stanley cup / vancouver riot

[ZACH ATTACK]

TIL that Warren's experience is universal and that facebook event pages are scientific data. The more you know.

[officespace]

[tylerp]

I'm gonna pop in and say I'm way more stoked on some passionate hell breaking loose than some people who think they're heroes for sweeping up some broken glass. it doesn't matter to me if the people volunteering are involved in other aspects, though I know that lots of volunteers and activists in victoria are involved in many multiple causes. please do not say "ok, let's break your apartment and see how you feel". but I do think that making a city "look beautiful" in parts again would not be one of my priorities.

anyone can drop the scientific data card. how many sources were cited in this discussion? most of this is just opinion spouted by people who really think what they're saying is right. but so is every internet argument. I wish we all had less faith in our own opinions.

nick, I like aspects of that article you posted, but it still has a heavy grounding in belittling the riot and praising the resistance. I'd really like to see something without any preconceived judgement. I could probably imagine anti-government riots being considered shameful by the reigning media empires and popular public opinion in certain countries. I'm sure everyone thinks that's not an appropriate comparison at all, but I think someone totally removed from our society with an objective and analytical viewpoint might get beyond "people are stupid, stopping the riot was the right thing". that article gets close to it sometimes and so far from it other times.

[grind/bro]

[Jordan f.]

One thing really pissing me off is people acting like Vancouver is the only place a sports riot has ever happened, and people who keep saying they are "completely in shock that this happened".

[SewnFlesh]

http://m.straight.com/article/399635
Brilliant article on the riots. Nail on the head.

this article irked me and I didn't have to dig to far down the comments to find one that properly expressed my thoughts about it. Really, its all a bit of an over reaction just like every other piece of media surrounding the cup finals.

posted by:

perspective
I can't believe you would scale this event as a quintessential example of a multitude of major societal issues. Not to minimize the damages done or those who were injured, of course - I do wish those people a healthy recovery, but seriously, you are certain that this sort of horrendous activity is not only an illustration of utter societal rot, but also destined to escalate? Grab a history book - there have been countless wars, cultural dominations, ruthless dictatorships, religious slaughters, and other horrors before our time, and an insurmountable many of them tower over 6/15/2011 with immeasurable size. This riot would be lucky to register as a speck on a pimple on the cheek of history. This was not a riot against tyranny, for human rights, or a revolution. It was a just-for-the-hell-of-it joyride. I agree, there are issues with society. But do you truly believe that nobody acknowledges any of this on any level? Do you think this "our world sucks for so many reasons and we must write profusely about it" attitude helps? Acknowledging problems is one thing, but 10 paragraphs on a concept such as "society is psychotic" is wallowing. Stop it. If you're truly passionate, go get your hands dirty in the improvements. I do. You make suggestions about "what if we all smiled and said hi to each other and knew our neighbours". If that's what you want, move to a town, or, do the math and realize that cities have way more people than can practically associate in the manner you suggest. These warm-&-fuzzy concepts are quaint and pleasant, but don't suggest that more of this in public behaviour would drastically adjust society such as to prevent riots, solve the social issues of today, neutralize corporatism/capitalism, or adjust an entire generation. These are immense issues you're challenging - the complexity of society makes it extremely difficult to know what will improve a matter of contention, let alone several. So yes, our society has issues. Deal with it. Do something positive about it, even if it's small. Most importantly, check your perspective. Remember that most of the society around you has warm housing, clean water, excellent access to food, federal health care, and the confidence to generally go about daily life with safety. We take many things for granted. We as Canadians have more than many people in the world have right now, and more than a huge percentage of humanity ever fathomed possible in the past. If you want to talk about acknowledgement, I suggest we all step back and tweak our perspective to acknowledge these very real, very tangible things about our daily lives. Doing so clearly exposes this article's woe-is-us drivel for what it truly is: a judgemental, stereotypical, depressing rant. P.S. Real writers don't need or use vulgarity. Try it sometime

[Rude Boy Puff]

I knew this was going to happen. The fanzone downtown was a horrible idea, the first rule in the book of riot prevention is not having lots of people in one area. To make things worse in a panic they closed bridges and stopped busses, making it harder for people to leave downtown since it has water on 3 sides. I ended up downtown out of sheer curiosity, I wanted to see what was happening first hand and for my own opinions and base my opinions off of rumors. It was a fucking warzone downtown, it sickens me that a losing sports team was justification for people essentially trying to destroy their homes and people were mostly smiling and generally happy doing this shit like it was a cute novelty. So many people posing for pictures in front of flipped cars and smashed out store fronts. when I saw fires on the block I used to live on downtown is when I decided this was too depressing and went home, shortly after I left the bay got looted. I take issue with many things directly related to vancouver and I wish people would get this heated over real issues that affect our city rather than the loss of a sports teams who plays hockey here and happens to put the cities name on their jerseys. Even the stupidest people I know can grasp the idea of not shitting where they eat.

Pretty much how I feel. I'm of the opinion that a riot can be a useful tool in affecting change, but it has to be used carefully, at the right times, and for the right reasons. This was none of those things. This was a bunch of cattle stampeding, nothing less.

I still dig the cop cars burning, and if that's my property then I give people permission to burn away.

I'm sorry this affected you so much, Puff. I'd probably feel very similar if people did this to Victoria.

So does that mean I can go stomp on the VIHC community turnip garden because its mine? I don't like turnips at all I think we should have grown carrots.
Do you ever wonder how much a crown victoria cost?
More than likely a lot. Society deems those cop cars more important than Insite, so remember that when the budget cuts come. Hey you could have a protest and burn some more cop cars! I mean it's awesome and totally progressive.

Hunter, you know what sucked a lot more than the City Assuming that a riot wasn't going to happen?
When the city assumed any time there was a gathering of people there was going to be a riot. It really sucks hearing people complain about how the police didn't come on strong enough because this will be the last time they take the passive approach for a long time and you will like the passive approach a lot better. Regardless of what level the police came out swinging the crowd was still going to get some damage done. Take this point with a grain of salt because I would have loved to be in the thick of that for a second my need for a comfortable seat for the game took precedent, but think of how many people in 100,000 were only there to see shit pop off? It just all became a self fulfilling prophecy.

Everyone with their panties in a twist about anarchists being blamed. Lets think of what the general population knows about an anarchist. An anarchist shows up to a protest dressed in black and smashes Starbucks windows. So some masked clad hooligans show up dressed in black to a hockey party and start smashing Starbucks windows you can see the math adding up can't you? Deal with that retard. Again I'm so sorry your team was misrepresented in the media.

This thread hurts my head. I'm sad my team lost, I'm sad my city burned, and I'm sad some of you smart handsome young men can be so dumb.

[officespace]

I knew this was going to happen. The fanzone downtown was a horrible idea, the first rule in the book of riot prevention is not having lots of people in one area. To make things worse in a panic they closed bridges and stopped busses, making it harder for people to leave downtown since it has water on 3 sides. I ended up downtown out of sheer curiosity, I wanted to see what was happening first hand and for my own opinions and base my opinions off of rumors. It was a fucking warzone downtown, it sickens me that a losing sports team was justification for people essentially trying to destroy their homes and people were mostly smiling and generally happy doing this shit like it was a cute novelty. So many people posing for pictures in front of flipped cars and smashed out store fronts. when I saw fires on the block I used to live on downtown is when I decided this was too depressing and went home, shortly after I left the bay got looted. I take issue with many things directly related to vancouver and I wish people would get this heated over real issues that affect our city rather than the loss of a sports teams who plays hockey here and happens to put the cities name on their jerseys. Even the stupidest people I know can grasp the idea of not shitting where they eat.

Pretty much how I feel. I'm of the opinion that a riot can be a useful tool in affecting change, but it has to be used carefully, at the right times, and for the right reasons. This was none of those things. This was a bunch of cattle stampeding, nothing less.

I still dig the cop cars burning, and if that's my property then I give people permission to burn away.

I'm sorry this affected you so much, Puff. I'd probably feel very similar if people did this to Victoria.

This thread hurts my head. I'm sad my team lost, I'm sad my city burned, and I'm sad some of you smart handsome young men can be so dumb.

dont agree with me, you must be dumb!

[Rude Boy Puff]

I knew this was going to happen. The fanzone downtown was a horrible idea, the first rule in the book of riot prevention is not having lots of people in one area. To make things worse in a panic they closed bridges and stopped busses, making it harder for people to leave downtown since it has water on 3 sides. I ended up downtown out of sheer curiosity, I wanted to see what was happening first hand and for my own opinions and base my opinions off of rumors. It was a fucking warzone downtown, it sickens me that a losing sports team was justification for people essentially trying to destroy their homes and people were mostly smiling and generally happy doing this shit like it was a cute novelty. So many people posing for pictures in front of flipped cars and smashed out store fronts. when I saw fires on the block I used to live on downtown is when I decided this was too depressing and went home, shortly after I left the bay got looted. I take issue with many things directly related to vancouver and I wish people would get this heated over real issues that affect our city rather than the loss of a sports teams who plays hockey here and happens to put the cities name on their jerseys. Even the stupidest people I know can grasp the idea of not shitting where they eat.

Pretty much how I feel. I'm of the opinion that a riot can be a useful tool in affecting change, but it has to be used carefully, at the right times, and for the right reasons. This was none of those things. This was a bunch of cattle stampeding, nothing less.

I still dig the cop cars burning, and if that's my property then I give people permission to burn away.

I'm sorry this affected you so much, Puff. I'd probably feel very similar if people did this to Victoria.

This thread hurts my head. I'm sad my team lost, I'm sad my city burned, and I'm sad some of you smart handsome young men can be so dumb.

dont agree with me, you must be dumb!

Comment had nothing to do with conflicting opinions it was directed at preconceived notions of Vancouver from people who never lived there on this board and IRL and extremely childish fuck the police attitudes.

[Hollow]

I knew this was going to happen. The fanzone downtown was a horrible idea, the first rule in the book of riot prevention is not having lots of people in one area. To make things worse in a panic they closed bridges and stopped busses, making it harder for people to leave downtown since it has water on 3 sides. I ended up downtown out of sheer curiosity, I wanted to see what was happening first hand and for my own opinions and base my opinions off of rumors. It was a fucking warzone downtown, it sickens me that a losing sports team was justification for people essentially trying to destroy their homes and people were mostly smiling and generally happy doing this shit like it was a cute novelty. So many people posing for pictures in front of flipped cars and smashed out store fronts. when I saw fires on the block I used to live on downtown is when I decided this was too depressing and went home, shortly after I left the bay got looted. I take issue with many things directly related to vancouver and I wish people would get this heated over real issues that affect our city rather than the loss of a sports teams who plays hockey here and happens to put the cities name on their jerseys. Even the stupidest people I know can grasp the idea of not shitting where they eat.

Pretty much how I feel. I'm of the opinion that a riot can be a useful tool in affecting change, but it has to be used carefully, at the right times, and for the right reasons. This was none of those things. This was a bunch of cattle stampeding, nothing less.

I still dig the cop cars burning, and if that's my property then I give people permission to burn away.

I'm sorry this affected you so much, Puff. I'd probably feel very similar if people did this to Victoria.

This thread hurts my head. I'm sad my team lost, I'm sad my city burned, and I'm sad some of you smart handsome young men can be so dumb.

dont agree with me, you must be dumb!

Comment had nothing to do with conflicting opinions it was directed at preconceived notions of Vancouver from people who never lived there on this board and IRL and extremely childish fuck the police attitudes.

Turnips were never used to protect an oppressive regime. Cop cars are. Any tool we taken away from them is a good thing. You stomp on a community garden you're hurting people's chances of survival (theoretically). You burn a cop car and you're making it more difficult for them to oppress you (theoretically). This was a false analogy, basically. One is not in anyway shape or form connected to the other.

The government isn't going to fund Insite. Being nice and polite and going along with whatever they say in some blind hope that they'll do it someday will not fix the problem. Peaceful protest is simply one tool towards changing policy. There are always other ways.

This riot was stupid. It was for nothing, about nothing, and gave the powers that be a great excuse to abuse said powers (a point I believe you and I agree on). That doesn't mean that people shouldn't riot. It just means that people should riot for better reasons.

Finally, my opinions on Vancouver are based on direct experience, not preconceived notions. I've been there, I know quite a few people who live there, and I've seen how that city works first hand. My opinion is certainly not as informed as someone who's lived there, but it is no less valid. It's also certainly more positive than you think it is.

I'm sorry that you're upset, but I'm also not going to sit back and be called stupid. I've spent waaaaaay too much time reading books in order to pick up chicks to accept that.

I hope this makes sense, I'm drunk and upset at the moment (my being upset has nothing to do with this thread).

[Rude Boy Puff]

You may embed only 5 quotes within each other.

Burning a cop car makes it no harder for them to oppress people. Not only are they replaced immediately to the cost of over 30,000 dollars out of our pockets, there existence is more justified then before you torched it in the eyes of the general public, and the new one is better equipped to oppress you then the last one. Burning a cop car is a childish reaction to something you feel powerless against. I don't doubt burning a cop brings a warm and fuzzy feeling to the dime store revolutionary, but very ineffective to the struggle.

Why do I always have to defend the police on here? This is bullshit and where's the kid with the snake bites to call me a bacon lover?

[Hollow]

You may embed only 5 quotes within each other.

Burning a cop car makes it no harder for them to oppress people. Not only are they replaced immediately to the cost of over 30,000 dollars out of our pockets, there existence is more justified then before you torched it in the eyes of the general public, and the new one is better equipped to oppress you then the last one. Burning a cop car is a childish reaction to something you feel powerless against. I don't doubt burning a cop brings a warm and fuzzy feeling to the dime store revolutionary, but very ineffective to the struggle.

Why do I always have to defend the police on here? This is bullshit and where's the kid with the snake bites to call me a bacon lover?

hahahahah I am way too drunk right now to respond to this. Come to my house and party with me, you fucking bacon lover. I don't care what you believe, I just want to hang out.

[ZACH ATTACK]

The point of burning cops isn't to magically stop cops from existing. The point of burning a cop car is to allow people who have been systematically ignored to show their outrage. I agree that wasn't the case in vancouver, but to completely write of the act in all circumstances and ignore the politics behind it is short sighted at best, dangerous at worse.

I'd agree with you that the average person associates anarchist with people dressed in black smashing starbucks windows, but this wasn't the case in vancouver. It was people in blue and green canucks jerseys smashing starbucks windows. The only reason anarchists are being mentioned is because nobody wants to addmit that it was their kids fucking shit up and its so much easier to blame it on a mysterious other.

[xJohnnyx]

I think Zack wins this thread. Although it was a valiant effort by the rest of you!

[Rude Boy Puff]

The context the police chief used didn't give the impression he was pointing his finger at the more political use of the word anarchist. "criminals, anarchists and thugs" Using the original definition of anarchy would be somewhat accurate. Tiresome semantics. "Criminals, thugs, and water polo stars"

Burning a cop car may show your outrage, but it also rallies popular opinion against your cause. How are you ever going to effect change without popular opinion?

The sentiment that WTO and G20 were "better riots" because they had purpose is flawed. The general public gave their support to the poor minimum wage star bucks employee sweeping up the glass and feces and payed no mind to any of your slogans. I would rather see hockey bros smashing windows that's what you expect of hockey bros. Violence maybe the way to get the world you want, but you are gonna need to bring more weapons then steal toed boots when smashing the state. That is a different argument though.

[Rude Boy Puff]

[xJohnnyx]

hmmm...or maybe uncle puff wins...

[Rude Boy Puff]

[Jordan f.]

[Rude Boy Puff]