Homeless in Vancouver: Free expression gets a green light on South Granville

Even before I could see or hear the protesters, there was the flash of red and blue lights from a Vancouver Police Traffic Enforcement motorcycle reflecting in the black granite veneer of the bank on the northeast corner of South Granville Street and West Broadway.

While I watched, a white-helmeted, yellow-jacketed, motorcycle cop appeared in the middle of the intersection, dismounted, and parked his Harley Davidson and directed all traffic on West Broadway not to cross the intersection.

At 10:40 a.m. (Friday, April 15), the first knot of protesters marching north on South Granville Street appeared. They were headed for the Granville Street Bridge and downtown Vancouver.

Here and there, placards of brown cardboard bobbed up and down like buoys floating in the streaming mass of young-looking women and men. As they crossed the street, an amplified male voice could be heard shouting “Show me what democracy looks like!”

No idea what the protest was exactly about (it’ll probably be on the news tonight) but I’m sure it was an important issue. And it was just nice to see the kids getting out on a spring day and exercising their right to free speech—you can’t have a strong voice if you don’t exercise it.

I believe it’s true what they say, that you’ll lose it if you don’t use it.