Public Disorder & the Decline of Vancouver's Livability

[SpongeG]

Originally Posted by Vin

VPD may be doing their jobs to an acceptable level, but without the teeth to truly enforce the law and book these a-holes to face ultimate justice, there will be more criminals to join in the ranks since they all know the penalties, should they be caught, are relatively light. The justice system also needs a revamp, and society should treat all criminals, no matter if they are high on drugs or are homeless, to be held responsible for what they do.



I think society has already compensated way too much already, and at the expense of its own health and well-being. Society at large should be the victim, and definitely not the yahoos and criminals.

I was reading an article the other day, and a woman and her partner were walking on the seawall in the west end and they were harassed or something by someone and they said they see it all the time and they chose not to call the police because the person has too many problems and issues and deserves to just not get the police involved basically. So what can society do when so many don't want to do anything?

[FarmerHaight]

I read this Maclean's article last night about the week last July where at least 207 Canadians died from opioid overdoses. It had me close to tears.

I am not sure that we can confidently say what the solution is - most parents in the article were advocating for a safe supply and more detox beds, but one mother wants court-ordered drug treatment for adult children - but we have to do something more that the status quo.

I think it is also important to read the stories of people who died to remind ourselves of the human aspect of this crisis. The 207 included teenagers and seniors, students and dropouts, employed and homeless. Many of them had mental illnesses like bi-polar disorder or schizophrenia, and those who didn't had been abused or experienced other trauma.

This past summer, a teammate on my high school football team died of an overdose. I didn't know him well, but he was a very nice guy and a talented athlete. He came from a good family and graduated from high school. He was 21.

These issues are prevalent from coast to coast to coast; they are not Vancouver's alone. Maybe parts of the city don't look as pretty as they used to, but the only "liveability" being impacted is that of the victims of this crisis. First and foremost, we need to deal with the human aspects. It can be easy to look at a few bad apples who have been arrested 100+ times and paint all addicts or homeless as "junkies" and resent them, but our city will be far better off if we treat the underlying mental health problems instead of focusing on the symptoms.

[WarrenC12]

We don't have to look too far to see who is dying from drug overdoses, and likely toxic contaminates in many cases:

Michael K Williams
Cory Monteith (in Vancouver)
Heath Ledger
Philip Seymour Hoffman
Prince

The list is huge.

[jollyburger]

A high-end store in downtown Vancouver was reportedly targeted by thieves using bear spray Thursday night.

Vancouver police told CTV News Vancouver two men made off with at least $25,000 worth of goods from the Gucci store on Thurlow Street.

Officers said this has become a trend, with thieves using bear spray during crimes.

Earlier this week, Vancouver police announced they'd recovered $75,000 worth of stolen goods in the last 30 days and arrested about 200 offenders in a month-long anti-shoplifting campaign.

https://bc.ctvnews.ca/vancouver-gucci-st...ng-bear-spray-local-police-say-1.5702193

[Changing City]

Originally Posted by jollyburger

A high-end store in downtown Vancouver was reportedly targeted by thieves using bear spray Thursday night.

Vancouver police told CTV News Vancouver two men made off with at least $25,000 worth of goods from the Gucci store on Thurlow Street.

Officers said this has become a trend, with thieves using bear spray during crimes.

Earlier this week, Vancouver police announced they'd recovered $75,000 worth of stolen goods in the last 30 days and arrested about 200 offenders in a month-long anti-shoplifting campaign.

https://bc.ctvnews.ca/vancouver-gucci-st...ng-bear-spray-local-police-say-1.5702193

Apparently it's been more common in the US than we hear about in the press here. It's even got its own acronym - ORC - Organized Retail Crime, and the spate of recent Bay Area thefts is just more of a longer pattern. Here's a good Wall Street Journal short video. Presumably the bear spray is the Canadian version - you can't buy a gun in Canadian Tire.

[jollyburger]

Single guy at Holt Renfrew on Dec 3

https://vancouversun.com/news/crime/suspect-uses-bear-spray-inside-holt-renfrew-steals-1800-purse

[Metro-One]

Wow, what a piece of shit.

In Japan an incident like that would be top news nation wide and that man would have many years behind bars in front of him.

[Vin]

Originally Posted by Changing City

Apparently it's been more common in the US than we hear about in the press here. It's even got its own acronym - ORC - Organized Retail Crime, and the spate of recent Bay Area thefts is just more of a longer pattern. Here's a good Wall Street Journal short video. Presumably the bear spray is the Canadian version - you can't buy a gun in Canadian Tire.

You are comparing with the bottom of the heap. So Vancouver is next at the bottom?

[Changing City]

Originally Posted by Vin

You are comparing with the bottom of the heap. So Vancouver is next at the bottom?

There is no heirarchy, as far as I'm concerned. This looks like a copycat burglary. Bear spray was used in the smash and grab at the Nordstrom in a fancy LA suburb last month. It was recently used in shoplifting in Olympia, in Washington. And in Kamloops, stealing a Salvation Army collection box. And in a random street robbery in Seattle. It was used in the attack on the Capitol in Washington on January 6th. Maybe that episode brought its potential use to a wider audience?

There are lots of other examples from all over Canada and the US of robberies or assaults using bear spray. In case you misrepresent this as somehow supporting or condoning this; it's not, in my view, excusable; the events should all be treated as serious crimes, and prosecuted. My point is crimes happen, everywhere. What's your point?

[SpongeG]

this is also annyoying, bored suburban kids?

Smashed toilets, broken doors: B.C. Mounties say they're investigating what may have been a TikTok stunt

Alyse Kotyk
CTVNewsVancouver.ca Reporter
Follow | Contact
Published Dec. 7, 2021

Extreme damage to public washrooms in Surrey, B.C., parks is under investigation and Mounties say they believe the vandalism may be connected to a social media trend.

Mounties said Tuesday the damage has been noted "over the last few months," especially in the city's Cloverdale area.

According to the RCMP, damage to public washrooms has included smashed toilets, stolen soap dispensers, and broken partitions and vents.


In their update, Mounties said the damage "could be related to a social media trend where youth film themselves causing damage to washrooms." Those videos are then sometimes posted to apps like TikTok, police said.



...

https://bc.ctvnews.ca/smashed-toilets-br...t-may-have-been-a-tiktok-stunt-1.5697162

https://bc.ctvnews.ca/smashed-toilets-br...t-may-have-been-a-tiktok-stunt-1.5697162

[Metro-One]

Fucking idiots. If the system were just if caught they would have to work off the cost of the damage done via public service.

And people wonder why Translink decided against more unlicensed washrooms.

I hope these people never complain of a lack of public washrooms…

[hollywoodnorth]

this may be an interesting facebook group to some of you. they post some of the depravity going on Downtown (and across the COV) on a daily basis. having lived downtown for 20+ years now I can say it has really gone downhill hard and fast over the last few years with the NDP in charge >>

https://www.facebook.com/groups/vancitypsychosis


enjoy

[Changing City]

Originally Posted by hollywoodnorth

this may be an interesting facebook group to some of you. they post some of the depravity going on Downtown (and across the COV) on a daily basis. having lived downtown for 20+ years now I can say it has really gone downhill hard and fast over the last few years with the NDP trying to make up for the lack of investment in housing and mental health they inherited from the BC 'Liberals'

Fixed it for you.

[SpongeG]

that's why i don't go downtown anymore

[WarrenC12]

Originally Posted by SpongeG

that's why i don't go downtown anymore

How many times are you going to mention this, and why do you expect anybody else to care?

[rofina]

Originally Posted by WarrenC12

How many times are you going to mention this, and why do you expect anybody else to care?

Some one had to take the mantle from me! In the vain hope that people do start to care about the rapid acceleration of the conditions.

[rofina]

This made the Reddit front page a few days ago.

https://www.reddit.com/r/ThatsInsane/comments/rgbytd/just_a_normal_day_in_vancouver_canada/

Its great to read the comments. Its also great this didn't start trending on r/vancouver.

The posts are not Vancouverites, helps shed a clear perspective on just how horrible this really all is, and how accustomed and normalized locals are to something so desperately wrong.

[s211]

Originally Posted by hollywoodnorth

https://www.facebook.com/groups/vancitypsychosis

Oh man, that's sad and depressing.

[Vin]

Originally Posted by WarrenC12

How many times are you going to mention this, and why do you expect anybody else to care?

Certain things can't be mentioned enough, especially to those with thicker skulls.

Originally Posted by rofina

This made the Reddit front page a few days ago.

https://www.reddit.com/r/ThatsInsane/comments/rgbytd/just_a_normal_day_in_vancouver_canada/

Its great to read the comments. Its also great this didn't start trending on r/vancouver.

The posts are not Vancouverites, helps shed a clear perspective on just how horrible this really all is, and how accustomed and normalized locals are to something so desperately wrong.

Paints a perfect depiction of the new generation in this City. He will probably die prematurely due to overdose since there will likely not be extreme intervention measures like throwing him into cold turkey isolation from toxic drugs. Instead, he will continue flailing and be given more drugs till the time when he passes out and breathes his last. Good job, Vancouver.

[Vin]

Originally Posted by Changing City

There is no heirarchy, as far as I'm concerned. This looks like a copycat burglary. Bear spray was used in the smash and grab at the Nordstrom in a fancy LA suburb last month. It was recently used in shoplifting in Olympia, in Washington. And in Kamloops, stealing a Salvation Army collection box. And in a random street robbery in Seattle. It was used in the attack on the Capitol in Washington on January 6th. Maybe that episode brought its potential use to a wider audience?

There are lots of other examples from all over Canada and the US of robberies or assaults using bear spray. In case you misrepresent this as somehow supporting or condoning this; it's not, in my view, excusable; the events should all be treated as serious crimes, and prosecuted. My point is crimes happen, everywhere. What's your point?

Crimes like these are not widespread and do not simply "happen everywhere". They are a side effect of drug addiction and lax laws regarding it. You did say that such incidents should be treated as serious crimes, but criminals and a-holes are being let off too easily here. Why don't you compare Vancouver with, say, Copenhagen , Tokyo or Singapore, instead of the worst places known to mankind? Those places have similar or worse lax laws when it comes to law enforcement.

Originally Posted by s211

Oh man, that's sad and depressing.

You're not even witnessing half of it. Most of the addicts simply pass out in little nooks and crannies. In public I often see them "sleeping" while being bent over, or even standing up. Welcome to the most liveable City in the World (not).