VANDU SHOULD FOCUS ON REAL ISSUES

To the editor:

Re: "Film crews could abandon Downtown Eastside," Aug. 21.

It's amazing to me that a pseudo-political action group claiming to
represent drug addicts, prostitutes and other social outcasts would ask
legitimate companies conducting business in the Downtown Eastside to
compensate prostitutes and drug addicts for disruptions to their "business."

Compensate a hooker because her "stroll" is part of a movie set for a day
or two? As if the hooker doesn't just move one or two streets over.

Why should people expect to be compensated for interruptions to their
illegal activity? It's like saying that criminals who get busted growing
pot should be compensated for their lost crops. Or that car thieves should
be compensated because people use car alarms and clubs on their steering
wheels.

VANDU needs to remember that drug dealing, drug use and prostitution are
all illegal. The movie companies compensate legal enterprises who are
impacted by their filming equipment, and should never feel obligated to
"reward" a hooker or heroin addict for their chosen lifestyle.

VANDU SHOULD FOCUS ON REAL ISSUES, LIKE GETTING THEIR MEMBERS OFF DRUGS, TO
help educate and retrain prostitutes and secure affordable housing in the area.

The Downtown Eastside is not unique in character or appearance, and film
companies can very easily take their business elsewhere, resulting in
hundreds of thousands of dollars being paid elsewhere.

Wren Scheidl, Vancouver