Insite Concert Cancelled by Cops; Vancouver

Permits for benefit featuring Bedouin Soundclash rejected:?Police
MARIA COOTAUCO, METRO VANCOUVER
Friday, October 24, 2008

A free concert that was to be put on by Bedouin Soundclash last night in front of the Insite clinic in the Downtown Eastside didn’t happen after police say event organizers didn’t have proper permits to put on the show.

“The city had declined a permit that was requested by the group,” Const. Jana McGuinness said last night. “The city is concerned that pedestrians or motorists may be unduly put at risk by the event.”

The band’s lead singer, Jay Malinowski, called the end to the show “unnecessarily aggressive for something that is a humanitarian cause.

“They took $40,000 worth of sound equipment and threw it away … We wanted to play. We’re here to play. We had all the permits.”

Outside, at the corner of East Hastings and Columbia streets, dozens of police in riot gear stood on the street as people crowded on the sidewalk in front Insite.

“I think it’s pretty wild,” said Lindsay Kasting, 22, of the scene.

“You don’t have a permit for a demonstration. I think it’s out of proportion how (police) reacted.”

According to Kailin See of Insite for Community Safety, the non-profit organization that put on the $10,000 event, police were contacted about the concert well in advance.

“We were absolutely ignored until 24 hours before the event when they just swarmed down upon us with unbelievable pressure to stop it,” she said.

“Traffic barricades (were) thrown out. Sound equipment (was) mishandled, thrown out … We are a charity. We’re not rich. We really dug deep into our pockets to make this event happen.”

No2010 Note: Insite is a safe-injection site in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver that enables addicts to access clean facilities while injecting drugs. It is claimed to have saved many lives and to have helped limit the spread of infectious diseases. It has been the target of government and police slander, who oppose its existence on ideological grounds.