THE RICHEST NEIGHBOURHOOD IN TOWN

The Downtown Eastside Is Booming. Civic Policy And The Illegal Drug
Industry Have Made It That Way

As a longtime resident of the Downtown Eastside, I'm always amazed at how
naive Vancouver's civic elite can be. They find new ways every election to
avoid dealing with the fundamental realities of this neighbourhood.

In recent campaign statements the candidates wistfully debate "social
housing," "economic revitalization," "harm reduction" and other politically
correct euphemisms.

The NPA's mayoral candidate, Jennifer Clarke, wants an Art Outreach for
Children program in Woodward's. That sounds like Marie Antoinette's "Let
them eat cake." Seriously, what responsible parents would ever allow their
child to be on that block of Hastings Street?

Did Ms. Clarke ever get out of her car down here? My guess is probably not.
Our best and brightest usually can't bring themselves to look the devil
right in the eye.

What difference does it make whether our junkies and crackheads are
shooting up outside the old Woodward's or inside some new Woodward's? The
neighbourhood belongs to the dope dealers. They own it. It works for them.
They are world class.

Our civic leaders, so far, aren't even in the game.

The Downtown Eastside is exactly what it was designed to be by successive
city administrations -- a ghetto.

Some of our older Chinese residents would be happy to elaborate on this. It
has been developing this way for 100 years or more, and most of Vancouver
seems to prefer it this way -- better here than in Kitsilano, or the West End.

As a result, there are only three viable economic engines left here: Drugs,
prostitution, and social agencies. The first two are booming and the latter
service the first two.

George Chow is dead right: Poor people who aren't involved in drugs no
longer fit in.

So the current reality is not about dignity for poor people. It's about the
dope business.

The combination of drugs, hookers and services has proven to be a perfect
formula for growth. The Downtown Eastside is booming, and expanding.

The Woodward's building, in case anyone missed it, is actually on the west
side. The first law of drug dealers is location, location and location.

They have the heart of Vancouver and we gave it to them. It's as if our
social planning department was being run for the benefit of the Hells Angels.

Most commentators fail to note the terrifying financial vitality of the
Downtown Eastside. Forget, for a moment, the demand-side (the users.) Think
about the supply-side (the suppliers.)

I would venture that, on any given day, more money changes hands here than
on Howe Street.

Ask any policeman who has worked vice or narcotics.

Ask Larry Campbell. He knows a lot more than he's saying. He can't afford
to frighten the voters in Kerrisdale.

The Downtown Eastside of Vancouver is the Canadian capital of the single
biggest industry in North America: Recreational drugs. Import/export.
Wholesale and retail.

We have all the Blue Chip companies in 20 square blocks: Colombian Cartels,
Asian Triads, Mafia, Russian Mob, the Hells Angels, and some Middle Eastern
groups that have yet to get names.

I've heard that well more than $100,000,000 a year moves through this
neighbourhood. Somebody correct me if they have better numbers.

It's the only unregulated, tax-free, major industry in Canada. Of all the
businesses deserving a tax break, we have elected to give the biggest to
the dope industry.

The street junkies, $50 hookers, and derelict storefronts give the
impression that this neighbourhood is poor. The neighbours may be poor, but
the neighbourhood is rich. Very, very rich. Behind this shabby curtain is a
well-oiled industrial machine of international scope.

What can we do?

We have to get real about drugs. We must become sophisticated enough to
recognize that different drugs create different problems and require
different responses.

Crack cocaine is a much more serious threat than heroin. Crack is extremely
addictive and dangerous; it can lead to violent psychotic behaviour. Zero
tolerance is the only option.

We should allocate our police resources and amend our laws to suppress the
crack trade in the most aggressive way possible.

Marijuana and ecstasy don't even register on this scale of threat.

But we can, if we chose to, take the marijuana and the heroin business away
from organized crime.

Make the suppliers play by the same rules and pay the same high taxes as
the alcohol and tobacco companies. Who knows? We could regulate them to
death. We're good at that and we know it works.

Denial of reality is not a virtue. Members of our civic elite sound almost
dainty as they discuss the "four pillars."

Perhaps it's time to roll up our sleeves, hold our noses, and deal with
this in a way that will produce real results, just as was done when a
previous generation ended Prohibition.

Prohibition produced violence and civic corruption. It undermined our civic
institutions, and we got rid of it.

This recreational drug industry (which includes alcohol and tobacco) is
permanent. It's not going away. People want it -- all kinds of people.

U.S.-style anti-drug policies have been a complete and unmitigated
disaster. If we can shift our focus to regulation and education we can, at
least, take the titillation, dark adventure, and the 1,000-per-cent profits
out of the dope business.

A lot of middle-class teenagers would never try dope if it was legal.
Where's the adventure in that?

We need a way to hold the recreational drug industry responsible for
cleaning up the mess it has created, just as we've done with the tobacco
companies. We know they have the money.

When the big profits and easy money are removed from the dope business,
problems like those in the Downtown Eastside will become much more manageable.

Then we can think about children's art classes in the Woodward's building.

Richard Patton operates a small business in Strathcona. He has lived in the
neighbourhood for almost 30 years. His work in the film industry has
allowed him to travel extensively in the U.S., South America, Europe and Asia.