Several people arrested as tent city moves to new location in Vancouver
Posted November 25, 2016 10:48 am.
Last Updated November 25, 2016 5:23 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – You won’t see the tent city on West Hastings Street on Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside anymore after the City of Vancouver got a court injunction to clear it out — but its residents have only packed up and moved to another spot.
The camp is now at Thornton Park, next to the Main Street SkyTrain Station and people there say if the city doesn’t offer real answers, they’ll keep these tent cities alive.
Stacy Dubois is one of the people who packed up at W. Hastings St., dragged her stuff through the pouring rain to the new location. He says it’s important for people to stick together. “It’s not really easy out here sometimes and being by yourself it can be scary.”
He adds he has been involved in some violent encounters while trying to survive on the streets. Dubois insists the group that has moved to Thornton Park is not the problem and if the city attempts to get another injunction, he will join the group and move to yet another location.
Another woman, who is now living in the park, tells NEWS 1130 she doesn’t feel the city offered any answers and says the injunction just meant homeless people would just move to a different location. “Are we going to get kicked out of here too and then what? Then where are we going to go? We have to get realistic here. Something’s got to give.”
She adds living on the streets is dangerous enough as a group, but it’s far more risky if you try to do by yourself. She believes if the city offered actual housing options then this wouldn’t even be an issue.
This morning, Vancouver Police were called out to deal with a protest that erupted at the site. Several people were arrested after reportedly refusing to listen to the instructions of Park Board Rangers. “We continue to balance the fine line between demonstrators having their voices heard, and minimizing the impact that their demonstrations have on others in the community. Public safety remains our top priority,” says Staff Sergeant Randy Fincham.
The city and the provincial government have announced more winter shelter beds for the upcoming season. The city claims over the past month, over 100 shelter spaces have opened and there are another 92 spaces to be opened over the next couple weeks.
