlodge Motel declined to be interviewed or provide a statement for this story.