There is so much finger pointing and butt covering going on around the Stanley Cup riot, youd have to think most of the folks in the middle of it all are ambidextrous; they are able to point and cover at the same time. To pursue this anatomical analogy one step further, all this finger pointing and butt covering has given the story legs.
The media loves it. We can continue to run images of burning police cars and looting hooligans on our front pages and evening newscasts. And we can also make somewhat superficial if not downright inaccurate comparisons to the riots in England; there, thanks to a very different set of circumstances and a significantly different justice system, the response from police, the politicians and the courts appears to be much more deliberate and swift. (What the heck is taking Police Chief Jim Chu so long anyway?)
If that isnt enough, there are three separate reports on the disgraceful eventthe VPDs, Furlong/Keefe and the citysthat have come along like a second wind as we return from vacation and all the kiddies head back to school.
They all provide opportunity (legs) to keep this story on the boil if for no other reason than this: none of them, as far as I can figure out, really says who was responsible except, you know, that bunch of drunk anarchists and hooligans, most of whom dont live in Vancouver thank goodness and are definitely not Canucks fans.
And speaking of opportunity, with a municipal election a matter of weeks away, all of this has given the lone NPA councillor and mayoral candidate Suzanne Anton a platform on which she can point her pinky with impunity. (Note that she has turned her attention away from Police Chief Chu and his alleged foot dragging in bringing the drunken hooligans and anarchists to justice to totally focus on Mayor Gregor Robertson.)
For this she receives the uncritical love and attention of a media seeking a voice to respond to all the butt-covering going on.
Which is whyand this is the main observation to be made at this juncturethe Stanley Cup riot is giving the mayors office a serious case of the willies.
The question keeping them up at night is will any of this stick? And, in particular, will it stick to Robertson. Because, as you can expect, the pointing and covering will likely grow more intense in the next few weeks as we head into the municipal election.
But while Anton carries on like a woman on fire and Robertson does his best to remain cool, you have to wonder if this issue is getting much traction with the voting public. To be sure, its helping Anton solidify her NPA base and restore the partys treasury for what will be a most costly election campaign.
But what about folks who are more concerned about the economy, the fear of never being able to afford a house or whether their kids will do well in Grade 3?
The last person to take a look at the issue and publicly report the results was pollster Barb Justason. At the end of August she observed that while Robertsons Vision Vancouver party was slipping in the polls, the mayor himself remained popular. Ive been surprised at the extent NPA attacks on him over the riot havent stuck, she said. People dont see it as a top issue of concern.
That was before the three reports came out and Anton has since been relentless on every communications channel she can access. But at Tuesdays special council meeting set up to discuss the riot along with a briefing on the citys report and recommendations, there were more TV cameras than members of the public lined up to speak. And that handfulexcept for a conciliatory Charles Gauthier with the Downtown Vancouver Business Improvement Associationcould hardly be described as representing the mainstream.
