Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - August 15, 2006, Winnipeg, Manitoba B1 tuesday August 15, 2006 new direction its Al Stream is getting out of the Directo Ries business. City business business b4 City editor Steve Pona 697-7292 i i family notices by system failed teens attacker family says Man who stabbed girl in Back struggling with mental illness by Gabrielle Giro Day t he family of a Man accused of stabbing a teenage girl at random in the Forks Market on sunday said he a a schizophrenic who has been failed by the health care system. Chris Jude rate Hiya 41, allegedly walked up behind Melissa kuypers in the crowded food court and shouted loudly before stabbing her in the Back twice with a Kitchen knife with a three Inch Long Blade. Kuypers is a Grade 10 High school Stu Dent from East Saint Paul who celebrated her 16th birthday the Day before the attack and was on a shopping excursion with two teenage girlfriends and the Mother of one of the girls. Yesterday her family members lauded the very Brave bystanders who helped out by tackling the attacker and aiding kuypers. It happened right after her birthday we could to believe it when we heard it said kuypers aunt Carolien Malkoske. Another relative said kuypers parents had moved outside the City to give their children a Safe Rural environment away from the City Rush. Her parents lived in the country to give Melissa a Good lifestyle she said. She a a very protected kid which is what makes this All so much More yesterday the cheerful and Beautiful Blond teen who family members said loves Winnipeg Blue bombers games and Harry Potter books was reportedly in fair condition at the health sciences Centre. Rate Hiya appeared yesterday in a Winnipeg courtroom facing charges of aggravated assault and Possession of a weapon for dangerous purposes. He a not a violent person. He needs mental help said Augustus rate Hiya a Montreal based brother of Chris rat Neriya and one of the mans eight siblings. Augustus rate Hiya said his Toronto based brother was employed As an inventory clerk and chef for decades before struggling in the past year with mental illness and alcohol abuse. Rate Hiya said his brother recently complained he often heard voices in his head instructing him to carry out certain actions. Recently Augustus rate Hiya said his sister tried to Check her brother into a residential mental health program at a Toronto Hospital where he checked out after 48 hours. ? medical officials said he want a threat unless he threatened to commit suicide or Hurt other people. But i was very sad and worried about him said Augustus rate Hiya. At the end of july he said his brother came to Winnipeg where he began sleeping in Parks and would occasionally place collect Telephone Calls to the family where he said he was being Fol Lowed and he was under surveillance by intelligence agents. The system did to want to help him. Nobody knew what to do said Augustus rate Hiya adding he and his siblings were greatly concerned about the condition of the Young woman. Rate Hiya made a Brief bail court appearance yesterday during which he told provincial court judge Howard Collerman that he did to have a lawyer yet. I just came in sunday night explained rate Hiya. I Don to want to Hurt anyone. I just want to be when Collerman put the matter Over until today rate Hiya said thank you have a Nice evening before being taken away by Winnipeg remand Centre guards. Mayor Sam Katz yesterday released a statement condemning the attack. The Forks chief operating officer Paul Jordan said that while Security officials were examining the incident he saw no Long term concern with visitors attend ing the City destination. This was obviously a very disturbed individual. We be had 60 million visits Here and this is the first time anything like this has Ever happened.?. ? with files from Kevin Rollason and Mary Agnes Welch happily life is Back to Normal at Forks l Ife was Normal at the Forks yesterday afternoon. A Little girl ran by her face painted with a purple Butterfly. Two buskers played their violins to a smattering of applause and the too rare Clink of tossed coins. People waited in line to buy fresh Corn Maple Leaf fudge lottery tickets and Little Teddy bears dressed As mounties. It was an aver age Day ? and that a the Way it should have been. A 16-year-old girl was stabbed at the Forks Sun Day afternoon. The attack was random. The girl who is recovering in Hospital was struck twice in the Back. Shell recover but i a guessing her trauma will last a Long time. Her alleged assailant a Middle aged Man who has been charged with aggravated assault was reported to be shouting random jumbled phrases before the stabbing. My family is in a cult eyewitnesses recalled him saying. My Penis is on the website terrifying to the victim and those around her sure. The sort of thing you never expect to see especially in our most vibrant tourist attraction yes again but hardly symptomatic of a crime wave striking the heart of our City. Take a deep breath folks. This is not a Story about the bad Guys winning or even the bad Guys breaking even. Maybe we should Tell that to mayor Sam who making sure we know he son the Job announced yesterday afternoon that he a contacted Jack Swatski and representatives of the Forks to see How to keep the popular spot Safe. Read my lips mayor Sam it is Safe. There were 18,000 people at the Forks on sunday. Each year somewhere Between three and four million folks visit the site. In the 18 years it has been open close to 60 million visits have been Tal lied. Continued please see Safe b2 police face shocking violence every Day or. Mayor t Oday a Little Shock treatment for the masses. It was 3 18 . Yesterday when the mayors mass email to the Media arrived. Less than 24 hours earlier a 16-year-old girl had been stabbed in the Back by a stranger while walking through the Forks food court. Now Sam Katz had decided ? or perhaps someone had decided for him ? that he needed to Send a message. This was it. In Light of the attack made on a Young female at the Forks yesterday evening mayor Sam Katz issued the following state ment As both mayor and As a father of two Young girls i am shocked at the act of Vio Lence that took place at the Forks Market. My thoughts and prayers Are with the victim As Well As her friends and family and i especially wish to express my gratitude to the courageous bystanders who assisted the Young woman and apprehended the furthermore i have contacted the chief of police and representatives of the Forks to determine what actions can be taken to ensure the Forks remains a Safe Environ ment for everyone.?. Is he running for mayor a newsroom colleague deadpanned. Yes he a finally officially running for re election. And this As another colleague put it is what is known As political stooping to trying to score political Points on the Back of the girl who a already had a knife in it. Shamelessly dragging his own daughters onto the political stage in a transparent attempt to show that he can identify. That he really cares. There was More ? or perhaps that should be less ? to the message. The mayor As a take charge Leader. Assuring us that he has contacted the chief of police and the Forks administration As if anyone or anything could prevent something As random and rare from Hap pening again. If our mayor really wants to Lead and be decisive he should Start by helping police do something about their response times to crime in Winnipeg. If he wants to show he really cares he should be As concerned at least As much about the places Winni Eggers live As the Sites tourists visit. But he a not. If he was he could have issued a state ment about sundays other victim of a ran Dom act of violence. The 25-year-old woman was driving Down route 90 when someone standing on the Portage Avenue overpass dropped a Rock through her Windshield. We have More to fear from that happening again ? and again ? than a stranger Stab Bing another stranger at the Forks. If the mayor wanted to show How decisive and caring he was he could have issued the obvious statement yesterday. The City will install screens for the Over pass. Instead he talked about being shocked at the violence that happened across from his Ball Park. If he a shocked by one Freak incident at the Forks How does he feel about the Knif Ings and shootings that plague our inner City neighbourhoods the routine violence Winnipeg police have to Deal with every Day. Shocking Here a what a truly shocking. That most Winni Eggers think Sam Katz is a Good mayor. ;