It came at the worst moment. But the end is nigh.
The Occupy movement, spawned in New York and copied across the globe, landed Oct. 15 outside the Vancouver Art Gallery and into Vancouver's civic election campaign.
Before the protest, despite the Stanley Cup riot and his party's low public approval numbers, Mayor Gregor Robertson was cruising to reelection Nov. 19. Then a tale of two cities-Vancouver, home to 640,000 Vancouverites, and the tent city, a lawless zone of blue tarps, bongo drums and several dozen squatters-took centre stage.
In the beginning, Robertson blessed Occupy, saying protesters could remain camped outside the gallery forever. After all, Robertson's a global dude and former director of Tides Canada, an eco-activist war chest with international ties. If not for his current job title, Robertson would likely have frequented tent city during its opening days, making impromptu Al Gore-style appearances among the proletariat.
But as Occupy's UBC students lost interest, and the weather grew cool, the protest grew dark. Shouting protesters interrupted Sunday mass at Holy Rosary Cathedral where society's true villains, grandmothers in plastic pearls and Filipino immigrant families, came to pray. The protesters stormed a TD branch, scaring bank tellers whose only crime was sharing an industry with Lehman Brothers and Goldman Sachs. They flouted city bylaws and ignored fire marshals.
And the mayor watched from the sidelines like a six-year-old. Robertson's bungling of Occupy Vancouver reinforced his image as a man-child. At first, he was reckless. Then, as public sentiment turned and election day loomed, he sent mixed-messages before tragedy-the suspected fatal overdose Saturday of a 23-year-old women-provided the cover Robertson required. Past proclamations notwithstanding, he's now anti-tent city, albeit in a dithering way. "I have directed the city manager to expedite the appropriate steps to end the encampment as soon as possible," Robertson said Saturday, "with a safe resolution being absolutely critical to that."
Meanwhile, whatever its genesis, the Occupy Vancouver protest has lost all credibility. An angry "leadership," mainly young and white, spews venom daily while prohibiting rank-and-file protesters from talking to media. Despite Saturday's tragedy, most tent city inhabitants remain on site for selfish reasons. To be validated. To be the centre of attention. To eat. To sleep. To push dope or get high.
I visited the tent city several times over the past two weeks. Protester complaints mirrored a "list of demands" released by Occupy Vancouver online. Banks are evil. The minimum wage is too low, tuition too high. The media is corrupt. Criminals run the country.
Some of what they say is true. Capitalism is unfair. There are winners and losers. But capitalism, with its inherent flaws, offers opportunity to anyone willing to educate themselves and work hard. And because of that fact, it remains the best economic system within a democracy. Ironically, capitalist innovation created the social media and hand-held devices vital to Occupy protests. Moreover, protesters embrace the same hypocrisy they decry. While railing against inequality and double standards, they elevate their right to protest over the rights of others to work, worship and enjoy public space without fear of harassment.
Yet during my visits to tent city, I was most struck by the lack of spirituality within the movement. It's mainly about money, or more accurately, the money they lack and others grub. Last Friday morning at tent city, a 20-something man in a half-beard and red poncho complained about banks and bailouts. "They buy the politicians and get paid. Where's my bailout?" When I asked why he, a young man in good health, needed government assistance, he told me to f--k off. Vancouver's iteration of the global Occupy movement is mean-spirited, narrow-minded, self-righteous and utterly devoid of humility. And that, more than any politically motivated mayor or overdose tragedy, seals its fate.
So, if you're young, healthy and want to change the world, get off your ass, tear down your tent and go forth. The world is rife with injustice that requires immediate attention, from African villages to First Nations reserves. Don't listen to the haters. Give, work and fundraise. Lobby, build bridges and volunteer. And do so with a glad heart. It may not get your face on the evening news, but the things worth doing rarely do.
Twitter: @MarkHasiuk
