Violent Theft Sends Shock Waves Through Business Community

The violent robbery of a downtown retailer has been a wakeup call for Red Deer's entire business community, say fellow shopkeepers and community leaders. On Saturday morning, Sharon Fisher, president of the Downtown Business Association, was severely beaten while working alone in her lingerie shop on the main floor of the Town Centre Mall. Her door was closed. People in neighbouring stores did not hear her screams. Denturist Les McGregor, who keeps shop across the hall from Fraser, lays the blame squarely on the city's booming trade in illicit drugs. McGregor said it is not unusual for people walking the backstreets or slipping outside for a smoke to be accosted by drug dealers and users. "We see it all the time in our back alley," said McGregor. "I've been here seven years and it wasn't like this three years ago." Lab technician Trudy Haraldson said drug-related crimes are not limited to downtown, but affect every area of the city. "You get rid of one house and five more come up," said Haraldson. Both believe a new detox centre opening early next year will help by getting a few people off the streets and into treatment. While they are looking for aggressive action to clean up the city's drug scene, they and others are calling on merchants with smaller shops to tighten their security systems and watch each others' backs. Most smaller businesses cannot afford the extra security provided by having at least two people working at all times, said Marilou Padilla, manager of a health food store in Town Centre. Padilla said the attack on Fisher has heightened awareness among everyone of the need to pay more attention to keeping their staff secure. "We're basically, all of us, asking what we can do for each other," said Padilla. Sonia Sawyer, executive director of the Downtown Business Association, said her group will host an emergency seminar on Friday to help show small business operators the options available to help them protect themselves. "We tried this seminar in September and had a very low turnout. Maybe people are more cognizant now," said Sawyer. She said that while the attack against Fisher was an isolated incident, the drug culture has generated an increase in crime across the city. "How do you clean it up? If it's a convenience store in Deer Park or whatever, if they know you're alone, you're an easier target. So what do you do to deter them from seeing you as a hit?" City Councillor Lorna Watkinson-Zimmer, a long-time downtown retailer, said Red Deer's rising affluence is part of the reason for an increase in drug-related crimes throughout the city. "It's not just Red Deer, it's all over. We're going to have to band together. If we don't we are ( each ) as one person alone." She said downtown is still the best place to be in Red Deer and hopes people will not let the attack scare them away. "This was an isolated attack - a horrible thing. It's shaken us all." Watkinson-Zimmer is hoping for a strong turnout at the seminar on Friday. All businesses are invited to attend the Snell Gallery in the Red Deer Public Library, starting at 8:30 a.m. The Downtown Business Association has been spreading a description of the assailant and asking that any merchants who have video tapes from the area on Saturday provide copies to police in hope of helping their investigation. Fisher's assailant is described as a white male, probably in his early 20s, tall and skinny with short, brown hair. He was wearing a grey hoodie with blue and white trim.