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Black Lives Matter protestors blocking Vancouver viaducts

Protestors are preventing vehicles from accessing both the westbound and eastbound entrances to the Georgia and Dunsmuir viaducts.
Megan Lalonde
Megan Lalonde
Screen Shot 2020-06-13 at 2.27.51 PM
Protestors can be seen blocking a Vancouver viaduct in this image captured by a traffic camera located at Beatty and Georgia streets. Screenshot, City of Vancouver traffic cameras

A group protesting in support of the Black Lives Matter movement continues to block vehicle access to the Georgia and Dunsmuir viaducts on Saturday. 

Protestors are using plastic orange fencing and pallets to prevent vehicles from accessing both the westbound and eastbound entrances to the viaducts, alongside signs displaying messages like, "abolish police," "care not cops," "defund VPD," "protect black trans women" and "black lives matter." 

In an emailed statement, Vancouver Police Department (VPD) spokesperson Sgt. Aaron Roed said police are monitoring the protest and will be updating any disruptions to traffic and the public through the VPD's social media accounts.

"Our primary purpose is to protect the safety of the protestors, the public and the police. We respect peaceful protests and during public demonstrations, police response is proportionate to the activities observed," he wrote. 

 

"We police hundreds of events each year and do our best to facilitate an individual's right to have their voice heard while working to ensure that their rights don't infringe on the use and enjoyment of another person. Public Safety will always remain our top priority"

Roed added, "We do have plans in place to deal with situations that may arise, however, for security reasons we would not share publicly what those plans are." 

The location of the protest holds historical significance. The are once housed Hogan's Alley, a hub for Vancouver's Black community located between Prior and Union and Main and Jackson beginning in the 1920s. The neighbourhood was torn down in the late 1960s, following which the Georgia Street viaduct was built in its place.