Photos of the threatening flyers, which give homeless people seven days to leave the neighborhood, circulated on social media on Monday. “We are working to identify the person or persons responsible for these messages, which have reasonably caused fear and anxiety in the Downtown Eastside,” said Sgt. Steve Addison said in an emailed statement. “Until we know more, we’re asking everyone to be extra vigilant, watch out for their neighbors and report suspicious activity.” The flyer states that Insite will be the “first building to burn.” The flyers threaten the property of people who are homeless and a supervised injection site in the neighborhood. (Submitted) Police are asking anyone with information to come forward.
Threats, violence ‘another day in the life’
Trey Helton, director at the Overdose Prevention Society, which provides supervised drinking services and other harm reduction efforts, says he has heard from people in the community that the flyers were distributed sometime over the weekend. He says that while it’s sad to see, people who are homeless in Vancouver are routinely subjected to threats and acts of violence. He says he experienced it himself, having been homeless and addicted to drugs in the past. “Sleeping on the streets of Granville, I would have people come up and try to kick me in the face or hit me on a regular basis just because they thought I was an unworthy citizen,” Helton said. “The reality is that people who are homeless and dealing with mental illness or dealing with battles with substance use disorder are dealing with that very often. And it can often be seen as just another day in the life.” Helton says there needs to be more love and compassion for people who are homeless. “It could happen to you, it could happen to one of your family members, whoever you are.”
The Mayor answers
Vancouver Coastal Health, which operates Insite in partnership with the Portland Hotel Society, said it is aware of the threats to both people in the area and their facilities. “VCH has a zero-tolerance approach to any threats to the safety of our staff or clients accessing services at our healthcare facilities,” the health authority said in an email. “As many of our substance-using clients also live with mental health concerns and trauma, it’s important that they feel safe, secure and unopposed while accessing essential health care, including harm reduction services.” On Twitter, Mayor Kennedy Stewart called the letters “reprehensible” and appealed for people with information to come forward. I got it fromPeople who are not housed in Hastings deserve our support, friendship and compassion. This is reprehensible and will not be tolerated. Those involved will be held to the fullest extent of the law. Anyone with information please contact me or pic.twitter.com/rHY1olS4Xb α> —@kennedystewart
Intensity
The letters come at a tense time on the Downtown Eastside. Crime and disruptive behavior in Vancouver—or at least perceptions of it—get a lot of attention in the media and on social media. Ahead of October’s municipal elections, some candidates have made these issues central to their campaigns. Last week, some tents began to come down on Hastings Street, where a large encampment of homeless people was ordered by the fire chief to remove their makeshift homes for fire safety reasons. However, no one has been able to provide shelter to the people living there. Last month in Langley, four people who were homeless or formerly homeless were shot, two fatally, in an hours-long shooting spree that ended with police shooting the alleged gunman. Moments later, a woman set herself on fire while sitting on a sidewalk in the Downtown Eastside. The senseless attacks have left the community and advocates shaken and asking what it will take to take action to make people who are homeless less vulnerable.
