Public Disorder & the Decline of Vancouver's Livability

[logan5]

Originally Posted by Vin

Looking all over google to look for a tent city just to prove me wrong I see?

All your effort still does not discount the fact that we have a much more horrible downtown than most wealthy nation cities, except those in the US, which I won't even bother anymore.

Took a few seconds. There are tent cities in Europe too. Nobody is claiming there is not a problem, but it clearly is not just a Vancouver thing.

[Sheba]

Oh no something happened outside the CoV

Police have arrested a man after an officer was threatened with hatchet, New Westminster police allege.

Police said a witness called the cops at about noon Monday about a man walking through the Brow of the Hill neighbourhood carrying a hatchet.

“A patrol officer quickly located the suspect and attempted to speak with him,” said New West police spokeswoman Sgt. Justine Thom in a news release. “However, the suspect raised the hatchet in a threatening manner and charged at the officer.”

The officer dodgeed the man, who then took off. More officers arrived and a suspect was located soon after and taken to New Westminster Police Department cells.

“This unprovoked attack on our officer is unsettling,” said Thom. “This could have ended in tragedy, and we’re extremely grateful no officer or bystanders were injured or killed.”

Charges of assault of a police officer, obstruction and possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose are pending.

Anyone who saw the suspect or assault and hasn’t spoken to police is asked to call 604-525-5411.


Photo by New Westminster Police Department

[WarrenC12]

Originally Posted by Vin

Unlike what many forumers may like to think, there are actually many criminals living in the SROs.

I have a newsflash for you: criminals live everywhere.

[Vin]

Originally Posted by logan5

Took a few seconds. There are tent cities in Europe too. Nobody is claiming there is not a problem, but it clearly is not just a Vancouver thing.

Never said it isn't a problem anywhere else, but still insist we are certainly ranked one of the worst out there: up there with the worst in the US. Your constant denial is, well, expected.

Originally Posted by WarrenC12

I have a newsflash for you: criminals live everywhere.

Let me improve that statement for you:
"I have a newsflash for you: criminals live everywhere, but some places have higher concentrations of them than others."

There, much better.

[Vin]

Those who are not involved with this lawlessness and chaos like the emergency workers or those who live in the immediate neighbourhoods do not know what they are blabbing about.

Well, at least there is a group here in Vancouver that isn't blind to what is happening in this city:

"Unsustainable": Vancouver Fire Rescue calls on leaders to step up after violent attack
https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/vancouver-fire-leaders-crime

Vancouver Fire Rescue Services (VFRS) is addressing the recent wave of violent crime in the city, and it is essentially asking for help.

While VFRS does respond to more calls than just fires, the rate at which it is being called to support incidents like the Granville attack isn’t sustainable.

“Better prevention measures are both more pragmatic and humane for everyone who calls Vancouver home,” the VFRS statement adds.

“We want to thank the Vancouver Police Department who quickly came to our aid, protected our members and the public, and ultimately de-escalated an incredibly dangerous situation. In addition, all emergency support — including the ambulance paramedics — who provided unparalleled support and bravery.”

Comments from the article:

Dan wong
This needs to be addressed by longer jail sentences. Releasing violent offenders so quickly allows them to put the entire public at risk. The police arrest and then the courts don't follow through, its sad how dangerous the lower mainland is becoming.

Chinatown Otter
It is heartbreaking and upsetting that our Emergency Services (VFRS, VPD, and EHS) keep pointing out how unsustainable this issue is. Constantly having to respond to people with mental health and addiction issues, either because they pose a threat to public safety or because they have overdosed and need naloxone administered. No wonder our emergency rooms have such long wait times. I couldn't be employed in these fields, predominantly because I don't think I could take the moral high ground like they do; kudos to all our first responders. I admit to having reached full-blown "compassion fatigue" when it comes to Vancouver's homelessness and drug addiction issue. Taxpayers keep coughing up and the City keeps pouring money into a black hole of advocacy groups that don't want to fix the problem. Although I don't want to even think about it because it is nauseating, I fear that our healthcare/emergency services are so understaffed/burnt out at the moment, that they are having to choose between reviving overdosed addicts on the street or saving a senior experiencing a heart attack (as an example). I know who I would save given the choice, and it's not the person who keeps choosing the fentanyl highway.

AV
Finally someone's stating the obvious. Idk why more ppl aren't getting angry at the NDP and Horgan or whoever for letting our province and cities fall to the state they're in. Every single person in a leadership position should be held accountable rn

[Changing City]

Originally Posted by Vin

Never said it isn't a problem anywhere else, but still insist we are certainly ranked one of the worst out there: up there with the worst in the US.

Not even close. Your constant denial is, well, expected.

[GenWhy?]

Are we at about a max estimate of 0.4% of our population living in shelters and/or on the street?

[Vin]

The new normal?

Man bear-sprayed in stranger attack at Robson Square
https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/stranger-bear-spray-robson-square

The victim described his attacker as a man in his late teens or early 20s, about five feet tall, and wearing black pants, a black hoodie, and a black and red cap.

“I hope my story helps somehow to stop these awful things against innocent people,” he said.

[Vin]

Originally Posted by Changing City

Not even close. Your constant denial is, well, expected.

What?? I suppose you are trying to compare us to US cities with tent cities, but your website does not even show Canadian homelessness.

Please link to something more relevant, will you?

[whatnext]

Originally Posted by Vin

The new normal?

This sounds like some stupid TikTok challenge by idiotic teens:

...The victim described his attacker as a man in his late teens or early 20s, about five feet tall, and wearing black pants, a black hoodie, and a black and red cap....

..There’s been a string of assaults with bear spray around the Lower Mainland this spring and summer, and videos of the attacks sometimes appear on social media afterward. No police agency has confirmed the attacks are related, and in many instances, the suspects have not been identified....

https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/stranger-bear-spray-robson-square

[Changing City]

Originally Posted by GenWhy?

Are we at about a max estimate of 0.4% of our population living in shelters and/or on the street?

In 2020 the Metro Vancouver count found 3,634 homeless, 28% of them unsheltered (1,029). If the homeless population hadn't changed much by the May 2021 census, that would be 0.14% of the total population (sheltered and unsheltered).

The City of Vancouver had 2,095 homeless, 0.32% of the 2021 population. Three quarters were in shelters or equivalent temporary facilities. 547 were unsheltered. (Interestingly, the Victoria Region had 0.38% of their population homeless, 1,523 from a population of 397,000).

[Changing City]

Originally Posted by Vin

What?? I suppose you are trying to compare us to US cities with tent cities, but your website does not even show Canadian homelessness.

Please link to something more relevant, will you?

It's entirely relevant. You said "up there with the worst in the US". You didn't mention Canada.

But, as you clearly don't know how to find data, here's an easy graphic with a few cities shown. [blogTO]

[FarmerHaight]

Originally Posted by Changing City

It's entirely relevant. You said "up there with the worst in the US". You didn't mention Canada.

But, as you clearly don't know how to find data, here's an easy graphic with a few cities shown.

And before you make yourself look silly by exhibiting your poor comprehension of statistics Vin, that graph is per 10,000 residents so it is adjusted for city size

[Migrant_Coconut]

Since we're moving the goalposts to exclude the States, here's Europe. Vancouver's not even close to being the worst.

Every city has sensationalist news trying to make things look horrible so the gullible will click the link and generate them ad revenue. But if one does some homework, it turns out that some days are bad... even in Australia.

[mezzanine]

Originally Posted by Changing City

It's entirely relevant. You said "up there with the worst in the US". You didn't mention Canada.

But, as you clearly don't know how to find data, here's an easy graphic with a few cities shown. [blogTO]

Good dataviz. A few thoughts,

-interesting how NE american cities can shelter a large portion of its homeless,
-on the flip side, seattle has a high amount of homelessness, more than I expected vs cali -no portland? interesting to see if it's a US PNW thing
-With all US cities, this homelessness is with higher levels of incarceration overall. (5x more than in canada)

[Migrant_Coconut]

Originally Posted by mezzanine

Good dataviz. A few thoughts,

-interesting how NE american cities can shelter a large portion of its homeless,
-on the flip side, seattle has a high amount of homelessness, more than I expected vs cali -no portland? interesting to see if it's a US PNW thing
-With all US cities, this homelessness is with higher levels of incarceration overall. (5x more than in canada)

Might have something to do with Portland's low income inequality or lack of big tech - Seattle's got Amazon and Microsoft displacing locals.

[Changing City]

I guess whoever pulled the data together didn't think to use Portland, but it's also high, (just below Miami-Dade). The 2022 point in time homeless count showed a total of 63 per 10,000 homeless, 26 per 10,000 sheltered and 37 per 10,000 unsheltered. There are roughly 6 people living unsheltered in Portland for every person counted unsheltered in Vancouver.

I think NE American cities have to shelter their homeless (given their winters, and summer heat). And of course our winter homeless count would probably be lower as the count is usually taken in May after our temporary cold weather shelters have closed.

One reason why our overall homeless count is comparatively modest, is because we have been building both permanent and temporary modular housing for welfare rate housing, which isn't the case in many cities. At one time Portland had a better record of housing their homeless population, but the growth in the number of homeless there has been more than their programs have been able to keep up with. It's grown from 2,000 unsheltered in 2019 to 3,000 this year.

Edit. We haven't needed to map our homeless camps like Portland has since 2017

[SpongeG]

With mental health calls on the rise, officials question whether Riverview Hospital should reopen

By Amy Judd & Jordan Armstrong Global News
Posted August 10, 2022 4:21 pm
Updated August 10, 2022

With a rise in seemingly unprovoked assaults and attacks in Metro Vancouver where mental health is a contributing factor, some officials are now questioning if a shuttered facility should be reopened.


In May, Sgt. Steve Addison with the Vancouver Police Department said violent crime in the city increased 7.1 per cent in 2021 compared to pre-pandemic levels.

Vancouver Police Department data released late last year also showed an average of four people are the victims of random, groundless attacks by strangers every day. Those figures that don’t include barfights, robberies, incidents of road rage or assaults where the individuals are known to each other.

Some of the perpetrators have records of between 200 and 500 previous police interactions.

...

https://globalnews.ca/news/9051396/riverview-hospital-reopen-questions/

[Skook]

Originally Posted by mezzanine

Good dataviz. A few thoughts,

-interesting how NE american cities can shelter a large portion of its homeless,
-on the flip side, seattle has a high amount of homelessness, more than I expected vs cali -no portland? interesting to see if it's a US PNW thing
-With all US cities, this homelessness is with higher levels of incarceration overall. (5x more than in canada)

So if Vancouver has 660,000 people and only 9 per 10000 homeless, then we only have 9 times 66 = 594 homeless. I doubt this is accurate.

In the last week, I have been to see American comedians Louis CK and John Mulaney. Both are from New York and both immediately commented on the addiction problem on our streets.

We likely do have less violence here because Canada, but the open drug use and rampant mental illness here is noticeable instantly, even to famous visitors from the biggest cities staying in our best hotels.

Who cares if other cities score better or worse according to some measures, we have a world class problem here, and most of our proposed solutions are more of the same shit that has failed consistently for years and years.

[Changing City]

Originally Posted by Skook

So if Vancouver has 660,000 people and only 9 per 10000 homeless, then we only have 9 times 66 = 594 homeless. I doubt this is accurate.

Street homeless - the ones you can see - were counted at 547 in 2020, the most recent published point-in-time survey. It was 67 less than were counted in 2019. There were 1,548 in emergency shelters, detox centres, safe houses, and hospitals, with no fixed address.