Calgary restaurant manager recounts violent confrontation, blames surge in crime, drugs

A violent confrontation between the manager of a downtown Calgary restaurant and a person experiencing homelessness is an example of the surge in the level of violence, drugs and vandalism that businesses say they are being forced to deal with on a daily basis.

Danielle Wilkins, who manages The Wednesday Room on Stephen Avenue Mall says the confrontation took place on Sept. 25, 2024, as she and staff were preparing to open the restaurant for lunch.

“An individual had decided to urinate in the street in broad daylight,” said Wilkins.  “I had asked her to move her stuff and not do that in public — you know, we were getting ready to open — and that kinda started the snowball effect of the interaction I had with her that day.

“She started throwing items at me from her shopping cart, said Wilkins. “She decided to follow me onto the patio so I turned around and she charged at me at attacked me.  She closed fists and punched me on the side of the head and pulled my hair.”

As Wilkins fought back, two of the restaurant’s employees, as well as staff from Alpha House, who were nearby, tried to intervene.

“She wouldn’t let go of my hair,” said Wilkins. “There were four or five of us all scuffling around.”

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Police were called but Wilkins says it took them 45 minutes to respond and the response from officers left her speechless.

“Because of lack of CCTV footage and witnesses saying we were both in the altercation, they said if they charged her they’d need to charge me as well.”

After being contacted by Global News, Calgary police sent a statement saying when officers arrived “police located two women who had been involved in an altercation following a verbal dispute.  Both had visible minor injuries.  One was treated by EMS, while the other declined treatment.

“Police spoke to two individuals involved along with an independent third party witness, and obtained CCTV footage from the area.  At this time, after a thorough investigation, police will not be laying charges related to this matter.”

The statement from police continues:  “We are taking a collaborative systems approach to addressing crime and social disorder, specifically when dealing with persons experiencing vulnerabilities.  Along with our social services partners, we are committed to a city where everyone feels safe and they can get help when needed.”

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The Calgary Downtown Association, which represents over 3,000 businesses, says business owners and staff need more support when it comes to managing these types of interactions.

Those comments are echoed by Wilkins who said, “The burden is it comes down to us at the end of the day and we’re not equipped to deal with these types of situations ourselves, nor do I want to put our staff in the position to do so.’

Following the confrontation and response from police, Wilkins says she has “lost faith in the justice system.”

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