Vancouver riots much like Montreal

I've been reading more in the newspaper about the rioting in Vancouver after the loss of the game. Heck I even checked out a "conspiracy theory" video about the riots on Youtube. Here's my take on it:

On the first couple of nights they had the giant screens downtown Vancouver the police and security managed to keep the amount of people entering the area under control and the area securely cordoned off. On the night of the riot, a large number of youths rushed one of the entry points and managed to get in. Once one of the entry points was breached, they opened  all the others because people need a place to leave from, if people just pour in.  Obviously it was handled poorly.

Once one of the gates was breached, people should have been warned.   The conspiracy buff thinks they did it on purpose to create a riot situation. I don't think so. Perhaps fact the previous nights were more quiet, security got more complacent, less well coordinated? Stranger things have happened.  Sometimes it's the ego of people who lead the teams that cause lack of teamwork and coordination between the various police forces used.

If there's one thing I've learned living in Montreal, it's to sniff the riots before they happen. I really have a strong aversion to angry mobs. You would think most  people do right? However I know some seem drawn to being part of a mob, especially a rioting one.  I stay well away from them if I can help it. So whether or not I care about hockey or watch hockey, I generally know when the Montreal Canadians play in playoffs to avoid downtown Montreal those nights like the plague. 

I can't say I know what prompted me not to go to the Metallica/GnR concert in 1992 that turned nasty, because I was a huge fan of both.  I also avoided the mob at the Genesis concert at Jarry Park in 1982,   because I was sitting at the far end of the park nowhere near the stage or stadium for that matter. I'd already seen Genesis at the Forum earlier that year and didn't have budget to see them again, but I figured I could listen for free.  That kept me away from crowds and problems.

I mean if there's something predictable it's the rioting after hockey games. The Canadians don't even have to be playing at home for it to happen either. I remember when I was living in a triplex in RDP,  in 1986 that year the Canadians won the Stanley cup. I remember the night well it was quite warm out so the windows were opened. I was watching the game, neighbours were cheering so loud. By the middle of the 3rd period many of them poured out into the streets and into their cars. Some just drove around the neighbourhood honking and cheering and making noise, others went downtown and joined what became the riot of 1986.  I didn't need to be there to know it was going to happen. Perhaps it's because 5 of Canada's hockey riots happened in Montreal.  The remaining ones were 2 in Vancouver and one in Edmonton. Here's a list. Out of the 5 that happened I was an adult for 4 of them.

I know that for the duration of the playoffs, each night the Canadians played, large number of police was deployed in the downtown core in 2011. I also know  when Montrealers rioted in 2010, many of them were found via photos and videos taken from cellphones by other people in the crowd.  I've been reading many people who are against this policing by social media. It's funny too, because some of them who are adamant that it's not cool to tell on your friends to the cops or to tell on anyone to the cops using photos and videos on your cell phone, are the same people who support the protesters in Syria against the regime and support their use of the photos and videos taken from cell phones.  Which leads me to think that a percentage of people here who support the Syrians are just supporting them to be anti authority and anti police and not really pro-democracy? Just pondering out loud here.

I wonder how those same people are enjoying their tax dollars go up in flames each time a kid decides it's a good idea to torch a police car?  I don't think throwing them in jail is the solution either. You just turn them more criminal.  No you torched a police car? That's a bill for 50k [Or whatever the cost is for the car that was damaged]. You can pay it up front if you have that kind of cash, you don't well, now you have car payments for the next 5 years.   Put them all to work to pay for what they destroyed.  Was going to school full time ? Sorry, now you're working full time on restitution.

One comment I read on one of the news articles I read said "What's the big deal? The stores affect just collect from their insurance. No one got killed".  No.  But again they need to be held accountable. Besides it's reasoning like this that made my insurance bill 30% steeper this year. 

There has to be a fine balance. Vancouver was screaming not too long ago that their police were too aggressive. Now as an aftermath of this riot Vancouver is screaming their police is too passive. We have also been screaming in Montreal recently after that innocent bystander was shot by police, and should they have been shooting in this situation? Lets not forget how at the G20/G8 event, they were arresting Quebecois to prevent them from doing illegal things? Last I checked going to protest an event is not illegal.  That was a horrible abuse of power right there. Read more.

Somehow the police force has to be able to anticipate riot creating events, such as hockey games for us crazy Canucks, and deploy enough men and use just enough reasonable force to keep large groups of people from turning into a rioting mob, without themselves turning on the people.  Such a fine line between a police state and a lawless state...