21 year old Jamal Neal was murdered on Banak Street late Monday evening by two men on motorcycles. Since then the neighbourhood is under heavy police surveillance. That is because police strongly believe Neal's murder was gang related and may cause retaliation. But today residents of the Ghost Town area told us that no one wants to retaliate but still they are constantly being harassed by police during their time of mourning. Eight Ghost Town affiliates– who are all listed on Jamal Neal's funeral program as pallbearers were detained by the GSU this morning. The funeral is set for tomorrow and residents and family members are worried that the men will not be released from police custody to take part in the funeral.
Voice of resident of Ghost Town
"Every minute the GSU came and harassed the young men and they are they were the same people that they had as pall bearers. When they came I said I was going to ask them for us to have a peaceful funeral but none of them came so I didn't have to mention it but then they just came and took the boys and roughed them up and put their hands over their head. Come on man, we need peace - I don't' see them doing this to anyone else. They came and rubbed down the young men and they had them standing outside about half hour and they took them. We just want to have peace and as the young men as the pall bearers - we just want them to release the guys for them to pay their respect -that's all we want. We want to respect the GSU but they have to come and respect us the same way. If they the create the monsters on the streets, how can they expect that they will stop retaliation? This has nothing to do with retaliation because right now the guys are calm and cool. They are just focusing on the funeral."
And for the meantime police have set up a Police Mobile Unit on Banak Street directly in front of the Meighan residents. We are still trying to get comments from police as to exactly the purpose of the mobile, how long it will be stationed on Banak Street and if it will be travelling to other parts of the city.
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