Maybe its a Vancouver thing.
Or, maybe its a democracy thing.
Whatever it is, theres something about a select number of Vancouverites who feel the need to protest for all the public to see. Media attention is usually their goal.
Whether its the condemnation of war, being upset with a foreign governments treatment of its people or the right to smoke weed, protest is a common occurrence in the streets.
If you happen to be around the Vancouver Art Gallery this Friday at 5 p.m., youll get a first-hand look at what a large-scale public demonstration looks like.
Thats where hundredsmaybe thousands?of so-called cyclists will depart in the monthly Critical Mass bike ride. This is the ride where cyclists take over the streets, block intersections and generally piss off a lot of motorists.
The reason for the mass two-wheeled love-in has never really been clear to me. I get it that people want more infrastructure for cycling.
But what I dont get is the helmetless dude sparking up a spliff, getting on a borrowed BMX bike and flashing the bird at some unassuming motorist trying to get home at the end of the week.
Bike good, car evil?
Ill move on
I bring up Critical Mass because its mentioned in a Vancouver Police Department report that went before the Vancouver Police Board July 18.
The report is a draft version of the VPDs public demonstration guidelines. The guidelines are nothing new but simply a compilation of policy cops are supposed to follow when policing public demonstrations.
So what can you expect from the VPD at this Fridays Critical Mass ride?
To engage in enforcement action against every cyclist during Critical Mass would cause the ride to become significantly longer and would exponentially disrupt traffic, said the report authored by Supt. Mike Porteous. This would have the added effect of increasing tension between the cyclists and motorists as the ride becomes longer because of police enforcement action.
Added Porteous: This may lead to violence that otherwise would not have occurred, put the police and public at risk and bring criticism from the public which the VPD serves.
So, essentially, ride on.
Though Critical Mass garners media attention, the VPD says it attends several hundred protests and demonstrations in the city every year.
What prompted the report before the police board was the VPD receiving many inquiries on its philosophies and practices in relation to protests.
So I figured the B.C. Civil Liberties Association had something to do with this. But, I was wrong. In fact, David Eby, the executive director of the police watchdog group, said the VPD have done a good job handling major protests, including Occupy Vancouver, the 2010 Winter Games andalthough it couldnt really be deemed a protestthe Stanley Cup riot.
We thought the police reacted responsibly in all of those, said Eby, who joked the association had lost our way for giving the VPD praise.
The association, however, continues to have concerns with the shooting death of Paul Boyd and the VPDs use of PRIME B.C. related to criminal record checks.
But a great deal of our attention is occupied by the RCMP of late, in particular around accountability issues and reforms to the RCMP Act and so on, Eby said.
So who, or what does he credit for the VPDs approach to policing protests?
Just a very different philosophy from the top, he said, pointing to Police Chief Jim Chus leadership.
Twitter: @Howellings
