Vancouver Riots!

[marv2]

I just watched the report on "The National". Are they for real? 150 injured, 3 stabbed, one critical and millions of dollars in damages to Downtown businesses. Over a Hockey game? Come on!

[marv2]

This is just a small sample of what went on up there the other night. To get the real depth of the destruction and kaos, you would have to view local news footage of the riot:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1q5V6DKH3bw

[marv2]

Here is a more graphic representation of what went on:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4VzOUKODdZ4

[robb_k]

3197
I am truly embarrassed! That is NOT the society in which I grew up! What has happened to values, responsibility, empathy, perspective on life? There's an awful lot of selfishness in The World today. I knew that USA had a lot of that behavior, but I didn't expect that in Canada.

[Doug-Morgan]

....except on Grey Cup weekend.

If Premier Clark had her way, my guess is the rioters would be taken out and shot. $1m damage to a London Drug Store. I didn't expect that either.

http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Premier+Clark+wants+jail+time+rioters/4966722/story.html

[robb_k]

3198
I don't like the fact that trying those looters will delay trials for murderers and perpetrators of sexual crimes. But the message must be made loudly and clearly that that kind of behaviour won't be tolerated. Otherwise society, as we know it, will break down.

[marv2]

3197
I am truly embarrassed! That is NOT the society in which I grew up! What has happened to values, responsibility, empathy, perspective on life? There's an awful lot of selfishness in The World today. I knew that USA had a lot of that behavior, but I didn't expect that in Canada.

It's understandable [[being embarrassed). First let me say, that I love Canada, but not this part! Although rioting is never the answer, it would have made more sense to me if it were all over some major social injustice. But a Hockey Game? There is no excuse. There is a lot of selfishness in the World today and people are angry or are angered very easily now. Those rioters were just using the lost to Boston as an excuse, where there was none to reak havoc on that city. Why all the looting?

Unfortunately, this story is been shown all over the World this week and Vancouver looks worse than anything going on over in Greece at this moment.

[splanky]

I understand less of this world the more time passes by...
Over a hockey game?...
Over any sporting event?
Over entertainment event for that matter....
Geezzzzzzzzz!!!!!!..........

[jobeterob]

Prosecuting rioters2:11Beginning of Story ContentDustin Anderson confronted a policeman during the Vancouver riot. CBCA 22-year-old Vancouver man who was widely seen acting belligerently in video footage during Wednesday's riot says he plans to turn himself in to police, even though he feels trapped in his home because of his notoriety.

Dustin Anderson is seen angrily taunting and swinging his shopping bag at a police officer in riot gear, then turns his attention to a firefighter, who he also appears to take a swing at.

Later, Anderson is recorded dumping milk over his own head, hoping to ease the sting of pepper spray deployed by police.

"I obviously feel horrible," Anderson told CBC News Monday. "I can't leave my house because everybody recognizes me."

Criticizes firefighter
But he suggested there were also many people who behaved worse than he did Wednesday.

"It's not like I was lighting cars on fire or smashing in windows," Anderson said.

He did not deny taunting the police officer, but said he was angered by the firefighter's response to him.

"I went to him for help because I had been pepper sprayed," said Anderson. "He told me to go home... He was trying to get in my face."

Anderson said he's surprised he hasn't been arrested and charged yet, but said he would surrender to authorities Tuesday.

Mountain biker named
Alex Prochazka is another man who's being frequently named by internet users who are outing people apparently associated with the riot.

Mountain biker Alex Prochazka was identified in riot pictures posing before a burning car. CBC Prochazka already had a high profile before Wednesday. He grew up in Whistler and is a professional mountain biker.

He was reportedly seen the night of the riot posing in front of a burning car while wearing a t-shirt from one of his mountain-biking sponsors — the high-end sunglass manufacturer, Oakley.

A spokesperson for Oakley Canada said the company is now looking at its legal options in its contract with Prochazka.

[jobeterob]

Vancouver police are no longer focusing blame on just a core group of people who came prepared to cause trouble for the riot that swept through the city last week.

On Monday, police said their investigation has revealed more details about the background of the rioters that police were not aware of immediately following the riot.

Vancouver police Chief Jim Chu says he is no longer blaming the riot only on a core group of anarchists and criminals who came equipped to cause damage. CBC
"Based on the best information we had the following morning, we stated that the instigators among the mob were 'criminals, anarchists and thugs who came to town bent on destruction and mayhem' regardless of the outcome of the game," said police Chief Jim Chu.

"While we are still standing by that observation about the instigators, we are learning that most of the people that joined in the riot and that have now been charged represent a wider spectrum of young people, many of whom do not have criminal records."

The riot broke out after the Vancouver Canucks lost the final game of the Stanley Cup to the Boston Bruins on Wednesday night. More than 100,000 people were downtown to watch the game on giant screens set up in the streets by the City of Vancouver and outside CBC.

117 arrested and 2 charged
Police say 117 people have been arrested in connection with the riot, including roughly 100 people who were arrested during the riot on Wednesday for breach of the peace. About a dozen people also turned themselves in to the Vancouver police and three to other police agencies.

Just two people have been charged, but police have recommended charges against six other men for various offences and those are currently awaiting approval by Crown counsel.

"Edgar Ricardo Garcia, 20, of Burnaby, has been charged with aggravated assault in connection with an incident where two men were stabbed in the 700 block of Hornby Street," said a statement released by Chu on Monday.

"Joshua Lyle Evans, 27, of Calgary, has been charged with possessing a weapon dangerous to the public peace in connection with the same incident," said the statement.

Unique investigation raises challenges
Chu said a team of investigators is checking the mass of information on social media websites and in videos and photographs submitted to police, which is posing unique opportunities and challenges for investigators.

"The sheer volume and speed of the information is overwhelming," said Sgt. Dale Weidman.

"In a routine case we have a clear crime and then take steps to identify the suspect and compile evidence. In these cases, we have names of suspects before we know exactly what they did and where they did it. Obtaining that information quickly is the challenge as we work backwards from the end point to the beginning," said Weidman.

The Integrated Riot Investigative Unit, which was formed to handle the unique investigation will expand to more than three dozen officers and civilian analysts over the next few days, said Chu.

Police have received about 3,500 email tips from the public including:

53 with videos attached.
280 Crime Stoppers tips received.
344 emails containing only text.
676 with links to YouTube.
708 tips with images attached.
1,011 with hyperlinks to other social media sites other than YouTube [[mostly Facebook).
"We may not be able to respond to everyone as quickly as we would prefer but we are committed to getting back to every single person who contacts us as soon as we can. In the meantime, I would ask everyone to not destroy any evidence they may have already sent us," said Chu.

The Vancouver police are urging those who were caught in the act on video and in photos to come forward and turn themselves in.

"If you come in voluntarily, you can do so discreetly and at a time that is convenient for you," said Chu.

"If you wait until we find you — and we will find you — we will arrest you in a public manner suitable to the public crimes you have committed."

Violence was predictable: poll
Meanwhile, a new survey of 906 British Columbians by AngusReid found 90 per cent of those polled said they felt disgust about the riot.

According to the poll, which was conducted last Thursday and Friday, 73 per cent of British Columbians disagreed with statements by officials that there was no way to know that the crowd assembled in downtown Vancouver would become violent.

The poll found 79 per cent of British Columbians agreed that the riot was caused by a small group of people and 66 per cent of British Columbians agreed with the way Vancouver police handled the riots.

However 94 per cent said there needs to be a larger police presence for crowd control in the future. The poll concludes alcohol sales should be banned on the day of a sporting event.

About 60 per cent of those surveyed supported the creation of a single police force that would oversee the entire Lower Mainland.

Pollster Mario Canseco said the online survey of a representative group has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.3 per cent.

[jobeterob]

This is about much more than a hockey game.

This is about spoiled rotten kids that think they are entitled to anything they want..........to things in a store window, to have their team win a hockey game, to have Mom and Dad kiss their butts all their life long with no responsibility for anything. And it's about kids who had absentee parents or no parents at all.

A 17 year old Doctor's son who is a star on a water polo team with a university scholarship tries to light a police cruiser on fire. Try and make sense of it. Now his family have had to flee their home due to threats.

And the identities of these people are totally exposed instantly.

A great blight on the City's reputation, for sure.

But I see this kind of behaviour everywhere today; you can even see a version of it on Soulful Detroit at times.

[marv2]

If Vancouver police Chief Jim Chu was the Police Chief here in New York, he would be fired! They would forget about everything he ever did prior to this riot and fire him pronto! He would become the lightening rod. Not the Mayor, not City Council.

[robb_k]

3223

This is about much more than a hockey game.

This is about spoiled rotten kids that think they are entitled to anything they want..........to things in a store window, to have their team win a hockey game, to have Mom and Dad kiss their butts all their life long with no responsibility for anything. And it's about kids who had absentee parents or no parents at all.

A 17 year old Doctor's son who is a star on a water polo team with a university scholarship tries to light a police cruiser on fire. Try and make sense of it. Now his family have had to flee their home due to threats.

And the identities of these people are totally exposed instantly.

A great blight on the City's reputation, for sure.

But I see this kind of behaviour everywhere today; you can even see a version of it on Soulful Detroit at times.

Values in today's society need a lot of change.

[jobeterob]

Good Samaritans take on rioters in Vancouver and are sought by the media. [[Image: Getty)

Vancouver riots: The Good Samaritans

17/06/2011 10:30:00 AM

by Nevil Hunt
Future riots in Vancouver will be tamed thanks to Good Samaritans who stood tall and all those with cellphone cameras. The public's willingness to see the culprits prosecuted says mob rule is fleeting, but a sense of community is forever.


As Vancouver tries to clean up its post-riot streets and its image, the efforts of Good Samaritans are being celebrated in the news media and across social media.
Many rioters may be brought to justice as the public identifies them from cellphone photos and videos, and you can be sure the police and the courts will prosecute as an example to all.




RELATED: Stark images of the riot violence





There's a maxim in criminology texts that applies to the post-Stanley Cup riots. Future police officers are taught that five per cent of the public will steal any time there's an opportunity and five per cent will never steal. The 90 per cent in the middle will steal if they believe there is no risk of getting caught.

Even a small measure of deterrence can go a long way to preventing illegal acts; that's why the 90 per cent of us in the mushy middle don't shoplift or ride home on someone else's bike.

The vast majority of us will not smash cars, start fires or loot stores if any form of authority is nearby. But that same majority will feel free to act out if the police are not around.

In the absence of police presence at the centre of the Vancouver riot storm, the nutty five per cent did what they wanted. The 90 per cent who felt no risk of arrest either joined in or stood back, providing the rioters with tacit peer approval and a physical blanket of protection the police couldn't penetrate without risk to themselves and many innocent people.

But the 90 per cent is now becoming part of the solution.


The public is helping to identify rioters and looters through special websites being set up solely for this purpose, and many are sending their own photos and videos to the Vancouver police department.

Videos of Good Samaritans who tried – and sometimes succeeded – in stopping the rioters from damaging property is uplifting to watch. These are people willing to act as the city's conscience while putting their own safety on the line. They will be celebrated and their courage will become a rallying point for Vancouverites sick of seeing their city lambasted in the world press.

The city's sense of community is also on display as citizens turn out to help clean up the damage. It's a small step, but a significant one if it makes people feel better connected to each other.




RELATED: The real losers in Vancouver




There is other good news, beyond the Good Samaritans and the kissing couple. Deterrence is about making people think twice before they act. That's all it takes to make most of us act responsibly.

Surrounded by cellphone cameras and pocket video recorders, future would-be rioters will know they'll be on the six o'clock news tomorrow and likely in the courtroom at a later date.

The Vancouver police and B.C.'s judges will play a big part in creating the perception of risk for anyone considering rioting or looting in the future.

We can expect judges in Vancouver to dish out very stiff penalties if they get the chance to sentence anyone found guilty of rioting or looting. Very public prosecutions of those identified from videos and photos will be remembered for a generation.

Why has Vancouver become a hotspot for rioting?


And will the risk of being caught on video reduce future incidents?

[theboyfromxtown]

Wow-This is not nice indeed.

I can't think what goes through the brains of these people at that time. The doctor's son is surely very respectable outside of that environment and most others are too. They are few 24 hour thugs in this world so what prompted them to resort to this. Presumably it's their passion and support for their hobby.

[marv2]

Taking pictures in front of the burning cars was interesting. Jumping on and beating any and everyone that tried to stop them was priceless!

[robb_k]

3226

Good Samaritans take on rioters in Vancouver and are sought by the media. [[Image: Getty)

Vancouver riots: The Good Samaritans

There's a maxim in criminology texts that applies to the post-Stanley Cup riots. Future police officers are taught that five per cent of the public will steal any time there's an opportunity and five per cent will never steal. The 90 per cent in the middle will steal if they believe there is no risk of getting caught.

Even a small measure of deterrence can go a long way to preventing illegal acts; that's why the 90 per cent of us in the mushy middle don't shoplift or ride home on someone else's bike.

The vast majority of us will not smash cars, start fires or loot stores if any form of authority is nearby. But that same majority will feel free to act out if the police are not around.

In the absence of police presence at the centre of the Vancouver riot storm, the nutty five per cent did what they wanted. The 90 per cent who felt no risk of arrest either joined in or stood back, providing the rioters with tacit peer approval and a physical blanket of protection the police couldn't penetrate without risk to themselves and many innocent people.

But the 90 per cent is now becoming part of the solution.


The public is helping to identify rioters and looters through special websites being set up solely for this purpose, and many are sending their own photos and videos to the Vancouver police department.

Videos of Good Samaritans who tried – and sometimes succeeded – in stopping the rioters from damaging property is uplifting to watch. These are people willing to act as the city's conscience while putting their own safety on the line. They will be celebrated and their courage will become a rallying point for Vancouverites sick of seeing their city lambasted in the world press.

The city's sense of community is also on display as citizens turn out to help clean up the damage. It's a small step, but a significant one if it makes people feel better connected to each other.

Surrounded by cellphone cameras and pocket video recorders, future would-be rioters will know they'll be on the six o'clock news tomorrow and likely in the courtroom at a later date.

The Vancouver police and B.C.'s judges will play a big part in creating the perception of risk for anyone considering rioting or looting in the future.

We can expect judges in Vancouver to dish out very stiff penalties if they get the chance to sentence anyone found guilty of rioting or looting. Very public prosecutions of those identified from videos and photos will be remembered for a generation.


Wow! I thought I was pessimistic! As disgusted as I am with the "actions of the average person", I have a hard time believing that a full 90% of all people would steal something owned by someone else if they thought they could get away with that. I think it's more like 25 or 30% [[and that's TERRIBLE ENOUGH)!. Do you REALLY believe that nine out of every ten people would take things away from others in their society just because they could do it with no consequences? If that is so, I don't want to live in such a society. I don't think things are anywhere near THAT BAD , at least yet.

But, most of the people I know wouldn't steal [[thereby hurting others) just because they could do it and succeed. I know that The World is a cruel place, but not THAT horrible.

I can, however, see that things are headed in that general direction. That is because we see people stealing [[and thereby hurting others), and thses "thieves" often have plenty. They are not stealing out of need, or because they feel that society has wronged them. They are just stealing for thrills [[kicks). That is a very bad sign [[of breakdown of society). Those people stealing in The London Drugstore and other shops are not poor, lower economic or social class people. They were just people who were disappointed that their city's hockey team lost, or people who got drunk and felt ornery, and like lashing out at others.

We need our young people to learn "The Golden Rule".

As far as many of the crowd standing back and not trying to stop the rioters from burning cars and breaking into stores, -I don't equate that with condoning that mischief. That is more fear of risking injury [[or even just being yelled at and being called names by a drunken and disorderly person). No one wants to be ridiculed or "put down" in public. That is definitely cowardice, but NOT quite the same thing as joining in the destructive deeds. But, it is sad that so many people do just that.

[marv2]

3226


Wow! I thought I was pessimistic! As disgusted as I am with the "actions of the average person", I have a hard time believing that a full 90% of all people would steal something owned by someone else if they thought they could get away with that. I think it's more like 25 or 30% [[and that's TERRIBLE ENOUGH)!. Do you REALLY believe that nine out of every ten people would take things away from others in their society just because they could do it with no consequences? If that is so, I don't want to live in such a society. I don't think things are anywhere near THAT BAD , at least yet.

But, most of the people I know wouldn't steal [[thereby hurting others) just because they could do it and succeed. I know that The World is a cruel place, but not THAT horrible.

I can, however, see that things are headed in that general direction. That is because we see people stealing [[and thereby hurting others), and thses "thieves" often have plenty. They are not stealing out of need, or because they feel that society has wronged them. They are just stealing for thrills [[kicks). That is a very bad sign [[of breakdown of society). Those people stealing in The London Drugstore and other shops are not poor, lower economic or social class people. They were just people who were disappointed that their city's hockey team lost, or people who got drunk and felt ornery, and like lashing out at others.

We need our young people to learn "The Golden Rule".

As far as many of the crowd standing back and not trying to stop the rioters from burning cars and breaking into stores, -I don't equate that with condoning that mischief. That is more fear of risking injury [[or even just being yelled at and being called names by a drunken and disorderly person). No one wants to be ridiculed or "put down" in public. That is definitely cowardice, but NOT quite the same thing as joining in the destructive deeds. But, it is sad that so many people do just that.

Robb, believe it or not. I hate to, but I believe it! On Saturday, [[here on Long Island New York and just East of me), a guy walks into a neighborhood Pharmacy to rob it. He shoots and kills four innocent people including a 17 year old girl. So yeah, I believe a high number of people would steal from others. Maybe not as high as 90%, but I'd say at least 70-75%.

[marv2]

You are not going to have much success teaching young people today over the age of say nine years old "The Golden Rule".

[robb_k]

3228
When I grew up in Winnipeg, during the late 1940s and 1950s, we not only didn't lock our doors, we left them wide open in summer. Our whole neighbourhood was like that. We didn't have bicycle locks. Same was true in The Hague [[Netherlands), when I was a kid. In neither of those countries did I ever see a policeman hold a firearm. And in those days, plenty of people were very poor. Now, I watch middle class and upper middle class young people break store windows and steal things, and burn innocent people's cars, in a country with a lot less inequalities and social problems than USA and other countries. What gives?

If people are going to do that in CANADA, where are they NOT going to do that? People these days have no sense of perspective. So many people are well off and have no appreciation of that. It is very discouraging.

[jobeterob]

Fair or not, rioters and bystanders jobs are at stake. [[Image: Reuters)

Vancouver rioters and bystanders losing their jobs

21/06/2011 9:21:00 PM

by Nevil Hunt
For some, being identified as a rioter in Vancouver's post-Stanley Cup chaos means losing their jobs because their boss is upset with them. Is someone's actions away from the workplace a valid reason for firing them?


Vancouver's post-riot hangover is turning into a life-changing event for some individuals.
A handful of companies have fired people who were part of the riots, and it appears they are responding to public pressure.

One man who simply commented on the riots on his Facebook page got pink slipped by his boss. No one is even suggesting he did any damage or took part in the unrest.

Granted, his online comments were tasteless, but they were typed on his own time, away from work.

The connection to work was his Facebook page, which listed his employer. His boss received more than 100 emails by the next morning from people angry about the comments, and told a TV network that he fired his employee because the company's reputation was on the line.

RELATED: Vancouver Riots in Photos


Labour law probably won't be on the boss's side should the employee decide to fight his dismissal, but most companies and most bosses can bank on their young employees to just walk away. Let's hope it's not a complete loss and the employee learned a tough lesson.

Legal advice for employers on one Canadian website suggests an employee can only be fired if their actions are "wholly incompatible" with the job they do. That may mean an off-duty cop, security guard or court employee could be fired for taking part in the riots, but not the Facebook user above, who worked as a carpenter.

The websites created to help identify the rioters through videos and still photos may be pushing a sort of vigilantism that's sweeping up some innocent bystanders along with the mob.

YouTube videos and photographs show people posing in front of burning police cars. Can we convict a person for burning the car based on such a photo? Can we reasonably demand they lose their job because they were there?

There's no doubt that guilt by association is occurring. Following an event that creates such an emotional response, common sense can easily be shoved aside in the search for the guilty.

But better to get it right. That's what justice is all about.

Cast a smaller and more accurate net, dear websurfers. Then moderate your complaints to employers. It's not a boss's fault if his employee threw a rock. It's the thrower's fault and they should pay a price in court.

And when complaints do land on a small business owner's desk or a middle manager's workstation, I hope they'll give their employee a chance to explain themselves before printing out a pink slip.

The end result of the 2011 Vancouver riots should be a way to prevent reoccurrences, or no one will be any better off than before.

Penalties and consequences: yes. Deterrence with stiff penalties: yes. But not revenge.

Does someone deserve to be fired if they rioted away from their workplace and on their own time? And if so, how can anyone be sure an employer has weighed the evidence fairly?

[StuBass1]

I agree that our society and culture has degenerated to the point that we believe people who EARN shit are not entitled to it, but people who WANT shit are...

[StuBass1]

I once worked for a very wealthy man who during the 60's saw his son on television carrying furniture out of the administration building at The University of California Berkley during a student protest. He told his son that he was not going to pay for him to go to school to destroy property and the son was forced to drop out. He took a job at a day care center in Santa Monica where Jane Fondas kids attended and struck up a friendship with here. The guy ended up producing movies with Jane Fonda [[On Golden Pond for one)...and evolved into quite the "establishment" type...driving exotic cars and generally living lar after trading in his jeans and sandals LOL.

[jobeterob]

Lots of kids can make errors of judgment when they are young and evolve into responsible adults; maybe the star polo player that wanted to light the police car on fire can manage that.

But the kind of behaviour that is so common and was evidenced in the riots by the behaviour of a lot of those young people is very disconcerting. That act like they are entitled to any little thing they want.

And we've seen that kind of tirade and tantrum here on SD.........basically, "just because I WANT THIS to be a certain way, IT IS....."

It is a common current in today's society and not very becoming to those exhibiting it.

[robb_k]

3232

Lots of kids can make errors of judgment when they are young and evolve into responsible adults; maybe the star polo player that wanted to light the police car on fire can manage that.

But the kind of behaviour that is so common and was evidenced in the riots by the behaviour of a lot of those young people is very disconcerting. That act like they are entitled to any little thing they want.

And we've seen that kind of tirade and tantrum here on SD.........basically, "just because I WANT THIS to be a certain way, IT IS....."

It is a common current in today's society and not very becoming to those exhibiting it.

EXACTLY so, -and hard to understand, most of such youth are relatively well-to-do as conditions on The World Stage go, and just have no appreciation of how well off they are. They take all their blessings as their "right", and are not at all satisfied by it. They want more! They want absolutely EVERYTHING to go their way-to be the best possible.

From my point of view, it's a great ambition to make everything "the best possible". But it would be nicer to consider others as well, and want the best for them as well. If an individual gets "ALL of Everything"-there is nothing left for others. If one wants "the best possible out of life"-that's fine. but one should work towards that, and not in a way that hurts others.

[marv2]

They tried to destroy downtown Vancouver over a hockey game!

[theboyfromxtown]

Rob

I would suggest you give your practice's telephone number to those employers who are getting rid of their employees. It will come in useful!!! LOLOLOL

[jobeterob]

Ya, there is no way they can do that; they'll end up paying some kind of severance.

But in a sense, those rioters were a mob and now they are receiving "mob justice" in return. And it has been swift and very unpleasant. I dont feel entirely sorry for any of them. They were a very sorry lot and their pictures "the day after" sure did them in.

This seems to be a common way to act though. Day to day we see versions of this behaviour. Much of society feels "entitled" to having their own way all the time.

[marv2]

Still on the subject of Canadian Riots, can someone explain to me why the Police are apologizing and are very much on the defense of how they handled the G-8 Riot last year in Toronto?