Red Frogs coming to downtown Windsor

The Red Frogs are getting set to invade the downtown core to add an element of support.

“We want [students] to feel comfortable and safe,” said BIA Chair Chris MacLeod.

Red Frogs is an international organization offering support to university students. The downtown BIA plans to bring the group to the core for one month beginning in late August or early September.

“They do a great job of not only being super fun and engaging but also keeping an eye out for anyone who looks like they might need some support,” said Ghallia Hasham, president of UWindsor’s Students’ Alliance, who has partnered with the organization on many occasions.

Connecting with the BIA makes Windsor the first Canadian city to adopt Red Frogs outside of the university realm.

“We're really trying to adopt more of a peer to peer program to just try to deescalate potential situations downtown,” said MacLeod.

Downtown resident Carrolyn Sawyer was pleased to hear the Red Frogs are coming, “It can get pretty hectic on certain nights and it's good because it's like a crowd control and then the safety for people to get to where they're going.”

According to Ward 3 Coun. Renaldo Agostino, the pilot will see between 20-25 students mingle with the late night crowd.

“Somebody loses their cell phone and needs to call their mom or dad. Now there's someone who can help you,” Agostino said. “Somebody's had too much to drink. They need a bottle of water and a minute to settle down, it's going to help.”

Based on Maiden Lane, the Red Frogs will offer water, snacks, and support to late night fun seekers in need.

“They're willing to attend events beyond the capacity of them being a support but then being someone who's enjoying the experience as well,” Hasham said.

The Red Frogs also provide an extra set of eyes in the core and report incidents to police, EMS, or any other agencies as needed.

“We see an opportunity to just make the environment safe and secure when the bars let out,” MacLeod said.

The BIA will look at the results and present them to city council sometime this fall.

“We want to do whatever we can to really make the environment conducive for everybody to come and enjoy a night out down in our core,” said MacLeod.