POLICE BREATHE NEW LIFE INTO THE DOWNTOWN EASTSIDE

While there may be some legitimate concerns about the new anti-drug
enforcement initiative in the Downtown Eastside, complaints about the
movement of drug dealing and associated property crime to other
neighbourhoods are simply not valid. Such complaints reflect a notion that
containment is an acceptable solution to Vancouver's drug conundrum.

For too long, the Downtown Eastside has been the dumping ground for
Vancouver's social problems. As a result, it was allowed to become a
disaster area before any substantive policies were put in place. Now, as
enforcement moves drug dealers and users beyond the confines of the ghetto
that sprang up to house them, perhaps the citizens of Greater Vancouver
will recognize it is an issue that we all need to address.

David M. Roth

Burnaby