‘You can’t treat people that way’: Man says Vancouver building manager turned hose on homeless man

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) — Mike Chatwin took his camera out and started filming Saturday morning as soon as he “realized it was about to go bad.”

The footage he captured and shared shows a man hooking up a hose and turning it on a man who was sleeping in the sheltered entrance of a Railtown building on a rainy Vancouver day.

“That’s when I turned on the camera,” Chatwin explains.

“I felt sick. I see people sleeping there all the time. It’s right outside my bedroom, they keep me up at night. It bothers me, but there’s a line that can’t be crossed and I felt sick to my stomach. I could see the guy crying, I could see him upset.”

Chatwin and his wife live across the street from the building in the video, near the intersection of Gore Avenue and Railway Street. He claims the man wielding the hose is the building’s manager, NEWS 1130 has reached out to see if this is the case.

The neighbourhood borders the Downtown Eastside where many of the city’s 2,223 people experiencing homelessness seek services, and a place to sleep.

“I’ve lived in this area for about 10 years and I’ve had all sorts of interactions with people on the Downtown Eastside,” Chatwin said.

“They’re human beings. Just look them in the eye, and be kind to them. It was just terrible to see someone who’s in that position be taken down a little bit more.”

Chatwin said he understands that building managers and property owners in the neighbourhood may be frustrated.

“I’m sure it’s not an easy problem to deal with. He’s probably dealing with that every day. I’m sure he’s frustrated, I don’t think he’s wrong for being frustrated either.”

But he said this is not an excuse for cruelty.

“You never know why someone ends up down there,” he said. “I’m not a politician I don’t know what they can do about getting them in homes, but just treat them like people.”

Chatwin called the police and gave a statement and said his wife has emailed the company that manages the building.

The Vancouver Police Department confirmed an investigation is ongoing, with officers attempting to locate the victim.

“VPD officers did respond to the area of Gore Avenue and Alexander Street around 10 a.m. for a man who had been sprayed with a hose,” said Cst. Tania Visintin in an email.

“Police did not locate the victim as he had left the area.”

Chatwin said he put the video online to highlight the need for compassion.

“I just thought it was something people needed to see,” he said. “It happened in front of me. He needs to understand that you can’t treat people that way.”

Editor’s note: Sound has been removed from the video because of profanity.