Vancouver’s downtown east side drug addicts area
Vancouver’s downtown east side a disaster area ?
A lot of people would say YES. Crime is the one of the biggest reasons. There are drug deals in the DTES and many drug users. The users have to commit crime to support their drugs habits. A lot of the users are either homeless or living in affordable housing, main rundown east side hotels and apartments.
First of all the hotels they live in are disgusting, infested by insects and rodents. They are also in disrepair having owners that don’t seem to care. The Sahota family is one of the owners , owning a number of hotels and apartments. The Cobalt Motor Hotel on the 900-block Main Street is one of the hotels that is owned by Sahota.
A 21-storey condo/townhouse complex across the lane has just been finished and is ready for occupancy. Security guards are stationed at the back of the building, the fifth tower of the City Gate development at the end of False Creek, and a fence has been erected.
The Regent and the Balmoral Hotels are another two run down hotels, with many other DTES hotels in the same condition.
Drug Users
Just today I observed two females on the Hastings Street side walk right near Insite the supervised injection site, which is funded by the government. One girl was laying down and the other was sitting up preparing to shoot up. Inject herself with drugs. This is not a unusual thing to see on east Hastings Street. Illegal drug use is right in the open on the street. Drug dealers are everywhere.
A lot of the homeless sleep outside on the sidewalks. There is 6000 homeless people in the DTES and the lucky ones have a place to sleep at night, it’s called a shelter. It is not housing. The don’t live there.
The governments answer for the homeless seems to be “ we’ll add more shelter “. This is not the answer. More affordable housing is needed. More programs for the drug addicts is needed. The laws concerning illegal drug sale need to be made a lot tougher, which will mean more jails are needed to house convicted pushers. It is not happening !
The Winter Olympics will here in 2010 and you can bet that a lot of this terrible situation will somehow be made to disappear. Laws will have to be enforced and the homeless people living on the street will have to somehow disappear. You can be sure plans are being made right now after all Vancouver can’t show it’s shame to the world.
Violence is what the Vancouver City Police try to control. With stabbings, beatings and murders the DTES is not a safe place to be. Very recently six people where killed in Surrey, four of which are known to police. Gang war is suspected. Dealers fighting for control of the drug trade.
From http://www.flickr.com/photos/bluegoose9999/1770171792/
