I have been working in downtown Vancouver since 2003, and have watched Esther Short Park and the core of downtown go from a safe place to a place where I constantly have to watch my back and live in fear of my safety.
Today, ordinary people rarely enter the park during the week. For years the homeless, insane and drug addicts have sat at the park entrance harassing people, chain smoking and peeing in the bushes. Even walking around the park often feels like you are on an episode of “The Walking Dead,” people leering, lurking, and in the case of what happened to me, attacking. I called the police but no arrests were made, and the same guy wandered around the park pretending to shoot people and screaming at them.
Why does the city put so much effort into revamping and building a beautiful city, yet can’t find a way to make it safe for us? If we are really going to be spending all this money on parks, there ought to be a way to rid the city center of this nuisance that lets the few ruin it for the many. If Vancouver wants to be pedestrian and cyclist friendly, it also needs to be safe.
