Skip to content
Join our Newsletter

This Week in History: Vandals blitz the NPA office..again

Gordon Campbell outside the NPA's vandalized offices. Photo Ed Olson. "We'll move in before we move out." That was the vow of Non-Partisan Association president Brian Calder after vandals struck again at the civic political party's East End outpost.

 Gordon Campbell outside the NPA's vandalized offices. Photo Ed Olson. Gordon Campbell outside the NPA's vandalized offices. Photo Ed Olson.

"We'll move in before we move out."

That was the vow of Non-Partisan Association president Brian Calder after vandals struck again at the civic political party's East End outpost.

Vandals hit the office twice Sunday and Monday after an earlier blitz on Friday and Saturday. In the initial attack, person or persons unknown smashed five plateglass windows, scrawled obscene graffiti on the outside walls and instigated other mischief on the building at 2785 Commercial. (at East 12th).

Early Monday morning, the hoodlums returned and removed a large plywood sheet over the window. Posters were stolen and it was reported that two men pounded on the door and told those inside to get out or they would be burned out.

The attack was apparently aimed at NPA mayoral candidate Gordon Campbell, whose posters were defaced and whose name was used in the obscene slogans spray-painted by the vandals.

Campbell said Monday that the attacks will not deter him from continuing his campaign in the East End and all across Vancouver.

Eastside voters have traditionally supported the leftwing Committee of Progressive Electors, but Campbell said there was no evidence linking the attacks with their opposition.

"I believe it was just a public statement by some small group," Campbell said outside his battered election headquarters. "Everyone, including our opposition, would deplore this kind of behaviour."

Campbell said it was a disgusting act and said that the office will now be kept under closer scrutiny to prevent the incident from occurring again.

This story was taken from the EastEnder newspaper archives from 1986 Vol. 3, No. 37 May 29, 1986.