Posted on 03/06/2009 3:23:25 PM PST by NormsRevenge
VANCOUVER, British Columbia (Reuters) – A surge in gang violence is hurting Vancouver's image as it prepares to host the 2010 Olympics, the city's mayor said on Friday.
Police publicly acknowledged for the first time that the Vancouver area was in the midst of a "gang war" between several organized crime groups fighting over the illegal drug market.
While the violence is still tame compared to that seen in other parts of the world, it is not something Vancouver is used to dealing with, Mayor Gregor Robertson said.
"Vancouver has never been known for this, so in terms of our international reputation it is a problem, and we need to bear down and deal with it," Robertson told a news conference announcing another arrest of a gang leader.
The city on Canada's Pacific coast will host the Winter Games in February 2010.
"It is very unfortunate that we are beginning to look like most of the big cities around the world, certainly in the United States, that deal with significant violent crime," he said.
Gang-related shootings have become an almost daily occurrence in Vancouver and surrounding suburbs since mid-January, but police have refused to officially describe it as a gang war.
"Well let's get serious. There is a gang war and it's brutal," Vancouver Police Chief Jim Chu said.
Local police say the violence largely involves mid-level gangs that are fighting over the turf they control to sell cocaine and produce marijuana -- much of which is eventually exported to the United States.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
Cover me, Hank.. I’m going for another beer.
Cant send any troops from here, big gang war in this city also.
Geeze - all they have to do is send them a nice card asking them to please cut it out ....
Just talked to my aunt who lives up there. They do have a gang war going on. The big concern is about collateral damage. They are pulling their jobs in local malls as well as the street. The hitters also target family members. It is hit and counter hit over drugs/turf/money. It is bad by Canadian standards but sort of like a bad weekend in Oakland CA. The bigger problem is more political with the Olympics coming. The local politicos grandstand but lax immigration/deportation laws as well as easy bail exacerbate the problem. I told her not to be alarmed because Canada has strict gun control and handguns are very hard to obtain. :~)
I’ve never been there but i hear from a friend that lives there that Vancouver is a frigging welfare dump.
I’m originally from Vancouver, and I was there for Christmas and New Year.
First off, the gang members are NOT black NOR Hispanic. For a liberal society far worse than San Francisco, even they won’t put up with this “si si puede” shenanigans. The mexicans know their place there and dont want to rock the boat.
It’s mostly either Hells Angels (yes, that H-A) that openly mock the keystone cops of Canada: the Vancouver Police Dept or Asian members like Chinese, India(n) or Vietnamese gangs that are involved. The cops there are useless. The only thing they are good at is giving you a speeding ticket.
Why this cannot be! In Canada, you must be licensed and a member of a certified and licensed range to own a handgun. How are these youths and criminals getting these guns with the laws that are in place?
Well, I dont want to be truly disrespectful to the RCMP/VPD because one of my buddies there is still with the Mounties (who also signed as reference for me before I headed here) but as an example: the Hells Angels operate a stripclub called the No 5 Orange in DT Vancouver, yet is situated a block away from the central VPD branch. It was closed by the cops (then opened) by the HA so many times, the VPD gave up.
Thanks, Fanfan. Btt
You’re welcome.
My wife and I just booked flight/hotel for travel to Vancouver in late August. Simply couldn’t resist the roundtrip fare from Atlanta of $190 on Air Canada. Please tell me we didn’t make a mistake.
Which hotel/area are u guys booked at?
sutton place
You didn't. Columbus has a far worse problem with gangs than Vancouver.
Vancouver is my hometown. I suspect that the gang problem has gotten worse since I left.
How can they be fighting over drugs when drugs are illegal?
What’s the story with the Sikh gangs in Vancouver? Just before I emigrated the Dosanj gang and the Johal gang were duking it out to supply drugs. Their feud was getting nasty at the time...
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