Vancouver volunteers return to Granville Street amid increase in stranger sexual assaults

Editor’s note: This article includes details that may be disturbing to some readers.

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) — The increase in stranger sexual assaults on Vancouver’s Granville Strip is upsetting but not surprising to an organization that’s been offering volunteer safety patrols in the area for the last few years.

In July of 2021, 16 sexual assaults in which the perpetrator was unknown to the victim were reported to the Vancouver Police Department. This prompted a warning from police Wednesday, with a spokesperson noting it represents a 129 per cent increase in reports compared to 2019, when there were seven.

Constable Tania Visintin described this increase as “very concerning,” saying since July 1, there have been eight sexual assaults on or near the Granville Strip, which included rape.

“We want to bring awareness to the public and to let them know that this is going on,” she said, also announcing the department would be relaunching a 2019 initiative targetting potential offenders.

#VPDnews: #VPD saw a 129 % increase in stranger sexual assaults in July — in particular a 167% increase in sex assaults in the Granville Entertainment District. https://t.co/ocIekEJ1xQ #HandsOff #GropeToJail pic.twitter.com/OCRUW2mFyY

— Vancouver Police (@VancouverPD) August 11, 2021

Stacey Forrester is the education director and co-founder of Good Night Out Vancouver, a non-profit that tries to prevent and respond to sexual assault and harassment in the Granville Entertainment District.

“On one hand it is jarring to see but on the other hand, it’s also not surprising being someone who works in the anti-violence sector,” she says.

While awareness is important, Forrester notes a number of problems with these warnings, including the potential for them to minimize the prevalence of violence in relationships or behind closed doors.

“There’s kind of the subtext that if that if women and people of marginalized genders stay home they’re potentially safer, which we know isn’t always true,” she says.

“When we were in lockdown and there was no socialization, nightlife wasn’t happening — we saw cases of intimate partner violence or violence that people were facing in their own homes go up. COVID-19 has exacerbated inequities in our society and gender-based violence is really a shadow pandemic.”

Tonight on @CityNewsVAN @NEWS1130 we're hearing from a not-for-profit asking each of us to reflect as we hear of an increase in stranger sexual assaults in #VancouverBC. @goodnightoutVAN's Stacey Forrester says the recent stats are not surprising, but they are disappointing. pic.twitter.com/L6LfLSfr1h

— Ria Renouf ???? (@riarenouf) August 12, 2021

The fact that the VPD’s messaging targets potential perpetrators represent a necessary and overdue shift in highlighting who is responsible for preventing sexual assault, Forrester says.

“I think that we still do see safety messaging that targets women, and people of marginalized genders with a checklist of things they can do and I think that still does persist,” she explains.

“There has been a slight shift in society, recognizing that sexual violence is never the fault of the person who’s victimized, and that there’s a whole other side to this equation, although it’s not to the level I think that myself and other folks doing this work would like to see.”

Safety crucial component of a vibrant a nightlife 

Forrester says she’s worried people will dismiss these incidents as a normal part of the club scene, par for the course for a Friday night, or a consequence of being cooped up due to COVID.

“Violence against women and marginalized genders is not a byproduct of a strong and thriving nightlife. If our public realm is not safe after dark, or a thriving nighttime economy comes at the expense of some people — we really need to reflect on interrupting that.”

Good Night Out’s Street Team patrols the Granville strip between midnight and 3:30 a.m. on Friday and Saturdays. Volunteers intervene when they see someone in a potentially unsafe situation and can help people who are afraid or in danger get to safety.

#granville team is out tonight to support your safety!!!! Look for the team in peach until 330 am! pic.twitter.com/HWdmqc3W6B

— Good Night Out Van (@goodnightoutVAN) July 31, 2021

While the VPD urges victims to report to the police, Visintin notes sexual offences are “vastly under-reported.”

Forrester says organizations like hers offer a community-based intervention, which is crucial for victims who do not want to call the police.

“It’s important to acknowledge that that safety and justice is a very individualized experience. So what feels safe and just for me might be very different for you, and very different across the spectrum of our society,” she says.

Forrester also wants anyone who has experienced a sexual assault that in British Columbia there is a way to make a report to police anonymously. Third party reporting is done through community-based organizations, like rape crisis centres. The victim provides the information, but the report is submitted by a worker or volunteer. If police want to investigate further, they contact the organization. Victims don’t ever need to have direct contact with officers, but they can decide to at any point after the report has been submitted.

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Forrester says Good Night Out Vancouver is the only group that focuses on outreach and education on the city’s nightlife.

“In tandem to our street team, we have a parallel sexual violence prevention program for nightlife spaces because we do really consider that there are many points of vulnerability in nightlife,” she explains.

“There is the public realm, but that is just one point There’s also what happens inside the venues and helping staff boost their skills in prevention there.”

The group has been asked to expand to other areas in the city, like Gastown and Mount Pleasant but isn’t able to do that yet because their funding is not stable.

“The funding for the street team is in flux every year, which is why often if you Google us you see many stories where we’re making an appeal for funding,” Forrester says.

When COVID-19 shut down all restaurants and bars in March of 2020, the street team stopped patrolling. After a long hiatus, volunteers hit the street again on July 23 of 2021.