I saw this over on Matt’s blog and thought I should write about it too. Captured on digital film is the Vancouver police department tossing a pile of someone’s belongings into a garbage truck. The person who filmed the footage is David Eby, the Executive Director of the B.C. Civil Liberties Association.
No doubt, police officers have a difficult job. They are asked to protect, to serve, and to make real-time decisions that are never easy. That being said, given the current conditions in the lower mainland with respect to violence and gangs, one has to question the actions of these officers, literally tossing the belongings of some of Vancouver’s less fortunate into a mobile trash can.
Last night I watched a repeat of Michael Moore’s sicko on TV. One phrase that stands out is the assertion that you can judge any society not by how it treats those who are the best off, but on how it treats those that are the worst off. So with that in mind, how would you rate the city of Vancouver, and in particular the actions of the Vancouver Police Department?
I’ve had enough with the VPD in general. I have yet to see police officers doing something useful, and I’m not exaggerating.
I have been hassled while simply walking around with friends – doing absolutely nothing. They are a complete joke when it comes to this gang violence problem we’re having and now this. I’m sure they could find something better to do with their time than call a garbage truck and help load it up with the belongings of a homeless person.
New layout looks tops, Duane. Off topic, I know.
Thanks man, I whipped it up over Christmas. I’m already a bit bored with it though 😛
You find a**holes everywhere, including with the police. You can’t judge an entire organization based on one or two employees. That being said – what do you suggest they should have done with the stuff, given that they were told to remove it from the front of this business? I’m not saying they should have thrown it out, I’m just curious what you think they should have done.
Well, David made the suggestion of simply moving the stuff out behind the businesses, and apparently that wasn’t good enough.
I’m not sure that’s a good solution either – just moving stuff from one place it probably shouldn’t be to another. I haven’t got a solution, just playing devil’s advocate. 🙂
Well, can we at least all agree that it shouldn’t end up in the trash?
Yep, can agree on that.