Canadian journalist and political activist, Judy Rebick just sent this letter to Mayor Gregor Robertson Dear Mayor Robertson, gregor.robertson@vancouver.ca. Please send him a letter protesting this announcement that he would shut Occupy Vancouver

Dear Mayor Robertson: The death of a young woman from an apparent drug overdose is a terrible tragedy but I don't understand how it is a legitimate reason to shut down Occupy Vancouver. As you know better than I do, drug use is epidemic in Vancouver. ODs from drug use is a common occurrence on the Downtown Eastside. What is needed is more resources for services and supportive housing not shutting one of the places in your city that is trying to correct the societal inequalities that promote this kind of drug use. Shutting down Occupy Vancouver, which is the one place that is trying to integrate homeless and marginalized people into a loving community, makes absolutely no sense. If there are specific safety issues, these can be identified and corrected. But forcing a shut down of the site, will only lead to unnecessary confrontation. I visited Occupy Vancouver last week and was impressed by the dedication especially of the young people there who are trying to build a better world. Of course their community reflects the problems in the community around them but they are doing their best to solve these problems with care and compassion. The Occupy movement is one of the most hopeful signs of deepening democracy and citizen engagement that we have seen in North America in generations. Young people are taking leadership to try and change the brutally unequal society that produces the epidemic of drug use both legal and illegal. I fear that you are using this tragic death for political reasons. If so I am very disappointed in someone I thought was a progressive mayor. Please re-think your announcement today and put a halt to any measures that would shut down Occupy Vancouver. Sincerely, Judy Rebick 

Sorry folks, but I just don't get it. How does an OD death make the encampment more unsafe than it was before the death? And will dismantling the camp prevent future ODs in the city?

The reality is that Robertson, like a good politician, needed "cover" so that he could justify what he needed to do anyway, for purely political reasons.

Taking the camp down by force will produce violence and likely result in injury. Robertson will now claim that he had no choice. Anton will claim that "he" did it wrong. They're both full of manure.

And so it goes. 

Gregor is now in the position so many have predicted.

If he sends in the troops, he will be acting against his own troops at OV.

Because he has dithered for so long, this will be more difficult than ever. Because of the tragic death of the young woman, his orders will appear opportunistic. And when he does send in the troops, Black Bloc and other DTES crazies will rejoice just as they did during the Olympics riot.

They believe their 'revolutionary cadres' will metastasize only after there is physical violence -- which they welcome. It gives them an excuse to put on their black masks and act like thugs.

Black Bloc enablers (Harsha Walia et al / http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oesjegD1-Vg) will also rejoice. They welcome physical confrontation, as their words have persuaded no one.

Falun Gong demonstrations outside the Chinese Embassy showed how peaceful protest can -- and should -- be run. Speaking truth to power, the Falun Gong people were there 24/ 7 for 365 days a year, for years. Their moral courage, and their zero interest in showboating, set a high standard.

OV has allowed itself to become a site for drug users, drug dealers, and drug overdoses.

For that silly girl 'Kiri' to call her squat an 'autonomous zone' where OV does not 'recognize the authority' of ambulance, fire, and safety personnel simply illustrates how far off-message this protest has gotten. It shouldn't have taken the loss of Ashley's life to make that clear.

Falun Gong conducted a dignified, enduring moral protest. Occupy Vancouver, through its unwillingness to self-police, has become a happy hunting ground for the disordered, the disorganized and -- as soon as Gregor finally acts -- the Black Bloc sociopaths.

The message has been sacrificed to the messengers. Too bad.  

Funny, Occupy Vancouver was front and centre on the Straight's webpage until it was revealed to be nothing more than a tent city drug den. Where are Stephen Hui's daily reports now? 

Really the fingers should be pointed at the current municipal administration for allowing the drug problem in Vancouver to continue to fester unchecked. This isn't a sign of a problem with Occupy Vancouver. This is a symptom of the uncaring, callous nature of our civic leaders who cannot or will not deal with the epidemic of drugs all over the Lower Mainland. We have poor leaders. End stop. There's the problem. What are you going to do to protect your citizens, Gregor? Evicting a legal, peaceful group of protesters simply makes you look like the biggest bully on the block. And Anton continues to prove that she is completely out of touch with any constituent who doesn't make six figures a year.

Stop fucking up our city, politicians. Why is that so hard for you to do? Start being responsible to your citizens, not developer interests, not bullying business associations. Do you even know who the people really are who live here? You sit around making things better for such a small coterie of people. YOU are the reason people are overdosing because YOU, who are in the positions of power, willfully ignore the fucking problem. Disgusting, all of you. 

The poor woman was battling demons (sexual abuse and the psychological damage, typically).

Robertson and friends who keep people like Ms. Gough high on drugs and out of the way are your murderers.

All she really needed was love and someone who cared enough to treat the cause rather the symptoms (drug abuse and social rebellion). 

Eloquent and powerful comment. 

Most people agree that there are many deep and pressing problems facing our global society, problems that the current political processes are not adequately addressing . Therefore some kind of extra attention and effort is required to build a better future for humanity.

The World Occupation Movement is an important process without precedent that is both shedding some extra light on current issues and generating some new and creative ideas for moving forward. This provides hope for the young and old, which makes it a very essential political event in the longstanding democratic tradition.

Due to the crisis of humanity and the importance of this global movement, Occupy Vancouver therefore deserves to be supported and tolerated, including some extra costs and inconveniences (within reason).

Hundreds of people die of drug overdoses in British Columbia each year, so one death at the camp is not surprising. It is not a relevant reason to shut the tent city down. Ashley did not overdose because she was at the camp, she just happened to be at the camp when she overdosed.

The participants in the encampment and various related meetings and events should make it an absolute priority to ensure the health and safety of all participants. It should be their first priority at all times to make it a positive and welcoming experience for all participants and visitors by following food safety rules, by keeping the camp immaculate, orderly and beautiful, by following the advise of the fire marshals and city officials, by limiting noise and loud music, by banning all fighting and discord, and by effectively prohibiting all drugs and alcohol from the site. 

Here's the thing...
It seems the same arguments are being tossed back and forth on this issue and it's causing such a rift that the bickering has effectively consumed the original intended message.

Most people will agree that the concerns are legitimate and important, I feel the main argument by those opposed to the 'occupy' tactic just feel that it is the wrong way to go about solving these problems. I brought this up to someone I spoke to there and was promptly told to go back to my herd...

This imaginary boundary is the reason this is dying.
I honestly empathize with what this group, the original Wall Street protest that is, which I found completely jarring and awesome. But blindly following a well intended doctrine is still just that. People have been battling these problems long before anyone occupied anything.

The truth is, good intentions will only get you so far. Sometimes you need lawyers or scientists or doctors or engineers to solve problems. And while I never doubted that the protesters are educated and skilled in many facets, I feel they don't appreciate this fact enough.

 

I really wanted to be OK with all of this--when they were living in tents according to ancient custom, it was one thing. Now they've degenerated into treason and sedition. Today they were talking about lighting fires. Time to put down the dogs who apparently think they can fight the Crown. 

I heard there was a fatal accident on the Trans Canada Highway. Apparently Robinson is telling Harper to close it down.  

The Occupy Wall Street movement is firmly based on protesting the economic and political injustices waged by those at the top of the corporate structures that have corrupted our economics and our politics.

But in Vancouver, it never really seemed to achieve these lofty kinds of goals. Yes, we have a homeless issue. Yes, we have a drug addiction issue. Those facts are painfully obvious to us all already. And we are working on them. There is INSITE- something that Vancouverites are fighting hard to protect and foster. There is more non-market housing being built.

We have much work to do but Rome wasn't built in a day, you know.

I so wanted the Occupy Vancouver protest to be successful. Vancouver is, after all, the birthplace of Greenpeace and home to Kalle Lasn's Adbuster Magazine that called for the Occupy Wall Street movement in the first place.

But right from the start, despite the efforts of some very well intentioned activists, the OV movement has degenerated into a self-destructive shell of what could have been a poignant statement.

Then, the first overdose followed by the second resulting in a death have completely undermined the point of the OV movement. It has lost its vitality, it's moral stance.

The corporate elite do not speak for me. But neither do those who enable drug addiction and justify it happening at such a protest.

Never mind all the "repressed and marginalized" gibber. Enough of the guilt-ridden 'sorry you had to do this to yourself to escape this awful, terrible world' tales of woe to glorify a heroin addict's untimely passing. She is no martyr. Every person must take responsibility for his and her Self.

Don't get me wrong: I am sorry she is gone and I grieve for her friends' and family's loss but the choice to come to Vancouver, to take the drugs, was hers and hers alone.

To those who desire a Utopian future... do you think that Che Guevara would have tolerated drug addicts in his ranks? Do you think that Fidel Castro would have welcomed heroin addicts into his revolutionary world?

Would de Robespierre have allowed supporters to nip out for hours to "forget their pain" on the bloody way to Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité? Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin or George Washington, would they have embraced self-indugences like shooting up while encamped against the British on the road to Independence?

A clue to the correct answer: Everybody pulls his or her weight when striving for change. And change certainly doesn't happen by taking pit-stops along the way to get high for the sake of getting high. I would gently suggest that drug addicts are the first to be cast off when serious change is in the offing.

To date, many of the calls for the camp's removal have been bogus. Rodents. Hygene. Blah Blah Blah. We've heard it all before. But sadly, enablement and worse, justification, of drug abuse has undermined everything. Like a cancer, it has reared its ugly head and now the patient is dead.

Respect only comes with respect. Respect for others, respect for self. By disrespecting themselves, by not being disciplined in their standards regarding drug use on the site, those who are there are dishonouring the movement. They are dishonouring those of us who stand in solidarity but who do not have the luxury at this time to be physically present.

If the cops have swooped in without provocation as they have in other Occupy sites, hundreds would have come down to protect the camp. I'm sure of that. If I weren't working, I would have.

But sadly, now it's different. I wouldn't cross the street to defend people's 'right' to shoot up there... especially when Vancouver has fought so hard to get and to protect INSITE.

And so the Occupy Vancouver movement, despite its initial ideals, is done.

I continue to support the OWS movement- the one in New York City- but here in Vancouver, it's time to pack up and go home. There will be another time.

 

So sorry, the above should be about Robertson. 

this has gotten out of control. its nothing but a bunch of junkies down there and to be honest I don't feel safe walking by there anymore. that area is a public place, its supposed to be for everyone. im 100% supportive of the OWS movement but these junkies need to go, by any means necessary 

these "protestors" have shown their true colours.

real grievances, not junkies.

go away junkies. back to vancouver island. 

Is it a protest anymore or just a squat. I don't suppose they ever heard, "It's played" before. That being said, It would be nice if they don't get too power mad and cause more harm than good. Enforcement can get unpleasant to individual. Don't want the old APEC scenario. 

You just know Anton's PR team is just salivating right now.  

The timing is priceless for a municipal election. It looks like a stand off between Gregor and Susan, with Occupy Vancouver dominating the debate.

It is unfortunate (appears to me) that the DTES drug users are using the camp as well. They have every right, and are definitely the 99%. Why does society not feel any sympathy for the drug users? Because they steal? So do bankers! They just dress better.

All the hardworking people I know right now are stretched to the limit. No wage increases (unless u r a union), more work, no breaks or "leisure time". Be grateful for the job you have! They are scared to speak out!

Groceries cost more, gas costs more, basically everything costs more, yet the gov't tells us there is no inflation.

I still support the Occupy movement, There are people living there who truly support the cause. It is terrible about the young woman who overdosed, yet it sadly represents the desperation of society. People give up hope and use. They use gambling, alcohol, drugs, sex, and shopping.
 

useless opinion:

the bank of Canada releases inflation rates annually. As for doing anything about it, that's a different story. 

anton:

i have never believed that the bank of canada's measurement of inflation was realistic to how we live from day to day.
 

I suspect some people are too well groomed and clean and may inside for the Vision and NPA sorts too grand stand for the sake of negative reflexion on some maybe good ideas at time uttered. Yeah the bank of Canada is basically is the fed and as it has been said, "end the fed." Why can't competition drive interest rates? But that's another story, I even think this thing suits some status quo powers in the city as a distraction cost from other pork barrel spending. If they want it gone now, they have no more use to these powers. Gregor should resign, perhaps even Anton but she's likely never going to be the chief admin. of the city and isn't now. Man did they stretch this out, I figured they had it for three days to protest. Way too much mindless following in this world.