Firstly, let me introduce myself. I am a mental health worker primarily serving clients from the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver, BC. Things are not good for my people on the street, for those in crowded shelters or the one’s utilizing shoddy SROs (haven’t been for a long time), and my colleagues are over-worked, underpaid, and forced to watch our friends and neighbours suffer. For what purpose exactly? Another high-cost development? Some tacky boutique that’ll go out of business in the year? Another day to fucking celebrate Chip Wilson? Ken Sim wants Vancouver to be a paradise for the rich, but (as Victor Hugo wrote) “the paradise of the rich is built on the hell of the poor.” Sim offers us more cops, more economic punishment instead of social housing, accessible mental health/addiction care, or frankly anything to benefit the working class of this city. While the NIMBYs he panders to and the corporate shitheads he obeys celebrate his turn at the helm, we endure the consequences of electing a greasy capitalist to play politician. Some, however, endure more than others.
I was inspired to write this post because I lost a client last week. He took his own life, and my colleagues had to break the awful news to me upon discovery. I had seen him the previous day, and even now I consider what more I could have done for him in that moment. His life was worth more than any million dollar condo or cop salary bump. His smile was more valuable than another chain restaurant or sports event. He deserved better than to feel hopeless in one of the wealthiest cities in one of the wealthiest countries in the world. Shameful isn’t the right word nor does it accurately cover what I want to say here. I am furious, and I want justice for him and for everyone of my neighbours who is mistreated and neglected by this system and its so-called leader. Every sweep, every disappearance, every incident of police violence, and every preventable OD is blood on the hands of Ken, his stooges, and his guard dogs in the VPD. Do you hear me, Sim? You know exactly what you are doing.
I am tired of waking up each day and fearing that another friend of mine has lost their housing, their jobs, their food security or, god forbid, their lives. Every week, I watch good folks fade mentally and physically while the wealthy of this city gorge themselves on their husks. Vancouverites like to ignore the nightmare at their doorstep, make jokes or ignorant criticisms of poverty, but the chickens are coming home to roost. You simply cannot remain blind to injustice without consequence, and baby that prosperous bubble is fit to burst. Politicians and property owners have long relied on social service professionals to be a band-aid for their failures, but this is a gaping wound and we are burnt out and fed up. I want better for my clients, for my colleagues, and for every downtrodden person in this city that bears the weight of our numerous unending crises. I work every day to improve lives, but I have nothing to offer but the sweat of my brow and a heart that beats. Considering that, I direct this to you, those with power, to actually put people over profit for once in your lives. The man whose tent you stole, the sex worker harassed by the cops, the woman suffering a mental episode or the person panhandling outside of your business are all human beings deserving of the same (or more) love and security than some well-to-do suit or prominent landlord. I implore you to examine your souls carefully from this day forward because money is but a temporary buffer, and most of us can’t be bought or fooled any longer. In conclusion, Vancouver’s citizens deserve better so be better or fuck off.
Solidarity to all my comrades struggling in Vancouver. Let us act in service of one another, and show them what real community looks like. As for you reading, thank you for stumbling on my blog and I hope to see you again soon.
Missives and Molotovs 