My friends from other countries express surprise at the outcome of last night's hockey game. My response is, why would you be surprised? You cannot fart in this province anymore without permission from the state. This is how kids behave when the babysitter's back is turned. And turned it was last night. The idiots were given a free pass to behave like anarchists. Notwithstanding, on one hand the police must be congratulated for not overreacting as they have been known to do, and I know this is going to be an unpopular comment as it is not PC to criticize Emergency Response; but police response (or lack of it in many cases), did not help much. It was way too little too late. Armchair expert? I don't think so, I was right there. I am one of those so called "gawkers" who went downtown last night to witness what was going on. I drove a scooter down nearly every alley and street downtown and here is what I saw: I saw small numbers of idiots who were the instigators breaking things, over turning cars, burning things and breaking glass completely unchallenged. The rest were onlookers, some being entertained and some completely aghast.
The onlookers were there for the spectacle. Let's face it, that's why people go to hockey games (I am not a hockey fan) in the first place. And a spectacle they got; vandals and firebugs operated with complete impunity sometimes within feet of cops. I am convinced that if some of those idiots had been grabbed by the scruff of the necks by cops and taken away, it could have been nipped in the bud right away. Instead the cops waited, formed their riot lines with artillery and horses, waited, then threw out flash bangs and occasionally rushed the crowds. This did two things in my opinion; it further incited the crowd, which allowed the followers the time to join the leaders (who by now had momentum) in wrecking things and second it gave the gawkers the spectacle they came to see.
Look, we know the police have a tough, tough job. We appreciate what they do (for the most part). However, I have to ask the question, why are the police so afraid of heavy lifting? For the most part they watched, apparently afraid, helpless or perhaps tethered by their own bureacracy that was unprepared. There were idiots breaking stuff right in front of them and they have to wait to do something? For what? Even I told a few people to fuck off and stop, but I was not wearing riot gear and armed. Foolish? I don't know, but my intuition and experience was that most people there were on my side and not a threat. However I quickly determined nobody was about to help me. What about getting the fire department to turn a few hoses on people?
This event reminds me of an experience I once had outside a bar in Gastown. There, two men were kicking cars and threatening bar patrons who were waiting in a lineup. I phoned 911, and the police took what seemed like forever to arrive. One showed up on a motorcycle and waited a safe distance away. Meanwhile the two guys took off, so I pursued them. I motioned and yelled to the cop to give chase with me. Only he was not about to give chase without backup which took another minute. The result? The two guys got away.
I might understand this if our cops were not armed to the teeth (but I doubt it as they are trained, which I am not). But contrary to other jurisdictions where police simply carry billy clubs, our police are armed like militia and they still cannot give chase and take them down? Excuse me?? We needed some heavy lifting the other night, not seat belt checks or to be told we cannot enjoy a glass of wine on the beach. Instead, the anarchists got symbolic victory after symbolic victory.
Oh, I can hear the spin now from mayor and chief and the predictable outcome of last night's event from the law and order types will be that we need more restrictive laws and more law enforcement. I don't think so. In fact, I think that one could instead argue that in highly restrictive environments, people do not learn personal responsibility. We've been working for decades on eroding personal responsibility in BC. And as a result it seems some even resent the nanny state so badly that they lash out whenever the opportunity arises.
So I revert to my earlier statement that you cannot fart in in this province without permission. Smoking laws, liquor laws, helmet laws, seatbelt laws, petty parking restrictions, dog leash laws, noise bylaws curfews in parks and beaches... just to name a few. To some degree you reap what you sow.
This event reminds me of an experience I once had outside a bar in Gastown. There, two men were kicking cars and threatening bar patrons who were waiting in a lineup. I phoned 911, and the police took what seemed like forever to arrive. One showed up on a motorcycle and waited a safe distance away. Meanwhile the two guys took off, so I pursued them. I motioned and yelled to the cop to give chase with me. Only he was not about to give chase without backup which took another minute. The result? The two guys got away.
I might understand this if our cops were not armed to the teeth (but I doubt it as they are trained, which I am not). But contrary to other jurisdictions where police simply carry billy clubs, our police are armed like militia and they still cannot give chase and take them down? Excuse me?? We needed some heavy lifting the other night, not seat belt checks or to be told we cannot enjoy a glass of wine on the beach. Instead, the anarchists got symbolic victory after symbolic victory.
Oh, I can hear the spin now from mayor and chief and the predictable outcome of last night's event from the law and order types will be that we need more restrictive laws and more law enforcement. I don't think so. In fact, I think that one could instead argue that in highly restrictive environments, people do not learn personal responsibility. We've been working for decades on eroding personal responsibility in BC. And as a result it seems some even resent the nanny state so badly that they lash out whenever the opportunity arises.
So I revert to my earlier statement that you cannot fart in in this province without permission. Smoking laws, liquor laws, helmet laws, seatbelt laws, petty parking restrictions, dog leash laws, noise bylaws curfews in parks and beaches... just to name a few. To some degree you reap what you sow.
