reading the
R ACT
reading
POETRY
Accid nee OUT tOE p~ns ) On the Ropes (COACH HOUSE 1;I001<s) Works tlt41 way because that' the way it work$ {Tsu AMi EDTTIO
}
the
RIOT ACT
TRANSLATlO
Gabriel Duf~IOI1I' Speak$. (TALON"BOOl<S)
A BRJEF H ISTORY O F RIOTS IN VANCOUVER A THOLOGY
Writing Class: TII Koo.tenay School of Writing A71tl1alogj'{ EW STAR nOOKS)
MICHAEL BARN HOLDEN
Anvi1 Pre.s I Vancouver I ?005
'\
ofthi ho()k maylxHeproduccd 'QyallY .I1lean ,,,,ithout the pdQr wlltt~ p 1'1'n' ion of ~b~ pqbli ~h~r, witb the cxceplion of brief passage ill Nvi v , 0)' r qnest for photo tOpyin,g Ijt(~thGr repr()~lal)hic (;()pylng ohn)'l>art of ' Ih ight
1:('
crwd.
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t dlnwitlnglo-Ae' . ' Copyrigh~Th(' !HladialtC p)'rigot
ll, ill~ AgeJtcJ,One 1onS~ .,tri' -to S\)ire 19QO. ',forQi-M, OJlt
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HarnIwlden, MichMI. l~Readingthe ot act: a briefhi-st:o:c:, Qfriot in Vall~ouver I Michael Banl\}o[dcf.l.
,c$:t
v36
~Q5'
Jn~1udes btbliogntphkal refer(1nc~~ andlndex.
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1.. Riou: - Driti$h olurobia-VacllcQU'ler. 1. Tille. l,W6485. _ ~vl5 ~O(}S
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Vrintedandbound in Canada . C()WttHltiintl!.r1Qrd
iga:l'ypesrllithDe ign
R~pNlentedinOnadabylh neroryP~GToup
PislribItted byl1nivcl\Sity(lJ'lbR;ln~(') Pre •
1hepUQli h~.r gr;"terul! ' aGk-t}owletige-s tM:fin<)J) tata 'l~ncc.lJfftH.· B.C. Art. , CQllU"U, the OtO\lda "OJ.)-n It fOl'1hc ttS. and the; ,\3~~ Pt.tbl1$Jliug In
an~~IVC I; S. ~lI--:fXS
§Ofll6
t 1
1ha{1k to Nancy Newman, aU ways, Neale Barnholdef11 Patrick Bam/wlden, Gary Kinsman, Rolf Maurer, Andrew Klobuc/JT, Ted Byrne. Lisa Robert Oil, Karl Sieglar. Caliri Smith. GaTy FisJter,. Roy Mfki (md the many other who llave participnted ifl !lte discussion.sIf'Ading tp this book.
CON TEN TS The ~iot . f - Brlti 'h Parliam ut
Prefa e lutrl;lduct LOIl
hapten
N
'I-A
IAN RIO'l'S ~907
2;
JAP RIOT 194"2
Cbapter2
FRES $P..EECf{ RIOT
Chapter 1
B O DY SUN A ; UNF.A{PI.OYMENT
RIOT ~haptcr 4
C1H1P f5
.0 '
1909 & 19 1
1935 8( 19l5
B.C. PEN Rro1' )9 -4 -197{) GAS'£OW
47
75
RrOT 1971
ROLLING STONE RIO 1972
Chapt.er6
Spo:ar
RIOTS
GREY
UP RIOT 196. & 1966
97
T NL \. CUP RIOT 1994
Chapter 7
AP
C RlOT 1997
RIO
,hapter8
HYATT 199
B Rl 'A' ' f A RIOT ZOO:l GUN
Pu \m lu ion
AT TJiE
111
Ros RIO 2002. 5 Ro Rror 2004 )
13
Bibliography lnde -
9
THE R IO T ACT BRITISH PA LI AMEl\TT AN ACT FOR PRBV
.TI 0 TUMtlU'S A D .lUOTOUS
ASS MBU ES" AND FOR
.:at:. MOllE 8~.E
Y A'N O
EFPECTtJALP NISHING O.P THE J.H()'r£R •
I.
Wherea of1ate man)' rebdliQu riot and tumult have been in divers parts of this kingdom, tQ the .Ii tl.!fbance of the pt1 -
lick pe;\,e, and the endana er-lllg of hi Majesty's person ~ .nd go ernmcnl and the np ar . yel <: ntinued and fomente by persons di nftected t hi Maje ty. presuming '0 to. do. for that th~pllnj hm nt provide byth Ja >sno\oT jnbeingarenohlde-quate to such helll us offen es; and by such riot IS hi. Maje ty nd his administration have b en mo ' t maliciously and faJ Iy tradu(:ed \ lih an in tent to raise d 'vi ions, and to alienate the aitection of ('be people from his Majesty th refor for the preventing and suppre ing of uch riots aud t umults, a.nd fonhe
peed and etf~ tual punishing he <>ffenders th X" io; b it nacted by th~ K ing's mo t xcellent majesty, by aud with the advice and con cnt Qfthe lords spiritual lldtemp rnl and f the commOh in t bi present parT n'1 ,nt a emble
1110re
thcauthorityofthc ame, That ifany~rson to.he mmherQ[ fwel 'e or more being unlaw uti > riotou, I , and tumultuously u. seOlbltld together, t tIl (ii. turbance of the pUbli<;.k peace.) >at ally lime afte-r the lnst day ofJuty in th year of or Lor ne thousand sewn hundred and fifteen, and being requi r d r ("ornrnandd b any one orrnore 'ustL . OJ: 'u t iccs of the pea 'e, or by th sh riff of tbe count or his under·· heritf, or by th~
R A1)1 G
may r, bailiff O( bailiffs, or other nead..officer, or ju flee of the peace ( f any cIty ortow'n corporat'e'J' here uch as. embly hall be, by fWQ iamaticm t() be made in the King nam, jn the form her!!) after directed fo di perse ~bemselve • and peaceably to dep.art 10 th it habita~ion or fo their lawful bll iness~ $h II> t the ntJJnh t oftwelye r mor\! (notwjth tanding uch pro 1amation mad) untawfuU', riotou 1y. alld tumultuously r main r continue together by fhe spa·e of one hour ftel" uth cOTn_mal1d or rcqu~ t made by proc1amation. that (ben u h continuing together to the number of twelve or mote aft r u h com.mand or request made by proclamation, hall be adjudged felony WithOllt benefit (If clergy, and the offenders therein -hall be adjudged felons, and hall suffer death as in 3. ca '(,{ of felony without benefit of clergy.
And ever ~ uch jll. ti
H
HI
-r
and justices f the peace, . herlff, under- herm: m ~yor, bailiff. and othe-r head-officer aforesaid. within the limits of their respectiv juri~dktion ' are hereby t:
Authorized> ill'lpowered and reqUired, -on notice or knowledge o allY such unrawful, riotous and tomulruou assembly, to re ort t the place where uch unJawfu~ riot(l1.l(). and tumulluu a semb-lie hatlbe, ofperson tothenum-bcr ftwelve-or more and there to make or au e (0 b Jnade prod maHon in manner aforesaid. £.(;'1.'(0
PA . E-o 11 ]4)
., TH OJUCINAL (HO'J'
A GUST OF 1715-}
II.
And b itl'urther cna ted b tlle authodty aforesaid. That the Qrd t aad form f the pro Jam tion (hat shaH be made by the auth rity t (:hi act, -hall 00 a - hereafter fo-JJo,..'eth (thtH is to say) the 'u ti eo the pea~e-) or -other ~rson a1.1thorlzed by-tht act t make the -aid prodama i n snarL among the said riote ,or a ne~r 10 them as he cal) ate!;y collie, \:VJth a roud voice conunand" or cauSe to be ommand~ ilene 'to be, white
proclamatioJl-is malting! and after that hall openly and with loud voi e m~ke (,) f cause to be tnade proclamation if) the e words. or like in effect: Our ()¥ reign t ord the Kin& thurgeth and ommandeth alI pons. b jng i;l{;sembl 'd. itnl'nGdj.atdy ~o dis-per e them.selvt$,-alid peaceably to dep~rf to thoir:habitation ,or to- bei lawfw b-u jness, upon the pain~ contained in the t made in the first year of King Georgt", for p 'en tin 'tumult and riotOllS a emblies. God ve the King-
ACT
\
11
l;1.
IrE DJ.NG THE RIOT : T
PREFACE
lJ!!' WORD nlOTc:omes fr-ofllobscureorjgillsiH Middle English, and
T
originally meant
rioters are lessJ,esrtant. Jfthe dot ha started. it may well-be fOQ "tat to read theR10t Act. Many different types of riots have entere4 the popular imagination. m~jl1g .from race riots to food riots, from student riots to sport" dot ; ~¥ 11 labqur negotiation by riot and its more postmodl::!U expression j I) ~h~ phrase. «pollee dot: Ev.cry dty h its di tinct history of rioting, 'ill\:' ~ t ket Richard Riots in Montreal, the Chrlstie Pit Riot in Toronto, 'lhe tJ l)1ftRiot· in Ne\\I' York Cityin 1863 a nd my 'Per OAtil favourite the Shake pear~ Riots in New York in lS49 where rival factions rioted over which att()r Wa t he better interpretC:r of Shakesp-earc's work. Of COUl'Se. theft' is lmo t alway lllore to tIle tOry than meet the eye. but neady
.ltl! ])1
c~'er}'olTe bas at feast UJ). idet;l 4br3ut a locab:i ' t thai ha left its nla:rk on th: ir J.W I t"€/:l,<: , Rjo t~ ikm't hii,ppen ;.l11 that , ftcn whlch .....giVeJl Ill' interpret.ation ofthc do~ a a baht In (he c{q wn- c ~ntlnu.e,. to ma7.eme; hut' \'then th }' (}q. the mahlstream di course is affected fur some time fI Howing. th~ t; t'nt', Not that cln itself sudderu}'r b come :a opi worthy of conidoration, hut i tie r aat¢d to' la',ucl\ s, pr pett· rights and hum~n right~, .4ome to thefol'.e,l< Qfi."Cll in a reaclton~Ty ''
ary ('0 d stroy property. s in fhe ,ong "'"App tiete 'or Destcuction," e er gttt ~U1Y, ym.p~thy 111 th~ majnstream, Ithough <xca ionally importa1lt questions do
gd ask.ed. Usually police brut'alit becoroe& the meus, though $eldall\ i the underlying c~u 'e exa mined or given an.y credence, ' xcept wh n the rlot~ecElmesa catal"st fI r further significant a~ tjo.fl, 'Riot aTe c0ve.red in hi tor} da ~ at sch(N~ when they re, eel} a par , of a laTg~r to;ry, 'uch ~.s 1:h~ Hayrnarket ll.,i t In Ilicago, r {he: Winnipeg and neg~n.a Riots. The Ga town ':Riot, folfow d shortly 'by th RQlling Stone Riot- whioh 1 witn ~d. . .-M!-fe beghJ'l)ing; n r me. I became ntore int~re$ted in the J11;QUl'-et during the Slanl yOup Riot of 1994, 1 hist ry ' had ob$i:rv:ed om tl1~ . d~ n from i\' distance afl'dW3S moved to monitor the tocal, nat,fQnal, al)d j nfern~tiQnaf medi~ t;Qvetage, followoo b the officiaheports 0 fhe l'i f I' port thtlt did nl)lm<'l ,th what 1 had ob erved or \'<1 heating from both <>b r ers 11M paxticip;mts. What 1 noticed j that clots are Qfien part' of a laq~er 'tory wilen D!'operIy cO.f\{ex;lualized il-lldgiwm ,ateful trl)Jiny from rnont than one point 0 view. I declde.d t pUYSl.le the: subject aft<:r th~;A ~t riot rnad it cl af' that to local politiC 1 .onollly Wa.$ igMNd it) (~vour f a "-bad nppl > explanatio~ ",hkh only flntb~r ob 'l:ured t-Ite ea.u ¢s ~d eventt I ding up to the riot. 1have tried t() t.'Q11 truer , popufar history t h(lt cf'npha iz the eeHccllve over the individu:al, rflIW a H('tH f.:)vi!r great men. For tile mo. tpart 1 have relied 011 SEoot'ldary Ii U -(:S, but not Just official or mamstream rCPQrt~ , I haye ought out the tecnd the tl ual Sll$pect~ 'founded up hy tIn: popular pre , tmd endeavoured to alloWlhe ~nq:\l~~hed to have thtdr say, "{hI;! vI t rs.havt'tneir history n,nd
<..:J
'I' HE I to '!, AC
l:5
it serv~$ the.ic'purpo~es, Reading the Riot Act is au attempt to reread < nd rewrite a peopiet hi -tor '. J would fillly support and endorse a 'VancoQver ruot Re·~pactment ode!)I, ba$cd on the London Riot Re~em,H;:tfpent Qciety~ that would 'tl)ge re-enactments ba~ed:on the theme of doti:n~, Va nCf,HlVer hn ~t 1'ich history of riel-ing th~t uld b ta:pp ' d til QtcJer to m~ke tl,~ histo.rici,l v(:lllS live again, Itmay not bep ibJe t as~epl Ie ~tlthepeQpf rcequll'ed to tecreate<some oft.h riol" of the F~ l 'but magine~ if you wiJi, (to a .t r portraying Mayor Cerry McGeer l'~~ Hug th~ Riot /yet: ('() Q gropp,- of pro-
testors cO'Stumed in Depre siol).-era :19t11 . gq'th~r~d in idory qu-ftfe~ surrounded by police OffiCF in p .riod .riot- <;tlTfld ~~r, "'Ok'clY bQr ' t0u, a ked for if and h r6- it j ," Mayor McGeer :reads tfw Riot Act. After a few econd of tttnned :ilence the crow'd begins inging The Red Fla8" and marche away thrpugh the police line ,
TI,er! raise lhe scarlet strmdard Jugh; Beneath its/.01& we' iT I1v(t ani{ die, Ihotlgh cowards fondl (mel traitors $nl!(!I; W; 'II keep the red f/agj1>tfng here.
Such are the things of dream. -MJ£HAEL B R NHOLDEN
Vancouver,. febnt~r)' 2005
\
'16
R.E.A.t:lL
'faE It I()
A
INTRODUCTION T HE SOUND Or- BROKE ·
Gus
OR
IF RIQ'l"S ARE THE SYMlfTOM, C PITAU M 1 THE DlSl;AS
A
rnoT) A DEJ:INED in 64 of th Criminal Code, is an unlawful
a embly that h s begun to disturb th peace lumultuou Iy.. In s63 (t),anunlawfula semblyi 3nassembly fthree(lfmOrewho,withinteut tarry out any common purpo e a sembJe or cond l.et themselves wIlen assembled in such a manner to cau e persons in tht> ne):ghbourhood of the as emblyon reasonable ground to belie e that the will eli tu-rb the peace tumulluou ly r provoke others t01IJOlultuouslyclisturb the p~cc. In s63 (2 , a la\\'ful a sembly can become- unlawful wh,u th common purp() e .becomes unlawfuL But when does the peace begin to b . disturbed tumultuously? The an 'et" in Imo t very ca e is ih . ound of brokeD glass> or, t th very iea t) the fear of gla being broken, whkb move the polio . riot quad ta action, and signal th change from an unlawful a embl}r to the beginning of a riot. Broken glas is a potent imaS! ignaJling the breakdown of1he barrier b tween public and private property. 'Ihe riots t hat I have looked at r this book have two things in common: pOlice pre cnce beyond the ordinary and an attaCk 0 11 privafe property, reat or imagined, The key question about the riots I have eX>lminea. alway return to the language of the crill Inal cod ; Why would t\."'elve or mar per. oJ) lmlawfuUy and riotoust)' a mhle? Pur bluntl){, why riot? Sureiy there are ali1er avenues (If neg.otiatioH Qpen to the riOW! ~ The CQurt could provide remedy to injusti ~S, the r gist tute can chang ba I Ja' , the medIa tan expose inju lice. and public opinion can ompel swift accommodation eYen in th most rec:akitf'~lllt. All of the. e and othe variou reCQur are u, ed by aggrieved parties, but (ill we. have riots. lhe anS\' r: I have found, lie in looking at the liberal democratic 'odeI:)' in w1li h we live nd examining how con ensus-real -or coetced- breab
18
RB DJ G
H
IN' RODt.: C' to
R10T ACT
Qown. The riot i. III i elf nQt tb hr in some 1n tam: ,part of 1111?' Tupt Ire c n be due to the f-act that tbj particular ' egmel of ociety i ed t(J) having thei r y . i c card.
l ha\'e placed great importMce n tlw factor leading up to th riot aIled fhe all able (i .. main. trc n anal i in the afterm.!llil) r t il r than the ~v nt. of t11 ri ts lheOlselve , b> au e 1 find the Circumst.anc j-nstnl Hvcwhcn 100 eclat in a p rti · Jan\'ay. 'fJ1C fir tthing that hould be noted i this; rarely' anyone killed or petrnnne,otly j.nj r d in a riot; in fa~t, h very defirtil' 11 of a riot:M ~'djsturballce aim t predud'esacts fyiolence i ading to d,eath. t i tn t often tbe rioter th 11;1 elv wh are injured by the police in the~ct of quelling fh l:iot. Damage 0 pri ute property is alrno t alway the.n t igtlifkant ac.tivi;ty during it dot and should been for what it j; n attack on I1beral em.oc.ratic govenun Jlt that plac property right ahcO\d of human right. Most modern democraHe tate are ~ ed on the pbil ~ophy ofJobn Lodte~ which held that the ole justificatIon for th e.ri, f(>tltC of any govemm nt \! as.. the pre er~tion of private property. People llltly ~tarve, the~r ba lc human need · may be ignored, o1onga t he igbt topri te:,prop rty jsma,int in d. The riOl1) that ¥e ar all famfli.a1" with 1hrough 'xposurc to the ma media are face riots. fbod riot , pri on riot, labour riots., student riot, Qllth riots 'and jdeological riots. Wh t all o · the c cnt h ave. in common i that they are enti-all epi od ~ h, a targer .. lass war" between the «governed' and t heir "governors." . ot what politicaJ ec n o-
m; fEl'i Hobsbawm alled "coil ellv bar aining by riot "but omcthing morc, Usually the riotertlre .CJlloni'Zed and mar iU:J1i.zed or hevictims
19
have been demonized OJ' marginalized to the p oint where somehow their behaviour invite their fate at tb hand of the l';1oter . The das ic identifier i the ph r~s~ "a few had apples: which' code for'out ide agitators (often ornmunisls)) becau e good citi~cns would n 'It!.! oi ob t a lawful order to di p rSf, jll t like the police would neyc,r tand back .and allow
unchallenged at1ack on private properfy. Alth.ough th poli .. are there to "serve and prot.ect:' th y take til ir rders from duly elected repr Cll tath'es who may have much different values in mi.nd about wh ~Kactly th(:y we're de f.ed to serve and pr()fect.
"All order imp[;es repres ion" -ROUND BARTHES
What all fhese riots have in common is that they
aT
e.asily identi-
fi«fa CpT ad of ongoing classconOict betwe n 'cept for th inordInate r,espon ibiHty for th slave> weU being that d olves t the owner. What b Hcr olution th 11 a sy tem of production wh r' th bo pay a l it!"le a po sibl and take a little respon 'ibifit} a pos jble for the ,. (lrk ,r? Thal the mUllmUtll vllage and forty-hour work week aft} major COll es· ion wrung from capItal with Illuch fighting and even death, ' )ould be remembered wheneve-r the t rm "da war" j u~ed.
2.0
R ,DJ G 1'H E RIOT
INTRODUC JON
T
.Proouct ivity is the only con~rn <;spital has for it- worker. Worker n usl be on nted with tl:teir OWJl \\'eU lng. Prop.erty right versus
hmrum.r:ights· re the poles of the liberal democratic pendulum. The prob1 m Cem ob lou : "un apitaJi!;n\ r~fi rmed t<> meet the needs of th majority. r hawd it ftlnc~ion for tbe b'n fit fthe own r of the mean
o produ tion.'{ On the on han4 th pr pOllent$ f Corponui m.. capital. ism's mo (0e. treme pt a tiee. ugge t thM refurm i l1 t. only unnec sary~ but harmful. Only the «fr e" lllark I an provide for aU its part k ipants. The -other e. IT me, whic t~k!:! man)' form, ca.ll (-or the ov rthrm , Of permanent revolution, ofooth property relation 11 cmbOOied by private .property, and huma n relations- expre sed by aU fOT lll s of privil g.e. '1h~ middle road . , 0f ,our e, liberal' ~lD, basic tenet i that capitaJi men in fi;l(:.t be :refQrme4. R~dk:alisOl i quite obviously excluded by liberalism but th e 'treme$ of capitalism are often embraced in an eJfort tout tn best de:at for the ,I l'ge f hI f voters, thus maintaining p(;lwer, which is the who} p<>int f the heg mony of c.apjtai. Some- would argue hat controltlng work .r through l\'ade uoions is part of that ;neehani U\. but th t is cle;ady a p rver ion. not .an J.:ud in itselL Th,¢. restdt Qf the pendulum swing that liberali m t, kes us on can be een in two a p cl that are importan t to thi ilw tigation: oppr i6n -defined as keeping worker in a tat {mi ery), and .I'cpr.e on ke ping poJiti<.lll oppos~io l\ in a ate · f PQ\~er1eS .ne ). In a table and vibrant eCOllom t thesea pe [ ~con e subtle: but newr disappeac~ tn a poorly functioning economy,t.hey <: me to thefo J: with, vcngean .
'-mo
0
co
•
W rId War a as a poli. . dedicated to lin'\iting the phere £If infiuenc of COl ~muni rH , no 100 t uch tragedi as the War in VietJ~~lll. After th faU If the ":Evil Em.pire," containment \\'(l.S
T
MEN BEG
then appue<J t
'
. 'fER
-called rogu
7
tates such as North Korea. Cuba.
Afghani hUh Jr, n, Iraq, and ma n ' other countri who did not c.omplefelysub rib to lobil) .a nan rn.lheGUrrentlypoPlll~rphra eused to identir some of these ~JTle fates i~ "'the axi ofe it;' with its echoes of
1.1
World War II realpolitik. It also ha an identit1: bI domestic parnllel that i$6'.arricd QUl in much thesame wu ilnd for much the arne rea SOl!. Western democroci 'sdepcl1donthewiJlingnc s ofa fa rge percentage of fh population 10 acquk e to what is be t fi r avit~u,' hj h .f-cpre ~nts theinter stsofay ry mallper,e.ot~g· flh pqpulntion. Thi con en ' us is Slabli h d and maintained In two WqY : tbrQl,Igh intrusion and indiffe-r n ~. Both of these sl'r tegies enn be <\uroini t r d in many different and ubtlc way . 1h w Irare system is an xatllple th t Qmhine both intro&iOJl and indiff rnee while In titulionalizing pov tt}' and demonizing the poor who \.l e it be ause they need h. 11'1. 0' raI welfare. tem was in fact, a direct re poll e to the unrest f the 1930 and repre cnt a major ompromiseonthepartofcapital ithwork r .Itwasafightto tne death for som~ just th. truggle for an eight-hour day was [Ol' ~tber, . Medicar ., Worker ompensation. nelUployment htSUt the young, PltOp1e of olout'. the poor prisoners, and the 'd ologtcall)' margjnal-io othe words, tho e who'e la s interests ar~ not do ty allied\ to the intere ~ of the ontroUers of (;apital. Commentat 1" haye b ;om too J
~
IH! ADlN
t'l
RIO ' A '1'
INTROD eTTON
doctrinaire ift their defioition of the working das as nY011 who has to depend on income not f lated to an Investment 9f capital. The work i multitudinou$ alld varied, ~id and unpaid, bUf "lway beholden to the upposoo benefic nee or ~ha ri t> f capiral. Th" arne 1i t defille the p rtkipant. in the riot· I hilV.e chosen t 'tUfiy here because they h :ve , n:~ thiog in <)!U.m<m: their cU s p sit'toll . l could find no incidents oflhe rich rioting for better ta>e brcvlks r again t goveJ'nment ervice nt. No black-tie riot > no drunken ymphony ri t • no riots, tall. If Y9
DON'T RT.O 1:0U
A. 'T COMPLA IN
fo me to deal vith i th Antl- jan Riot of 1.907< which appear to b 1h white working dass. through their lubou.f and religiou organizations, v rsu the Chinese Japallese, and Korean ",'orke . But n cIo er examinatioh of~he i ue, W~ can ee 1hat white workers were manipulated b the fuling -lites. wh had no intention of excluding the (oriental) labour th desperately needed in order to make their b\1s1neproject profitable. it appear. to be ne of tho ituation 'he.)'1; iUusrrateQ by a equote fi m J hn}. Gould: "I cali hit one half of tb working class to kin th other half." £lhe free speech .fights that cot! umed the west co st f orrh Ametic in th 1910 can be t b haraet rized a p Htical riot's, in that t1H~ultlmateajmoftheIndu trial Worker ofrheWorld waS to overthrow capital.i .m and they .demanded the ffeedom to pea and otgani'6e. The response of the ideologic",l tate apparat es, particularly the legislative. j\,ldici~ry; and police reveals quite teady the natur of caJ citah m'shold. WhM you add in "free press" and reJ.isiQo to capital' arsenal. the pkture becom even dear r. ,'\ hat t:an otllt e de cribed as od riot .io (h Dirty Thirtic g.r~phkaJty expQ$ed ~he ullin-Jar nature of cn[>jtali m. M n, women, and <:.hildren starved and liv d in the strcd and th e be t {he government ould do wn establi h work amp < ud p loCUt relief rations for tho e wi.lling to ~omply. 'Jh se w re inadequa band-aid at be l. hen \\Iork· ers took to th'e street to demand « rk an wages," they were met with THE MO
TROUBLI G rio
2.
unprecedentedlevelsofvlolentr 'i ta nc , both openly in th ". treet and
undercover in the alleys. When gove.rnments deploy qua i~U1i1itl1ry forces against their own citizens, the question must be asked: Who e inlere t i beiug served? The pri n riot i& perhap the d~re t case of the margin tized taking maHer into their wn hand. Owning nothing and h viug no stake jn the odal contract, but often compelled to work for lave wages or 1 , the prison ystcm is 11 rtiJe ground for alL types of organjzers, \' jth but a few advocating for the abolition of Ihe capitalist y tem. It i 0. wond r that people so oppressed an ee at a Hclearly the nature of thej r oppressioll. Youth riot in the late '60 and earlr'70 are likewi e there pon e of an identifiable cohort denied a place in the world by an economic )1st III dedicate,d ole!y to profit, with odal px:ogram' J1acfeo to keep p 'ople in th ir place. 1n the ca e f 'outh, universal edu aHon se n1 to hay had the-unfortunate 'id effi t of a tuaUy cau ing orne-to think ond act in regards to th ir i!uation. It is inter Hng to con id~r the rise -of the welfare tale ith the introduction of welfare, In dicare, Unemployment Insurance, and the expansion of educational opportullJties after World merely v~nguard odali m acting as a btak on the worst War 11 exce scs.ofcapitatism.
The Stanle.yCup Riots are supernciaJJy ports riots "that, upon d oser exutn.ination, fit neatly withi n the realm of ctaS'rio, 'as ither < cQJlSum r r youth riot. ]t is too ea rtQ dj~mi s this riOl n a party gotten out of hand, wlth the poHce culled in to protect the innocent owners of private property. Their role as proteaors of per onal safety ('Or the lea t abI , 1'0 pr teet thcmsefves mu t be que ti(}ned. The- bnley Cup Riot marks the pas ing of Vancouv r from nlaH t \'m to- :a city-state?, dedadng itself open for, • nd to, busin . This 'wa . p fi nt' political togan but I 0 a efta me sage to worker and ther 10 ers in the do. s warfare that had be Jl waged forine. previou ten years. 'The me age wa this; "Get ut of town or crawl back underground. ' Anrt-APEC prot s.ter rnu t be e.en a di idcnts and the\ r t
2.4
READ1~G
I TRODUCTlO
H£ R10T AC
di ent. Although not n ~s arUy nti-capitali t, the anti-globali m rnet Ti i fairly ar~ human ri ht ~nd free tnd • not free 1rad foJ-
lo\Wd /); aybc y human righ t . Th ' d~ cOll1position of1he prot stcr' j • SOJ'fll~\ hat loude-d by the pr ~l ~ f 11 iddl<;: ~da '> r latively pri\'ite-ge:d I £ot,"stcr '. Some of{hei' cone >rn l~ selVo .'ra t. but their rote ts clearly delnon tr te thm th~ir jnttrests cOincide willl 1host of ttl' working da $, b au e,lH a > th~y r~ workin~ 1 ""; .and ju t:l learIy th new world o der delineat. llty bet' een winn and toser , . yorkt:C5 and employr l ap'tatU ' Wbat is intere ting aboutt heir pr<,>te t i thatthe are u ed to having their v<,>ic heard. and rea r with omethhlg m re than Inere chagrin when th~y are denied cces to those who ate ena tillg the polide . forth ma tparMhe earenotideolosu s utpragmati t who.want the be l for the most. Go" roing eli~ are 10w tl,) C me to term' with the fuc.nhat th 'Y do. nohl}w~ysknowwh;)ti b st for their" lI'bjetts," When elected o.ffi .In fi t to hallg ar un . with dictators. part of th ir official duti · th te!ld to g t ,onfll e Ild don't q uite under ilnd wh}~ pe pIc get ups t wHh their undelMcroti . b h\'iour, J
;'17te history of Briti$/l CQ/umbi(l is tTHggle.
~
hI tory of class
oq:)unter:ed while N eil~chin thi projt:·t \ a the M d t(}teconcil the. pr reports and the official a (:ount of the e riots. ' im.ply b~cau e journali m.. i ) at time., tl ed 1ln in (rument of the ruling Ja · , and a uc.h, L de igned to d ny any and an cIa con· :flitt by pOTtrayil'lg it asth w rk f mall min rit. f malcont nt and agitator \'ith: no n10t i e h rt of th th rill of deslroyillg private prop· crt')t;. Neved allY creden gi n t th le~iHmat poli t ~ -at airQs of uch group a... theIndll trial W rker the world in the 19,1'0$) r the Mot · r Against Capitali 'm in the 19~O "or the clear and 1'1 iSle-.n1 resistance to th < ims of global capitali m by the ann-APse ptote&ter . It b comes }U-ite Jear ju ·t \! he> interests tbli: pfeSoHepr nt when {he tj' veot ar inves.(jgated a the public 't~presentat1.on of on ngo·
ONE .' 'tHE maJor .aifficutti 51
2.5
jHg cia c,onakt. Th rasure is both amusing and OmaZLl1g. A urvey of historical .....riting 011 Van ouvcr dem n tratcs Just how thoroughly class con fl'c1 1l1 j' the djse~ls .
z.6 R B DI
. 'tHE R[OT ACT
The Tnetorj of da p )liti s na~:r1 r been J;ompte tely :>JJbsume.d in th d t cour of the peopl~ J the PI' in e QfB,C. as Jl1.U h as the edito-rial w riter ' in 11ltt Vancouver Sun. luight wi h it to b ,As J()ng as capital cOntil'l.u> 0 pro e itself j \ paM f m _fH'ingful rt;':form~ riot will can. . ti-nu tt> be a F, rt qf tbe !\going class at. and ~ m;()v,ver will ontinu to b a: vital ~!e in: thl? ongoing t'USgl~ r
CHAPTER 1 A TI-ASJA1S Rrol'S SEP1'.£td tfB~ 7-~, 190 7 1."ROOBl.B IN CHINA'fOW BY
w.«. GORDO
11u:re.stroub/e down 111 CllilUJtvwn ani! th :hi'lks are $pBtlng blue l1te cups JlfJl'e yankefl oM Tai Ke.lls bank amlltll his t4t{)ut. t-oo,
1itejlm-ttu'l game (/Jut thl? P)'-gJJwitllme(1r1d the clmck~lulJ<; mat all wen; In ane fell $IWMP when. srgtWl1t T100P (Urd bis "b1lTlS" GOllet:t~ r..nt 1h€: mtlr..: · lV'r,; griJng wilt; ~ hand
Qm~ snQwl»g
and
is sn:olQt hum,
Wh'ile ilumglli_ a/ m1dtmd po1icfl.parttdc wlZ )'e/tlrfrom tile )'illl
thitk4SQllrlrf'cl y ~rjd,< tJte S'1llQk yllu C(JI(ld uf ill dlllllks.
Bill I'l l ~ monk
W '-1'(; gay fJt th\iir $tJjfl'f}1!
w.a). (I. they beet their fuuiJ·fJame.d plflflks
A w ;,ll l(1tmgChi»ikin (I jacket phtktotJw,ged b the, oufer door. f11~ e,~'.S
wer:edoserl twd 7'0:J1'4 oW aT hed(J~ed, OIl( he !'l·wa whole lot more l/'lltll ),011 or It if l ' -e-passed by. w:(J((ltf f4b i/ult a,.11l(lk. For h.
WitS $(;(llIt JQ1'
lIw whole 1("ou( 4IJilI1M.strttt't WtlS Ms Il,is,sotl Pook.
A rop 1~l1Uwl b '<md tlte ;Jlill/(' 'sl(tnt l'l)'c re:(I(t1ffJabl a. 'i-epa
Aletd "10r
(I
wi,
,al'~et ' ouldfQIIQJft Ih«~tk r fluft .()(Jtf!.r doar'$lnntftu!d fasf,
.It! pvileli (t, rring,.amfdl;imry 11Iit!;;, ilvq t'1QI' bMglut down Ih~ hall, t hit ·in tlte r()cm ,f1£; !Wi$)-' hum hrrd t'h(mged fo (/lIet1fht;l1'i h bawl.
13111 Utr; ops 11' rewise; thIS} haft used lheir eye to 5ize 'q) 'J(ti Ke(:t.j(lfn.f, 17feY went al the wa1lin the dark bac.k hufl n'ftn (/./1 ux.e. and crowbar poitlt. Ina minr.uc o.r two tney lt1idpff1ill tl) vi w the. m~rrky gamhlillg d~1t; Tire),
3
'(,fi'nw.liJl. i.de fIIul the way (h~)/ (1 d. tnose
'hink.$ }~ ~ lw)rtll atel1.\.
R
1))
(l
RIOTS -9
THE RIOT AC
Fiw; dt d tim j" a j'abireri, lilt 1h~ ktWItM t)rem queue t queue. While ~he ~mu k-a-hni's" and "mo-billt'ka-ta i~-" 111med the: plnce an i1Jdigo blue
11,cr were fort), odd, todO7Mkl,/ a #Cad jor the KBlack Maria" vall, o OllIe !tad to walkjor a hlock, pi -tniled like a IlIlm(ll1 j(l-Il. 10W ,hat L why
tfre bi ki- i is 11 .ard ftt.Cfiinato' n.
TIl row they'll mi,'C witt 174 h£'1Jl'd (1]1 way round the ·t~ sf> t710l tfffJy ht;lld t/(lIl'Ili
Bm ir'$aU in the gam'. it~·.ev the sllme; thl!y're raidedfrolt! (1(11 to da)l When work i a k tb opt fall back 011 #h . CllinJ..· sJar gmnth raIl d pI y.
I
ROM BJ\I 'I'ISli
·OU'M~'A MA A~ I
li, .up'!'
\
1,'
·R 19./
May 0.1' 1886 '\~ an early opportunily t() show exactly what the new city stood for. Ha tings MHl manager RH. Alexander had brougJ'll" ixty mi1lworker~ to the poll tocast their-vote for him .. a mayoral can~jdate< Unforlunat ly for him-and for them~the- men were Chinese and the statute incorporating the dtyof VanG'ouver denied the ate to both Chine and India n. The sixt Chinese male were drh~en from the polt, with Ii 'Is and dub, 11 the way back to the mill. It ~em th only re.t$ol\ thi W'Q" not ~().n idcred the.citt .first riOt i , because the e w net proper! y dan,ag • and the police w. re !'lot called; n damage f1 polk' no charge ~ no riOL Thi {gHant enforcement of the ity charter as not fI ugh for manyVan ouv rrt .Th gr -t;61) ofIunel 86pre.sentedanotheropportunity, a Cbinese.,-own d building and residen.: h:ld been burned out aiMS with almo. t everyone el e (the difference being tha re YuH,n were pas-.$ed to prevent the Cbjn~se from rebuilding). Soon.1;he Knights fLabour organi.7..ed a b<>ycott of aU 'aucoU'ver bllsine e that cl'uproyed, sold food to, or in ,-,ny way served Chine$e resident, A black cro ,was painted <m the idewalk in ft nt of any lor' that did not p'drti ipttte.jn the boycott. Bu incs e were intimidated into firing Chine e "lId hiring
V
A CO VEa'S
IP-S'f l\I
lCIPJ\L el (:tio.n in
T
white . Fund wer.e mad available to any Chille 'e willing (olav th city. A company W-3 formeJ to buyout Chin e busines e and 0~ne hiuese wor.:kers were Simply taken to th dock and pUI on the. steamer to Victoria. «;baek lo where they came roOl.
Boarded
'n p "tnt!
P1IU..11' 1M t 1'1>10'7;'0, VA 0 VERrill) I ~ J.JBRM~",<spn
t
l.COU. , .on
•
Some emplo}'ers Jlotably labour contractor L-ew Shew. took legal action again the mayor. an alderman, and others on citizens' committee . He ued for the damage cau cd when 'they attempted to run him OUI of town. He l(~st 1he fir t rou.nd. but a short time later "With John McDougall or "McDougall Chinet'~ a he 'Was kn-own. he won a p-.lrtiaJ viclory, obtain.ing an injun tion from the Suprilme Cou-rt to prevent hnHal" a tions:in the fu ture. McDougall "a determined to complete his ontrac.t u ing 'hin e labour to cleaf the Brighousc Estate i Vnn ouver' West Bad, t
de pitc tIl tOnLinu~dcro -p~intingand oth r effort to prevent kinese ft m takillg tip residen with n the it limits. On ebruary 24, 188],
30 READ
G 'l'}{£ RIOT
AN'l'I-ASJA
(.;'!'
RIOTS 31
some three hundred angry men raced from a packed public meeting at Cit Hall t the camps 1).£ the hinese workers at Coal Harbour. The meeting was the latest in a erie of public gatherings intended to solve the C:hinC'sc "problem," but these men had their own solution, and met
no resistanc, from elth r the police or the bine c labourers whe they knocked down and burned shanties. then threw bedqiflg. <;1 thing, and PrQyj ion on the fires, ' v.-enty-l1ve w rkers were eat n at that location and th 1. m It ·r mob burnt the homes 'Of n~net}! hioc e OJl CanaU Street. Th 'ne: t day, th Chinese negotiated a p a,ce (re.a.tycf ort, aUow~ lng one Chine e person to be left in charge (each store" the feSt ere rounded up'and ttan ported to New t mi n ner:nH't!t': l'ioters~ a (ogger) a milkman and d rk were arr ed but fat r di charged for lack. of evidence by Magistr.ate Blak a member of on f thec mallY citizen' committees &tfuck to bring about the removal o(the Chjnese frou"! the city, B.C.'s Attomer eD¢ral quickly dr-afted" to Pre 'ervt} t.he Peace in Van Olf'ler." which pas cd throug 11i1l thr e reading. in one da • effectiv ly uspe,ndlflg the ilY'S charter and neutering any and aU judi~ ~al'pow!'S. To add injury t(!) thi insult n Vancouver" 't1l.ndiug, fi 1't pedal Constable were d· patc11ed from td6ria to prevent ),il.at va n to be.a. d t..'rult i oto mob rule. ror the ne -l twenty rears, Vancouver · ity Council, along with tll provincial and federal go\'~rnments alike, ,a-rried out what ca.n Qnly be
i,
:aill
described a ananti~A ialicvend-ctta.indudlnghead taxes. whl h d imbed
froro fifty to ou~ hundred doll
tid itizen. th re were als the s -calle-d ueaH man' agt'ec~ n\(mts~ between Imperial pow rs Japan and nglqnd cting fo.r ",an da
of good
n international matters.
A d pre sed' lotalconomy led t . high tHH: lployru,ent throughout the summ.e.r nd fall. Winter wn looking no belter.In July, over dev n hundred Japanese :lnd Chine e inunigrallB lrom Hawaii bad arnvcd aboard a. ingIesMp~ the Kum ric. Part ofWe ~ason for thi immigration
Boarded hop windows til ChinatowJ\ after the 190] Anti· Asian Ri t. PFIlLlP Tn MS PHOTO, VII~C:OU Hit Plllt [
t)))ltA V, SI>-£ !At. CO
llot~o
"Vl'
40
fJnpanes .from Hawaii was all o.utbreak of bubonic plague art the 1 land . :hjs Jatestin n erie ofmigrantatrivai > to fulfill labour supply cOlltrac~ between the Nippon Supply Company and the Co.rtadian Pacific Railway> t rai1H~d the private resources. of the dtfs busine community to the point where t he Ja~ ne e Consul appealed to civic offkials to an-a nge safe transportation for the labourers from the dock to their jobs> The Province of .British CQlumbia~' Imm:igration Act of 1,907 had not en given Roy f As ent by thelieutet!anl Go :ernor~ maim becnu e it iol ted international tfel1ties With Japan. At lorney General Bow cr, who had drown up the ACl~ also happened to be the lawyer for the Nippon upply Company and WftS r.espon ible for drawing up the company' ontract' to supply A (, tic labour; thus, Bower profitted from the con~ trae-ling of the labour he publicly pledged to ex iude from the province. 'lhi double s.tandard also allowed the contracted labour to be ~;lfd at lbout halfl'he .goi~tat'eof other worker .
32
A ' I-ASIAN RlOTS 33
READING 'tHE alOl' ACT
who weren't b:ldty injured or hospitaliz d were force-marched north to the Canadi.~n border. where they had to be allowed to cos becau e they
were f,kttLh SutJjects. A persistent rumou. that a boatload 0 four bundred i.rnmigrant wa to arrive ~t the city's dock... on the we kend Jso .a~ded
fuel to th .fire.
On Saturday, par~d . marshal
aj r P . BIowne b 'gun tIl . march fr m the 'ambic Gr und , followed by .carriage ca ring 1h A ialk
lw ion League official an \h~ir ftt ods, famili ~ invit d SF ktW th ~€ \3C hit'lg bllnds. a'n
On Augu t 12, ~90], Vancoov-er nun ed it very own Asiatic . du ion eague. llJoddt~d on tho e in ~an F.rand co and eattle. In aU three {"Hie 11abQur and Qrganized ;religion provided th financial and orgalliz.ntional upp ft. ftl th · ta e f ancouver, the Knight of Labour wer th main pon Q(jn organizat ion, with ctiv parH ipation from ID0 t Christian churches.. Labour Day week ld of1907 wa unu ualJy hot, and everal related events conspired to TaLe temperatur e\'e.n higher, to the point where capegoats were need d. Who better to point the nger t than immigra ts wirhHttleor novo! e in the commurut ,? A parade and rna meeting wa planned fox Satu,rday September 7, to b ponsor by thelancouy l' iatic E="clusioJ} l.eague. This demonstration wns being held tQprot st the confinuing immigration and th very. pte ence of Jilpane" eo Ch ine an · fItndu . It \ 'a ' cx~cted tQ- b . the large!> ever held, dr:l.wlng n the p tticipation of trade 'Union> fr ~ tarnal organization • cligiou groups, v('teT<w'" gr up,~ aRd like-minded dti'Zens. Spea . rs included PQlilfdan , b hI ('aJ and t1.S. labour Jeader: , and religiou feaders. On the li'flusday b ~ r I'M ·<:'\ · n~omt1"-dtion, The Bellingham Massacre of Hindu sawmill wockets took place. Five hundred of tho e
to
. The crowd joined in and threw brick and rock until very pie<:e of
34 R ADING THE: mOT AC
A 'fl-A ' rJ-\ N RIOTS
35
newiy arrived Dane were among the very few who were a1:tuaUy held and charged with rioting. hartly after the doters turned onto PmveH Street. the)' met with w )l-.a rmed resist. nee fronl the Japan se commtllUt),. In add ilion 10 hand. to-hand combat with tub. kniV' nd guns. rock. brick ~ bottle. and blocks of wMd were tlm}wn from the r ofs of buildi ng .1ncrioter made it s far as The: Powell Strc t GfOu;nd (now Oppenheimer P rk), fighting a pitched mao..to-man bt'l.ttte every !! p 0 the. 'way. lhc lIll xpe<:tC(,i r .~ i tane Iln.d high numb r of ea uatties cau ~ t he large mob t disperse without further large~sca lc incident.
m gt: don~ by lh K OJ(ada, Ol'powell Street.
f
glass in the area lay h Hered in the . treet . The tlTpri~d Chine > could on! lock theIr do {$ and set up barricade to protoct themselves. t thi point ian. including 'ome of the Bellingham refugee> were appat'cntly movjno freely in the crowd. The antmo tty of the crQ"wd emed more symbolic than per ooal. Property damage wa heavy; but w, jf
any ph)1 icalln'urie were reported. The crowd soon .remembered that their main target was th . Japane e, 0 they regrouped OJl Westminster v nue at Powell the entry to what was known as"Ji tic Yokohama.'" The Japanese-owned drysooQ. stor on the southe~ t comer w the first target (If the thousand- frang ll\ b inflicting 2AoO in damage to the buHdh g and m r: ha ndisc with a steady barrag of :toues' nd brick, :By ten Qdoc;k. the b~dly utn umbercd poli e force, \-\>hkh hadeall d in ill{ on"-duty officersfror tb total 'for e of ab lit two dozen, wa un blc to h ilc any effect, arid th{!iT' afuty was () e:n ~n doubt. The fire brigade wa al 0 called i n to help, Arre .\' re fe,"", in part becawe the crowd would re ue an one captut'edi a bOOkkeeper,. an l L.'l lia labourer, and a
:Both Chinatown and JapantQwn were oon behind polk sttee-t barricade • but port !let the nUlll.b er f arrests aHwcnty~fourwith only one case bein, heard, noting that th proce iute wa a joke> another claimed that ightetm \ ere arre ted atunfay night, and five on Sunday. for · total of t we.nt},-. three , nunenting that "'thu e wj(h polificl\J fJiend ..ct:e few.' Th only convicHoll se 111 t-o have be the bookkeeper for th · North Van"ouver 'erry olUpallY who, a fined fifty d lIar for assaulting -a police ergean.
'{he Iarg~ t impact in VancoU\'er wa the withd rawal .of Jabour b y the Chi-ne and Japafle f. All hines workers wel'lt on trike and the Japallc e held a mass me ting at the Powell fyeet Grounds Mond yafterno n to consider their action. Thank mainly to high-level diplomacy from Great Britain under pre UTe fr m their aUy Japall~ more seri us redre· s wa to orne in th form of Royal C mmi ion to be nndertak u by William LYOll M cken~i King. at that time the ederal Deputy Mini ter of Labi)ur. One each t; rthc ettlement of Japane and Chill e losses during the riot, and another hlquiry into the immigration of Oriental lab ute! 10 Canada. The commission into Japane e loss sat for leven day at Pen r HaUandr~ommcnded award -totalling "'9,o~6 indudingleg-al * pen e and a recommendation that the Japanese Consulate be paid J ~ 0 for expense , whk.h the Con ul rerus d . It is useful to I t~ that 0 ti . ' 107
m ' l - ASlAN l u O'
•. 1.. ~.!Z'$ ~G, ~ ~~.•
;,7
It\Uns made~ busine Se$ repl'e ented' included one bank tivr 'barber $nops. two bath houses. seven ~andy store. four employmenl 0flke$, thirteen geneta) ,store$, one hatter's s:hop, ni!le botel, one newspaper. one resl:\l'llrant. one rice mill) two boem~ker~ .and one 'watchmaker. The CMMse cQtlltnis ion.. was sjmilnr e~cept for the claims f .'l couple
,
.I4oI>'a
f opium fact.ories which J.-.·ere not honoured and led King to Jater pu 'h for the outlawing of the drug, 0 claims fur weapon' Of ammunition were Howed, 'illthQu~b n'!{\.ny of the defendll"tS bad in pur~.. gun ..md ammunition fQr (heir O\'Vll pr.ote lIon, ignific:antly. J~either fhe riots ll.(!f their t!
... W. 1.. fAOl!.ENzm )lll'<'"G, ~e, ~~~t w.W,.
p
rt~
..
"
was the ptoperty of Japanese and Chinese capitalists that wa:s destroyed. Ho\'\'evcr that CQuld only booent the white capitalis ,In n waywouJd it further the .cau e of workers.. The a.pit,ali ts who were firmly in controI of all in. titutJon ha . no intCJ1t}on of <;IxQuning the ve.r.y workers who aUawed them to turn a handsome Plant on theft' investment. '!hI.{ dol and imilar racially moti\late If it Wa demon trable that whiles and Niatics could not {:oexisl> why were AMaties allowed into the country in the lit,;t place? Why was there a treaty alloWing freedom ofmov ent for at t a f t,ne.Japaneser Why were Htndus allowed membe"rsllip in. and the
I
R. 1.11 O'tHE.lU
A<:T
'fhi i' a classk ca e of the t:apitnli t sy&tem using it political judi-
cial, and religious 'Components to manipulate labour into doing their dirt y work. In this ea e, labour wa only top willing to t in th intel-cst of capital and against the worker.s' be t interests. Capitalists such 38 DUll muir, whQ wa al ' 0 th lieutenant governor. (represented in the poliHcal plH~re by th Attorne t Gene.ral Bm sed II ded Od 11ml labot,.lT becau e it was mor - "pr'()du tiv ,," "'.e., b ilP' ana expe ndable. They al$1) needed to. mail'ltaln trade relations' ith Japan &rid China. Capittll ha ou 0" ,rei ling on crll~ and that j profit. } th majDT t of doing bushl i Jabour then it would be prudent t limit' the st of labour. What better wa to limit J bour co t than to bring in ~ group of people who. could then b d ni d II tight and I'd i1 g ~ ba ecd on. tnei..- nICC( At the am. time th y could a t a a restraint n the wage Qf citizen' employee. Further. if the citizens-r:cad: high-
pl"i t fiono!: til, Briri h Empire? Few ifanyofthese immi~nt came to Canad · iUegaHy; th y were, in the main, br(l\lght 'nt,o the count'}' to fulfil tab ur contract with large employers such. as th . CPR and Wellington CoUieri (owned by Dunsmuir). 111eir labour had littl<: or n eff~t on th work or wag of others yet wh n they banded together for their Wfl protecttol1 they were criticized for their inability to inte~rate. When some a cepte<J unfair wages and condition rattler 1ilan rebel they were riti~ dzed. When -others oro-peted Of'resi ted rhey were .$e,eh a, a threat Thi , elective and collectiv anxiety seems to be the prodl1ci of manipulation b conomic pow rs ituated far outside the rootID fthe local V;lijcouver p !ilk. heap (Oriental) labour ya needed to build the t: untry, aod internal; nal tr.ade with Jap fl 'clnd Chin and India wn fmperathrct maintainpf' fit fortradet ' andh nkcr alike,}apanne~ded l.lbQlU and oldier for1>otl1 the-ir indu td 1 and imperial ad,'(mtur;e so happjly agreed to limit migration. 'rhe tacil' (l,gentlem(1n·s·' agreements were 110 broken. but tm the populace of Vancouver were in I,i ftenzy of oppo ition to practices that '~re b<>th 1 'gal and deemed nece ' ry by (]1~ elite th, t profited from them. A oodruleofthumbsecm d l be, foUow the mone and ee where if meet politi '.
wage emplo.yee - could ~ont ain the "'iromfgran ~ employes through social ontrqi > which 'Co. t the capitali t nothrog, fhen profits would be maximize ,The <'j"p ., and 'Chinks'" do. th heavy work, th \I h itcs
sup rvi e or manage to keep tt em in thelf place. Ies
fed 'wage $lavery
for a reason. The A ia1i Exdusioll Leasu wa n thing mOr than a front for
of Labour, an earty couserv.afv labour fOtHlation }ll re illteres!~d in cutting deal with h se, t han !'tt'\,g in the intere t of membe't workers, 'Their Amerk<\o leadership push d for the excluslol1. of all Orienttlt 011 the premi that white and Orienta tould not live togethe.r and every incidet),t they tllanaged to provoke wa 'fU.flh r e idente. Many worker shared the e rac' t ttnude, but many did not.
the
Kll~ght
The l WW. known C\ , th¢ Wobblie I and li l1Uded in 190 n un offshoot o(thc Western fl!deration ofMiacts, beli ved that Taci '01 wa just one too) in the ar elHl~ of th bosse An injury {o on . ic$ an injury to all.
Ute Wobblios preferred tp t~nd on ('l,w picket tiue with ..hine c and Japane, e 'WorKers for the benefit of aU worker. If you helped to holtl down the wages of Qne worker you were, byJogicaf exlen lOOk holding back your .own wage, The employer cou.kl t hereby always find Hneolle t . w rk for Ie . The' obbHe had ad ep alld I Jl g~ tanding distrust
40.
RllM)
G TH :dHO'I'
'1'
oithe in titul\ ns and per MaUde f capitalrsm baaed an historical precedent. Their in tinct was to be: aga in t evexy thing tbat taphali. m was in favour pf. The w~ten't ton often wfong. · n,fortunately, their olce.s were not heard ~t tlli niHeal time in Vancouve",
What 1 W4S aJrflid O1''l'({($ a riot like it1 190;7,. bllt ")110r.~, llc,:ause t1ntj.J(1fJ(lJ1e.seleu1il1gwfl~ 11111(;11 hi~h~r thnn. ev r before. J thOlf..ffl1t lhat if we did- QflyNfitig to prQ\lQke trouble r.nnatl1fl'l$. rl?#lly h()r~ riM w1l/.l1d b(lJ1pe:f~. WI: (mid ~f{ get uutssacre(J, 'women and
1;11 ldl'im lOO, - RYUJCltt J\!(tT1
'me J.,if
~QSHtl) >
if Our Time. '
-fu~ tory of(J. JofJayes.e.~ CaflatUaN
fi herman
thereisonetnati undtl~ [fiable, tn.a in-Iy because it 'Ctl t ;\ ross·o. m~ n)' lines and fits. s~ ma ny qat-ego.ne \ At once a race ,d.ot. tbk timeit 'Wa .Ill Q a victim ·of'r~eism rlot~ a pl:j on. riot. a fQod-riot, a political rio.t and a lr.l1~gflage riot. Th ~ana,dia'l1 gov m.rnent mO' ed quickly after t h attack n Pearl Ha rbQur i,n.December of 1941. By May of the l'Ollow.iug y~u.r. ,J,11&1\Y of Srit.i&h C lumbi<\' -·jtrz.~:o ofJapa tl~e e lnlcUon "hud already be 11 movtl"Q Yf;lnd th l)iJA~lred-mne exclu ipn roue. Japanes: vroperl})wabeing sei~ed and 5 t4 to pay-for the (;0 ts-of the actiOl)$ again t tn!';lm. Lo.~tg im.mering anH-Asian-and pecificaUy anti· Japanese--sentimellt were rmHltng higI1. l?oliticlan ,l1ere pledgi.ng to deal with the"rap" problem once and tor aLi, through fore d dispersal within Ca.oad and deport.ation. 1heJapanese ommuntty wac faced W'ithan impossible drIemma-ill orve tbeido}"'alt to C'l.nada they h-~\fl.d jn.~emalionallaw ba edotcl.y 0 )' ra e in tht Jw,.n1e of oational ' udty. Jap-nne bom in Canada'W~t0de lared ¢.ne uy "llioo. 'Bec31;lseofoothil'lg ~orc thal.1 their rate. while Canad~n of Cct;111 an an.d ItaUlln e;, traction l~d little to (ear from the government of Canada , Lan$lI g rs at thfC mot or{Iii riot: officlat stnte-.sancti(med, socia.lIy acceptable rn i it laoguag . The front page of The VaJifOttyet Sutt oflh ur.sdaYJ May 14" 0;[ 1942 COntained an ar ti Le with the headline «Japanese will be it;tterned" under IN HE LO ct tradition o{V:inc-ouveniot
42
43
R'BADI G T'l·m RlO'l' A T
JAPS CLEAN Uf MESS THEY MADE iN RIOT
First reports were that th Taps tagM their rg)' of Banzai-shouting and holeS
b~ncc, The tltlCQUl'er
the cut-H ~e riot seq.\lel" and the ubhead "'militaryuard patrol cene of
ruckus/}cQncer )jng un incid nt at the Imm1sration Building .at the. foot of Btlrra ro Street. Som nf the other front' page t rie were headlined "" h jne~ Cut YeI}> U e ~ in BUirn~>>> "' . moo Planes rt\~sb t Japs 11lb ina Ba c/ Nazis ~ Japs Are 6i Liars." The- fr nt-pAg art i Ie i continued inside \ ith the headlinl;!, "lap Riot. ' 11,e Prol inc.c he.adIJne e. ds. j p in City i ti ng W ·U B ent n1t'd" under the Cl;lt Jh).e "St1)tement in Bou e. ThePro1Ijllce-ha- twoplctur ) one of the Immigr.-al.con Building' itn.pris. on r hanging out tnt' upper' indow and debt'i n the ground. The other show 1\ oma n w,ith a u itca. € waving h~\ 'a rd the Immigration Building in the di tance with ( ~o a rmea soldiers he tween her and th building. A long..sfmniering (J ire- in BroUsh Columbia to gel' tid of it itt?; tIS of Jap'tlo e an /::, try h |
display thi
nti-A.siati 'entiment.
mf has learn~d that the incident come atthe dima ofa two ·w~k period OfWllitiflg behind ban; dtl!ing whkh Otla\va filed to is 'ue order for removal of the Jap to campselsewnere 10 Canada. ' 111(.> paper (II 0 tates that th m)l had reiuse-d to tepo!' t the' B. . S uriqe· · ommi ion nd ",'e! "pi ked up" by the l~ MP and \lImed over to mitita ry autl} title . The rioter, .. ma h d fui"11it r • knock d pIa ter from the, aUs, turned a fir hose ll.guard , broke window , ~nd kno ked out the iron grating, hi! throwi nt> streamer of tissue out the broken w111d w . While ity police watched; "They did keep a growing crowd of bite :peetator ·wr-Ilback/ ' CPR poHceand oldiersweren ~cled to queU fhe riot. The pape state~ that the troops reque ted but did nol 1I, e tear ga acql.lired frorn city police when the disturb nee was resum d iJ the evenjng. There i~ no m ntiol\ it ms more playful than anythh)gel e,'> \ hat Sun reade./' weren't told is that many lh men being hldd in the Immigmti n heJs were Ca;nadian Citizen who had v luntatily surrendere
4;
5
READING l'F:ut IHOT AC'!'
M G S j1M :radical, t'her ould con ~nt to "eva~uatlon" but were re~i ting the break-np offamilygroup ,'Th were militllut however.. and tf'le prQt:e t , at the jmmigrlltiQn sh.ds w~t:e part of an o,rganized reSis~ ta-nee anp demand fo r t:ight5 ·nd 4Q tie . The protest wa one part of a '·e istl:1nC~ •g~!llb:aru/' which diy ided lhe com mullity, but made '1 dear that the pol de ofth~ Canadian g v¢rnDwntwe.reraciaU ·b"\$en i-lud not ·~lJrity,.bas("rd . Thedi"isioM in tl'w ommtlnity a.- ' fictiQn Hzed ill }'0y Kogawa'S Ob~ 'tHf; "1n PetawmV:l the!' .al~ ne hundred artd thirty Nisei lut rn the men virtually had to force their' way into the bed ,. which were gllarded by bayonet~wielding oldier, when they (e-jJOrted for evacuation. Afu r ~jng held for more than three we ks in subhuma~ c(mdilion • th~ir prote, t wa met 'with armed troops using tea.- gas ~~d firing buUets inlo the building where the men were J)'eld, The uwn in the &h d w .re shortlyshipped QlIt to intern ment camps.io dear violation of the Genev¥l Convc-ntK<m "hich pI hibiHhe det cat~on ofa country'S own itizen . A Miki po.int QU"" they!eft VanCOlJVCr a «{jetaUlI#::,'l," ~)J1da,rrjwd in All~l.er and J etaw~wa> Ontario a ' "enemy a liell~.'" For the' In I part these were CanadiaJ'I cftizens who h. d had thli'lr property coniiscat~d and sold and the money was used to pay for thei r' eep In p;risoJ;l camps u-llder brutal conditions. As time goe by. it· likely that m re insrnn!;es of resistance witl orne to light. ill the a~,e issue of The Sun, .. . new paper cleva cd to progr , and DemOcr;ti;Y. toleranc~ and f.ceedQm of Human thought," there is au editorJaI decrfing the "wanton ri t~ng'" ntitT 0.. ~'laps are Poor S,porl men, lnd~ed! ? de<;lartog,th "outbte k'· .. t the Im1u.gration sheds to. b "a muoi6 tatiOJl f azi idea l whicb th~ people hay~ absorbed and llOW have dorted their 0"",." i.'
\
'rH£ RIO
ACJ'
i'·
!
!:.
CHAPTER 2
Arr st
(lIthe Fre:l~
8cRl'rrSli ·
L Milt
pte h Demonstr ti. n. Vancouwr, JantHlry 1 'L9 12. AR'm
, 1>-0 6' 68
The w rking <:I" >l.nd th'E' t'mploying cia 8 have lw!1,ing in common.. 'lhere C'.ln ~ fl(l pea lot!t5 as hUI)~c{ arit! w of re 11 und among mimons of the ~\Torcking people and the cw,' ho lnuke up the emplo ing cia > have all the good t1linlP f life . .8etw~n tli two das I."S (ruggl .ollist go on untU the workers ofth,e world or&aniz~ a clas tii\ke posse $ion of the means of production. aboJr h the wage·y tern, and live ill h
In
'l11ese. condilions ~n bcthangcdand tbeint'er~ l of workin da upheld only b an organizati · n formed in uch a \V'3ythat aU it member in anyone 'ndustry. or in all industrie if nc!;essary. cea e \Y'oFk whc.neverastrikeodockoutison in nydecparIOlc"ltthereof: fflu mnk!n an injury to one an injury t all. 1n, tc d f the n rvatlv~~ motto, 'A fairda" wasefor f: ird.ay' work,"wcr:nu 'tins ib
ur bannerthcrevolntlonary \\'a,l'chword ....Abolitlol'l f1h W
'fh
0)
cOly [production mUSl he argani~ed, not for ver}'day lJ"uggte
with ca/litalisl 1 but also to ca~ry n. produ tL n when
pitaJism shaJJ have il\du~tdaUy we are fam\ing the tructure of the new sociely Within the shell of the oM. been overthrown. By organizin a
-rHa co STI'rV 'l(},
J
4
lH~
. U
D1 G 'f
• RIO
TTt. 1872 , CA TA
FInU! S}>EECH !trOTS
AC
.
treated uni.on a$ criminal (.onspjracies in
r trn'm trude, as did British Law. Despite harsh aactions workers till f uno it nee :'I t r to 01'ga nize but uni n had to be i-ncredibl)' trong to with. land the onited nslaught of employe ,pqlice and t:: urt until the-tight to organize was nsbrinea in J w a,nd baxgaj.ning dgl'lt llid b nfQ-rc;-ed. Unionism wa ju t anu frQnf in (11 • tJ'\lgglc for l1uman dignity, llee In liming such benefit as Wor er' Cl;)tnpeusatio6 or injuri or d¢atIH')J\ thejob.IH lway good t r m mber that p ople died ill {ne- n t fi r the ight·hour 4ay. In th p fitical ph ere, advance 10 . 0 : aJ legisfation that we hav larg )' token- for granted~ but are ow u.nder attack aga '11 , had to be wr ted from the \lUng elas through years ofstruggle and eGn frontation . Unemployment tn ur.ance was intl~ duced in 1940' Fa mily tlowan e 19~' OIcl Age ewrj,ty l%~; Pen ion" 1966; lllld xne,di te~ in 1968. All of these adval1c ~ wMch 'wer.e essentiaHyompron}i, n th . part of capil.al with labol-U· in Qrder to maintain their h~gm ny and prtvileg,..... :are gain Q the table) a capitall m gtobaJizes and demll.nd th,lt worker$ urrendcr the e hard-woll victoxie: in the name : c.omp titi ene .s and produ tivily. It i ' also in.ter tillg to note that riot virtuallrdi 1>P red If m the s ne during the tim ftame of 1940 to 15)68 when it seemed like it might tuaU b, possibl to reform capitaL At the beginning -of th > twanlieth enUlEy. (l scene Uk (1)1 might have played out on a Vancouver 't.(eel.
'Ihe roughest-looking man climb. up on the soapb x nd hake hi fi t ~I have been robbed. that s righl I've been t hbed by pJ:tali m. Every doUQl' of.profit i a dollar stolen
soap x- while 'uppottlng hi. di hey·
from worker' k~t. r hav(t had th money r mJde work· ing on the
died rriend. "Som body tole aflhi capitaH Tookilll tht: llO teyhe ver earned. l!verytMng l gone.' 'the. et \.lp,\hclr {) pbox whiter the alv ti.onAtmyb;mdi pta inga o~!)the lr: et. "Gather'r uulpe.Qpl and hear hisst ry:" A rowd begins to form on the idewalk. 'lhc men ar(!, atefui t Teavi11g l'oom fur ~destriar\s to pa $,
in your fown for the frecdo1ll to speak ifl the treets. 'fhl i not simpJy fhe reedorn to n'lak a political sp . h -and ask for your vot~, No '\ e demand tbe freedom to organize an indu triat un-ion of an ,'\'Orker of aU faces, rcHgion 1 'age an sex. 'Jhe freedom to advocate the end to a class of people who are responsible for all the mi er 'in the world. The freedon to dump th~ bosse off our back ."
1\ men 51 gger out f an alley near Ha Hng and CaTrall. "H 1F. Help.l' e b :en tobbed!" <
One is carrying
49
The work'Elr begins to ing from a litt1e ted book
Are 'ou paorforlom and hungry? Are there Jots a/things y()I.l Jar,k? i$ yo~w' liflt made up O'f misery? Then dump iTt" b(wesoifyvur back,
Theseword , w Ht¢l) bylqbnBriU. were Uilgl01hctll11t~()f th well~ known hymn 4Take it to theL<¥d In Prayer.'" AnOther popular avoutit would have been .he ~"Pfeaeher and the lave)'" Qr any other song by foe Htll. '·I;'ho had wandered the "thousand· mile pJckctJio.e" from San Diego to British Cotllmbja wrUit:lg and inging. Joe am might haw slood kit! ~ corner from the SalV'Mion Army at Hastings. and Carrall and sung; And 'the starvation army tfley 1'ay And they sing fm,J. the clap -and tiley pray. 1'i1l1hey get 41lyouft:()in &H the drum l1nm they leU yot( whStt you are on the bum; c aOAUS
You will eat, bye (Ina b)'e~ In thqt glorious J~nd abo.ve. tbe sky; Work and pl'tl)'i '(tnd liye Ort ha.y, y~'tf gtU pie ttl the sky when you die,
would b
'J"HE l ' nt1S1'RlA WORK &RS f. tht'1 Wi)rrd t OJ: Wobblies·. crttiqM.of capi-
tali m c()ve~d not ()n~yec(ln J111. ~n,d
ocj~! ~,Qt~cern
> bUl
nizing around practical i UIl ' like th eight~ hour -day. the 1\ W cam 0 be iewtd with ~ fear that in pired vindictive and often nTegal reactiOlls. t}p -and d wu the W Coa l of N<>rth America, the basic condiHou. that led fo "fr-ee speech fights" were neady alway,s the same. Civk leader were nervous .about both the language and content of the :public sp eches given bymembE'r of the Industrial WQfkers €lfthe World, They ulld~r. tood only too 'Well that t he lWW ml~ dvocating th oV'erthrowof c-apitaUsm aud the end' of privilege. CapitflJ' m ~~a under 1l;1tack from man)' quarters but t h~ ca:pitali t were nOi about to. give up without. a fight. The wctlpon of choice ;;anged from the tegali ric, but J<\rgcly inef~ fettiv ., banning of street speaking, which led to tllH jails al1d ~pcnsi\1'c pri oner up.tre~. iole.nce by pOOe \rigHantes, hired goons., miJitiasand the m·llitary were tages in thee calaHon. SOU1e\vhere in between, diviQe... and-conquer strategies were u ed, a fami1iar tat.tic of{)ppressioll tlsed by the rulingclas to back what they a\\1 as their god~given right to profit at the expen e
extended inte
th(' rena -of lcligion expo. ing rhe bYPocJ;is.}, f v~eachjng obed~nce to po1iti~al master whose v ry I lr.tCti (l 10!~tod the teachings Qf uU the IUfijor religtons. 'They-were not aid to <:llall.enge an:y nuthority tha stood in th way of theit ulti mate g.o~1 pt a cooperati:vec.omtnonwealth a vIsionary ut(lpia'l"eHant on the worker: l'Or it, u!tra-dem0£:tatic ptoce$ that w"s in and ofitself utopian. 'Enacti ttg tliejr rad-iGaI m.essage by orga-
Invariably, the pres would fake the side ofmoQeration and dec;ty any percflv d attack on th tatu quo. 'lbe lWW were always portrayed wiId·.eyed ra~jGal , capable of ily Qutrag¢, In met. tncre mentbe1:'nfp fIl the rww became a crjm",:-oclH' the end .ofWor-Jd Wan t in both Catl~da and the n~te<,l States. The Wobhli meed a formidable array f nemies. including elected l'J.fficiats and t heir well~armcd t!)1for,emeut hranclle fp 11e , anuy, aod mlIitia.; the sQ-called fr e pres and
Hied bu.sllless intere t$; and the religiou~ etem:ent. who were o.Wendecd by lh i~tl'diglous nature of the caRlipaign, E,ren other workers Hke
$'2
RBADl
~
flRF..E SP.E ' H R!OTS
B ' RlO'f ACT
1 bour sk~tc' (worke}'s wh() had sisned on to lhe historical compromise be rw.een tabot:Ir and capital known as unions) and c1. orbiHs work~
e s lacking in cis - on ciousne ) were again t the IWW. The WobbIies ei- d th init iutivcby characterizing cl~shes~..ith all of the e groups a I'[r c. pe ' ch)'fight ,Th i l juston e mpleo adym diamantpulafion, nd d the tr ets were for;.t,>"lking n nd the pea e.(' could simply hire a haJi t get their mcs ag 0\11. Tdlinglr the Sa!vatj()n Army wa<; aU{;}w ,d to proceed with th(idr tllrget, noj 1 f, and Jnor dJ ruptive trcet j
meeting.
On AprU 6~ a the trial r the mt;n wa~ adjourned for a week, the }udg offered that the men !-hould refrab from further public peakiug. OfcourSf another 1'))1; tinghad ah;ead ' b~n scheduled forthe sall1e loca-
53
tt n on the v~y ne>rl ni~ht. lhe Vancouvec Trade and Labour Council organized .a r~ny in front of City HaU, at which they extended sympathy and l,ledged suppor t. The battIe continued both in the oourt and 011 the ir . The net of M~ . saw anoth t m:l mecli-ng in front of ity Hall. where , The Pr()v;llce put it, < 'Jhere '\ er cvcrlll speakers, who. advo ~.ate.<,l1lJQSt tr ngJy tbe principle nrl ~dea of the r.evolUtiMi l :' 011 M. Y , tl~~ Parsons. lWW member, nd 'idQW r Haymarket nltU'tyr Atbel't Par on-, Qudi:n~Q the Circum 'tan e or the unju t murder of h~r husb~lnd hy the authorities to a larg\.' row-d. and William a: lOf, wh had been fi:ued for his original speech. addressed the crowd against the fllagi trate' c;>r
REE SPEE If RIOTS 55
Ft~
pee 11 DCfl1QJ)
1).ft1'l'J H CQl~ BM
t'.c;Ui(>ll,
.a
If
I)f'IC:OUY
t.}.atl.uar ' 1'8•• u·
. C~056.l4
Vf;N'rUAJ.V{. 'THE, FREE :p~ech fight
would turn from. skirmi he to Qutrjght riots. B t :1,912, the down(urn in I he pre-wax ct,; n mk oom led ti;) high levels of unemployment. Worker gr~vitated t the dty, J1COUr~ aged b)' the Salvation Arm)~ go rnment fficiaJ$, ~l1ld the usual civic
upply fen ap labour eager for the few available job. 'The primitiv' form of ''0 orkfa.t'e' organized b)1 the ity were lot~ly inadequate. 'Ille n w contin-
.. ooster :' all of whom had. a
y,
ted interest in ensoring a larg
arrested t PowGlland CarralI. n unday, Ja.nu ry 28, a cr wd of everal thousand gathered at the Powell Street Gr ands tQ hear Patm ter (Farm) Pettipiec of the Sod ali t Party Of Canada r pOrt on his:m~eting with the provincial governm nt and their r pon e t the cUrIent Jev s of unem-
ued to hold street meetings to organiz fhe unemployed. The inevitable
ployment. The deputy chief of ponte declared t.he m. eting mgal and arrested the main peaker. When the crowd prote'ted, n ignaUed his officers fo charge. winging dubs and borsevvhip$.
crackdown (In vagront and tran ients Wa oon to foUow. Vagrants. by definition~ we e the pOOl: and unemployed, but the :chaTg itselJ W3.$ a famlHs r catch~an, u ed "gain t radical and orgaujzc under the catgory f"undesirable:;:'
"... th'Os(1 trot fortunate enough If> get aut of rite way went down like f.ett-pins before the ;rresistibl un s/twgh£ of the offiatrs•.. The PoweU Street Grounds looked sam thing like a
A
tree( p rot t continued to
t C'dtntl'.
th,' el Clorate voted in
battlefield.
Jan1e~
findlay, a Taw-and ~rd r conservatIve Cimdidat~. as mayor -and ity council promptly pa sed a by!a,\" bantling II out.door meetings. . n
January 10, 1~H2. four men were art tt:d at:\I 1 w-organized meeting at Cordova and Carrall. 'lhree were cf'Hl rged \\!ith vagnm yand fhe other with assaulting a police officer. The fol1o\ ing day, iK ~peakers ~ re
Almo t thirly arrests were made with baiLet aUtvehund red -dollax . The border was sealed to prevent an anticir ated Wobbly inva.siol'l, a~d ! h~ Interurban rai! line wa monitored.
6
~E ;\
1 G
li RtO
FR
ACT
V hat n:\d been expe "ted
(0
PB
H RIOT
57
prove a diver ion from th ... usual quiet
Sund 'afier:noQu t:Outtlle was iast dwindling into a very poor show, Then oruething happ "ned. Arthur Wong, me.r:nbe of tile Y-oUllg- Chinese !> i ty, atr e.d in natty se g~, bout(II'1l1icre Chines lilie. landing collar, a n.d Illh a . e or-i of correct dres from his do, el . dipped hir utl t hi ' fallltl pat nt Leather , mounted tbe rostrum amid thund 'rou~ pptau e. Wong 6c.iatist, and th . late rnig11t b ot down in hi wry a the first '\I herein one of hi ra e h' .mount d the per. -air fO truttl. VhUe v'V'ong I,,'a "'1 n( on t!nthusla' m he wa; woully $-hQrt.'~ on En<.Jlish. However, hi luci at ion of the '()ClaIr lie probf n was fullya erudite as that of hi hristian brotl1e!( wont rn s. ge read som • thingHk .-th·'.
of
w:
J\
GL.o -cm
E TRtaAT
Ft Spee. It Deln I'!stration, " n uvcr, February), I
«When Manchu him lUll Cl1in , come'long like big p'U emailbig rllb~ sa.y ~kidQ(): ChinamcUJ him starter 1ikce]at b~/ore ent; wJ.um big P'lic man him come lhi plac two Ullda..yago, (i.J[d I ,!ettce rack on hend, Today we UO c(ltter likee dlicken 1 bin all over world; I see Chit1a~ Gleat Bliltil1, all same. Youflg Chmes s(}ci~ty all bin sociali t . 1 bin I'eporte Cbi1w Jlew$paper. I tell em we no scatter likce cMcket' IV/Jeff p'Jicem{1tI come," Hi. explanation of the moou, erandi f socjali tic acquisifi n () w(,'alth and th telegati 11 of the capitaIl t to th realm of Beeh bub wa qU'dllya lucid as tl1t.~ . bove.
lIJ!,I'I'ISH ~ow BI A A RCHI)!
~l.
'051$3'~
I
the Wob along t he- way. No m~ting were to be 1lowed. On public s.t reet but public . quare could bl:' u ed. AU har.ges would be dropped. After much wrangling and infighting b tween labour, h1c offi <'al ~ and the province limlred fr~e p ech was reinstated; however the harges w re not dropped .and the pri oner, mainly Wobbli -:. weE not retea d.
an
an
- \'aJH:ouver PrOf'ince
Fu r her meeting ' Vi rc broken up by police, including 0 e inSt nley Park, whet {he speaker u~d megaphone~ 10 add res lh crowd from oats. he str g current p ev nted the p akers from "\}e,ing he.,rd "nd th y were afr sted when the' 3Jne ashore. When the '1W\,r ltpped the ante, hinting t a gener' 1 stri.k: and sabotage, the other 1abour groups ack d down and comprornl-ed with the (it in order pur, ue>cle 'tor,ll
(' form ", t tl ' ba.lIot b x ' n the upcam ing provincial election > seHing out
The entire organ;zation support$ Vancou l1er WQrker: ilt their efforts to maintain free spee -h. The right~ of the member£ of this orgtmfzation will be Ilhforkp.i/ in spite ~ftll1 the CorPQt'tl liON lice holding polith;a1.iobs iff the Dominion of Cat/flda. Free spc#!. 11 will be stablj~";J d mrd maintail1ed in Vancouv f" if it takli twenty years. Hold you persotmlly responsible for arty /nj"ry injlf .ted UPO!J members oJthts orgflnizati(J1J by Co (Jek uttdt! yyour ontrol.
CHAPTER 3 B LOODY SUNDAY;
UNEMPl,-OYM£NT RlOTS O~
1935 & 193 .fiR 1;;» ANI> ll.OS
As l go ma--rc:hing. m«rt:hil'/gwe brlti1e to%t mel/. For th y are w-Om-en~ childy, It ahd we mother them t~ga-iH,
Our lives shall1'lot be SH!eated from birch uutil life closes, Hearts tarve Q$ well as bodies; give UI!i bread hut give us 1·oses. Mainly by publicizing th threat in th' J. ttel:, the Wobl)lies were dis redited and isolated by their more llodetate allie.. The Ilrgumen! eemed to b that dire,1 a tjon (j.e. tre t prote t) in vit bl)' led to vi len • n \'er mind that theviotcnce·could nlmo talw ysbcchar~cledzed s , II police riot' and that violen c again t.a a fly better . upplied enemy
was sui ida!. The radical undorpinning of th lWW were repudiated, althouzh fu:rther lWV. protests took pIa ; oon, more important baHI ' took - reed nee- for example. the: Lawrenc textile worker • ,trtke and
th' an Diego free speech tight. Without immediate; and langible repre si.on, the IW \ could not compete with other more moderate organization wh could deliver small victotie \"It tfiie ba110t bOK and cOllljm n'lises with capital such as welfar ,meuicare. en ion and Unemployment lnsurance. But. 'l'henever capitali:.t reptcs ion of th w rking das reaches in~ol rable levels. WQbbJie pr mi thatth oclaJi tide;} oftbc1ndu,trr-alWorker fthe W rld will an w r the all.
h i!1 m' 111 l r
Bl,OODY UN~ y UN ~MPLOY MENT RIOTS 61
()"CrnJllcOI H<»rit.. nty to, l: unidentified ma 1 on a coU o "n of .(;(~. x,ra'a NY A ~I A R(;d'V~l S fJ,\ AQA / (:. o:..t0594
, .. ~f (he right to strike i 'uppy, SSM) or s ri th trad tmkm mo~(.!m nt' be
omes
instUutictI amollg n/Ml in Ore Sef1 jC
'
us] · limit.
d,
nMh ing rt'wte tfum one
if wpitaU$m .. • >
,-p £RRJl, eL.LiOT 'l',RUDJ;:AIJ
\loted in N~;ver ay Die by J
H
T·
· lfE P RTV 1'IUIlTl S were 'aid t h;1V$ en hard r . \1 ~ n couv r , tha n ny other it)' in ~ Had. , hen tJ;it· ~o rn f the 1\\fel1ties came to 1'I obr pI nd n that Black Friday' in 'lober )f 192.9, very few re ogni .ed that ttli w<\s tf1)ytJling Il'.lN·e thall a temporary s tback.
PtOp'o cd £;i < spendi ng fOr the ,ear 1930 lIa $2$ ~mi ~ qual he pro tnciai budget . Mayor Malkin liked to boast. What Malkin was le 'n lined to nentio n \ a. the ripli, g of the ity" relief r lis, • raid by the unemplo 'ed OJ} the relit om e do.wntown treet. logged wit11 pr(h. st matche ru'ld the all-tao-commol'!' arre t aM impris ntnent of J
the h mele - ,
B' l~~J th i ty· fO\lJ' thou and of populi! ion () a quarter m illion peopl were on I'dief it'! t.l'I.tt city and tll annual m na ris n Ul $z.3~ mtlli n. Many individu I were hard h it, but 't 'Wa, th bu ine.ss ommul'l.it) t t panicked. -rhe on-tu·btc-infan'luu Kldd Cotnr'ni r'-1e Rep rt' a re POll 'e to the ri i ' pres >d on tilt> Pr vinclal Goverolll 0 1 by the Vi uver Bard Qf' rod .. th Retail Mer banr s odatiol1 and
five Vancouver cr.vice dubs. demanded that the pro metal budget b
let hed fmm twentl'~five to '1 million, that univ cit, fundsb cut'~ t11.U the PGE railroad be abandoned and peQplft be 'J,l1 oth -Jjef t:'ompl td v,rbH(Vremaining ,!lclal vices be greatly reduc l. mo.ug th spon~ rs of fht' Kidd Committee Report, pr' \lJ.ll hI , w re wh"lt Ii mained o the city' "eighty-three mim:'.Ilaire ~ th~r Premier Puff Patullo 11 d criticized in J9:2,$1 for their Inck ofcMc pirit,havingn v rtnad < illSle dQft~tiQl'l to *hc Wliversity or pon red any major clvi enterpri e. The e \'r'Ou"fd h e been many f th arne m ~n wh the hipping Federation' "re<)Tgani7. fion commrH "invIted to S r • Buckerneld, BeH·lrvin'y, Malkin and on and on. a ron l·all f Vancouver' busines leaders Jed by theo MaY'011' Gerald G~ McOeer. wbQ aPPo.inted Brigadier Victor M. Odlum. tbe from m~n for this 'gr,. fallfe--styl~ organizatjon, With thl?'Bddjti(w felon 1 C, , Edgett and the pre id nf of the hippjttg Federation J.E. Han and tb .i:.r front manl mouthpic(.' broad ter TQnl McInnes (wb<,) m~de llo. di tinction ·()f an kind between union and colnmuni t ). thi was a powefful~morieye1 \'k'a only he beginning of t.heir pogrom. w
-teRlO
Hu' ' w ,R Ji('f amp~ Harri V
nL OOD~' SUNDAY ' NEMPLOYMBNT
ACT
'11
Mill . 19
L
• 'OU !;It P m .le t.II>J'UlRY,. ,~;'}' c r,\l:' C<)\".b£
'no.
3
As the , orId e,ononlY le.vtllGd off in latt: 1934 and e:udy :l9J5, the fortunes ofth it ofV~n olfVerandit bu inc. ommunity improved 'tigbtly; b we\! f, there ''''3.$:J it tle chang forwo.t \.'f ,llnempl()y~d ~ othl:!:wise. The federal governmenfs an wer to the reat DepressIOn In .l93~ \as to ~r ate a series of· relief camps'" a,c.ro s the countr>', Administ red
R10T
6"
by the D llartment ofNalioJlal Defence, the camps were ha tilyerected and often qualid, er ing the dual purpo e of keeping th ' young, single m:en awa front urban ,entre:)-- nd an po ib! protest movements~ vhiJe pl'o\'iding <;beap JabQur for private industry. Proje ts were almo ( ]way.s labour jnten ive, slIb tituting pick~, 'h.OY ]5. and wheclbarro fo)' ma hinel'). The men '\' ~r paid twenty c'nts a day. .. Ithough no Que ws fo(ce inlo the camp) f
t A TRAITOR TO HIS GOD; HIS
OVNTRY, HIS FAMn~ Hl
:LASS{~
~IA0K loONDO ',
Pot/rail oJ,u Scab
4
It !lJ)l G':f{F! 'RIOT.A T
DLOOl>Y U
DAY
NEMPLO Me 'f RIO
65
when asked by the tore manager. : •• ARe.'- - e Re E'" ,'" s40 tOT ' ·, -E ' ,to D - · · .. : ca es were rna h d and ! •• merchandise '\ as throwJl at poJke. : Ricl1a.rd Rol.h ry. NF. :
ai pTa
f
ventl,!a ll . th
Qlit
trikel'$ "we : George. H WOO4 27"
''A
: ..
d riven from the tor. Damag
• Pefer Kcl).Oe.dy. NflA .. A. R. .'cot!, 19 FA.
were latef estimated at fh' thouand dollars; six. pOlk: men' I'e , . l1l}ured and tWQ arr 'werellladc
: J hn [ \ iOll.44. 21 e I Ge'lrgia. : : Jim WaL h. 3.• NFA. • • MHo! M Caule\'. • 312 West !
.
: GeQr~ia.·
., :
for.a 'lIlLing a p H~ offic
r. - 0 rs.-..r Ritl;:hi • 1. 7194 Culled n. h h r..J · · C nd :W. J~y f\ RWIll ' • e marc n CQomue(1 : WilHam Drl 1 . 21 . . ltJ Wt~l p," nd r. : • down Gran ilJe Street to Hasting • Robert, Maxv."CJl, 28, . 11 Homer. and along Hasting to Victory • ..... w:t~·jd • 1',27. ·A. • .. ~dw:lrd rr. n 's. '30, NFA. • quart, where more peeehes ""'ere : Waller Heltllne!, 33, 1. 7 Manlllt I). : made-and a del gati n of t<m men • John rahnliury, 21.., 54 Wc:;t AI • • wa appointed to "It the ma 'or : 0)', • • on bIo k. away at City RaiL MaYQr . n unnm:ned jnvctllle. : McGeer li ten d to their d mand. : PetCJ'S6ymour. • fordvici.1, i$taoc .whkhofcourse - John McOregor. : 1h
I
·
'RcllefDi,\lnOI' tc I ton. L,un
~
A'
AR.CHIY ··
was Ol:gani7.¢d b the Relief Camp Worker".; Union for April 2.3. In additi.on (.0 1'0 n.ow-ubiqu-itotl parad ' \-.nth thouods marcl1ing behind brau bands, the org;mizers had a et1tet'ed Iked a oUlld and left, cau ing l1o. damage. 111cy mov d n xt to the Hud on' .Bay Company ("Here Before Chri t; as itwa mo.r' pOI;1u1arly k.nown) tore\ here they marched up ~nd down the ai le for about tl1irty minute., ,hantJ.n.g (Work and Wage ," A soon as th . police ent~red to remove the demon trators, who. had refused to leave
A 11-1 JOn. 1) .MONS RATION
J
·
they were not Hgihle for b cau e. : ha"ing no fixed ~ddrc they could :
not provide proo of residence, He not only refused their :I' quest. condemning their action a revo~
luttQnary and lnexcu able, but al
0
ordered them -arrested as they left the building. When word .of the arresls
.
J JUR'b'J)
Pott<:e
• De lit)' Chief A. Grundy - ln, pe tOr en le ' uk~ : ftlspcCior l' 'd te ler - Del ell e R Tisdale - Con.s(abl D, C. W, Rru , : 'ollHable w.G. Purd
·
Strikers : Rich, r.d R thery, • George H Wood, •
filtered back to the dt?Jnonstrators. : Peter Kenoed , , •
. ~ :
-
:
• : _
• :
•..
• :
• •
Rothery \u. injured during tb:.e : a new delegafion. ~ as Ie~died to cl~h in the Hudson' Hi! tor in the .. \'isi( City Hall. That wa unneccs~ aftemoon Mct ts r 'ceiving Ir Iltrncn\ : in hospital. Til ~\ 0 ther injut:.ed : ar ' becau e the mayor VIa on hi \rikers Y re hurt in the evening aJld • my to Victory qUeue, wher the were arrested H (jeneral Ho!>p!t I. • NOJ\c of lb injuries to poh t : crowd ha been urrounded on • trikcrs fE' riou.s. -
an
ide
r ify po}ice
1
RCM'P
and •• • • • • • • • • • - . .1• • • .• . . . .
-
81.0 DY u:NDA,{UNE l P OYMB T d OTS 67
Mayor MGcer rea-ding t/lelUo A<:t iu fTonl of cenotaph. April l.93i· CIIT 0FY,
C \JVE, ARCHIV£S. ·. [):
M;5
54vot ..
02
'provillci~l polk: . M Geer began shouting, l'Okay boy r you asktd for it
and here it i : ;He read the Riot Ac" and ~fte few seoond of tunned Hence the crowd bt'gan singing «The Red Flag" and mar ned o.ff. Then r4i.~ thtscarlet standard high;
Beneath itsfolds we'll live (md diel ThQugh cowatdsllin,h (llfd traitors sneer. ·We'll keep the redjlagfiyrng here. The ma orand oU)1IZi were convinced that whattheyhaQwitnessed ''-i .an attempt by t: lUmuo1 t 1 get the. u/11·m.ploJed to overthrow the dem\')craHc.uH de t~d g ;verJ\.nJ nL i tt::!1 th.a t e ening, -im1..\!t.auoous raids w re ilT'l"i d Qll! on the O\any par tidpatiJ g org llizati011 " str\~e headquarter, 'where po ters, bunneJ'S, pamphlet and do uments wete seized. As -word the polie actio~\ ,.,las drculat ed1 crowds of striker:;
or
EJl)Syof Ma 'Q,. M'cQ elY
f:'f
ruding the. RtQl
(l: VA."'C UVIlRARCIUV£
A1>D MSS " "I
t. V9l.9 NQ~ . (') r.\li>m {50~C·.)
gather at th-e corn~f of Carcall and Hasrlngs and ~t.ei down the street ilt City Hall. Store wj ndow were broken and hand.-to-h ld 6ghl1ng began. The tty p61k.e mounted squad:, ~long ,,\'ith mounted pro.~ inqalpolke.cnargedint thecT'Qwd. winging~he-jrqJ:llrt .By01icioight the- crowd had been dispersed, A General Strike was proposed for May l,.~ but n Ve{ fully materi· alized. McGe.er tespOil.ded by making a radio broaeca,st blaming Hle commullists, lthoug.h in communication with the feA-eraJ go... rn.li1ellt. he laid th~ blame squarely on. the fed-s for the failure of the relief calnp system. Although the toz:y of the. n1t.;tl is wen known, little i. kn wn a~ut the ~ontributi--on of women, but contribute they did. 1he Wome.n's N w ETa League bad called a<:ollference for late Aprjl todi c.~ the rel1ef ,-amp stri1<;e, ompri: ing twenty-four delegates represent ing eV¢J t;r.tw \ 9 r gabegan
(0
nizafion
uch a the Local CouFlcH of Won~eu.. -the Ci mn 11. Perl- ioncd
Rio DING TH
RIO
,nmOl)Y UNOAY
AC
Moth (5, The Wmn~:l'l ccfI f.\ of th Provi-ncial Worker Coullcil> The odali t Party; a ld s y ra l church J'g\ oj?, tion . Chaired by PHef OImnittee of tb L al <: \.1n~ f Women 'Urging the Federnl go ernn\ent to p ovile fl worK progr~m \~J1d imm .rliute-emp<>ra y relief to 1he strm ·r . 1lw conferen , mld coin ided \i ith th .readiug of the Riot Act an action o,mmitt c 1welv \"3. ele ted to en a deke> tion to s the layOt' and 10. con jd r further
NSMl>L(WME. T RIOTS
ay 3. 1935, exc pt that the leader hip was generally left"leaning coming largely from the CCF' Women'~ ~entral Group and th ommunl t Party of Canada' Wotnen's Labour League. At the planning meeting fot' the Denman Arena R Uy, held at the Moo Hall, the Day C mmittee on
rga n it~ng ability and
radical intention of the 1 men was evident.
'1t" up to the p ople to aholish relicf camps," W(l'$ the cry that" w ne up from mcre thatl three bu'ndr d lYOffUm (.I·$$.cmbfed ~mder the 4U piecs of tile Women'S Group in the MM, e
Hall en 11u.mday evening.
When they met \.qjth McGeer n pdJ 2S he wa only too glad wire the deputy frim inj (cr on the pot .referring to the WQmen
«Weve had enough o.f commissionsJ deTegatio.J1S and peti~ tions," they. fmuted.« ow we'll take over and act.~
.\s mo.ng the cit lb' t citr~en • nd w OB y too happy t • upport their demand to ihe Fe-dcral
"Ab(j/jslf the camps: don~t let the boys go back," the women urged.
(''wernJlltm t. Meanwhile) plan· nil g for the trike had begun. 011
prjl 1,8, tbe Commonw th Co· operativ ederation {eel') wa
l . hoJd a parad and ,rallyaf the Denman arena,in upporl of the t iker. ut of these two event , and the Tong uppo'rt and sym. palby nf vari u.s w men' gTOll • the aC~lon comm ittee mobilized a 'ariet f women gr up under the anner of th Mother's Day ClItnl'nitt to ttppbrt the l"clief ~Hnp ttiker. at rnu h i known of th thirty- e en WOOl ~l who attended the fut. m 6ting of the Mother's
09
Not once were the strikers riff. rred to a,~ such r as mel1j alway: "oyt' boys," Shout" of "Let's go" greet d Ertle t Cumber; &ct'et~¥y of the Relief C mp Workers' Ul1iOh wlJen he $aid he would Uk to have the pleas!lr of leading the. women dowit .;rcmville Street tf) the City Ball. -1he Valltouver riff. April 26,19.15
o l'HF. S ATV!U).,AY pre.ceding the parade and r.aHy.,a large contingent of women handed out tw~nty-nve chQU and tag l~be}jed "Our bo ,Are the)' Crimin is? in r tum (Qr donation to !,upport the trikers. 'ince
the par d was illegal, bee use no permit had ecm given, this W~t J 0 a p litically a tute reminder that men ~e(e being Jailed for tin-canning. 'They Iso circulated a petition demanding be camp be clQsed. 1he WOIl;lfJl al Q propo ed that th ~r gr{)up, fed by Mot.her arab CoJley; march at th . front- of the parade ahead of the trikef. a -lever manoeuvre to demon tr.ate tbe wid~pread support t.he tr.i.ker had lld
BLOODY UNOAY UNEMPLOYMEN1' RIO
a air t me . a(J to th · police that they would h
mninlyof communist women with branch 8 in Vanoouver, -on Vaneou el' 1 la.nd~ and j tll lnt ri r. 1h y were sadkal~ th Tr de .md Labour O:mgf had T fused thl~i r tional Fed ratio)) m tn.her hip b cau e of their trong support of the Communi t Inlernational' Third P dod of active pllrtici a1!oll, ill the labour mov meni. During the D pre: sion the League was fmagina d e and invenIive in their tactics. picketing .durjng ('vi"tio n~ and r tu rning victed good I rough the back door a .the sher, iff was carrying more out the front. Th yadvocated on behalf of tho > \'t.bo w re renl ea {~tief and operated summ' camp for needy workingla. children, v ntunny tablishing Camp Jubilee on Indian Arm. The commii:t d leader like LiI ton man and organize Annie St wa t, could hardly e 1abelted ag~.nt of Moscow. AIthough the radical impe ative of th<; Communi t Party of Canada took precedence, local on.diti ns uld not be di ccunted. Thu the planning of the Moth r' Da Committee for a Mother' Day appropriate to the cone to of lh tilue began t t k sbape, u i.ng a traditionat form in a pelitic' tepre ent,oo on.e facet of the aClivities of what would oon (liro into The MQ her' Council.
71
'fhe 'ommittee followed up their other' Day Action b t'.ndjng a delegation to ee Mayor McG~r. who refused to ee them. They .h n huttonholed him in the hallway a,ld. when prodded. he resp nded that he would not follow the law of God1 as tney proposed. and feed th lnen. So th ywent to Rev. A. Roddau, a champion of the unemployed. who had s hedufed the n ayor as speaker to his c.ongrcgatiQJl" and demand d h cancel the may r's appe' family to relief. even though he had been arre ted a" member h.n illegal orga· niUltioll~ fhe R lief Camp Worker' Onion. lowly th non-left and yen the cell wfthdrew as the inuu-ediat · ris"j wane.d. One result of the e (ouditions wa increa e in UJld rover poti -Op ration$, which lat r (JlUle ,8) g'd while attem.pting to estab:ti h picket lines aud persuade scab to join their rik. The legal right to picket we uppres ed imply by de ree of Polk.: Chi f Colonel W.W. P(j, tet. N t the Citizen's l"eag~~e comm;ludeered th TDlouries and formed .;In utndlinry police for e of 160 armed hlu .- hirl d m 0 who wet turned 10 se on the\v\\tetfrollt to help tll Shipping edel"cl.tioll mahJt~iu "law and order.' ~ cn \ itn all these re ot,c es at their :.ommalld they we HlJ uuabl io ore"J the sLdke until earl Deccmb r. 'fhe :mifitant action of le Mother • Council IleV c mpJetely sfopped and their talenlS and energy would be call d for d payitrgtt " share afmake·worlquoject· money and
fl·"
>
BLOOP SU:
shutdOWJl it w rk camps ea:rtienhan u lal on May and logging camp
earl, du 0 hot weath .r~ .another major (:()nfronration began to build, The brcaki~)g pint ca me whe May r Miller dr{) ') dingle men from th I' Ii fr II, h imingthe city ou1d l'lolongerafford th> ma sive bilI . COl.UlciJ aJ () pa s d a bylaw banning <'"tin-canning" and 108 men 1 re l;Il'{ ted -and sel'ltMced to erv til:n t OuR-alIi'!. On M y 11, ixteen huudred d III n:s-trator~ occl\pied t11 po t office, il fcd~rat fa ility; the art gan ry, a pmviocial in 'titutiou; and the Hot I Georgia. a privately owned dOt;
btl in s.
The men at the Georgia Hotel took five hundred dollar. cash for food and left
Meanwhile, the Women' Emergency
Committee was busy tending to the injured men -on the lawn of the krainian labour Hall. At midnight, one hundred
men ailed fur Victoria n.nd the women \'cre among the five thQ~nd at the dock 1 dging their l,Ippo,;t. 'the M t night, h £rn~rgency "orlunj'(t nt ten women to i.cto~rla 1'0 ee th . Premi 'r to dc-man work and wage. F \It' of th t n were from the Mother Counetl an.d wet: a companied by MauTice Ru h. cretary of the Young Comrnuni t Party. 'They 'Were met at the dock in jttoria, then led a march through downtown ""hile singing "Hold the Fort." After the wom n had addr s. d a meeting of three hu.!),dred in Central Park. all but two went hOUle. Premier Patull saw th two remaining members, along , ith olh rs. but \'as unmoved, although .cv.entually h did make 6me C llcessions, 1ne Emergency Committee also activel 'COndemned the police brutal· ity. writing 11 letter to City Council and
Y l.INl!M PLOY Mt:NT lUO'I'S 7
• •• •• •• ••• •• •••
. .""....... ........ :.. Eviction : : Cbronolgy : '
att'ending th meeting where th Iett~r
was read and debated. but only because COUll ilJor Helena GuHeridge, 11 member of the 19;; committe, in. i ted, The e tac.tics of nfrQntation. where wom n .rallied, demonstrated and marched, as well as performed the ma work () fe dlng. clothing and nut' illg, were both militant and radk~l and bouid be reillembered not as a mere- idebars t riot and mayhem, but as important and neCC ~ ary id~ological battle in the ongojng c1a s, ar.
... .. •.. .. ... .... .
~
74
RliADING THS R10T
''1'
CHAPTER 4 B.C. P
RIOT 1934-1976
<'
al itt t1fltU7'e: ...11105 jll power makt the laws Ibat contribute: t acini mi economic in qllalifie ." -RAMS 'f l. R({ . Attorn },,·G neral uol 'd in the M/wqui]v' »IS, April 4, ]'979
I fit i
i
JOI)lbia i'tni(enliary u ud
RI'fj<;/i CO,LV 11IIA <'>"ROtilVE.
'0335~
di
p'clt bes~ W~rden
W. H. Cooper 11k d to u e t b'" French word m ute~ m auing uprl i gor riot, 10 de rib d' tUt:bance if). the Briti 1). olt.tm,bia PCJ.litentiar '. Follow"ing for cd T tir m 11 from his po iti )l as head ofthe Vancouver r lief departm nt 6 r mtow~ ard behaviour in 19a }Cooper had returned t th job n. \'a rdel1 in 1932 • On hi watch riots w re- SOOI to b ome a' mm n ubject of di ell ion both in ev, Westmin ter and Ottawa. H1S OFFICIAL
In general. prisons < re instrument in the clas wur. Th~poor are di proporHonally r presented arc bQrigil1ai . Thi mea that th~ pd on populat/.on is poorly du ated u~d remploy d~ i n poor n1.cnt J and physical health-in ather word marginal1z -d, out ider prisoners have literally nothing Left to 10 c, yet h y organize in to effc tive and pm'lerful prioner's rights groups to negotiat with determinalion and fortitude for their ba ic human right. It i only w-hen they per eive that the ocial code in which the belie e rongly ha co llpletely b roken down, i:e. le~ilimate demand, wit re peet t human right :and dignity arc: not re peeled that 101 nt confrontation en ues. Prj one!" a humans. with all the ba i.e rights that 11 human aft' ~titled 11,). They h<'VC committed c.rime and bav~ accepted th""ir puni hment. but in n way d' they give up t11cir e,sentiai humanity, \ hic.h is ' oft",~ denied th In in rhi enactment of c.apitali 1'0 penultimate sa n ion for iaully participation. 11 t an example f one cIa _ of people bei ng oppressed by
the agent () capital.
B,C . F:E
On September 1, 1934, even pri:$OllerS re(u.ed the work thoy had been ~s l~lled in ~he mailbag rQom and were promptl}, m arched back to their cell . Cooper put it down to a desi re for more comfortable condition , but The New Westmillster Columbia 11 newspaper ~dde4 the cl(lim th~t th~ COlwicts wanted wag for their lab ur in addiljQtl to im.p~ov(m).e!lts in the ljv s of men doing hard timein the B.C. P n. D pite qu.tck action by tbe wawen. the prate t'$ did n t top' in Ii ct) they gt~""".ay the l'el1th of September.. Tlte Co]rtmtJiafl. reported v~nly~ ~igh~ p.I1tSOl)e:r were r¢ftlS« ing to g to \'lfOrk the \varden tl hued it wa~ only .sev.ehty·three). 1b. y ('ould be h ar.d d arty frQIU <mt id¢ tke yrj n, l}-out»tg ov r and over "wt\ge > wages, , ... ~e"." This, a well a h.1l~Jiug ~o'rre;nl'S "'f ahust'< at. the Wi oner 'who eho t'O work, went .oH fo,r tlucSeo-d'l).'Y$,1he'W'4ri;iell reponed 18~ broken window i'X masneq toi let > ~Jld many brokell ta~le > hair and beds. e dtmleadets were padd~ed" though l'he Aumbex of timl; if) . t m nfio.ned. J3eginnin on J~l'I1)al;f l~ 1935. the federal gove.rnment Qraered. thatcollvkt whow rked houldbepaidfivecent p rdie,nt:Ihi wa th~ first riot tn tpe abnost ix:ty~year hi, tOfY ofihe B.C. PenA but not its Ja t. Akhough riot ... w~rc inffequent events, on t'he jn ide,lhey were ruOllteIltousocca ion directly echoing events. all the ou~side.
.. ~ prisons are the way we daalwith ourpQor, ourminerify group$. and ()LJnmemp,/ayed> we tolerate them Jt ourperfl,"-' L A RS CU.t.HANB> No longer Bttrredlrom Pri 0# On AprIl 20. 1963, three prisonet$ WI$'C 'S~ n trying 1:<) escape throl.lgD thewudil.6dum-window ' byn SV.lrd patt'oll'P8 witha d()g, When rhe convict refused to tQ~ he fired three hQl , Jhe prisomr ' t~ied by thrQwl1fg hOltt6made. MololOY cocktails at b th the ~uard and the do~ The Jigh(hulbs. fined 'wJtn ga oHne. expJ d{:!d l)ut mu ed the ,3rget. OM ofth imnal was b dly burned when i ddt1it xpJod~d hi his Cal'e. 'Thed1T epri oners then r>freated.into rhtHtud:ilo.d u m, wherefheytooka guard hostage, and locked tftemsel\t. lp with.fii'teel"l other pri omits who had beert.len M fhepremie wh n theadiun {>tarted. OJH.~ volunteered to a~ t a' doorman. Thehostag.e~takers' fir. I de~nand ¥taHO can in television
9.10')'5 II
lack W~b.st« at 'B.c. Pct1, Ap~jJ19 ~. .1tO""o srV01Q P H/ilTO v .... Q >r. I\. V~J,P ,t.~fllJ.A'RY
ps
fI\!, ~Q, f.ECTIQNS. VP L ]9611
per ol1aHt}r> talk. ..showho t . and elf-proclaimed dewnder fth HHleguy., Ja ,k \!\Teb tc.r to ncgotittt on their b half. For W ster' part~ hi be t hop<: fu' :my olulion $cl'emed to be 1hat th~ pri OMr W uld w How too much "bug juic~t'j th¢ liquid tronqlJili~e-t uppHed by the Pl! n doctor as demand~d. alld nod off., ' nf{lftlJMtely for hitnl the prisoner could re-ad and Jloticed the little warning on the PQttl ttl: r taking too many could cause droW'sine . Some 'fthe l't'Isonexs o.ur ide thecauditorium refu ed to r.eti.lrn to their cen~ and b~an \..;t'il1\Q,ering
to
B..C. P .N RIOTS 79
nly d mand was th~t they be traJ')s.f1 rred out 0 tbe Pen, a request' hi h va granted for aU ~hrce~ Unfortunately no change wa made to either the use or the condition of rhe hot . ~n Tune f 197Q. a n\7dve-member parliamentary jU5tke ~ mmitt~ condemned ttl." B.C. Pen a "ancient. In di 'a~, utP.1oded ilnd iH~ equ~pped."" After th~ death of <111 innlate 10 ug 1st ofthc $:}m~ year" tr op 'to9d by J1 fuH alert jO..lh!IJlwaci;;. The prisoners Were aema ndin an nd to ltio earcne and they wanted (0 e able to appear b fore the jlU tic ommitfe to air th ir complaints about t11e Pen and its notoriou "hol : At three tTl n t morning, (he riot quad went (Dt actioll) to ing te;.tr ga cani te,rs int the rd~ forcing {\bout two hundred inmate ' back to their cens. 'The rest had backed up to tb wan t a\'oid the gas <:ll'Jd had}o b I,1bdued b}f the blasl. 0 ' water from high-pre sur:' hose , On the following 'I.lnd,ay, a Yippie-$'fJ.()nso,r~d ,prote t march from Queen ParkinNewWestminster1oudtyd~mon trated in uppoTtofthe prisoners and tQ :sed cjgar~ttes. candies and other goodi over the fence including a Bra7.iUan book on guerriUuesistance1actl The Columb-imrreported on aturday, October 6 1973. tha1 at n-hQur reb Ilion with mnch attendant damage had been queUed. Apparantl~'> the incident va ov r 1n , re ignatlon of the re<:eml}, formed Inmate rnmitt e, 'lvbtch wa suppa d to be able tQ, ttlk{>< rnmate QP1plaint ir .dly t'Q the p rtitentia{ , director t11e !lC'\V' MOttl OX th watden. The guard 'we:re also unhappy. bUl blan'led QverCr()w(l i1}g:rcquesting that the 1
population be reduced to four hund! I and fifty fromsi-- hundred. 'These two c mp]aint were onh' the H1' f the proverb.ial iceberg. Escap' and ho,tagc~takings ;,vcre on the 1se, higlllighting a sharp divi-
sion
bet\~
en correction
fficers (guards) and cia sincation officers (social workers) about the way pri oners should be trea.ted. TIll also mirrored the public debate as to whether p.risoners retained basic human rights upon theidncaTceralion. The June 9, 19 5
hQstage~taking
by three illmates and th
subse~
kHling ofda!isifkation pfficE'r Mary Steinhauser, whiGh occurred , h n marksmen storrned tbe vault where th pristmer' were barricaded, placed the debat · ba k on fh~ fmnl pages. 1n tlw Ii 'gotiation pha e of the host~ge-takjngJ two unu ual d mands, in addiliOll to the ever-PQptdaneque t tor drugs, were m~de. The originat d~Jmmd wa to be 110\vn to Algeria the itc of ~xi1e of Black Panther Eldridge Cleaver. 'The inmates also wanted a member of the Communi t Party of Canada Mandst-Lentnist wing induded on th negotiation team. As the cot "hole.'" Or. a ~ one of the hostage- takers put it, (lgoj og b;;i.ck to oHtary wa tl 00% <:hance of ending up ead., . taklng no lages wa a 95% hane ~ of dying and a s% hante of ge .ling oaL" qUc"llt
"Catta,do doesu't have to execute. people anymore, jU$t' SClltence them (-0 'neglect." -ALLA FOTHE.R I <>HAM, MClcleall:, 0 t her 18~ ).976 l'~ inniate
from the B.C. Pen lauoched a suit against the Crown on the grounds that c.onnnernent in «th~~ hole" wa cruell1nd unu ual pmI' hrnent and contrary to' the Qoadian Bill fRight. l1\e I
1974>
adm,illi Irati n' name for th .11 1~ (.A KA the Pcnthou e rthe fra eryiew Hilton) was the Spedul C rr~ctlQn Unit ( eu), whi h had been built in 1,963 on I'lxeroofofCeH BlOCK l1-n t place the old holein the ba ementof ttle prison. 11te four Jier of el ven cdl ea h 'were used for1bree dHferent tn,'le5 0 t
80
READlN ' 't'HE RIOT A
~~cre dc.nieq:
n
n 1;tobbies. 119 televisi ere;. and do d visit$.
B.C. P
l),:n ('llovi
n work hop little or
tJ
• flo,U[d t
Th> punlti: pIa ed for puni
l\,"jth
air (oA.<;equences.
lnws . 'riou fy n :roach on fltlmatl rigMs, they lottIted,» - HOWARO Z-l N Disofteitience and Dewo ra:y
<1"1
0
hIne.tll~
lation cell - Qll "F" tier .\ h re pri 'oners wer m a ured ix-foot- rx by {even fi l' wo inches
d
) with grey painted con r t walls broken only by a, !i lid steel door cOUll'let witha -ix-huh quare securitywjndow. Th~ bed w-as a four-inch thick concreterisercove.red wi h a heet<>fplywood and a four·jnch thick foam :mattr . . Pri on r M?re upplied "'>ith a oam pHlow, two blanket n.d tw It .t'S. The b dding including th ' lllattre • wa removed
during th . day. ~<;h c.ell ba.d a combi li 11 • k and toilet. an air v of forn at and ventilation andaradio p keto Th rewa 110 yolumeor fem· perat ur c.ontr 1 vaUabJe to the inmates. ret -ed light in th ceiling burned twe nly. (J 'Ut hour per day, with a 116·\V~m b ulb duri.ng tit day and lwent '-five watt atlligkt. Prisoner'S w r aI 0- required to , :p with th ir h ad toward th door, thu n ar th t ift bowt fl T ecurity rea on . Thelongesl conseculivetime P nt in the hol wa 754 day.. Thi ha been compared to • bein{! buried alive in an ali.. teel pre.$ ure ooker.»
o rtason needed 10' be given for punitilre di 1SQciatiQn and many jvist prisoners who were consid('red 'troubIe makers ended up on th • roof. The p ri one thought th 1 the " dmioi rati n. as one f them t~ ' ti· fled, ';wa . ·J.Ung us mentally, n It phy i all '," An e?\.pert d fi n e w'tnc s, rimino!ogi I" id "it is f, m f I lurdcr.'· Another d <:.dbed the hole tl "a toml> within t tub.' Mr. JU tiel"; Heald fthe upreme G ur t fCallad, agr with th n:.i. oller a nd held that th hole Wtl i-ndc ' (>qlel tUld unusual puni hment and .contrary to th Bin of Ri,!ht ,but refu d to a .\ on the :econd part of the uit and i Ue an order c.ompelltng lh . di rector to ct on hi I nding'. Soon aftertJle rulill wa banded dow n, th e director of the ltC. PenitentiUT> aJ1nouo 1!4 that the "P"eothous 'ould e immediately
1
Inodin. dt fun(""t ionwilbin thecourt.m Un.g butdi.s odationinthenew Super Ma~imum ucit)' Unit (~M uwould ontinue. And continue it
did "Wil
RI TS
- Vim
(it/Vft·
un
~N Tal! SUMMf>tt ofl976, 80 of th 4;0
prj onel.' ho ·d in the B.C Pell jarlled a tw nt')'~ti ur-h IUr nationwide hunger trjke wit h th ne\ found upport 0 pri oner' rights group acting ()n the out ide, to pI test olitary COnfinement. M anwhile the ban by guar-d wa met by the dit t r oUhe Pen~ who declared a h elve-da), tate of emergency entitling him to order the
fu
8~
REAI:)J CTllR RtOTA ~,r
lUJ. PID RIO'
S
ommiHee bad passetinQtes,to two su cessive shitts,of guard asking fi r mee,ting to try a:ud talk things 'Out. The pri oner felt th roo tty older, han1-line g.uardsnad prevented ~ny n.egoHaUon by intimidating sympathetic guards into rem~injng- qui~... No sllch meeting ev r took r,Iace.
WrUing of the Crimil1al }lls/kie Syste-tn ,it work~ sy, tcm!lticall.y not to pUffish (utd crmfttte Ute dangerous amt crimiffnl. bu; to ptillish arid conjifli! ~he poer w1"1O are drmgqr(J/Js and ,iminal:' It • •
-JEFFREY li.
f'{{'.r~.ER~
The Ri It Get Rit:hel' 4 nel the PcO'r Gel PrisQlf
in,
September 27, 1976~ a prisoner W~J'e b let out Qfth$' cells f.or shower theYQverr-an the 14o·ceU East Wjngand began 10 de~tl'()Y th cell block. tearing out bars. wedging open door and forcing th~ g.u-ard r eva(;:\.\ate the area and tteOlpt t contain tbe riot to thi one ·ect~<;'lT'l . At ,bout ' :Yen th.l( venitlS~ ten r.llmat~ invaded the kttdwn Rl'\d t ok two guards ho -rage. As th inmate smashed \(. rything tne:y could the re (" f th prison, indudiog the hoI wa rel th"'-ely quiet'Ih final tatlyv;ould include twooty..n e of nll1et)'~t1ve cl[s in th North Wing destFQ ed~ fifty of UO in a-7 de tJ(!)yed and twO hundred in
SKoll"Il'L'l AF'i'E~
HRF.'B OX)
the East Blo.ck de troyeif.
The newly formed
Citiun~
Advisory Committee wa" to J:tce ' y-C
its fir t test. A small group of appointed politk,i~ns> lawyer , cl'imin.ologists, and 'olJrJlalist all int~re ted in prj Oil reB [Ill I snes w r . joined by ptisOl1 reform at;t.ivi$t ChlW CulhanE'. A, many of the nfne-m mber group 11 could bE( cOflt~rcted were-called 1 the pri on to serv jnterQ:1." ditlxie,$ bet.weeu 1he lnmates Cpmmiu:ec:.....who now controlled ITlQ I of the peulrenfiary- )nd the Ad!:ninistmti n. In atl, sixwereabl · to aH nd. Meanwhile. two il-mah ReM? tatticai squad of sharp-shooter w-er'e mo ecl int& PO itiol1. They iVerej Ine
C()J'nmjtte~
b.q p.(esent, as they de perately wanted to avoid a repeat of the Mary Steinhause:r hostage-('akjng incident. This was t be th first tinl~ fiver for a grOl1r> Qf .citizen to take n activ rotc duri.,Ug ;UI aCl~al C{i$js. The lWJ§.t day. Clare Culban w s forced t() resign from the CiI'izelj' Advisory Q)mlllittee and h greed in ord r t allow negotiations to begin.. Culhan was at odds with th~ rest of those on tne coml1littee who weN pr~ent'. . Theyr-efused to issue tatemetlt .outlining some ofdiehQrrot. they had seen Oil the gujded tour the Inmate C<ml mil te l1~d taken them 01'\ when they :fitst entered the prison aflerthe riot. The .8'1.0 t.e()lltett-
~· 8 .>
ee
tiou i sue appeared to the guard venting thelr rage by ho 'i ng down MSU p ri soner) deprivin.,g 1hem of food, dot})ing, and heat. Eventl1,ally, malemcmber ofthe.c were a Uowedup lair toview ondition, nthe hole with the I I \~hcre the r bserved sev~aT inc-he. {If water (II') the CGll floor' and:prl ontrs in their underwear o.r naked. At l~a~t twi:(: during th hlCi<,lqnt. tlle A ~ wa. ~d . . j d to l~a.veth
Three days 'later. an open letter was relea cd by the O1mis ion r of .l?enitenttad stating that it was up to t he "Canadian Pen ten,leuy Servi
area ~s ec.lIrjt \Va goifl$ '0 b(t r .orcd b}· troop and po}i(:C with dub and t~(\t' g-~, Th 'irr fu u.1t' back down prob
The Ea t W,ng wa to be- part.ially J:epnlread<. up t 41+ fr 01 the;n it had been since fhe end f the riot. ~Thc next um.mel'. thc!' were hunger trlk PI' testing the lack of open vi iMion and the U/l hang d ndition Tl1 the hole, but ,neveragain wOt\ld'th r ea riot 0 "these prop rtion in th B.C, Pen~ a it would cea e operation iU.l980. One Q th last incident at tIt :S.C Pen in olved a h t g t,akinnwhi<:h ended. \\'itb two of th ho t~ges being charged as a ·complic . The two worn lfI were a quitted~ with the efe/Xofth court C'Qse resting on the right r: obfigation f pris nets to use any I lean available to artemp 10 e. cape fro solitary c.onfinement. whi<;h h d been dedar d r d and 'll nu uat pUr\i nment and a iolation of tb . 'a :H\di~tl Bill fRight. Th last word n the r.iot belong to on f the hostage ta cf; at hi~ entendng heari ng.. at , hich h . blamed guards demandil'lg 'ft~r pa 311d }ob security 1i l' th . riot. 'Rtnl ing t p.r¢pare a (ef< u be decl ared, '·Whe.n inmate in a pris n can D long(t negotj~.\le ~ea fully t hall th ir complajnt and grie anceshe.arci by Onawa and th publk~ lh n t hey ,,{ill do it violently becau e they know ou understand vlolenc ."
to. ait()w.edl(l-roeet with. them dia and publici etb.e~r grwvanc:e~ . Bad f'Ood, po r pI.' gram and gu rd, who. re ' ted changeal~d l?roroked £'0.11,fr tatiOt) to ck up theh' C l)tract -demands he<Wed the Ii t. 1h 1n ma.t omJ.njtl~e w'.lllted to be a.ble tQ me t with pdroners in (be M v o· ole ', the member of tbe Citiz ns Auvi ory Council left the RC. Pen . t
discretio.n whether the o-calfed Agreement is to be honou r d in fu 11y or in part, or at all.' NQt much later the CAC was gutted. b oomblg little more than an extension of the Jobn Howard ' defY, a pri oner' dvoc. c grOlJP·
\
86
R'E
CH APTB
5
GASTOl N RIOT 1971 ROLUNG Sro
£s RIOT 1972.
M(lrijuafla leads to h mitl> alcohol/cads to the suburb;,. -GltA'FF1Tl
· S
yo durin~ the Sixtie . The children {)f th . post-war baby boom ,.,'ere experiencing a different cult.u e than had their parent, Ihe Grey Cup Riots of 1~63 and 1966 and Hallowe'en riQts throughout th€' '60s se med t herald a cuhure of change, By ~967. j uve ~ llitecrime, n "'aJarmi ngincrea e" in thell eofmaTijuan • and increasing experim nt'afion with LSD Q aJamled VanCQuvcr~ poll (! that I:h You~b OMEl'H INC} WAS CHANGJ
Squad
\"IaS incr~
ed
lev n unifor-mcd men and women, Armed with public speaking skill and having attended Ieettlr given by the DCl'artmc.IltofPsychi tryattheUniv'crsityofBriti hColumbla asw lla trainingab utth n w chernicals'3nd how to r~cognize the ymptom of d rug usage th quad worked closely with Van ouver ~chool Boar.d taff to. improve relations between tudents and police. ne oC the dog squad member wa trained to sni.ff out the illicit plant. Naturally; arre t fo r posse sion ofthe killer weed Wet oon .'Ommen. These tacli r.e~ealed the two generatiOns to be light-)r~r ' apart in bot h attinlde and anxiety, From th~ umme,r f love mantra «wear some flowers in y ur hair" to Dr. Timothy Leart advk t "Tufte jn Tum on and Drop ut," ther was a dear mes age that au alternati adat ord r VI shU ngiug thi.: atA:cpted .est bHshment, comple! with · new and h ckin anti- tabli hmcnt rheto.{rc. Authoritt w r alarmed t.o di ever th,lt the e w re th ir own hildren. Police were soon being refe.rred to ~ 'Pig ,'to a Black J'anth r/Yippie 115ion 0 Al1imnT Farm allthropomorphi m and Maoj or eri ique. "Capitalist Pig'" \Va another invective thro\ n arourld with increasing frequenc • although not always a grt>ut dcsree f accurac . 10
. A l'OW
f~1crea$ingly. lhe sentiment expre sed in these phl'+tSe were voiced in undergrO\Uld new: paperl$ such as Vancof;lver's 71u'. GCQrsla StraJgllt, pQlmded illainJy by PQ tS and arti \,&, 'The Geor$ia traight was named so 111 V~I'IC()tlv>r Sun would menUQn them in e err i e when theY .publi h d Willd warni~ (or Geor,g:i~ trait, Of 0 they aid, Of course tbe Swn chan-g(>d the wind warnings to lhc Strait of C · orgja. On tn $Iltface, ~he St-raignt's preoccupatil?1'I. with rock n~ roll> dop<;;. and fttcking in th re ts would l€lad to nothing but hartl; sm~t. Under)le'ath. hO\'l~vet" '\\1'01 ~ C~~'1 isrent, if t}11,eyen, .;:dtique ofcapital ~\l)d it ' many ex;cess~, Wheth~r it wa GbSdml!"Or libelou, it seem the real dUflger stemmed from the forthright and vehement aua¢k :l:l'the O'lono.poJy pt capital everywhere, from the hu ine of the pre s to I he businc ~ Qt the ~h'\Jt:t:.h .. 'Jhe tar,get \\(er-ema nr and eas;y t();h 1r~ whicll aroused a c~ncer~d a nd excessive wraUl among the- power that !;Ie, ~ ~n a ca ual review of. the Straights fir t few 'tNiCS of publicatio · ~hows an alarming pattern of per Cl;lt1.0n. Stepped" up enforcement ofh/:i\'h drug ,lItd cen orShip la''lS wlth their att:~ndan~ polic~ brutality., rede~lop.lne.l1t ffor ,l>ro:1it Or cour e} and e.cology ,.ve..re the key j su ,B.egrQn~.ng.witn thepf.!l'se ti it\ Qfth~ Ad\l'.an.ceMat~re Coffee Ho.u , as add.re ed in t' et Milton A om"s inaugurcll Georgi tt'4ight column in MLl}t of 1967. to the lfIud on'1. Say Company' <4,N Hippies Atlowed" in 1.~0S, Stan PerskYs t1 rrest, to the Yippie and Stuuent . for a Democ.ratic SQCiety ( 00) Q cupatioo{)rth usc acultyclub. The:se ctions we(~ a~eom.pAnied by the noto!i!)\! police activities. b t repre'~ sented by RCMP drug officer Abe nid<111kO (AI<:Aergeant Steaank{) in ech and Chong's rp itl 'Smoke.) UllO fhe expropriations to build the Geoi'gia Street Vi'A:'t11 1• M MaOI ts out to replace capitalism with $n even more tepr< ~si\'c oonlf(lunist d1ct{ItOfSilip. In act> it is hard to diSc 1'll an actu~l.J l'tJlitit., e~Ct;pt 10 s~y it ,vas de6nit-ely , peace~ at d freedom-loYing antJ-authotttatian upri h"g in the middle of a highly developed capitalist s,tate. A R;ltpll j. Glea. on poinre,d OQt in a prescient
en
I
ROLI.T
r > STO
E R IOTS
8
Oe<:elllber 1968 Rolfing Stone article. the movementwa "mayttc 0 ()pell, in a curious way. that it will be just a poss:ible to make mifU ns ut of it byespousingrevol tion a it i by manu[act IJ tng mace," ~astown was ingted out as "an area f free eX! -hang in milieu of orporute cannib~liSnl.'" i \ (' May r970 article in 1he Georgi l Straigfft. By thi time. wh~n the Prime Mini I r of , nada> a hep (:al by
Loean.,.·
the name of Pierre Trudeau ~njoi..hi'4 >fQw~g peopI to ~ Canada ik t: Va ntouver was th naail!'l) cent ,e fi' hjppi ulttlr~ and th prim dcstinstioll for many yOllng m n and women. 1 ~a rting utt'tho e ~rrested (Of ssault find/o::: ire pass to the City Jail on M.ain Street. .By that'night. protesters had surround :d the stl.1tiou d manding thciT release. Police were calJed in to pr vent a feared occllp~tion of the Qurlaing and w re rmrnediately If Ited with rocks and eggs. Eventuall}r as 1h poli went into the building two at 1;1 time to suit up and J'eturn in fall riot gear, the riot $quad wa a sembled. It t.ook aboutthree houES befor. the order we given to dear the treets, No further arrests w re reported that night. The next day, many oftbe ante poople led by the Vt.F mounted an invasi • of the . J frer pen ttating some two --and-3~ha'f miles into Ameritt n Thrritory aud l'eturnmg along1he railroad track .at Blaine, the protest cl'lded with;;1 trainload of J1CW cars that ju t Imppelled 10 be enlor M
ing Canada being b¢mbard d with rocks and b Weafid pounded with fists and club a it ·Iowly rolled along, the new )rporatereallty hauled by th .old industrial heh moth. In June of 1971,. th . riOt quad wa called 'Upon to dell - the FEtul Season propeI;Jy. a waterfront redevelopment site at the entrance to \. St
GA • QW~
barricade and tenamed it All Seasons Park. In July~ tbere was a w ~k f pitched battle b t\..reeny UJ')gpeopleaudpol:ic aftertheSeaF .$fival Riot. In October. the "B&ttle ofJericho" was fo'U~ on the beache () Kit Hano between police and the octu.piers of the Jericho Y()llth Hostel, who-refused toleav<:whcnev{ ted.Th War Mea lJres c.fw· declar dinO toherby Pierro ',Hiot Trudeau nd ev 'n peopl were an: sled 'in Vancouver for
distributing Front de Liberation du Queb c (FJ..Q literntute ' nd Mayor Tom'Terrjf! ., C mpb- II .el brt ound much lik ommunity policing, it' be au e
there wa anoth.er policjng romp ne.nt (uU ]" aturation Patrolling" that waS er mu h t odd with the t ted goal community policing. In th Ga tOl f\ area it \ a known a "Op r~Hon Du 'tpan," implying that human filth would be imply \~ pt 10m th~ Slreel A large number of l)oti e ould oocuPY an identified rouble area, do ing off tbe exit and
taining an.d searching everyone witMn tb cQnfines vjolatillg
civil
righ aJld emplo.y.ing often brutal metho.(Is of enforcement. AccQrding to ome observers~ Ga.5to'Wn was like a poJ.ke . tate that Un1me.r. orth hor~ 1nvestigatlon .and t"<;:uri C Olpan. private ecut'it firm ~ffered to aJ mer.charrt~ aprivl,\t(~w ctorsoJuti nto-ri tllearea of the "immediatc d rug problem" \ hi<;h in lud~d a it thir for Ga t()WFl W4S -ap.proved and upport b M'aYo ' Tom CampbcJi d hi un e~ ing need fOf publidty,Juelled b' hi "'indifference to Ib neOO$ of the community ~lIld even to the o . ibililf of iolen :' r n th.i highly harge and ten eaH'o()sph re", vari u Yippie-inspir-e f otctanizations $U h as the Cia town Dopes prope e.d the first annlla l
I
ItO LING
l'
RIOT
!Ill
Gra town " oHdarity Smok ~ln and Stre t Jambf,)re.e for aturday night Augu t7,inMaple.Tree quare>dosingtheirGBorgiaStmightarti Ie with a omewhat cryptic yet ominou ' invitation to "sow the wind and reap th.e
whirlwind:' Undt:fcovc, police inteJligence on til drug squad aw t hi a something more than impJ a demon tl'atiorl in &vour i)f (.he leg-aHz. tio.n of marijuana. They prepared fOT Otl event they f~lt wa being u ed .as a (,OYer by more :radical group to in it a..ma ~~v confrontation with police, olllp'Je.le with logi tj ,11ld W pOD st ckpil d for the in v-itable attack, The organi'ler were billing it in The eorgia traight as high~energy pOlltaneolls ev n with Jlothing planned beyond Olll ic and peeche .. Still, they were prepared for a heav)' uniformed and plninctothes p lice presence. but hopeful tbe poJice would go only a far a coDlaining tl'lJ crowd. The mainstream media offeret.l up t,h higb-pitched queat of aIle Jack Web ter 'wh ,acc.ording to his w.o e timation, had he n "COVI ritlg hard drugs in thO town ince 1948"), and the detailed rep rls of drug 1.1 e among young peQpte on hi dairy radio h()w~ In an int rvjew" ith The Georgia Straigh~ he outlined his reportorial m~tho , the int rview: witb doctors.. lh Coroner, and a number of experts on both ides oft11
marijuana question, including two m mber of the ' an Oliver Police Department who were. k.i nc! enough to. in form tbi easo.ned inve tig-ator that drug were out of control in Gastown. much to hi $urprie.
one
of h~ informant prompted him t make any differentiation between "hatd narcoti .. $Ucb a herQin and soft drugs" such a gra ' 5 ~nd ha h when in law there was no differellc . Naturally nough, th·, led to an inter iew with
11
t.ate of anticipation, and th hippie were in a fe five m od.
GASTOWN
On the, n rght in question. tId fit from tang'"-;lntc.a the bu<,; inc' that a l~ QP.Pf rye (\t1})9 ,ph tc could bring.l?e pIe 1l'I
eo
J
no fie heatd it. or tt'luny of the middlN:Jas kid. in the .ro d it w.as their fir t c
wns b.(~tah the
rQw~ felt
the ull fQI't (;) nifWtsti k 8 t and hoots. MQ t frig\:)teni(\gly, hot 'were u ed to' chase people into dO'orw~ys and tr~ncheons wet:;e th n 'QS ~ indi$crirnin tely byth mO\lotedsqua
I
ROLLI
T
STO ES RlOTS
9
Characterized as a "porc' riot" in the media, the p-olice were also titlcizecl for oven,,'acting by the DQhm C<)mmiss-ion. which \ as set up to investigate-the riot. The organi7.er ()fthe ~ moke~ln )\le.te al~o criticized a ~ «dang TOU and int'clligent young. men" paI'tiaUy respofl. ij)Jc fo)" tIl riot Was that ioe ,ream ,Jos d w·jth LSO? Wer~t the racconn masks to disgui "¢ ' 0 ,~titf ? W-nsn.'fthe who:~ thing a dever plot to .expo e the Vanctluve Police 0 pad menf' su:mtH\ge aU itude toward drugs hlP"' pies,. 'e;, a.v} dis ' nt? :Hadl}~ the Da il) mmls i cO Ii commended l-eg ~izati(}n of lllariju~lil y a-r go~ The polk:e~ h.. .J T.,. t~a.dfa tly aintained that t-her,. ere the ones ll\ dang from fh e ton~d freak$ and la~y hippie and the boxes and boxes r n~tk they had all g dty gathered and packed up and ecretI canied aH the way up through private t3trcases. to thel"oofs of the privatelrowJl~d 'buildings surrounding Maple Tre Squa'fe. omehody rou t have fOtgo~ten t-o: t nthe crowd there were rock on the ;reo£' or maybe they jU$t torgot to . tall throwing the rocks .the had so (; refuJly plac~d fhe~{ Or maybe w~re 1)0 f<xks. except in tbe over dive ll1i I'lds ffh pollee? ectninly -organiz'rs den the: present' of anr rod:;& anywller . Cartooni t Rand Holmes jn his GetJrgla Straight C()nti "HM id Heddy" plas tn blame, urpFisingty, not Oil the 'c PSI " op are II the same") but square.l:yon (the polic. maker -like'I'Om {Camp eli}, ho de id -Whether or not t keep them on the leash." And, of course police ommuAicaHon ystem wexe also. rotmd to h woefully inadequate ,and would tequif¢ -a targe Sl:I m f taz.. pa)Y er mQneyto pgrade. The implication em-ed c1c.u~ an thr.t·at t . the hegemony Qf tbe ¢ity's powe.relitewollld ~emet 'w·jthc,\tremeviole,Q e.lhmCampb 11 wa .
mer
l'e.·etccted iT): December f 1971- 50 Hl lCb for !
mpbeJr ar-ch intern)" The Georgia tn'light, was. in the .nliddle of a lon{:! a~ld ontel'lti&:qs \lttttJe beh eeh those in two r of c;ollecU¥ization, or o-oVeraHv.c OWller hip of the paper, and the sole proprietorship of <
94 It! DIN
liB RlOT A .: 1"
ASTOWN
Dan Mi; e d. \ ho argued t.hat it was more important for the paper to continue and didn't believe that it ould under oIrective or c . -operativ owner hip. Aftc.r the initial <:cupnti n f th m~ighl offi a ~ ec;ond lHldcrsfQUnd l>a,per. The Georgia Gmpc, begaPo
ubH hing tn competition
viI h 71,6 Glu)1:gil1 Straight. "traight -ow ¢( D .. n Mcl.eod ask d [oj" nd re iV'(!(,i ~ (,)url- tdc.r preventing them froll \l iog th word G' ~rgia in she HOe, be oming The Ompo. The :ol1e(tivc that nUl TIle Gm l it, hieh
becam 'rhe Western OrgatlJ'zer and final1)· The We.tern 'Cice. arne out f lhe Wtmce1fs {berated Georgi(l t'ra~'ht and the Yellow Journal (lat r The Termi tCit)' £ pr~ s) were a detcrmin dty anti-authoritarj.n unch, but hardfy hardcor Mar ists or Maoi its. The dispu would ev ntuallybe resolved in favour ofthe «hlp busin man:' ,\ .d IQ~'al activists ula turn their ,mention to organizing. n f.en·1 hem ~Jld..stf.Ollg marcb of high c;hQol tudents on 1M American Ell bassy to prot'! $t nuclear h; tins J n1Cbitk Island in laska. Asukindof oaaandcol.'tlmc:mU)nth. c ~nt anne Rollittg Sloncs n -crt
I
ROLf-! G STO NES RIOTS 95
the forecourt and wt're met by a barr ge of rock and bottle . A . the riot quadmoved fon rd what wa left the rowd. pre umably some of the Clark Park Gang moved from the plaza to the darkened gra yaJ' n ~t to RenfIew Stre t and began to throw olotQV co<:ktnil and fire th ir
cannon. That ttl.per d any spectatof$ and the(' monnt<.'n quad de r d out the r t. T\ centyofficer • indudrng Zi 1~. were: ~n.jurcd and two. bomb thrower, \\'ere arrested by under(;over police. who bad il1iiltrat~d the crowd, P oplc leaving the oncert .~' re kindly reninded by the Jnauntoo squad to watch their feet a. they walk damon the hI' ken gla s. That was the first the crowd v,"3: aware of the e.ots ut ide. Apparently, Vancouver re idents were tunned by these events. but f cour they were never told the ull story in the main 'tream pres.:;, wno had been invjt~cl to land by1he. tiot squad during the m.d e (.I they Guld report on. jn t wh
.'''-'"'
g .-.
eey C I ·disgrac . to c·ty..
CHAPTER PORT. R10l'S
.,
'
..
~.~
~
6
G R Y C . PRIO S
1,963
•
1
,
;•
I
I
./
1966
numOOr f e timatcd participant. an c taint nu m I' the Grey Cup Riot . f 1903 i th or ' t riot in 1 n 0\1\-1 r
llMS OF
of arre t hi tory. wi th the 1;966 ':rI'i y Cup RIot not far behind. It j al ) pr baMy the lea t significant, in that not much really happened; even th poli' aid it did not get "otd 0 hand." tn lat ovemh. r or earl D cemb r
each year. the Canadian Football League h Jd. it~ Jl'an'lpionsbip gam in. one of the league jties. Football fans from acro s th ) ntltion gather for what j fondly referred to as "'th n~tionaJ drunk ." 111j' e eM c. rtain]y 1i ~ed up to lhat billing. In 1963. the game w:a held on November 30 at Empire Stadium betwen the hOmCfo\ n Be Li ns. wh were the Wtuern. champ .• and th H milton 'fig t - t from th . Etl te n Di i i n. The uturd y aftemoon game began \ Hb a mmut for til recent) as as jnated John K nnedy. Th" kend'\ a w t and Ftiday night ~ stl ities brf.lught a few arrests•. a did aturday afternoon d wnto\~n . The real action started aru r ay night 'after the game. About ten. 'dock a ",'oman was hit in the he. d y flying beer bottle. Police, who wer.e already patrolling the Castle Hotel bee.r p rlOllf. went after the ule-tosser nd we e roundly bo d when they tried to haul the offendct out f ~he at'. Once Q.ut en the lfC,e> jt went from bad to W0r$(!. Bottle ond ro '\II r; throW'n at th police, wh mlkd in. ~ein£ rcement . Granville and Georgia wa battlefront. Thre hundred no nin te n p
PORTS RIO',l'S 99 ~rr
st 'ere for fighting, obstruction. assault, damaging pr<>perty, and a ew driving offen e . There were fro thousands of dollars of proper I y damage; apparent ly section of the city were a shamble , The more than two h\.lOdred police wc.re bombarded with egg, rock, bottles, fomatoe', and iNUItS. At lca ~t twic the police caned out their dogs. Barking and J1< ding 'o n commaxul, wearing piked riot 011 r nd held 011 ix~ fQ(J t 1 h. , the dogs lunged at the crowd until th y b gal) to mov. OOD. how er,'f was last call in the janlll'l(:d beer parlours .and the treC'ls were filled ith drunk. It took until well after midnight before police, on fo t and motorcrde • al ng' 11th th dog. quad were able to re tore order an
deep in broken glass and about thirty- even w re t rated in hospital emergency wards, Tone were seriou ly.injured. One fiftee 1-y \,1T-old
get tram moving ag. in. Th new: paper eemed to take the view th-a t thi
No mentjon is mad f the prohibitio - !(t Jiqu and" the repre sive social milieu, but it might b~ useful t pay tt ntion fo (he ne:1{l major ports riot in ' alu:ouver fi some further illurnin tion.
,antral and the' n ~vcr had to think b ut resorhngto 'other method
girl arrived bome in OUlhea t Vancouver \~earing handcuff nd the police had to be called to release her. There i a campIer. lu t of thQ e arrested, thi time mostly faT unlawful s mbty with the emainder for drunkenn and lnnlidous damnse. Th (;{) erage ls not a~ playful and (11 blame 1$ pl. ced quar ly Oil ' oOQdIun, "'\'I.lh ::}j.f 10 to ll
T
I.E\' CUP RIO .
994
f
h .1ding the etO\ ,d: 'The Gre y Cup W~ held llgair in Vancouver iu ~~66) wnell Ih · two Roughridc' tealn.:;;, ttnv;ra Qud Sa kutch wan, pJllyed on Saturday, . ov )ub r ~6. 'Ihi time over three hundred were arrested befo(e the game w: tarred. The Grey Cup pal'ade wa held Fdd~y night, wind· ing twenty b10 ~ks through downtown from th~ tatting point at the
north end of the Burrard Bridge. Most of the action happened a1000 Ge
compared to m(yor riot,~ ~lselVhefi~ in the 14 at'1d. manyexp IS wclfld see tile RobsQn trt.ct in idenf as} like a riot ami mOt like It huge, ulTrllly hOIl . pqrty." ...... Ri()IS, Sa 'kgr'~r Review ofMajor Ell 1 f.S ~ eptcmbet 1,$194
<. ..
ON THE IGHT Qf June 14, 1994. forty
( sevent thou llod people gathered on Rol;>sol'l trasse. in the retail heart of downtowJ) anco'Uver. tG elebrate the e,elltn and deciding game ofthc tanteyCup hoi! being pIa 'cd between th V.anconver , m~cks and the ew York Ranger> Van ()uver 10 l th gllTl1 and a riot erupted. Rocks were thrown at polit;.e~ WindQw were mashed. and t r
world da!;s cit
.
100
.R EAD,! ' 0 T¥
lU T AC1'
P OR T
Before the gla s was
~ven
weI t from the tl" et ,Vancouvet City C(luncil calted for a COJltmunity·ba ed revi W, .. hien · wQuld focu on preventing a r ut' Jl ,e of imllar illcideJ1 . "10 purpo e of 1he City's t'cvlew · t to Took t the S uC' underlying riot and how they n b influenced:' The S Oplt (If th review WDuld be trictJy limit d, · however, oSlensibl . t: mak" th~
re.search "ma nageable," Rae riots, · religiou$ riots, and riot rdated t~ politi aHs u wen.;no.t incJud d. "'Forthe merea on.thetearrtdid
.not rese rcll the
S
Qf
RIQTS
information, carefuJly footno ted and attributed. Because of the re earch t~am' 'clfM impo ed limrtati n ,th do ument j incomplete and fails t
impart any useful knowledge on Ihe usc riot , The background paper chara leri~ s the: Stanley Cup Riol a a hOll party th tgot out of hand. coh, 1and the mC'dia we!' blamed. Th m dia il\'t(Jted the revellct~ and then ga' e th m a venue pu t on a show. Alcohol
the 3ccell.'at'lt. Desplt~ hein tt well pr pared, th polk didn>t handle the whole thing v ry well and the variou branGhe re pon ibt for public a ty y re unabt to comnllloi te with each ,othe(A Rit'hmond .resident qu ted in the paper 'tat ,"Jt didn"t take 3. psychic t~ predict what would happefl;' Do lhi meal that. given the ircl.,unsfano' there w(')uI cerfainlybea rio , or that thepoHce woukl not be ready for Jarg ~scale c l'O~"d "Control? W'3 ,
«17, Stanley up riot. brougllt these limitations into stark p rsp ' ';five. While , taff /r/!d pla.llued for &I poten.tltlJ iIi furbcmce-tlu: Eme.rgen y Opert1tiOM Centre had bem activat d and penonnel from the RCMP were 01'1 stnnd-by-when the
occurud commuflicnir'om; were a JimithIgjl1ctor in the respol1 . . ~ 'i n?' units provid cI through mutu.( lr aid from other municipalities were , equipped with iucQmp(ltibl cQmmtlllic(lfiOIl . $,'16(; ms, Vancouver Fire and Police. urtits 1 amed with mbulance units to respond but had t maintain physical coma since radio commUtlicutioJ] wa impossible across eV"ftl'lt
"We are 1101 going to give the city LlJ}tQ r(Jl1som to a few troubl -makers." -MAYOR PHtUP OWE
B
epte.tl'lb r
the same yeal~ the reSt."arcil {e:lm had whjp~d together Ri{)Ls, Back"grouJltf papar: The Cily v!Vun 6tH'C!' R(H~f IV of Major BlIl.mt:;. The r eateh team on ist d 01 the Direc t r of the i0/5 Ri k and Emergen Man· agement Division, e,ity of Vi,lncouvcr' Finan ~ Departnletlt TIle Divi ion Head of ewspapers ar'Id P rt ueal ~ r h.e Van ouvu Publi Ubrar}, another vPL ibra ian a conlitable ftom Ih Communif Ser~ vice ~ction of the Crime PreVeJltion Unit,. and the Vane uv PoIie D ar.tment. Th y authored' n internally incon ist nt d c.\IInent fiJlI of Q '
10.1
rzgGncies. RCMI;> mils wefl unable to comlJllJI'iiCllte en scene with Vane tfver Po/i e..lt i. 'Credit to (Hl t" ernergenty respon e
p U(jfl1l 1 that the incident was tmwaged so sacce-st:fully lind r these circum 'tances. u .(lln' fl IOJ,Y
~ ~997
II.OM "'Ii
IMU!.A. WTO AN\> G)l ,
J{V1C
!'.nO} 'ct'
('
OJtmN~'I'
AADIQ Jl.\lOJ£C1.', 0
11. A
liA Ii'
RAL 'fAN
, ,,,,'1';/ PARKS A
.~
'HI
l'
q Hf
I Y OOUNClI" ,~t
',t"'.'A<1l!R 0 ST,uIJ,e
•' GI I) R~CR
'flO
" ItVI'
lmlNG
\
PORT RroTS
The background. pap r doe not addre the r s ibl oelal rauses of io! nee and di :lffe tiM, which ·.roni all),), often the background,· 11,j, u iotl 1 bJ~nd docum nt tries to m the ca that riots can (lCC r an),\im . .anywhcr • when l ayge~rowds. f people g I togeth r t
xc
lebriWit with e.1th r too mu h polic · presence 01' 11 t nough, Eitn r .ui ti. eanedl.) ~hei ta1eci.;ctof, ~J11aUbandofparly nimal' who gt.'t t \elr ki Sill shins. burning. Ulld looting nd th Stanley up lUot 'Iwas so 0 tHe an 0 un bar" ted tic of ancouver th t It rai led 3 on m that what happened 11 Rob on Str; el could recur , l oonjunction with any Jar ~ ev nt." Wlt n ss the ummer of '99 anti
he m awful search and s.eizure of liquor at SkyTrain tafTon during the~mI 1 ony f Fir, r . ew ar' e zoo > when police poke perO~l Anne Orennan warne cifi7~eJl t tayaway from downtown (the police ,j1(eflat.e ap logil. . for this hjgh-h.:,\l')d~d approa .h). Thjs · b~g t1)(' C)ll "ti n: h !IN ian 'I) out· f· .ontr t h use tytlrty • useso much fi'<1 r nd neal''''pnnic in policing ciTdes? ~aybe the atl,lly 'is is wrol1g. Maybt: lh p know !In Hling the}"t not telling u . Mayb they do undertat.d the und tlying au es but don'! want u f kno\' what th y kn(}w. Wh t11, r w ~H it con fijI, c: or ideology, if one is re' lly intere t d in under tanding the u e ofthe r~ot. one might a tually have to to 1 the vent in. co ,text ilnd 11 t a som.e ".,'eird anomaly that ouldll't and houlddt happen here. P ItT
n
RB AIU
p r i ipant • flllU action ' f the ri tel: teUs qultea ilifterent t r . curs ry xaminatioll ofpoH c a lion in. their functlol, a. protect rs of pri at property, Vi rsus n urers <,) f public. afetYl is tlH~ fi r t lu .111 crowd gathel'edat (he('n r of Robson and Bllfe. the ~~te otsorne of th most expeflsiv r~tail pac, . in an'.} n. 11 th s()uthea~t orner ehind -affolding and ply l,Iood h()arding, .a SlIl1ana RepubH , (later a Footlo\.~ker) \' M und r c n ttU t i n. Tbi wa' a lime when th bu in $ c mmunit . \\fa u hing th J g n and idea 'EN A 'AS AL 100
.H the locati f.l .
103
1hat Vancouver could and should become 'tI "world class city." When the Whitecaps won the , orth American Soccer League title in 1979 over New York) tel vision ommentatQrs referred to aRCOl! er as "-a village by th ea." Conveniently, Robson Str~tis well served by ptlbHctransit,inGluding the kyTrain4 which enter tunnel when it gets dowJttown nd ace . e
ant :vork of tmd~rgrQ.und malls serving t del'o il "uburban hopper thtol,1ghoUf fhe r tail Gor . Sky'frain (Ult> twn s a retail hopper deHv~ >ry y rem d igned t.o t.ran pon l ilJing 0011 umer$ and quell ' jumper alike into t he h an. 0 capital. Jump th kjfrain t Gran\'iJIe tation and emerg iJlto the bargain ba ement of Canadian capJral the Hudson' Bay dep rtment store. Take the tunnel over to :Eat()l1~~, x~home of the natJon ba nkrupt hopkeeper. now a Sear . Customer an.o/or hoplifte .spill out onto Robson aero '$ the street frorn the Van ·ouver Ar Gallery C\nd the courthouse, past what was then Duthie Books (now~defunct) flagshw stbre and the otd library. then along the riche rt retail block i Canada. 0 longer the Robson traSSe f quaitlf European hopkeeper and re taurao'ts but now (he utpost of multinational de igner-Iao 1 tore wh re few worker can afford to-shop: Calvin Kl 111~ R.oot· nd the n wBanana R f bJic, The ntotto ofth bownt wn 'Bu ille S As ociation S III fo b \ «jfyou cal):t aflord to shop, then dou't <..'Om downtown." Did thosccraud nbttrban ba ra1'ds ml understand the invitation? When the media invited the citi~en of Vancouv r to' elebrate your Vancou\'er Canud ,., tho e who were impliciHy excluded did not under tand that tJley were n t reali ' ciliunand therefere were not. t ~11 welcome at any civic (unction. Jon~~ide the 0 tent~tiou consurnptiOll 'ou have treel people-poverty in the mid t ofplenty. However, th' invitotion v.rasbot inform L Le .• ,· rd of mouth , and open ' no RSVP required. Pc ptc cam down wn for $ V' ralnight J'tmnillg during the pla,rA
offt with ti, probl m • But when the bar empti d after the final game wa lS)Sl, the crowd on Robson Street \Va O1U h la r:ger than exp cled, hutting down trafflc. The poB e made the decision t di perse the unrul . c.rowd, using do~ and teal' g in order to escort a (aHen comrade to an ambulance. 'onstruc tion rubble from the Banan~ Republic ite wa the main. weapon of choice. Acc.ording to pojice pokespetson
104
.RBA · TN
P RT: RIO TS 10 5
THE R10T ACT
Anne Dren,na.n,"'W did not move in '11 any way witn the crowd control ·unit untit we f~f ' \ erclosing cOfltr I. until we felt it 'YU ab olutely ncce ary.... In ' thcr word, «lo iog control"'and "absotutely nece Sf'" were the ,me tbi ng. The poliG(;" chief later cia i01ed there wa no ttm¢ to ad th Riot A .t, whi -h i hi tori aU" the mayor' , job nny'-'>ay. The m:1yorwi;l out<>fJ"Qwl'tin wYod~>, tahlXk ygarn , fosinghi bet-with til it' mayor. On was V \IInt~d "'fhaes where all {he ahno ,·,tent Phi l Owen lo-st them to Rudy Giuliatl i.."
So white the young, extremely well-paid Canuck left-winger almo
de<:on tructed the Ne"",. York defence. haTdly anyone out$ide of the art and poetry crowd was deconsfruc.ti ng the Vancouver oft he mid~}linetr . If they had, wbat they would have seen wa the culmination of a frjgbten~ ingdt'iftintoacorporati tcity stateofwealthy 'ntr prencurlalcapitali fs. talking on cell p}10n~ while driving P(')fsc.hc and honking at squ egee kids to get the hdl Qui of the way.
"First-you !Jaw to b We're l1umbtu' two! Who the luck are Y€lu? A the poTfc~ moved the crowd wifh tearga ~nd rubber bullet. in a .minglyrandom fa mon up one (reet and back down again, pjate-glas~ disptar window were smashed· nd store were looted. . ars jududing police yehi It: • were flipped onto th iT roof.s. Masked men in balaclaYfl with c 11 ihon . l" ved the: street ,easily avoiding police wh w re bu. y trying not to b aught alonG nd Were alway va lly outnumbered y the r IWd.1h whol tlling was over in a matter ofminut I rather than hou (' and rybO'dy went back where lh-ey me fTom. Arre 1 'It re made later~ fo the mo t part U - Il l; videotape tak n b lJotice or ti, d from media outlet. Th whole thillgwas televised live. with 10' al media feed gO'ing int mati~mal f(Ohl the 'urroundlng ro fiops up and down Ro son Stree .
I
VCHt
to a riot- (fnd a hock~y rr(Jme broke. Ollt.
Half of Iho ' arre t d were unt!mployed. and t n ,P('rcent h'ld 119 fi d addres . '[nr e quarter (;amc fro m ullde of 1ht,; City l)( an ou r. MQ~t w re youn > single white nI1l1e with . r ious rimil1ill .r \":0«1 • . Super h ppers aU. O't xactlya marketer' dreatn of the ideal
~t
them In the aJlcy.~' -CONli SMYTHE
Funoy~
I went to a riot the other night and a hQ~ey game broke -out. but r aUy.l cou ld ntt tell the difference. Men in prole t iye equ ipmeJlt swinging sticks. fanafic i n the crowd yelling encoumg ment. RUles being broken pI tty rnu h with ·mpu.nity. What would beaggravat .d a saultaoy\\lhcre else is two minutes in the jug, with time off if the other team cote. 'V lhyareu'tthe cop s~iz-jngfilmandp)"fs ingchargesafter ev ry ugly stick-swil1ging in identr San tioooo violence b tw en hi'red gladiato iruplie perm' ion in, oy tro~ . JfPavel Bure an get away with jt, hy can't l? Capital know ,no rule . It's .0-0 acddent tlHlt the top 1'\1 and tadiO' tations, in term of advertising revenue, were own d by the arne people who owned the !locke' team. That' ntertainmen '1 but it ain't the sym hony,.a the hockey dub ad ~f ed. No port j mercly a part of the culture, rQo~d in violence with its attend ot values of rad m~hom()phobj~ and sexism embedded within the pow r strtlc.t l P. Real fan tchthe pidt: the 'pirH'Ofvlot nee nd trartsgte. ion.lfth tty theory wa arrec.t tYler would be a riot after ev ry game because all the condition i~ c--e ary \'ire pt'e ent. That's not the <:a c, however, but wby?
"Tile Rockel Richard Riots are (ltl (!x-ample ofspontemeous
con umer.
agel1CY·
Hockey i. all t!tat is Jeff 0.(public discQurse.
t
\.
- JEPF DBRKSEN
l OG
:R ' AD ! G TtlE .RIO·
, PORTS RIO'r
CT
Hockey 'i a game of tran gressionj the end justifies the mean . Any real h ckeyfan ould intuit th e basic unspoken rule, and would want t bt? part of the "game. SQ, -n fact, the real fa were down on Rabon Street, fighting for the nOl).lC t am in th trenches. plundering the opponent warchou es for ummunition. So who' .:onfu e4? Ju. t few $~m'pl¢·mif'lded mall ~till) capitolists whos yoorly t ke cqll Js the l!t$ <>f concc ions in QJl
is ue of 1l rmh1ltl City. (\ local "'unde.rground lt or alternative free di tribut'iO'n n wspaper, rao a ,over ith the headline I'Hodey ight in anc()uver in bright red /hUlling letters supc;fimp<)sed tm bl;lrnjng dty. with a flaming C~nu k logo foHowed by the word , "show you te m spirit. The production values are no!. great; J was told ornethi n went wrong with the colour separation.l!, but if th m ssage is Dot d eaf) .a pag -four column- with th autho~ MIn urI, usly dropped out. more produ tion pro~lem I'm told-titled «Canu tnania?- Booze up and Rio.t!'> ",no subtitled ('oR BIUA WILl.. OT YOU will make clea r the pre,scient-e Qfat ffast one local rag. A meditation on th joy_ ofho-chy and beer drint.ing with a none,..too-gentle Hod to the homophobic viole!)! nature. ofth great Canadian g
25
j
,
1
Cuphecau. eBrianneeds(l newel) plfl)leF. rmtalkingBooze Up (lnli Riot. I'm Illlking LOOT~ L OO~~ LOOT! Hn talking Robson Street the night tlte Canucks win. I'm talking Christmas for poor adult ., >
107
The column ods, «Yes, hockey i a great game. but it is after all, onlyafuckinggam. ' me five hundred poster ofa irnilarnaturewere pla~tered.around th city orc. Incitement to riot or poetic licence? The police thought the fir 1. rown Council, who would actuaHy b the ne to lay n charges. refu ed t proc ed. Of COU.f. ' the Cit}I's researcher ' did .not hay acces ttl the Termill(ll CiJy material because the VIr did
not archiv th' particular m
]0
REA DlN'G TH 'S 'B.10T ACT
SPORTS RIOTS 10.9
Kiet'Iumn with hi' name on it in order to getSahni in trmibJe. He al'o charactcdze the loo:ting a ~ a "-hyperac~ tiv~ con$ u me~
frenzy just
little weirder and wilder than Hay Our
0
Miiilnight Madues. at aJ:lle ViI1age!' Itl bis column" $qlmi gi\! the fir t wbr~ to ,his omr de- nd erst· wMfe , (:.colll}.>tice J:famm r the. .o· Barbarian. in a twi ted take n clvie pl'ldcthat hootshooo in ancouy'l"'SW rldd~s city f.mc;epu"Anyd(y an not wben they win) bu.t w~'re .the net moth:errll~ke'rs to riot whet) w
lose:' One ear latety 1he Canucks and Salmi were at it aga.in, with a clear hwitaHon to destroy Yaleto.wll, in ,a-n ill taut replay 0 1h . Sfanley Cup Riot, 'Ihe etas pOJit i
ing, 'Qcailte snorling (1/1£l1'fJ to coQ/<. fhtlt slrlJ )lQl4 jOQi$) -'nine Rk t~adiflg. Chan 1$f/1e/l;in • RQleX' tiwiJqJ, SClnfold 'Watt:hillg. amd(J 1lippirlg~ Iau ,SIlckitlg; Gm:c.i bflggirtg. Oefl1-ils subscrih· ing, 1:msi-.nes$ pattner $wit1dJing. pre-nupttfJ.{ agreement signing, MP buyhrg WllistkJ'skHng, . r. dJ~ cllrdma-xiug, Evian s:wiilil!g. mattered m:.cormti1.1g. tax eVl1ding, Liberal vatlng. Yuppie swin whQ live i1'1 Yalelown tajeel t11e. wratJl-aj Vantou-ver'S di$oj{ecled
youth.
here's{.t word ofadvice to:all you Capers eating .8:MW driviilg.. .ctc., ef ' : do yocme,/ves.a favour (J'm ttre you're falflU"' ia r wit/t thnt com;cpt) and hock "Qu r~ }v11$ a little vaJjafiMl tim toumrd the e~l1d(JfJu"e. Sat/l)jffQ Y lit GI~ffls141'ld ratr a.t, drive up to jQllr WfriS'tlerrliae,owGy.jitt tJfto Club M 4. tak that ~()~ f/!llleTJlt1te safari in tbc'HJN/(#lHyas :vout.ve be II piarming, or gO' 'Visity(wr pnrent$ inAri$Onn/ but' hy atl II< (II'/S get the hell aut oj tow111 tal-use you · liUTe {irelJm world is goillg to smdlilike tear gn. for a couple days (afld don't IlJillk thijr..~ going to be an eu,s)' (J
scmi I.bget- out cjllrm f lc(lfher cot/dIe$},
If that ain'l class war: I don't ko. w -what ,is, !his invitation (0 (lnga~ il',\~YIQienf a~t.iQP against the Q\o\'ne-rs of private ptopert y. a~ p-p}.'lO cd to QUSloess ow;tlet~ . iUtl '!t'
).10
READ!. ti THE
in
CHAPTER? PEe RIOT 1.997 IbOTAT1.'JfE HYATT 1998
Sl;.alf g~_ 1ugb "fewil b:r1 tty tums ;)\"u f(Qnt TV m~mitor t , PEC inquior :h willglllm p('ppt'.t~sprayrng pJQle lQr at Gate 6 during AP£C prot '( atUBc il119 /. I , ' MJ. iPH "to / VA,'
UVJ;~:; ~
tt;h; ·
.6RLh .ARCHlV
I
Hll A IA P. (;IPl Bcononli<: Coaperati~m [mum . o~ four nouns in arch f "adjective, a~ some would hay it. wa IH!ld in VaucQuve·r at the nd f J ovember 19.97. or 'ix day, tween ight and ten thou~ sand journ Ii ts, c<)rporat C .os and govermnent ffi 'ial- wt're to mak 1he AP forunl the bigg; t V -1\1 that ValleaU'll r had hosted inc Expo S6. GOVi rnment oIficla and tho > in th t tl r' m indu.try sa\'! it a a. rare opportunity for ifltetn-atioll;pert!: in thi kind of(orceasti ng c timate.d would b .sp nf in he city between t QV rnb r 24 and 3.0, AP£C had it beginnin in 1989 a the A s<>ci tlonof SOllth-Ea 'tAsiaJl nti6ns, formed by l·h tead~s of 'x ian nation as a prjyate "dub" to dis us is Iles of mutual interest in an ':Asian 'way" 111. 1989, an ustratian initiative to open up the dub to th rs wi h in erests in .the area was t he nnal pu h that founded AllEe. The leaders of many sian countrie W~re particularly 5twsitive about bejng membe.rs of any body that might actually criticize the wa}' their c untTie \. efe run r more spedfkaUy, the way they ran th ir {:()untri . D spite the high-pQwcl'(,..d economi.~ j nvolyed. it mandate remai ned vef,/low key, at least unti l the $eat.tlt: fQund rn 1.M3 when, for th nrsttime.the leaders f a.U lhe member e onQrQie aauaH~t .attended ilnd rh rush to g.tobaIi~ation was begun in carne,.!. By the following year, APEC had emerged a a pow rfuJ force in thl: fight fo e U\bli h a ftce-trade- ZQne in he Pacific Rim. Part the .Fe'J. OJ) an be s en in the htay the meetings were organized and pr an ted
or
l l1..
A\:' '.• RIOT
R -ADI G THE RlOT A<;1'
to-the vanou$leader . Surnmitare an order of"international meeting that
can alle n d~ '0 th'. PBC me-etings were bi!leda 11 £ofLlm .not a snmmjt; the di ,tinc;ti'on between countries and eC_Qnomi~ wO'Qld allow Taiwan and Hong Kong, both 01' which Chln~ woold want to rep , ent ~t- any ummit, t attend. The le~der CQutd then negotiate libl?r{\li~cd trade- witr"l(')ut losing.fi ce b)' i$nin~ any binding agreements. or t.mtli!ringinto treatie with worn en mie . Alth. ugb the organh!: tion lll~k~" 1\0 m,l",rnalagroonent. nd pas n . re olution qui:riJ'lg ompliance (including trade-di put r olution mechani ro ), cons n u agf~m I'lt ar n: gafated that d much to lIberalize trade. A ide fronl allY' su with gl bal capitaH 11\ the mere prereneeofdi t~tor Jit< lndol1 ianP'resident t1hartoandChina Jiang Zemin would guarantee t'otest fr m hl;lman right agivi ts attn t anywhete it) he world. Add in cone m fo r worket: • right and the envitonm~l'lt an.d you h~w a v.irtual guarantee of massiVtl\ broad,ba ed, 0 1 . recognizedcountrie
w¢lI~orgaoized d~mon tI'atron , ~]).EC
would break all Co nadi n record for number and Sf of security. Th rcc~nt history of APEC j ne Qfprqt I and high 'ecurity throughout the world. MaoHa a ho t dty jn 1997 pot tw fit}.... ix thou sand armed guard in pIau; 0 aka u d even more in 15)95. 'The City f Vancouver budgeted 1.5 mi~i<>n t'Or police ecurit}f, while overaU 1$ for pan p~otection were esti mated to run about fifteen millioJl, according to th RQMP. Ov.era ll co t for tile six· day free-mid xtravaganu"l would run to vet .L~ty-fl ur millioll dollars. The Vancouver-ho ted A PEC furum would require Q\'er three thou and , olic.e offic r both R M'() and Cit)' of Vancol/ver, . wen 3 . t\vo tho 'nd private ecurjt}' guards n t indudi{lg the ecret s l-vi cs .of the C{)u,nt( r pre ented. who woul(i provide rh pwt etion th it Tcader fe uire-d. Protection from wh tr ppo lng free trade in gener 1 jS being bad for workers and prafts!:'] os. th human rights tee rd of some f the parHdpating economies" w uJd b~ vari ~ly()fl1on-governm Iltalorga niz tions rcpreseQting vatiou degr e Q rookali Ol and militancy. lhe People' S\:lmtnit~ th 1)10S1 main, treatn group and in receipt of 200,000 rom the Government 6 nada, W $upPQrted -by the
I
RJOT A 'l\H ~ H\·A·l''1' JI3
Canadian Labour Conge and the United Church, s well a other . Fronted by ex~federall DP leader Ed Broadbtmt, The People' ummit was fo mount public meeting. educaHot)al forum . arts e\rent,. a nd ralli· .. De]egate who repre ented oppo ifion viewpoint- w re being brought in from many of the participating countries to add their ~oices and report
on the 10 31effect& Qf free t rud in tlte clevcl ping econolllie' at home. The NO! t AP..eC C alifion. wa pJann,iog to turn out jn fun force a th y h~(1 a year nrtier when they demon trat d to protest the APBC lings in M~nna with a nofiviolent march on the Philippine n ulale in downtown V{ Ileouyer. art the more rad! ar end o f the spectrum, A £ ~ LSR n appro.imately lwenty-m mber coalition. was planning full· scate iV'll disobedienc > not oni to prate t against the'ilrm, and m til d f PEe, but aJ 0 to prQt.esUne pr en<;e of li.p,ac on the groll d ofthe niver ity ofBriti h -olumbia. Jh pre, rdent fUBe had jnvjted the leader 10 the campu without Qnsulting stud~nt and staff me 0 whom fell that b}r a l1<>wing the u niver tty to be used a a meeting-plate lent not on1)' credibility to APP.C, but.
ha tutlled down aD honourar degr
fr:
In
the
niversity ofVktorl
v.era} mondl befote the- APEC forum. 11ft r a torm of protest· again t Cbhla's h um;:.n rigbts record and patticu-latly the conti llUtn~ repr si n in Tibet ow Jiang Zemin ' 'laS heading fot Van 'Olwer to be honoured at il '200,000 gala ctvkdinner where he would give tb.e keynote addre '
We- will be getting arre.sted.» -APEC-ALER'l' oo-Qrsani~e r JAGGr SJNGH
Security official fCkltl?-c1 a repeat of the prote t ' again tAP C at tb orum in M:1llila year artier when ten lhousa{ld p opl torme
AP'BC ~iO',r
11
th C \ Quid be ~h very best locatic;m wh6!re prot,?st$ could reusonal1ly be eXl'e ed to take place. Ace r~ing to the R.CMP ('weil allo.w me
es , but d etil1it-e~y not ,direct acce _..the ,public ha rights, but \ e're not ~otng to jeopardize the leaders,'" rn other ;\I(Qrd$~ people cOllld proteiit, but coolddonothingthepeopl ,\vhoseverypre ence'W.:\sb ingprotest d would ever ~, S me organi~tion inc{u.Ec~free 7..Qlle to evert!1) , lly include th Museum f Anthropology on the f'arWi tern edge () th - amp'U, wh r the.l~d rs \\ rUo meet in hit November. They -rere also plamiirtg t a,£h·in andQther Mti~AP'ro attivitie ('m the campu , SAY B-OQ T O APEC
ext, three -student w~e arre ted on Hanow~>en night lOr wtiti,ng anH-A?£!C logan~ on th<: \vindoW' of , nlversity Pi' sident Mal:th\l Piper's 'bfiln8 n~ w atri.Unl at her on·camp(1 h.o:m~ during a n[ghttim~ prote t. 11)C~ atrium w s chosen be<:a'u th tlniversit' Pt sident WQ!,.Ild be gre(;'itltlg th AP.eC leader ther . The arr t ' hapl' ned a,ner the protest and, tnMe ,significantly, after the .Ill ia c{)"erage had ended. . .,Jampu Securit abo threatened th tudent '',Iith.$u pel ion and/or 'Ilcadelnic disdpJin . 'l he
I
In o ' ATTM HY 'r
li5
students responded by insisting that their' right to free peech be respected, that wbat they did outsid of class 'wa their b\l incss and that they would rene.\~' their \.'tfort to oppo e fhe presence OJ: ' p. , on c.ampus and tlle p ,tgel1da jn general. . As the prot sters saw it, AllEe stood for hUlnan .rights .\bus • poy~ erty. and euvirO'tltllent-u1 dtgradation" nloitinatiollatcorpotu lo,n sought to ~st·abii b them 'elve in the o\mtri 'With the Low t '\'ages .and envi.. i'onmental $t 'odar.ds. Other "'etc fo using trictly (lB. the h1.1ll.'tan right t cor.d .and 'tbe s.uppr: sian of pro ,demo ra upportt'ts by Jia n.g Zeatin, l ~owas to be hosted by"ale ity (}{Van'Couver atail. p.ec~ ponsorcd gaJa dinner for one thousand peol'le. Maror Owen said h ",<,1\ happy to hMt Presidenl Zemin's first speech in Canada bec~nl e 'Of tll.e cl etonomk and ultum} ties Canada has With,China. He was tJQWl.11,ing to raise human rights i sues' ith Zeroil1 be€at.lse, in h is view, that was th job ofthe federal governmenl., nOt local politi ians, Tax receip~ for the- COSI ft h dillh nvouId be ' ucd $0 (; rpo(,,
qu t :
"[ don"t thi'nk it i II s.ensitive issue. Hong Kong bltsilless peopie we not 'f:J:nJikeCa-mulim'1 b.usinesS'pe.opre-~theJ are lrer to make 11 buCk. A. !eng as the.re;' nat outright killing going an. they try to skirt around ito" -TV C'l GHA Vke·P:residcn.t, Toronto-Dominion Bank
tbere e",;; WifH1eYS and losers itt a glabaI1llar'k.e(pla~. Our job is. not ta spend time ..vis-Mug that ~hi. wete 2101 the ase: Our job is to do what WeCaJl to succeed." -MICHAEL CAMPBELL, llanc(}uver un colli n-ist I'There 'i.s 1W doubt that
AI'
On on
ide were tbose whQ saw trade <;1 the be·aH <'lnd end*aU. In the middle ~ere those who wanted t t) use trade to open Up' coontries for lat r demoua.t izati rl. Ttade first hmuantight' eco.nd. On rheother ide o.f the debnte were tho. e whQ would tJ e trade a& a qufd pm qua lever for change. Of c ur e there were l~o thuse 0.1) thll' fring~ a much smaller bull<'Cry vocal group, calling r. r the (i}\,crthro'W of:globa~ capitalism, whQ c(;/uJd be C'ouf\ted OIl to make noi yappe-aranc: , ' (h protest mar 11 tbrough the treets of d0wntown Vl:\llCOUVer by fbrtr~lhre hundred people was as cartftJll}' ol'cilesU
put int plaeq. 'l11e~estr.ictiQns on "cee s)many felt. 'went well beyond tbe curity requir-em~\'Jt and conlra.veneli dti:reh right to prote t. Tho. e arrested 0-1 tb;e d~ys leading up to the on-campus meeting of the J\'P.sC [e'<\der were"'tlsked tt,) igrt. an tJnd~taking that they wO\~ld not r turn to campu during the remaind r ofth APE"' forum. Btsides being arrested for various offen e '- su h a ~ saulf (for ycll1n$ in a security guard~ ear .and violating se.Gurity-zone, tudent protesters w r.elayingplans to make ? cifil,ens' arrest of Indone ian Pre !dent Suharto.They 'Wanted to <;,harge Stlhart-& with crimes again$t hum.a-nity: hQlding nim t'¢$.ponsible for the deaths of abaut two Irundred thoU'sqnd ~t Timore$e. This wpuld, of C0ur c, requite~:ntry and deep penetraU 1\ into fhe fenced~ otr and wellguarded ecurit)f zone which my-st.e jQ~l " kept gef1ingJa.rget li1'\d mor restrictive a the meeting at tile 't1J,'),.wt!rs1t)' · ppreache
11\
. THe RYt\.'
U7
motorcade .route. where students w re sitt ing em the rood. police asked
them to disper. e but began pepper- praying them imme.diately. hefore they wex~ ev~n able to get to their feet Forty arrests were made, jncIud~
ing two well-.mned Indonesian ecu.r:it: men, who were immediately dep r:ted.
,\PEe i , in Qne %1> a poste'll dern riot in the $en e that publjc property \ 'a ptivatJ?;c-d and the-only tfbroke.ngla .. wa the wire fence erected to lIow th~ public to see, bllt not pa ) Um;mgh. :Rection to the riot \, as gel1etaUy ritlad of poUce~ with some &}.fm}1athy fJ rprotesl"er \lnd what was se nash denial of their right~, B'ut not it) aU co!n r }' f eoUr, e. By the end fif the PEe forum. Prime Mi'n'i~re-r r~ <;hreti~m ~'\1a& joking about putting pepper on his st ak, a toke that' most (:oJ.lsiaered in POOt ta te and for which he wotlld-later otTer a haIr-heart d apology along the lines of. "If _ ffended anyone, rim sQrry." Hi next Vi it 'I Vanc()u er moretnan it year l-ateron December 8,199&,].'" u1dbringanot'neni t. thi time against both APEC and Ch(etien~ imrolvement in curity' planning for the forum. The APEe inquiry ioto police ctivitiesat AP c 'wa hl on ofits.interminablc intenuptim .",
some Ia\~yer or oth r \.,,~ pres ur d
to nUgn for geWng ~aught doing or saying om thing he "'hOllldn~t have. Evel1tua.t.1y the inq irY" c()unser would have to reSign because he .had Qttended a liberal Pariy-ofanadatulldf'i iag dinner at th. Hyatt Hote) at which Jean Chretien gave a sp ooh; same phyets. one-ye-ar roter. H.e W'c1,S counsel to the ROMP Public Complaints Comrnis ion investigation into student charges that the RCMcP had been resPQndin' t political pre sure to help leaders like SuhaTto avoid even having to see pr testers T theirsigns, The key qu~tion seems to be, did ChrelieJl make guarantees to the Indon~sians. or was ~t jus,t a coinddence th,at the {teMP applied ecurity mea ~t'e$ thatll< d never b~n pfacti l
ReM!> have: not apologizt?d and
tb~Fub1i has nev r beeJl
infurmed about
atl)' acl-u:a1 threat, or to role Of:aC:MP \Iudercover agents who had in !llh'ated th(!'anti"Al'~<; gtoups and ,who. exac.tly took Jeadership positio.Dsil1 the A'P C riot,
onOe.{: mbe"( S~ l:9'9&~ 'IlpprQXim tdy se¥ 11 llUlldr~o people galh 11 d oulSid Ib£'
BAR l..A'l'S,R,
Make. the rielt pay,l SOcialist'f> The Better A ItemilUve
- ··$ignS cari'ied in frontoflh~ Hyatt Hotel
VaJ;l Qllvt;(pOllc
PoliGe «intelligence') led thMl to bellev~ the demon lration would be anything but p~ceful Perhaps it was t-h~ appe;mmce ot po ler up "nct do~v:n "'Qmnlerci;;u Dri-ve the- day before irlYiting peQpJe to a «dot at the- Hyatt" ~nd a 'king 1h~m t(} bring we pons. Pro~est organi-2.ers oi avow/.?d the poster Fe hap it wa the UI'I\~nJjngnes of protest 01'~1.- nizers to, even tall< to the police. The d tn ll $1rators fe.artd Wing bill I for pGlicc overtime if they "tookr ponsibililY f()l" the pJQtesL It on-tribu.ted to th(t charged atmo phere. 1heihreat level. was,high~ the pOl~ operaHona\-plan in.duded several · bjectives, 'dlnging frQm the pxotn-ctlo:n ofthe Prime Mini ter)PP Can lnreruationaH Prq.teeted P rsO,o) to pro . iding an -environment fQt lawful democratk prote.$t, bUt al (.) (e~roring
a tJA'i:'l'I.!iT
" , PHO,!, - I \' ANC-OIJvn R "tI .. l-P~G pi ~
, Ulr(', J;lyatt RegC'11 . ARCitlVg)
.
the pUhlic p..eace -a ~peditiQus y s- p~sible. 'The VPO wu.s re~po.ll$jble for exterior ecurity and l75 police omcers wert:! deployed. The hotel was pJllced behind barricad.es in t.he Ill.id~-ornool\ by city poli~J who u 'd bicycle l) bal'rietS. A protest Zio;ue wn d(lJ)igllated ",C,fO. the tre.et. fr m them. in cnlru.nc to thehatd, l'hea-fe.l hnmedi-af.ely'ilfQUnd the hot T\~, ~ie'ignate:d a r' !.th:t d ZOne Jf..limfts to jjhQ~l\-C.ra l public. futeflhl ,tty BlJrrard street \\tel eto eEl to fra-ffi' ther-e Wa. a btiefillcl.den il-lllohtiJtg.{} pkk-.up trut;k deli- rl11g ourid eq\1 ipmen-t to th~ dCll\O)l, t catOl . It \ a uicldy esolv-eci. 'the 1InS, ~ But like-Wi e e-~g¢r to cQ;1Jlfnunkate \ ith th Primt: Mjl1j$t~r>
PEe 'rHO...,
rowd ('..ontl: 1 Unit wa initi version of thi'tty. City I)oJice epartmenl spokesperson Anne Drennall claims the pOlice were forced to act becau ether feared th~ywere losin control Prot tel' maintail the riot q.l.lad wa never nec~sary, ~ nobodye en mad it to the door ot the hotel and the polke 1i n had een restored befure the riot squad appeared. P.olice reports outlineth ti ming ofevents: h 0 minutes from the ann un ement t firSt eM act between lll(~ ceu and the "roW , onemi utefifte n e ond b tw I\ theappearanc~o theccvandcrowd oJ'lta t, thirteen ec()nd between movement of the {;ClJ and aowd contact. According t the report, contact ~ook rhe form of for e, ranging from ,hield pushes to baton jabs overnanEl baton strikes and ,overhead bat<)n trike. Direct conta t 'With the crowd was e.sf!imatcd fo have lasted between twenty-nine and Qrty-seven ' econds. Eleven spectator and eight poli(:e ffic.er were injured, according to police document. The
tn
f RIOT Ar H
flYA
121
'The prote ters were soon di per ednd the riot quad. as uming their w rk, as done for the night, stepped down. The night was not over. however, and tbe .RGMP riot sql1ad was later mobilized at the Vaneou-vet p olke loC'kl,1p at M~m and · ordova. where 1lb ul four hl1ndred PJotest(: had gn,hered dlmlanding: the release of their •comrade . ' Again the rtM }\3$ dlsp rsod wito :f~w inddent~ but th~ protesters had gained the ft~nt-page overag the r n edcd to advance th~ir cauSe, lthough lUll h ofth~ media fotus had b(~cn on the violent
121.
REA[)lNG ' fiE RIOT AC .
CHAPTER 8 BruTAl'f lA:R JOT ~ooz
u s 'no P
E R I 1'2-002-
J<' ROCK R'Ol'~004
BRll'A
fA RIOT
INCE COMPLETJ G THE first
S
1Wo pro~ 5t(~r-S, one a: millll:Jo art: led Wi!. tunif y Cent 'Tb\J~ d~y October ;. :/. 'N
If01'O } VAXC01,1
Y
3l1t:OU\, f
polic::c at t h :Brit
~.
I llR<) l~CE.
fl',o. J';
tn,l
AC141vli]
nn
a
ver ion of RC'aditrg tlu: Riot Act thee
have been mor riot i n Vancouver) although there (r di 'putes about whether an: of them were In. fact, dots. 'l\vo have be n referI~d to a '~po lke riots:' as tne(e .u:-e those with v ted intere t who would prefer that the activiti S;0"01 d do not 01'1 Wute 0. riot. N ith rev nt involved th~ reading of the Riot Act nd both involved rela tiv~Iy small number ofbolh police and individ\Jals. Tn one C(1, e, no damage OC .Ilrted to private prop-crty; in the olh r instan , be dam gc wa 'Qnfia.ed t
ne bllilding. Both ca. s, h wever, involved long ou('t ca . The two riot happened just ove r a month apart 1n the all of:z.oo.2 a th Brilt h 'olumbi Provincial GQvernmen was in the midst of not only shifting policy burrestructuriug th <>cial controct along the. fines of right~wi ng gover.tllll.e,.ot worldwide. The e two rio ' may yet become fuotnotes to much larg~r event to come. The Britannia PQlke
iot. a th prot t r
\!ould
ve it (
Jld
which may in f: t eventually becom.e th . fir t "Gordon Ca mpbetl Riot'), occurred .vben prot rer 'er remove [torn public pro rfy outside .Britannia High ho I in East Vancouver. where fh had ga1h red 0
pl'Otest an appearance by P cmier,ordon C mpbdL Ahhoug11 th pre.mier wa
ched\lled to op n a FamH Literacy
an dIed bls app.car
.,1,
entre, he .had already
protest that morning.
onelheless,
t h > police arrived in force. Who they \Vere protectm and from what is urtdear, and alth ugh no property ~amage C ilrred muc mayhew en ' utd. i ot 3 single wind w ~ a~ broKen, ttl mnny hClrge wet£ laid,
12 4
READl
including obstructing a police offi cr. assauJting a police officer. call iog a di turbance, and I,Inl awfu I assembly. No protester, and cettainly no police officer wa seriotJ-ly injured. Accordtng to Judge 'myth, thj is a protest' n three act . The arre f f the down. thEl'im:p~s e at the paddy wagon, and the an t of an und.e,~ ge miJle-. The F mjJy Liter~ .y G ntr 'va scheduled t 'be opened by Campb-ell at tore o'do k" -on. tober 3, 2-00, ' The Opening Wil DY invitation only \lllda mall crowd of bQutIso to-two hundred p ople 'Ollcerned about th edu ational pofic,i' of hi- goy rilmenl had gathered out -ide. A£. ording to the 1udg ~ (outline of the facts," t n his crowd were ;about a half- oun dem nstr-.ltors with 'coveted taces." ibl {l contingent flo al ana-fehi t·, ome of whom appeared regularly at anti-Campbell prote t ' "'a mpbeH had already been given 11 rough nde earlier in the day at Ul3 • a t anoth. Ifprivate>l announcem.ent of·hi govemffl nt'. dllcatioJlQ.l poUcie and had cancelled bis appe;lrance at th Lit racy Centre. Nonethd ,member of the VPD motol;cyc1e and bicyde ~on1ingetlt' show d up in for~ Iu t ~fI p thne 0' lock, the police rtested George Feenstra for a satJlting one of the police offie ts guarding the door to th new FamTly Litera y Centre. Th Reverend eenstta 't\"3.S pe forming a. mime and \.~. adng a 'lown nose when h approached the police line. He m<\y have accidentaUy brushed an officer, The "Town was~rre cd and hauled around the C9rner to a waiting police wagon. A c.r wd had gathered d manding hi relea e. A he was being carried t the wag n, in the word of ('he judge~ the handJil1 of Mr. Feen tea wa.s forcefut more forceful, in my View. than wa either '~e or J1 c mehow hi face came lo t contact with a brick wall. Police quickly fo rmed a wedge to deal" a path through the crowd () (he lowtl cottld be placed in the wagon. Two of the- ,{>C()plc with "<;(weroo faces mQvl;!d a dtHupster jn fr(}Ul of the poli wagon. thers lhrcv.'" down nl1~L, .and still the! -about hventy-sat do, 11 in front of the poli .... agtm. fter about a half~h(tu r oftr}'ing t get p 0 lc to m.ove, the sen.ior police officer ordered them removed, S 1tI(. W r imply pi 'ke~ up and moved, oth r were ubjected to lie ~liana techniques, method designed to inflict di 'comfort or pain and ectH'C
\J .
8JH ,A N t
THE R10'rC
l{
ROCK R,JO' t<
125
the co-operation of the per on affected:' The w.agon mo d away fol~ lowed b . protester . oem the meIe(" included children. vmo joined the p-rotest when nearby choQIs were ifi mi ed and one young man, age fifteen, nded up being roughly arrest d. M nber of the crowd~ttcmpted to affect his release\ to the point of pushi n nd grabbing tha~fficenvho 'wa hoJd~ng the boy in a bat hug, reS~ltting in fu.(ther 3rte t . It isthejudge's commcnt n theis t1(~O unt wflltas emblythat re patti ularly in true lye,
f49J Onlooker to an rre t enjoy onsfitutional prote
tion in
eA'pre ing their disapproval n it, but t he protectitln doe not extend t(} conducl that threaten a tumultuou diSturbance of the peace. 1 conclude that an unlawful as rob! t9Ql v1ace ~r Britannia Community Centre on 3 Oclobecf'2oo.2, although not everyone pre ent took part in iL In the term 0 . 63(1); there were per$ons a embl d t.here who. had a common purp in the carrying ut (which they soconducte them c1 e a to c use person J) many of the a 's mbly did not confine tbemsely' to imple noisy prQt¢ t. orne threw object at police officer inducHog a can appar~,ntiy t;Onlaining a soft dl:ink., Ii bottle of water, a watet'filled baJlo n~ and pebble or one$. Some pa a;t police officer. Some pushed josd~,(t. M kicked t th m. 10 OllTe ca es me01.i>ers f the (rowd jumped onto the backs of p lice arty wa tackled nd injured whit 1a'ldng a j
13\
Cui arre·t. Some per
OQ,
~n
the c rowd scr amcd, eith r at
116
R EAJ)II'fG TH . 1UOT ACT
BRfT N 'I
I
GUN'S 1'1
no
E
/ r>u~K ROCK ~rQ1"
U7
l~rs or to the fa~s of 1 olice officer', imprecations such a "Die, pig >, Rill the pigs~" and I
coniext of all that w' going on ar lind them, ontributed to th tl\ lS nable fear that this wa an ocea ion when oppo ition to the p lice in the p rfotInance oftherr lawful dut ie ) which had alre d}f € pre ed ~tse.lf in. ~ Qme cts of viol ft C • might attt ct more.
Judge D.1. Smyth in Part 43 of his jud~ementstate : What differentiates a riot from an unlawful a sembly i that a J;iot entail an actual. tu m ultuo.u~ di turbance of the peace~ ~ herea$ an unlawful a elllbly require on1 the reasonable fear that StJ b a rij$Mhanc will erupt. At the am time. freedom of {lssembly L a fttnd\;l mentaf f r~dom ) a 31ue who e on tituti nal prot ti 11 j . not to f. only b call e tho taking part in a el bly hay; becom loud nd angry. In. oth r word > th ,d fenclants , ho were harged with participating in an unlawful assembl ' were found guHt b . u e it was rea onable to fearth po ibilityof tumuh uou di turbance. The que tion Qfwheth r there was a riot or not till remain Although no one wa!; charged with rioti ng, people areleftwith little ('llol(.:e but f ratchet 11 th action a police atte.mpt to reinstate control. 10 tlargdydue tcthirOwl'l actions. The 'udgecfcourse a nocQmment hat. ~rer to make on Campbell's pOllete so p ople are left frust~ated . lOX TH B
UN
.)
ROS.ss fiot j aMI'her C.l~ wh re there ' a dispute about
whet her there wa in fa t a riot. "$~50.000 worth of gla wa broken at Ckrll:rai Motors Place and hvo by tander: were eriously injured after the 1.1. t -minute ( tlncellation 0 a 1'0. k concert by a band ir 111 10 A.ngeles with no overt, d i~~erl'l:Jbl\
Probl m tarted whell th do t th sradium w re still.J eked ten minut . after th Goncert Wit 'uppose 1 to have t< rted. then weI: c mpounded . hen the anlloun41eruent 'Was mad that the cQncert wa cancelled. Many <> the speaker' at the different gat ·were out o · rder.so 'e"'urity guards were arced to shout above the crowd. There ,,'ere an .ut 7,500 (1 ket old for the ovemb r 2002 vent. In ddition to Orca Bay (WJl ofthe hockey palace.) securit}rguards. there were nfy nine. police on duty. "Led by the l l.~di!. llc>tlts at Gates 3.1 'HId 8, trll) crowd began shmUfttg and gULutillg Qbsr:cllely f tlle pOlice. at Otca BClY s,eeu~
rUy jofce. per;;onnel and at (elevis.ion crews. After the destr/l tiM ojpr()perLy begatt, withfn minutesevelY windowaud door at ates .. 7 tltfd 8had been 1m ken. The vandals usrd steel cmwd ~Illr<.l/ baffiers~ concrete a.htrny stands and metal newspaper vending boxe . as balJering rams. and loud cheer.' fallowed /fIe .>i1Ulshif 1g o "each pam:: oj glass:' [\
'
l>lC
lit ' Q p
·_OMIJ/..MN'l' COMt-H6 10
1
tll}t}
U ;\ lH.
BR.ITA
roT A ,T
1?-
\\rsp3pCr
a
COU.nt
nt1 the adj udicators' report from the pupil\:
hearin into. Qmplait1t$i <1g&inst two. v
D member~ provide
the written
{ xt. but the!'" \vas' mwe int¢t'l;' tin primary source, which was the V'ancolIwr P lier;; 1\klt inv 'Stigation web- pag ~ <www, ity.vanc uv r~ bc..ca! H 'efgull~*r ,. Here yOLl Ci)uld watch yjd~otape ('lithe event (Inti if)' J,I arc t • h Ip jd ntify lot J; • f(oW"evu. ac~ordlng t Ql"le 0.1'
the flket ;in charge. the riot rare comm-ilting act ?[ unl:\wfuf '
~2.
(l) E erypea
offictdsjust itled inusing<>rin Qrdering the u e ofs much fore a the peace o.ffice"! believes. in good . faith and on r ~ enable grounds, (a) is l)ece ar)' to upptes a riot· and (b) is not x e sive. having re~ ard to. the danger to be apprehend d from the continua rl.ce of the riot.
o can YOl1havea riot without having the Riot Act read? As '1'1 mO"S1 f th r1 t cited herein. it would eern s . The legal definition will seldo.m be m t in the future, but th popular ~I uge \"iIl ontinu , PUNK ROOK R 101'
l W13NT 1~0 A "pARn:
'D A .R'(OT .DRO.K£ 0
V£RSJON 0
T
lA
I , tn.t$ N RO
t
/:p
I'tK lWCK RI01'~
129
a sured the live band in ide and aU the parrygoer would an beshut down by eleven. Police were called b ck to' the house an hour later by neighbour who said the house tva I cing destr.oyed and the party had pi led into the treet. Officer attended and ca IT cl quickly for back- up due to the number of people introlved and the hostile mood of the c.row~. P~ople were cl).opping:3.( thehouse \ ith &Ke • Botti •wood. tllld tOIles were bejog thrown at poli e. Partygo rs el tire to'dcl,lrl they had piled in th street. The Emergency Respol\s Team was called and all tlot squad member n duty w re requ t~d.
Thdir reached th height of the pow: din and a tran fanner was in danger ofbeing con umed by the fire.A n e1derty woman was evacuated from her home next door and all bystanders w re remov d ftorn thearea. fter the Riot Act wa read and two minutes pa ed, officer sent teaX' g into the housand cleared the partygoers Qut. Fou r~een people w~e arrested and charged" jth mischief and/or unlawful assembly. Another fiv people arrested were relea ed without charges. I a all, the police e·sponse includ d:
25 Di trict 111re otli ers 13 o.ffi.Cf"r from ther districts
6 officer fro.tn Co.unterAtta k ) Emergency Re pon e Team members z Police Dogrnernber lJ Crowd Control nit officer 3 Delecti e1Inv figator. 9 Additional 17
tr.duty offie r '
-.s
I) OUCE.FJL£ #04-25090'3......IUOT
EPr MBBR 1...5: hou e·wre king party w~nt froll) bad t \ or e wh.en tbe V(i{lcQuver P li e Crowd Control ' nit had to becall d in . Police Jtr;,.t aU oded the party at ;l;16 P.. nth A. e. tor a noi e co.mplaint and they were
The Richmond (teMP sent five (If their tnembcr to hcll> in other art';} f ttle city. 1b:e au ouvcr Fire Departl11ent had twenty-eight fir~· fighter and S 'len trucks a( th rene. Also. Oil scene were ambuHtnce attendant and B . Hydro stafl.: There wa only one injury cepotted-a dt \)'otker wa treated fo.r expo. tire to ga .
130
READ). G Tfl' RIO '
£\.
3 Rt
't'
1he part \ a ' po ibt adve-fti do the in ternet a a house-wrecking p~rty. dra''Idng people fr m all er the city and nel.ghbollrinO' area ' .
PoJi e re also 111vestigating ante tha occuf1;ed September 2~th ~t one of the oth r hou e Tat d for demolition on adjaccltt Watson Stre t. ER [0
TWO
I
black m tal b nd DescenH n through etin th bas mentof OIl of the house inthepunkrockcompoundat1w IfthandWatson.Th threehaus ,b Ht b tween 1904 and 190~ had been purcha ed by Halborn Development and were lated for demolition. along with a couple of neighb uring n the itc. h use, or the ,pu.~pose ofbuilding a 'len-unit townh u "Knl Cops" g:raffiti atrd "Bew
teat gas (.anisft:r ,,"'ere tir.ed i nto the crowd and th riot quad cam
ighr alter bi{(,part)'. a neig'tlbourrel i
lh
tll.tngls ~\'ell
i
hicnculm"ill wd in th
p. ty house being 8-uued. IA
MlTlf PHOTO 'VA ' COUV R UN {PC ~r;Rf.J
I!,Ctt
v J
marching down Wat on Street, banging on Ihoif' hiclds, Forty peopI w re anested and held overnight while eignt were charged wHh offence r~J}ging fr III public mis' ief to unla' fu' a embly, The band got out with their equipment. 1n intervi w after the fact, the elderly woman n xl door aie> "J ,Sue th yweretoldtheycould mash-Hall."111eorganizersaidhe planned the party inten.ding to, reck the houses since they were now owned o.y -< <<(aedes corporation and they were going to be tom down anyway," He adde.d. en people got kicked out and 1 tmnl ' what happened wa people got fed up wjth the corporathmtion and gentrification of the ndghoo\lrhood.' An emplQYc<, of the- devcloper tated that ~bey had met with th ~ eft} on Friday and wert..' told two of th three houses had herita tT valu · ntI they were debating whether: they could incorporate (hem into {h~ plan. 1he next night at two in the morning. fircti.ght T were called back to the ccne and all three hou e" were- burning. Apparently there h~d been a po ti..ng on the internet that promi ed to return and finish the job,
13 2
HI' Al)lNG THI', RJ0 1' A
Mon
ay JnO rning, the city ordered' the developer
to dem It h the hous~, an overreaction. ~We
The- purty Qrganizer felt t he icc rcspon e "'-3 ,V€rt;ju$th in ,orne fu n,' It m y oot "be electoral politics, bld it $ 11 r.e to ks. like th local politiI conomy got aworkout that \.veekend, Rum UJ'S of.tlettvy dack c0came and tr)' tal mcth u b , partyg ~r$. mi)(ed Wit'll . Iconol, mayaa'V'eplayeq, u p:ut jn uO\\"d cHaos. htlt th plan e ms t() haY' !xl rI in pired by one bran h fan tclriS phil sophy. Propagand by th de.ed - 'h~rein {i\ ingl act, uch as all e a inntio.D, bombing, Qr dot t of su h larily th;)t - the p ople under tand their opp.re iOI) and the"'w kne of the OPJ)f • or" and rioe11p nd PegiJl the revolution,
CO'NCLU ION THE FUTURE O F R (OTI G
<
s 1>0 ' 0 A ' the powerful and greedt ~re \\1illiJlg to prote,," tneir ill· gotten g;lin with pl:li 1 enfQl;<;er ; ~ 'Q,ng ~s 9Ppr~'sion cootlnue$;-lO be the or-del' of blJsine~'S; aud a long;). theat i,lf rnarginahzed ~'ple, th re will continue to be rjots, Wb,enev (" -p pIe are i uslled beyond the limit r endUl'anc ) theywlU r' e up and tri k back at the in trument ofth ir oppres"i.ol)~ taking uttheir rage on the pti at pr pertyth ati at on etheird ire,a well th itnem is , ThereL ,j neffect~J)O -hot e:the ri) and powerful mu >t either d id -00 th ir ow'n to har both walth ar1d power-which eem. unUkely-or the pOQr and Oppre sed 'Will be forced to organize in -QTder to' seizo what" rishtful1 their , 'fb i al 0 QPpe-ar; highly unlikely,.A much ~'JO.('0 probable $cenad would hav!; the sodalorder remaining pretty much th am.e with pre<.ticfable re lilt . Within a tepre ntative democracy opexating on basically a oneparty . stem (capitalism) with slight shift between the left and t'ight wing a counting fo little mor than all ' ing of th burden n the poor aod dis.enfJ,llnchi d> thel" an be no other con lusion. The inter t· of cotpl!:!rate capitalism and tate capitalism ar not the intere~s of the, vast majority, The middle class is creal d and then paid off to meet the need ('Or a managerJaJ class which af 0 perform a regulatory fu'lction . 'The cap.ilaH r sy-tem requires a large) weJl-trained. and compliant middle eta as well as a large pool of cheap Jabour willing and eager to trade their unskilled labour for a hot at the bras ring ()f upward mobifit}'. It works that W3} because thats the way it work. A few on to~ Ii large stratified middle• . nd a cotlstant but otnewhat hangeablc underc1a that is used as a "ne'gative example -Doth ~l{pl ited and vildicd, teroo~ typed and valori7.ed, rt is a sy tern '(un by .cOrlScnt Oft the pan of aU parti ipants: everyone has a earty defined role and the xpectation is that ev yane should play their role without sen us c.omplaint. The rich mu t pay their
A
134
R Am
THE A10T ACT
mu t do their duty. "3nd the poor lUllst accept their lot-which often includes pri On a a regulatory device and an exam pi . Witn 55 the ofHe peated but never proven saying: "We ar all only a pay,cl1eque "\\Ia from poverty." a eful but nth: 11' untrue in,trument eoonomi ' terrorism. n i an exceeding~y deHcaf~ mechanism that oC'('.ion, Hy gets Ollt ofwh4{cl.<', hut n t. [ten, hopethatan dot(o.uldb
I.jured tieter out ide Post
ffiel:, }un«(, 19l 5.
BIBLIO GRAPHY A'b lla. I ving nn.d 1ill.ar, Da tid, iUJs. 11~ Ctmlldidn Worker iff the TIw rlttellr Cemury.. Toronto; Oxford Un-iv r~it 'Pr 5-,\918. And r-on. Ka.y J. Vatlcoltvcrs(;hil1at-own; ]{l'Icfal Di$cour'$£' tTl f-JI'/aria. 1875\ 19$Q. Mont\"! aI: M .Gill.Queen'Universily,Pte , ).99~· Brooi ~•.Steve. Bloody $undI:1Y, Van ,allYl Q9S8. aneouver- 'YQung Commu"ni,St League, Ijl74· ulban. ., Claire. N9UJ1fger BarrcdJrcmPrfso[l.; SQ~iaU-r$Ju Ike irl
o,ntreaL Black 'Rose f3ookll~ 1; 91. Klo{"penburg. nne, lJwjn -ki, Alice~ nd Jolin ' 0 11., eve. Vmrcouve l'$ Fit-$} entu?': A City Album. ' ancoQ:yer. OQugl~$ al.1d M~clnt)'J Caftaaa.
199.1-·
:Knight. Rotf. InDiaN at W'ork: .An TII/omral HiS!!)!), of tttfl'C'. fndrql1 t tlbOll r' in British Co/tnubfa, 78"s8·r93b. ~nlC9UY r, i. \V ror
Books, 1,9:$)6 . Lazarus, Morden. The Lb1lg Wi,uUng Road. Cttnadiali Labofff in Polftic$, West Vancou et: 1b Boag F~)U.ndation, 1977Leier, Mark. Rebel Lift! The Life and Tim s a/Robert O()sdrm,. Revolut.icnary, Mystic. Labour Spy. Vanc.ouV'Qr: 1 ew Star Book , 1999· I"eier, Mark Where th~Fmser River flow$': 1ftt JmJ.~.fslritilJ lVorker$ oj the World in Bril#1J Col-utubia• .ancoul)" '1': New Stat ;BQoks> 199
'ipton, C~rle . l1re Trq:dc Un/Oft Mo-v IJumt ojCcfl1adtl, 1821'1959, l'oronw; NC Press Ltd 1973Maclnnis, Gr.e . ,'. • WQodswv rPb~ A Man to R me.mber. Toronto: Ma MilJan C rnpany of Canad 1953· McDonald, Robert, A.J. and BatJnan Jean, ed. Vmlcouver Past.; Essays. in oefat History. Vancou. ·er: . niver jty of Brili h oIumbia Pre , 986. Morley. Alan, VCl-nCo.llver:- Prot1I MilltoWlf to M?lrOpofis. ancouver: Mitcl1ell Pres ,1961.
Murphy, Jennifer" and Murphy; P.J .• eds, Sente.nc $ and Paroles: A Prj (m Reader. ¥ m;(juver; New Star Book ,1~~8. Scot(, Jack Dav,ici. Four Wttlls i'-rl rh West;· The Stt>ry of the Briti; h Columbia Penit(tnft'ary. r ew W~tmin ten R,~fired Fed~tal PriSOl) Officer ' A ociation of BritIsh Colt/mbio. 1984 . Scott. Jack.. f/lutJ/leru-und '(I1Jd Profemriat, A History oj the rww in s.c.
Vancouver: ew Star ,uook ~ 1915· Stanton, jOhll. Nelier.-$ay Die1'lh-e life and Time ofa Pwneer Labour Lawyer. Ottawa; St~-el RaU Ptlblicatlons, 1987. Stohl, Michael. (\ nd Lopez~ George A~ Govemmemal Violellce I1na Repress-iotl: An Age.mla for R,cseardt. Westport: Grcenwo(~d Pre , l ( 86,
$t(uther TaJ)le -, No
!(jlllt
Press, t98}.
Sugimoto. Howa r HirQ hi. Japtl1;1es", Immigratiorr, 71le Vaneouver Riots(tnd Can4dtcl,tl Diplomacy; ev/York: ,MilO P-ress.1:979. wan, foe. A Ce~jtwy oj$e(lljr;e: 1he Val1cQtH t Polic' t886-1986• . Vancpuver: lancouver Po-lice alstotical Society and CC1J,te-nnial Muse,nm, 986. rzuh. R: n. U'nde.rgr-q:uffli Times: C(l1lada's Flower"Child Revohftiaua-rie.. 'f-Qronto: De:fl~U. 1989. J
INDEX
I
0.01, Mitton 8~
die. Matt lZl A
~ II
Bow r. morn, General Rob rt 31, 9 BrjJI, jt;>ho 50, Drilnllllin High School )~ ,Brilish Colump!u Gh'iI Llh ctti~
At~
nder, lUi. ~ Angler. Om it) 45 Angto~J pane . Treat}' fC fllll'le eand Navigation 30
BrowfJe, 1"aJor '. Bu c, Pa eJ 1()5
AI:'
c
" I,R'f(T 113
Asialic Excltl ion Lg.u 31,
" 34,37,~9
A ia P Hk E 000
lie CQ0pcraH
n
{ J'~C) 14, Z3, 24, 2.5, 110, ill. \ I ~}
113, 114 ItS, 116, 117, 11S.119, t21
•alton I SQuth·Ea'-r·
As
Asian dion' JJt A mu to Pre (!!"\'c the P~.ac .in
ancouv~
. .anadian P 'flitt'ntiaryS€rvi"ce 85
. . t;tattJ~ oflericho" 90 .B. {>cni! 'ntjacy (H.C. Pen) 75.
fJd til1 rham
ns-sa Ie .p.
l' Ida)' 6"
_...···......·····. .·z
J
Ca tl· Hotel 97 Chall, Tung 115 hretie.nl Prime Mini ter I n 11]. us, us! itiztm's Ad\risor
., , 71.78,79, 8r, 84,85
102. i 03
Camble Ground. 3 , 4, 70 . mpbell.A· dr · v Tholllpsen"T m" .93
n
U;.t trJiYo:l Repl.l bli
~
Canadian Bill of Rights 79.8
30
Ule.. e uriti;e Commis$l BaU ntyuc Pi 71
sod tlon H4
1\
41
,ofnmiUce ~b,,· . 84
't Tk p&rN. Gang 94t 9; ,R1drldg~
79 ..olh r, HonOllTlble
elL
no
U1milto of66 {;1
~28
Comn;wtl\~eal'h C-
pcrati e
Fostct; Poli e Cblef.'Colonci
W.W. 6'h71
Fedendion 6&.7'2
Communist he-t~, of can<'ldi
F I,I.r$earo1l$ Patk 89
Women" l,abQu"l.f~s~e 6 ('"o!l1lnl.ll'tifll p. rt f 'll\ud
f"()wler, .._ 33
~r~~, Hcni.ni
\
ere 76. 8l. aJ,
lflmateC()mO'litt('~
:unbaru
f)e!vnCommi ion 93 Douglas.. ~layol' C '; S1 Qntlu)l. 1.:14, llo
Nippou Ul~lyC(,)IHpany :u
7
Nfl uj Ma E ro.co~liQ'1l
6, ~h> 8
Group (NIBG) 43,45 • !"U:l AP'.£ • aJitton 113 orth 'hotelov~ttg.aU n un .
•(' Lallguag cho.o!
.,corg1il Grape
1(idd Commlttee Report 0. 6), Kieran BriaR ' 08
od S*Clj'anlbQrt'1l' 9.
King. . Uliam Ly 1\ogawa, Joy -4 KUJ)lcric '$:0
ill Ma~kenzi{\
Odlu~n, Brigudi
3S
:f, 96, 91~s!
t. Leary, Dr. 'li:motb.}< 8] LittTeY'ok<>llan1a M
113,1'2.6
CNH ridgt,fii."igna
73
E-alM' 103
Oka%aki Robe tKat 'unm On to' OUaw Trek 7) Ope.\"3lil)n OU!ilpM 90' OWI3ll,. >fay r Philip too
"Jiblll J,E. 01 Ffunumfr the Tit
Evan, rthur 7)
Hasfjna MiH
J:j
M
Pa
jfic llseu1l1 4
Par.
!"l',
Alber1 53
:1
"{ewbndapvtes" 99 l~4
F1ndlay.Ma or JaXlleS- 5'4 Fiisk.l)olice Cbicf]Qnn $I! footlQcker tOl;
LOS
,3
Partj n P.lfty 92
falkin Bowl 70 ·J3alb1lIl~n
Heahi, Mr.lu. Ui."'.tS F
4$
p
Par$ n ,Lu(W
Emerg ncyOperatfOJ\ Centl"C 10) Ell'ler.gencyR pOIlS~ 'f'¢".)111 1'29 Empil"("Stadlum 97
Y,cc r {. 61
62'
"mJ}
11' R6
]2.
Obas.an 45
4
Gleasoll Ralph J, ~ fa town $()lidarity 'mok ..In
Gt.ey lip-
o OakaUa
GCQr-gla liott"1 72-
reaL 'Peete
S«uri Cumpany go
ferkh0"9ca h $9 J9hn H~ward ocTetl' 85
Cll! E
9. {) 9'l
Casto :n Dopes fJ .1'cmmtl Motor P)1l'ce J~6 .yenetal 'trike 7
OU!\$nltlic. L'ieut nantGovernoJ' Rebert 31. ". 39 l)uthk SOQks 103
J'~pal'
4
:;isHh:n 14, .'l5, ()4, 87~
;1 136
DeomanMena 6$1 D¢pa'rlment of .atfonaI Defence <>3
feenstra, corse
,1
J
D
D:(euflatl,
0.51, 52.53. 4.55, $7,,8 lS
69,70
N
{also. WobbJic$) ;U, 4.l$. J:9, 47, 49*
Quebec (Fwl 9
79
Motllel D~. Committe
Immigration Act of1;907 31 In(lw\lrial VVMker oftlw World {IWW)
front du l.ibi."nltioo du
Conlm'Unlty ~(jh'iiJ'lg ~ C(lQper. \r t:d .'\ .Ii. 75 Qltpl.l Vile. l.30 Culhll.m~. OJ
)
Moist · 7 .Mapl~1teeSq1l3re 9 l 93
1d}
Patullo, J:iromie' Duff 61 Pc d Hub \.I.f People' »alt' I
"'t 2-
People' UIl1Ol1t .P~r k, tan ~8
11, 1I3. 116
pm!. JOt! f iUles, RarW ' udsOl'l' ~ar ~l)mpl}J)y (H Ie .Be ()rt 1m'l) 64, 8S, 89
Mctllne Tom 61
P ttipiece, Parmet r 5 Pinhead :0
liptt HOld - Jl7•.u8.119
McLeod. Dan !14
Piper, r~ Pre ' i
Mild, Roy 4 , 4~
p~ ~dL t r~t tl:t».ll1.d
iltOO) 29
Mc(.il'u, Mayor Gerald G. 15, 61, 63, 6:>, 6 , 7. 68, 71
law:n a
01l ~ari
45
\
'll<j
,.) J p.
Propnganda by the ~eed
13~
Hdda (I' A
P 1:"] , H.O,10
uharto. f.'r jdnt
lliall eof
C
Ml:it P
Se
lU•• Il6. U7
up r Maximum nit ( , IS) I
81
llUnrtiv
S"Adl, I
C'
elty
iP
43.6
71. ;'1,. 77. '~> S
98.
t~l ,n2., l h J., ll7.U , n
o. t l, 12..9 ReHer lllp )2, 6z. 6), 69 Reli -( mj' WorkeI" nion 63, 9.71 Rctnil 4. r hant~ A ochHi II 0
meric f
4
Wqm I~'S n~n~rgencyc. mmittccl id t-hl.: iogl~ VI ) nl\loyed 7'1: V 'l),nWtis LilbQj.l r t..cague 68. 9. 70 Women's lJbcr;ltoo orgia SH!light 94 Wong. Ar hUt' 56 WOlke • nit, ague
T-ayi r. WiUiam 53
rr cr G11OJl)e 13 ·
Robson freel 9, 102. 103> 1 4. 1 6
Tn
Rod
'[he •
RollingStone 14, &1.9<1 Rush, Ma)Jricc 73
'Th . Kn isht of! b l1r Z9 The RiotA<:f' ·13.1~, 6 ,66, 7,
Ilium'
WclHtlgt01'1
We te-TIl oic<' jl'i
9P
T
'f,
77
Western Opaniz
It R
\- ebster, lack
~ eague
61, ] 1
or~ia ~1raigbt
as, 89, 91. 9'?4
y
YaJetown It>8
YdJow JOl.lFllat 4
G8. 104, J 23, u&, '1.9 The Wom '
almi, Brian "GodzHla" 101, loS
,ut'
67
Trudeau, Prime Mini t r Pi rr. . 0. 89.90
'alvati n Attny .:}8.. 50, 52:, 53, 5.4 i
\ ' a Lc!
tu rlltion Patrolling 90
rat
10
kt
'hew, L('w 2.9
Sh ipping Federal i n 61, 7. SkyTrain 111
j(}Z,
t~
nidanKo, be (
lJ-llo~ i( ol
tnsu nee
2423. 8, 8, 107
'lb. rudg .0.1. t24. l.~6
tcdanl
HC)
ca~
' . Illploymcnl ReH fConl miltee 6$ nivcrsityofBrili h otumbia ( ' .)
ant
a
So71 13. 110,11 • 114 . 116.1~O, 1-4
ocialist ]>(Irty of Canada 52, -
pedal orrecfi . n lJ~l it ( .u) 79 t. John, ViIlce.nt 57 tant )'. George 9() tantc.y u hh2.3.99. 10 J .IO~, \0 tanley Park . ]Q, 8~ • tewal't, taR'
~'r
eant Hu hie
v 3t\C lwer Art
\ antouver II ard ofTmde Vanc;ouv~r Il.Ib 1 VaIlcouwr Lib ati(l\l Fr \t(v~.)
1Ml2
Zemin.n ng l)2.,1l3.H5 Zi 1 ,Qffl ct S(an ~4
RF.ADING THE RIOT ACT
i" a IX)pular··pcoplc· ..... hi ... tory that
ami rewrites the legacy of riots in Vancouver. Exploring.
n~arly
rcr~ad"
a hun-
dred years of civil unrest. the book document ... the Anti-Asian riots at the tum of the century. Depression-era and prison riots.
'IS
well as sports
and music riols of more recent ml!mory. Seeking out sources beyond official reports and media coverage. lhe author has compiled a record of participJots and ob!-.eners. allowing them to have their say. He shuns the simplistic "bad apple" expi<m
$19cD~I$15 J~ 1)6,..
1·89S636·67·'
II
I~ml
