Tent City 2006

Spring is in the air in Victoria. Bicyclists are knocking pedestrians off of the sidewalk. Geezers are counting flowers to boost the tourist trade. Vendors are polishing their plastic Mounties. What tells me that Spring is imminent? Protestors are practicing their civil disobedience tactics. As we drove by Vancouver & Pandora, we saw a number of slackers in mock handcuffs practicing rolls and maneuvers to free themselves when chained up by police.

These guys are all ready to fight the Power, the Man, the Establishment. Where were they a month ago? They were sitting comfy in their homes afraid of the harsh Victoria “Winter.” It’s amusing that while they hate Order, almost every one of the protestors is on welfare. While welfare pays a pittance, if these guys can’t stand the man, why do they show up for payday?

I saw a bill posted on a telephone pole that called for people to gather at St. Ann’s again on Feb. 26th. Great. This will begin the spiral: these riff-raff and their dogs will overtake and ruin the grounds of a public park. While The Man is the threat, these guys are keeping me out of one of my public spaces. While I should protest the Establishment that organizes emergency services and roadwork; it’s these guys that are leaving spent hypodermics and broken wine bottles on my property. These guys aren’t standing up against injustice: they’re the source of problems. We’re overrun with a false sense of entitlement. People think they have the right to get more out of others. When street people hold their hand out instead of rolling up their sleeves, it comes from the idea that they deserve free money and free food.
Now that docile weather is returning, they are ready to set up camp again at St. Ann’s Academy. They will gather with tarps and dogs and couches; drugs and booze and a mislead sort of rage. Why are they camping at St. Ann’s? Why are they practicing their rights to sleep outdoors there? Close to the downtown core, they are nearby soft touches for handouts. This is why you won’t see them out at Goldstream Park: it’s too hard to get to the liquor store from there. If it’s hard, these new age anarchists won’t do it.