Background

Following the anti Tamil pogrom of July 1983 and the subsequent eruption of the civil war, thousands of ethnic Tamils of Sri Lanka fled the country to escape persecution. Vast majority of them called Canada, in particular Toronto, their home. Toronto saw a large influx of Tamils in the late 80s and the 90s making it the largest Tamil Diaspora community in the world. They faced numerous challenges in the adopted country as they tried to adjust to the new life while trying to put the bitter memories of the war behind them. The youth were impacted the most as they were torn between two different cultures. Some of them did not have their families in Canada and often lived with their relatives or friends. Inevitably, the loneliness and the absence of a family support system drove some of them towards gangs as they often provided them a renewed sense of purpose and belonging. Started as loosely organized cliques to kill time, these gangs grew stronger over time and the gang related violence became a thorny issue for the community and the city in the late 90s.