Daily random attacks in Vancouver prompt calls for housing and mental health supports
'We're hearing a lot from residents who, themselves or their families, have suffered or been victims of crime'
From a stabbing inside a downtown Tim Hortons, to a '40-minute crime spree' on Vancouver's West Side, city officials say safety concerns over the number of recent unprovoked stranger assaults are pouring into city hall — along with calls to provide more housing and mental health supports for vulnerable residents.
Hundreds of residents signed onto a city-sponsored virtual public safety townhall on Thursday that was held in response to the attacks. Coun. Sarah Kirby-Yung said about three-quarters of participants reported growing concerns for their personal safety.
"We're hearing a lot from residents who, themselves or their families, have suffered or been victims of crime or they're just really worried about their own personal safety," said Kirby-Yung, one of three councillors who hosted the meeting.
The Vancouver Police Department says there are more than four unprovoked stranger attacks in the city a day, according to a police review of reported assaults between Sept. 1, 2020 and Aug. 31, 2021.
Police say they took on the analysis following what appeared to be an uptick in random assaults. However, there is no data available from previous years to confirm a surge. Total reported annual assaults in Vancouver have ranged between 3,921 and 4,608 over the past five years.
Over the last few months, we've noticed what appears to be an uptick in unprovoked stranger attacks, so we asked our strategic researchers to take a deep dive into the numbers.<br><br>What they found is concerning: over four people a day are the target of a random, unprovoked assault.
—@VancouverPDMental health supports
Vancouver Coastal Health addictions adviser Guy Felicella was among keynote speakers at the recent townhall and says he was alarmed to hear that many residents attribute the issue to the city's homeless crisis.
"That to me is so far from the truth," said Felicella, who has overcome his own challenges with addiction to become an advocate for people living with economic and mental health challenges.
"I don't know who's doing random attacks, but it's highly unlikely it's people who are homeless. They're just trying to do their thing, day by day, to survive," he said.
Felicella says the assaults are a symptom of wider challenges surrounding a lack of supports for people struggling with mental health, addiction and housing insecurity.
"It's really challenging to go through life and try to feel supported and not getting any," he said. "You're carrying a tremendous amount of shame and guilt, self-hatred and low self-worth ... it comes to a bubbling point where you just lash out, and it's often out of character."
Following Vancouver's virtual town hall, organizers say they're taking what they heard to the province to advocate for more supports, including a push for improvements to the supportive housing model.
Be aware of your surroundings
Simon Fraser University criminologist and former Delta police officer Rick Parent says social division and isolation, partly rooted in the pandemic, are also likely factoring in to recent incidents.
"We've become a bit depersonalized in engaging others," he said. "When the pandemic happened, we know that people have put on sunglasses, they've put on masks, they've put on hoodies, and they've even looked less at other individuals ... and that adds stress to the mental health of other individuals."
Parent says people should remember that it's a very small subset of the population committing offences. However, he says, it's also necessary for people to be mindful of their surroundings.
"At the same time, there are people that will look at us as a target," he said. "When you look at someone, you engage them or you smile, and you're aware of your surroundings. That reduces the opportunity to be victimized."