Anti-Olympic protesters riot.

[Kabey's Van]

There is a riot in downtown Vancouver this morning. Rioters are smashing store fronts, cars and terrorizing pedestrians and motorists. You can watch it unfold live at Georgia and Pender.
Idiots.
http://www.city.vancouver.bc.ca/engsvcs ... /roadwork/

[kings-x59]

I haven't picked this up in the news, what's their beef with the Olympics?

[Kabey's Van]

Among the many issues, two stand out.
We have the First Nations' people with their age old complaint of native land treaties.
A few years ago our Provincial Government opened up talks with the First Nations in an effort to settle land claims. The Gitksan and Wet'suwet'en Nations went to court and won there claim to land with regards to the Bulkely and Skeena Valleys in Northern B.C. The settlement was for a massive track of land and it was a huge mile stone for the First Nations people.
Since then Natives have tried to lay claim too almost the entire Province. They even tried to lay claim to the British Properties in West Vancouver.
The British Properties includes some of the most expensive real estate in North America. They have also layed claim to the Village of Whistler.
There cry is "No games on stolen land".
Then you have the homeless people of the lower mainland. The decision to have these games was made 7 years ago, but, hind site is 20/20. Non the less there complaint is why are we having these games during economic hard times.
Although B.C. seems to have avoided the hardship that most of the world has had to endure. So, I don't know where these people are coming from with that, but anyway.
Because of it's climate, Vancouver is a magnet for the drug addicted and, by choice, the unemployed homeless. It is also one of the most expensive cities in the world to live in. So these people are complaining about the lack of funding for social services for the homeless while at the same time we're spending billions on the games.
My answer to that is get a job and move to somewhere you can afford to live, like everybody else does. It's just a crazy idea I thought up.

Peter

[kings-x59]

I rode through Vancouver some years ago on the way to Whistler...really nice city I must say. From your post Pete, it sounds like the sister city of San Fransicko, Collifornya. (ya know.. I learn more on this site then just how to fix my van..Semper Fi Brethren!)

[blk lt awd]

idiots.....i'm all for protesting for a cause you believe in and freedom of speech and all that....but it's obvious the handful of idiots that got out of hand had no other purpose than to do just that.

[Kabey's Van]

I guess when you have an audience of three billion, some people will do what ever it takes to get some publicity.
My question is "With all the rioting that Vancouver has delt with over the years, ie; hockey wins and losses, it has always amazed me that th VPD has never used water cannons on these idiots".
If a riot like that were to break out in a European country there first line of defence is to deploy a water cannon.
Instead we send out hundreds of police.
Olympics security officials have brought in 4,200 RCMP officers and 4,500 Canadian Forces troops, to bolster a force of about 1,800 local cops and 5,000 private security personnel to protect Olympics sites and some outlying areas.

Another 1,300 Vancouver police officers are responsible for maintaining order in the city's public spaces, where more demonstrations are expected.

[Rileysowner]

A bunch of people who think they have the right to what other people have worked for whether it is money, housing, or added to this case, an international audience which the Olympians have earned with years of sacrifice and work, yet these people want it with no work on their part.

I don't mind helping people in need, but I hate attitudes like this that are nothing more than an adult having a childish temper tantrum. The thing is, when adults do that they damage things, and sometimes other people.

[reaper]

Welcome to Vancouver.
Personally Im not for the Olympics,But I keep to myself about it.
I hear so much about Vancouver & how beautiful it is etc,I have lived here
all my life & I honestly can't stand Vancouver,The farther Im away from it,The better.