Safe Streets rally small but noisy

October, 02 - 9:31 PM

VANCOUVER/CKNW(AM980)--A rally outside Vancouver's Pacific Centre Mall Saturday evening likely did not fall on deaf ears.

The roar of the crowd, protesting the proposed Safe Streets Act through a loudspeaker, seemed to get the attention of the International Downtown Association mingling inside.

The U-S based group is focused on keeping downtown cores economically and socially viable. But they were just one of the protestors' targets.

The group also took aim at the MLA who tabled the legislation, Lorne Mayencourt.

Anton Pilipa with the Anti-Poverty Committee questions Mayencourt's motives, saying he just wants to hold onto his seat in Vancouver-Burrard, "This MLA just recently spent five days pretending to be homeless. My question would be, what would happen if he spent five days pretending to represent the citizens of the downtown area. You want to pretend to be homeless? Why don't you pretend being a human being?

Protestors say the Criminal Code should be sufficient when it comes to cracking down on aggressive street people, and a separate law for the homeless isn't needed.

Safe Streets demonstration at Pacific Centre

October, 02 - 8:22 PM

VANCOUVER/CKNW(AM980)--A demonstration held outside Pacific Centre Mall Saturday evening to protest the proposed Safe Streets legislation put forward by the provincial government was rather poorly attended.

Vancouver City Councillor Ellen Woodsworth says she supports anything that brings attention to the homeless and the need for more shelters, "I think people need to be aware that Vancouver is a City that's become a City for the well-to-do and that over 60 per cent of the residents are, in fact renting, and that 25 per cent of the people who are renters are paying more than 50 per cent of their income in rent."

Woodsworth says it's important to acknowledge the correlation between Provincial cuts to social programs like welfare and the increase in the number of homeless in Vancouver.

Homeless man squeezed out at rally

October, 02 - 9:39 PM

VANCOUVER/CKNW(AM980)--While a number of anti-poverty groups were lined up to speak at the Safe Streets Rally,the homeless weren't among them.

One homeless man made his way to the microphone to speak out against agressive squeegee kids, but it appeared no one wanted to hear it, "Yeah, shut him down, as soon as he has something to say, shut him down."

The man, who didn't want to give his name, says he appreciates it when people offer him food and blankets, but says many street people aren't so grateful, "I seen squeegee kids yell, and scream at people passing by. That's embarrassing for a street person. I walk up to a person, I'm invisible to them because they don't wanna deal with a street person. They're ashamed of us or they're afraid of us. They shouldn't be afraid of us."

He says even the homeless are targets, "They alienate the homeless, they terrorize the people sleeping in doorways, you know they steal from us."

The man wasn't surprised he was stopped from speaking at the rally.

He calls the organizers "bored kids" who want something to complain about, not legitimate street people.