Olympic no-fun police strike again in East Vancouver after Canada's gold-medal win

by Martin Dunphy on March 1st, 2010 at 2:17 PM

The Vancouver Police Department further solidified its buzz-kill rep with its show of force in East Vancouver following Canada’s gold-medal men’s hockey win over the U.S. Sunday afternoon. Sidney Crosby had barely dropped his stick after his overtime goal when cops showed up on every intersection on East Hastings Street from Nanaimo to Renfrew. Some were in cars, and some were just standing on the corners.

There were no Olympics-related events scheduled that day at the nearby Pacific Coliseum, and the delirious throngs exiting GM Place were kilometres away, but that didn’t prevent Vancouver’s finest from glaring down the honking celebrants on the road and the clusters of flag-waving adults and kids on the streets.

Even an impromptu road-hockey game at the intersection of East Georgia Street and Garden Drive drew the attention of a police helicopter, which hovered overhead, returning repeatedly during the course of an hour.

Vancouver Police Chief Jim Chu might be able to justify his nanny-state liquor-store closures by citing “family-friendly” platitudes, but nothing can justify the jackboot presence of police in a neighbourhood peacefully celebrating a national victory. Last week, the cops shut down a traditional Chinese new year lion dance at Nanaimo and Hastings.

What is worst is the assumption, based solely on geography, that there would be trouble there in the first place. I’m betting there were no stern-faced police stationed in Shaughnessy on Sunday.

Comments

36 Comments

ummm

Mar 1, 2010 at 2:40pm

in the busiest part of the madness, downtown. the police were nothing but friendly, high fiving and taking pictures for and with people - it was a festive time, even for the hundreds of cops making sure the hundreds of THOUSANDS of drunk and happy hockey fans didnt get out of control. obviously who ever wrote this has broken the law once or twice and got caught like the idiot he is.

Janis

Mar 1, 2010 at 2:51pm

pointless article.

Alexis

Mar 1, 2010 at 2:51pm

When will people learn the difference between "worse" and "worst"?

Yikes

Mar 1, 2010 at 2:58pm

Uhhhh.... Did you do any research or put any thought into this? I live near Hastings and there were cops at renfrew/ Hastings everyday! I asked one and it's because Hastings is an Olympic route so they are supposed to keep traffic flowing. And no mention of them doing anything to ruin the fun except being there or staring at people honking horns. Georgia straight - your bias is showing.

Main and 9th

Mar 1, 2010 at 3:06pm

http://twurl.nl/l5r5i0

They weren't all so bad *Found on twitter.

Martin Dunphy

Mar 1, 2010 at 3:07pm

Yikes

The Olympics were over at the time. There were no events at the Pacific Coliseum that day. And the police were at EVERY intersection, where they had no presence previously, except at Renfrew Street to keep the traffic moving. I live there too, and this is what happened. There is no bias, just what actually happened. No research is needed for straight reportage.
Have a nice day.

GeorgiaStraight Unfollow

Mar 1, 2010 at 3:40pm

Um, what about the policemen that I saw playing street hockey with the fans?
What about the police that let people wave their flags and choke up downtown streets?
GeorgiaStraight - UNFOLLOW.
I'm done with your biased 'journalism'.

brettt

Mar 1, 2010 at 4:05pm

Wow....everyone is a writer online. Remember when you had to actually be good to be a journalist?

BC mom

Mar 1, 2010 at 4:17pm

Oh Martin, sounds like an awful lot of grousing over nothing. You didn't like them "glaring"? You didn't like the chopper checking it out? So just the mere fact that the police were there was irritating?
You sound about 10.