The Vancouver Province is reporting that "An international drug and addiction researcher says she has been astonished by the level of violence perpetrated by dealers and 'enforcers' in Vancouver’s notorious Downtown Eastside." No kidding. That's what we've been saying for years. Nice to hear it from a third party who is an expert in the field.
“What I wanted to do was to look at violence in (drug-dealing) situations, because I knew that dealing is very openly done here in the Downtown Eastside — and differently from other places,” said Stallwitz, who has studied community-mindedness in drug cultures in Scotland and Germany for 16 years. What she didn’t expect was the violent, extreme sanctions being used by some higher-level boss dealers when debts weren’t settled. 'The sanction part is massive here … violence as I’ve not experienced anywhere else on the street level,' she said."
"She also heard about robberies, forced dealing and prostitution, as well as “hot shots” — where someone is intentionally given an overdose — and attacks with carpet knives, sexual assaults and rape. Her sources recounted rare cases of people being pushed from windows, having their hair sliced off, being set on fire, and even murdered for as little as $30."
Sadly instead of arresting the violent drug dealers she blames the police and suggests handing out pamphlets to ask drug dealers to be nicer and for users to pay their debts. Stop the insanity and arrest the drug dealers for God's sake. Our social experiment has failed. It's time to try something else. It's even worse on the Surrey Strip.
Meanwhile back on the Ranch, Dumb and Dumber exploit another photo op and have another smoke and mirrors press conference saying they have narrowed down the choices to three to fill the vacant position of Surrey Police Chief. Believe you me the position was vacant when Bill Fordy was in it. What's the dancing monkey gonna do, pick someone of his own incompetence? Fraser MacRae was a Rock Star. Bill Fordy never came close. History has recorded that.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteFirst Nations wearing a red shirt. What do you think the odds were that he was Redd Alert? The HAs used Redd Alert to take back all the drug dealers in the DTES.
Delete"One complaint she heard repeatedly was of police confiscating drugs without providing users or dealers with a record of the seizure."
ReplyDeleteYeah..... ;-D
"If someone seeks proof of that, they can ask the officer for a business card with a file number, he said."
ROFLMAO.
This is going back a few years, but...
Dial-a dope delivery driver gets pulled over by VPD. No probable cause but they have their suspicions so they search the car anyway, finding drugs/cash which of course must be confiscated but they know the search is no good in court...."So, do you want to go to jail or would you rather just leave"...
No they didn't give him a business card with a file number on it.
I see where you're going but the root of her complaint feeds the insanity. Police are bad for confiscating illegal drugs. That is ridiculous. Police are bad for not arresting the freaking drug dealers pushing addicts out of windows for drug debts.
DeleteOf course VPD need to be confiscating illegal drugs. But they also need to be accountable when they do, (accountability not being something they specialize in) and there have been allegations of their officers stealing drugs and cash for years. No, you never read about it in the papers because the folks who have their stuff taken are not going to complain for fear of their life getting more difficult than it already is. It's the cost of doing business.....
ReplyDeleteYes I understand your angle. If the police confiscate drugs that needs to be recorded so they aren't putting it in their pocket. Destroying it and not wanting to do the paperwork is different but it's a fine line.
DeleteI just really don't understand all this kicking of the cat. Why beat up the addicts when they are already getting beat up by the dealers. Why not just beat up the dealers instead. They are the real villains in this scenario.
Read the Maria Campbell, "Halfbreed" autobiography, that will answer some of your questions (which I know are rhetorical and I know you know the answers but this being a blog you have to ask the questions to make people who come across it think).
DeleteCompletely agree, users are the reason there is demand but they aren't the problem. Predatory dealers are. You can't ask predators to stop. They won't. It's what they do. Until people understand that, nothing changes. You have to STOP THEM. So even if this dude in the Philippines is a nut (and he is) he can be said to understand this concept. They don't, and won't stop until you STOP THEM. And apparently there is no will to do that, so 16 year old girls will OD in Starbucks wash rooms. People don't want that to happen? STOP THEM.
ReplyDeleteCan't we just give them pamphlets asking them to be nicer?
DeleteWe will not get the police to arrest and place nasty dealers in jail or those transporting drugs because that costs money. That is money the B.C. Lieberals and any other number of governments in this country are not willing to spend.
ReplyDeleteJails, courts, police officers, jail guards, sheriffs all cost money. The B.C. Lieberals don`t want to spend that money because then they wouldn`t have a `balanced budget`` Money in this province is in short supply because big business and the friends of Christy Clark don`t pay their fair share of taxes. When there isn't a fair share of taxes paid by all there is a shortage of funds and hence the cutting of programs and the lack of political will to jail drug dealers for even over night.
If police had to arrest and jail for even 48 hrs everyone they caught with more drugs than personal usage amounts, there wouldn`t be enough room in the jails to hold them all. They`d need a stadium. It might be a start in dealing with the problem but the stadium would be out the money. Jailing bad dealers, those who beat, murder, etc. would again cost money and that is not money the provincial government is going to spend. Remember those people who are dying aren`t the kids of the B.C. Liberals or their friends. They go to the expensive rehab centres of $15K or more for 2, 3 months, with follow up.
Just curious to know what is your middle name dennis? I want to add u on fb but there are so many dennis watsons.
ReplyDeleteMy middle name is James but I don't have facebook. I only have Linkedin.
Delete