toronto crime

People are comparing Toronto to Gotham City amid wave of crime and TTC attacks

Is the fictional city of Gotham, best known as the home of the one-and-only Batman, actually just Toronto?

Given the state of the city, specifically the almost everyday TTC attacks and heinous crimes, including the alleged swarming murder of Ken Lee by eight teens, you could be forgiven if you got the two cities mixed up.

Social media users are comparing Toronto with the infamous Gotham City, which, at least for right now, are both known primarily for their lawlessness.

In the last week alone, a woman was stabbed in the face and head on the Spadina streetcar, a 16-year-old was stabbed on a TTC bus, two transit workers were chased by an assailant with a syringe, and two teenage girls were allegedly criminally harassed at Wilson Subway station.

Twitter users are questioning whether they have actually woken up in Gotham City sans Batman and definitely with more expensive average monthly rents.

In non-TTC crime events, a 14-year-old boy was arrested and charged with attempted murder following a downtown stabbing in early January. A 37-year-old man is facing manslaughter charges after allegedly pushing an elderly woman down on the sidewalk, who later died on the scene from injuries last week.

For those blaming the media for highlighting these instances and promoting a false narrative, the number of TTC "security incidents" has actually risen based on a 2022 analysis, and things haven't exactly improved since.

While other non-TTC crimes may not be higher than this time last year, there is no doubt recent events are pretty disturbing.

Is it an alarmist comparison? Maybe. But it definitely highlights how people are concerned and finding themselves at a loss of what to do about Toront's current state. 

Perhaps not even Batman could fix this.

Lead photo by

Paul Hillier Photography


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