I'm here at a conference in San Diego and have tried to follow the stories about the riots in Vancouver. Thankfully I have not seen much news about this embarrassing and sad event down here.
This week I met so many people who commented that they loved Vancouver and what a lovely city we have. I was humbled and so proud to be from Vancouver and made sure when I introduced myself I mentioned where I was from. But today I held back mentioning I was from Vancouver. I am just so saddened.
Read this amazing post that was emailed to me about a VPD cop and his riot story.
Cheers,
Calvin
Amazing things happened all night. Normal Citizens jumping in to help us.
Without being ordered to, many VPD members (the few that weren't working) came to work, geared up, and went looking for work.
We had cops with no helmets, no special gear of any kind, standing just behind us, and guarding our flanks, really putting their asses on the line.
Abbotsford PD sent a convoy of 15 police vehicles (dog handlers, gang squad, ERT, patrol) it took them 35 minutes door to door.
Delta, New West, tonnes of Mounties, including the lower mainland tac troop for the mounties all played their role.
I have a great memory of being at about Robson and Hornby Street, feeling exhausted and not knowing how much longer I could keep going then looking behind me and seeing a wall of RCMP tac troop members stepping past us to take up the advance.
Our ERT members deployed on foot, with all their gear on their backs, and walked the lanes, flushing looters out of the Bay even as the building was on fire.
Our mounted squad did an amazing job, as with our dog handlers and mountain bike guys.
Our medics from the BC Ambulance never backed down, and stood by with us through the whole night. Vancouver Fire probably put out more fires that night than in the previous year.
The interservice camaraderie was awesome, all night our guys were pumping each other up, encouraging each other, slapping each other on the back, a well timed word of encouragement here and there kept guys going when they wanted to quit. Shouts of "VPD!" coming from the mounties and munies as we dragged our sorry asses to the rally point at Nelson and Granville brought tears to my eyes.
As were were all standing down at about 02:00, downtown Vancouver was being policed by a hodge-podge of mounties, Abbottsford, Port Moody, and West Vancouver.
The total losses look like the 10 to 20 stores looted, 20 police cars destroyed, about 10 police officers injured. Dozens of fires, dozens of privately owned vehicle destroyed too.
So there it is. The 2011 Stanley Cup Riot.
