Vancouverites still shocked at results of city's liberal drug culture

(Below are two letters in the Letter section of the Vancouver Sun)...
Downtown Eastside's sad state bad for tourism
Re: Tourism a growing, valuable B.C. industry, May 8

Evan Loveless of the Wilderness Tourism Association of B.C. writes eloquently about the growth of tourism in B.C. and how it was recently overlooked as one of the key economic sectors. He also highlighted issues that need to be addressed by the next government of B.C. such as land rights, tenure access and security, planning, transportation and marketing. But there is one issue that challenges our tourism future that was not mentioned: the condition of the Downtown Eastside.

I returned last week from a two-week European vacation. On my second day in the Netherlands, I turned on the CNN International News channel and was stunned to see they had a feature on Vancouver.

After 20 seconds or so depicting the beauty of B.C. and its people, they got to the core of their story: The Downtown Eastside and its drug culture and homelessness.

Needless to say, my excitement at being featured on such a prominent newscast quickly turned to disappointment and sadness.... click "Read More" below to continue....


I watched as the horror of the downtown unfolded and I thought how many thousands, perhaps millions, of people must be watching this program and what must they be thinking. Are they thinking what I'm thinking? How can a government allow this to continue unabated year after year, never changing with each successive government? It didn't take long for the reality of the show to hit home when I got that very question put to me and I didn't have an answer.

D. Brown, Vancouver
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I live in Gastown. I love the diversity and the character of the area. Some things drive me a little crazy. The needles on the streets, thieves who steal everything not locked down and the constant begging for money. Did I mention the smell of pee as you pass certain alleys? We provide needles for addicts, a warm place to shoot up, and a place to sell stolen goods to make some cash to support the drug lords who get rich off the addicted.

Now to go from the sublime to the ridiculous: People are picketing a business across from Pigeon Park. A business that employees people, pays taxes and gives a nice upgrade to a depressed area. The protesters harass potential customers and have made it difficult to simply do business. Why pick on this particular business? If you want to protest, take on the thieves and the people who disrespect the honest, well-intended poor by littering, peeing and harassing people for their hard-earned money. Change is needed now.

Doug Kooy, Vancouver
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Sources:
http://www.vancouversun.com/opinion/Downtown+Eastside+state+tourism/8380817/story.html
http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Downtown+Eastside+state+tourism/8380818/story.html#ixzz2ToT4VKax