An open letter to British Columbians:
British Columbians are understandably embarrassed and disappointed by
Wednesday night's activities. It should have been a celebration of
the tremendous effort by the Canucks in their playoff run. It turned
into a shameful display of behaviour by people bent on violence.
The vast majority of citizens gathered and dispersed peacefully, but
sadly they also witnessed the mayhem. There were also good Samaritans
there: people who had the guts to stand up for what is right and
citizens who showed up the morning after to help with the clean-up.
These people deserve our thanks. They are the ones who will define
our city and our province.
The police and fire fighters had a very difficult job and their hard
work is appreciated. The clean-up crews and the businesses have all
worked hard to restore the downtown core. I'd also like to thank the
first responders who tended to those who were injured as a result of
these foolish actions.
There were a lot of preparations. Based on the Olympics,
Vancouverites hoped and expected we were past the type of destruction
we saw in 1994. It's very disappointing. We will work with the City
of Vancouver to review what we can learn from this. When this
happened in '94, new approaches were incorporated. We have more to
do.
I want to be very clear: this is not who we are. We will not let this
band of criminals define us.
None of us want to live in the kind of society we saw last night. We
are going to send a strong message of deterrence: if you played a
part in this, we have a mountain of evidence and that evidence will
be used by authorities to support criminal charges.
Members of the public can help the police and crown prosecutors by
submitting any photos, videos or other evidence they may have.
Vancouver police are asking people to email their photos and videos
to [email protected], or post information through Twitter at #VPD.
Citizens have also come together to create their own social media
sites to share information about events and images of troublemakers
captured on mobile phones. The police will monitor these sites
closely as part of their efforts to gather evidence.
We will push for full justice. Collectively, we will do our best to
bring those responsible to account. Criminal charges will be pursued
wherever possible and appropriate.
If you are responsible, we will hold you responsible. Your family,
friends and employers will know. We will ensure we have the resources
to do this. You will not be able to hide behind your hoodie or your
bandana.
No one wants this to happen again. We will not let the behaviour of a
few disgrace the City of Vancouver or British Columbia as a whole.
This is not who we are.
On Thursday morning I met with Mayor Robertson and Charles Gauthier
of the Downtown Vancouver Business Improvement Association to survey
the damage. We met dozens of citizens who had gathered downtown,
saddened by what happened last night but determined to clean up.
Among them was a student from David Livingston Elementary School,
broom in hand, doing her part to sweep away the stain left on her
city last night. In these people I saw the spirit, grace and
responsibility that make Vancouver and British Columbia the kind of
place we all want to live.
Christy Clark
Premier of British Columbia
