Chaos erupted in the Downtown Eastside Tuesday afternoon as City of Vancouver officials began the process of clearing tents and structures from the Hastings Street sidewalk.
Sarah Blythe of the Society for Overdose Prevention told Global News that the morning started out calm, with city workers and firefighters working together to try to keep the mess down.
Community members were also there, talking to residents about housing and trash removal.
However, Blythe said bringing the police into Vancouver could cause a lot of animosity because Downtown Eastside residents don’t trust the police.
Vancouver police say several officers were assaulted during the arrest of a man who caused a disturbance at the Carnegie Centre.
Officers were already nearby due to the clearing of the tents on Hastings Street between Gore Avenue and Abbott Street.
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Officers were called by Carnegie Center staff just before 3 p.m. to reports of a man throwing computers and acting erratically. As officers arrested him, police said, the man resisted arrest and fought with police. A large crowd gathered and became hostile and combative with the officers, police added.
Several officers were assaulted and multiple arrests were made, police said.
2:12 Chaos as City of Vancouver officials move in on East Hastings tent and structures. The chaos as City of Vancouver officials move in on the East Hastings tent and structures
Read more: Chaos breaks out on East Hastings Street as Vancouver officials begin clearing tents
Global News cameras captured a large crowd confronting Vancouver police near the corner of Hastings Street and Main Street.
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Several punches and projectiles were thrown at the officers.
Blythe said more needs to be done to deal with this situation in a compassionate way.
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“We just have to make sure it’s safe for them and the surrounding area,” she added.
“I think we can do that without the police getting involved. The police are just creating chaos, unfortunately.”
Blythe said community members talking to people in the Downtown Eastside is the best way forward because there is more compassion between those groups.
1:44 City of Vancouver staff remove tents from East Hastings Previous Video Next Video
The initial fire order to remove the tents came from Vancouver Fire Rescue Chief Karen Fry on July 25.
However, BC Housing said in a statement that they “have been clear with the City of Vancouver and Vancouver Fire and Rescue that we do not have access to a large number of new spaces in Vancouver on short notice to accommodate the timing of the emergency order.” “
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Work to continue clearing the tents and structures is expected to continue on Wednesday.
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