Marijuana activists go looking for Gregor Robertson at Vancouver City Hall

    1 of 1 2 of 1

      Marijuana activists are upset about the treatment they got from Vancouver police at Cannabis Day on July 1.

      There was a scuffle, pepper spraying, and four arrests.

      "Many marijuana activists and members of our community were horrified by the actions of the police and want to know why the city would choose to act so combative toward non-violent protesters," Cannabis Day organizer Jeremiah Vandermeer blogged.

      So today (June 3), pot activists gathered outside Vancouver City Hall to air their grievances (and smoke some weed).

      At one point, a bunch of protesters entered the building and headed for the mayor's office.

      They could be seen live streamed on Pot TV talking—Rosa Parks came up—amongst themselves and with media. 

      Mayor Gregor Robertson wasn't there, which seemed to piss off the protesters even more, and they soon left to rejoin those outside.

      Comments

      15 Comments

      You know...

      Jul 3, 2015 at 3:30pm

      There was a day when a 'protest' was rare, and when these events happened it was like, 'Holy shit, these people are protesting, this has got to be important'. Now, protests are so common place, they have become a source of entertainment.

      They could make a 24 hour protest channel on cable network, they are so common.

      What a bunch of losers...

      Jul 3, 2015 at 3:52pm

      So you got a bunch of 'no shirt wearing, tattoo covered, pot smokers' demanding to see the City Mayor. And when they don't get that opportunity, they get pissed off and leave, to join there buddies outside... I guess they're off to get munchies then.

      KettleBlack

      Jul 3, 2015 at 3:56pm

      The bottom feeders of our society are humiliating themselves for all to see!

      Gregor using MIA

      Jul 3, 2015 at 5:41pm

      It's hard to find Gregor Robertson at City Hall. He's the invisible man. Maybe they should have gone to Cortes Island! Smoke some weed at Hollyhock Farm.

      Reasonable Head

      Jul 3, 2015 at 7:27pm

      Plainclothes VPD and city staff asked them to leave the mayor's office, and I doubt any of you calling them losers would think it any better if they had staged a peaceful sit-in.

      Or a loud sit-in. The fact is that this issue has festered for far too long---we've legalized abortion, gay marriage, and you still can't buy weed in Canada without a medical excuse? You still can't grow it without a medical excuse?

      Why is medical marijuana any less insulting than medical abortion? Women can get abortions on demand, more or less. And morally/ethically speaking, there is an argument both ways about abortion. There is no argument both ways about marijuana.

      Do homosexuals have to apply for medical permission to engage in homosexual acts? Of course not, and such would be insulting.

      Canada is rapidly falling behind---it's like we're a US client state that looks like what the US would look like if it had no direct democracy, no peace movement.

      Remember, it's all about peace in the end: intelligent people don't believe in using violence to police the nonviolent.

      Seriously?!?

      Jul 3, 2015 at 7:40pm

      Those guys need to smoke more or less because whatever they are doing is too much or not enough. Expecting Mayor Gillespie-Robertson to see them shows an absurd sense of self-importance. Their outrage towards the city and police is especially absurd because of the tolerance shown towards what is still an illegal substance. Rather than demanding the police and city apologise a more mature & productive line of thought would be "what was done differently that caused the famously weed tolerant police to arrest someone?" Considering that one can talk with a cop whilst smoking a joint and the most she/he will do is ask you to stop while you are talking it would seem that this isn't a case of jackbooted cops oppressing anyone.

      Isn't it funny how a few days ago Gillespie-Robertson was being hailed for how tolerant his city is regarding weed? You can buy it anywhere, smoke it openly in public without threat of arrest and the city even told the Feds to mind their own business. All that and the weed whiners pretend they are being oppressed. Nice. Thanks protesters for reminding me why my personal use of weed will never cross over into promoting legalization or widespread use: too many idiots are involved in that crusade.

      @Seriously?!?

      Jul 3, 2015 at 8:42pm

      I don't know why you think rational people are idiots. The war still rages; there is a compromise in Vancouver, but it's about more than you and your weed, you jackass.

      Try to understand that if you are being arrested for a nonviolent act, you are quite possibly being oppressed, unless there is some overwhelming body of evidence demanding that we do something about this class of nonviolent acts: building a nuclear pile in your backyard comes to mind.

      I get it that guys like you think you're smarter than the "idiots", but you're not. You're simply a coward. It's not people like you who have garnered the tolerance we have in Vancouver. If you don't know the history, violent enforcement was the standard in the early 90s, it took a lot of heavy lifting to build up what we have now.

      The medicalization is basically a standard divide and conquer strategy. Nobody except people who've got fat in the head was hailing the regulations as tolerant---they're a prohibitionist response because they involve using violent enforcement against peaceful people. And I think that in retrospect a lot of them are realizing that the regulations are not going to improve things---things either get better or they get worse.

      Overall, we won't be free until we can grow as many plants as we like, and trade them in public with our friends. Ever see the lady at commercial drive skytrain selling her cabbage? Maybe we need the VPD to bust her ass!

      We've already conquered the S.C.C.

      Jul 3, 2015 at 9:33pm

      I've tried several times to respond to some of the above comments in a politically correct but informative manner, however it became evident to me that would not be possible considering I could not determine how to approach the subject in an age appropriate manner. I assume mostly adults take the time to read and comment but the mentality is that of a child.....

      We've already conquered the S.C.C.

      Jul 3, 2015 at 9:34pm

      I've tried several times to respond to some of the above comments in a politically correct but informative manner, however it became evident to me that would not be possible considering I could not determine how to approach the subject in an age appropriate manner. I assume mostly adults take the time to read and comment but the mentality is that of a child.....

      Bobbbb

      Jul 3, 2015 at 9:59pm

      These people do not recognize the 'cannabis community'. They represent a very small subsection of the community in Vancouver who believe they are the only ones who truly know what is best for the rest of us who are happy to see the City of Vancouver start to regulate this chaos.

      These people "protesting" (if you can call it that- a 'tantrum' might be more appropriate) don't want regulation, they want chaos.

      Their time as the vanguards of a larger movement to normalize and legalize has ended, and they are lashing out at that simple fact. They are becoming irrelevant as they have wedded themselves to opposition, not progress. So they lash out for attention, like a spoiled child.

      These tempter tantrums, these cries for attention, do not represent the vast majority of those who want to see cannabis legalized and regulated. They represent people who want it their way or no way. That's not compromise, that's not community, that's not even healthy democracy, that's fringe extremism.

      They are claiming police abuse, but all video posted of the event shows the police acting in a very reasonable manner, and a small group of vigilante thugs trying to prevent the police from doing their job. These are not the Gestapo, any anyone making claims of a 'police state' need to seriously take account of the bubble of privileged they live in to even make that kind of claim. It sickens me to think the media continue to allow this crowd to pretend they represent the majority of us. They do not.