This post has been reviewed by the Vancouver Media Co-op editorial committee.
VIDEO about Direct ActionPoverty posted on August 12, 2010 by stimulator
What goes up must come down
An group of about 20 people tore down the newly erected fence around Grandview park on Commercial Drive. The barrier was installed to mark the beginning of a year long redevelopment project, a project that many local residents oppose. Despite reports of heavy police presence that evening, the cops could not get there on time to stop the action. At least two people were arrested.
Catch the news as it breaks: follow the VMC on Twitter.
Join the Vancouver Media Co-op today. Click here to learn about the benefits of membership.
The site for the Vancouver local of The Media Co-op has been archived and will no longer be updated. Please visit the main Media Co-op website to learn more about the organization.
Comments
WOW
WOW, This is funny. I have lived on the Drive for 10 years and this totally does not surprise me.
This park totally should be upgraded, but o know that cant happen. why because the minority of people, most that don't even live near this park think the MAN is trying to screw them.
Yup by fixing up a park the government is totally trying to screw people over. take away a protest center (there are plenty of other parks in the area), push people out of the park (yup still lots of other parks in the area).
God forbid they improve the water, redo the tenens courts (great to bike polo), upgrade the playground, and maybe even make the grass area nice.
The people that messed with the fence are totally right. DOWN WITH PARKS, DOWN WITH IMPROVEMENTS, DOWN WITH BETTER GREEN SPACES!!
Cant wait till the government dares to improve child care maybe we can burn a day care down or something that will teach them!
HAHA
Mike
Yes!
Awesome and inspiring! Tear that shit down!
Oh.and shall I just ignore Mike's ignorant posting? NOT!
Mike dude. You have no clue about this whole situation. I suggest you actually take some time (I know it's hard since your so busy being a ______) and figure out the history and facts.
FACTS
1. Allowing the park go onto disrepair. (yes, so brilliant a 2nd grade douchebag could come up with that, but we allow asses on the parks board, as well as the operational staff, make that one up)
2. Shady business deals regarding the contracts for this so called "upgrade", or "redevelopment".(no big surprise since this is "business as usual")
3. "CON" sulting whom? (CONsulted with all sorts of greedy, gentrifying, NIMBY loving, heterosexist and oppressive #%$@*)
4. This IS the kicker. The Vancouver Parks & Recreation is the arm of the gentrifier team at the Shitty of Vancouver. I have seen this first hand with Oppenheimer Park (yes - they have been doing this a long time) being closed for over a year (much longer than we were told & totally on purpose), when in fact, the upgrade was so slow and painful (much of the park was untouched) that now the park is a ghost of it's former self. Sat empty for months with 1 person working on it. Oppenheimer is an example of the bullsh*t from the Shitty Of Vancouver gentrifiers and greedy crapitalists. Certainly this had much to do with the greedy gongshow ripoff Olympics.
Mark my words. (and this truly is not just for the dork Mike's benefit) That Grandview Park will be closed way longer than they propose and it is totally strategic by the assh*le gentrifiers, greedy NIMBY's and just plain ol' popo "system" lovers alike. GP is the heart of Commercial Drive, where drifters, anarchists, punks, rockers, hippies, weed smokers, booze lovers, space people, street sellers and just basically ALL WALKS OF LIFE - could enjoy this wonderful space that was totally mismanaged (on f*ck*ng purpose) by the Shitty of Vancouver.
WHO'S PARK!?!?
►
Tami
When they did the last
When they did the last round of "improvements" to Grandview Park, it was at the ongoing request of new yuppies in the area. People were saying stuff like "ZOMG our children cant play in the park!!!" when on literally any given day you would find dozens of kids playing freely, unencumbered by the apparently overwhelming presence of hand drummers, merchants and anarchists.
This "redevelopment" is nothing more than part of the ongoing attempt to "clean up the park". Many folks see that for precisely what it is and are not lured by the promise of prettier flowers or I don't know, maybe another copshop?
not just 'all sorts of greedy, gentrifying, NIMBY loving, ...'
actually, EVBP, which consists of people from quite a few different economic levels and backgrounds, has been very active in the process. now i'm not gonna go on and on about how wonderful and transparent the vancouver govn't is, but at least in this instance they have been extremely responsive to the concerns that we have raised. as a result, the new court that is going in will reflect a great deal of input from the polo community and will continue to serve as a great home-base for one of the best polo clubs in north america.
IMBY
I too am going to miss the use of my favourite public place in East Van - my Saturday living room. Bring on the renovation, I want it In My BackYard.
I find it extremely irritating to find that the parties opposed to the renovation at Grandview consistently get their facts wrong and speak inarticulately regarding the issues.
I wouldn't mind Tami elaborating on the shady deals for consultants and contractors that were rewarded contracts to complete the renovation. The process involved a typical Request for Proposals and Tender Process that is part of just about every contract for development that happens - anywhere.
With regards to consulting, the parks board had three open houses that were packed - a rarity for such an out-dated urban planning process. Though the meetings weren't overly informative, a group of us took advantage of the opportunity to forge relationships with staff working on the project and were able to get what we wanted out of a Grandview Park renovation: a bike polo court. This is designated as a multi-use court that we also hope will bring more young people into the park. Other features, will also provide programming inviting new groups of people into the park, for example skateboarders.
As James mentioned, East Van Bike Polo is a diverse group of people, from minimum wage labourers to business owners, artists, social workers, professionals and students.
If you were so concerned about the process and the renovation, where were you during the consultations? You certainly weren't verbal or apparent then. Only after the consultation process did your messages start appearing and only now, when the fences go up and the reality of a six month closure are in your face are you getting attention. By the way, tipping over the fences on a regular basis is the one major thing that is going to delay the park's reopening. Nice work.
CJ
oh really?
i'm so tired of people saying oppenheimer park has been gentrified.
yes the renovation was incredibly slow and it's ridiculous that the park was shut down for a year.
but is it gentrified?
i had never seen children at oppenheimer and now there is space for them.i love seeing children getting to play at the park and to have the park used by many generations of people. there are still soup/food kitchens feeling the people of the neighbourhood daily and i only see local people hanging out at the park.
where is this gentrification that people bitch and moan about?
creating space for children? feeding people at the park? the locals still hanging out at the park?
the park looks better and is more functional for the community. how the hell is that gentrification?
grandview park is due for a renovation. it needs to function better for the community. it sucks that they choose summer to close the park down. they could have waited till a later time in the year when the park is not in full use.
people will scream gentrification but i can guarantee that it will be the same people using the park.
Yes, the Parks Board had
Yes, the Parks Board had 'public consultations'.......despite the fact that the project was already approved. So the premise of these three meetings was not, do you want the re-development of the park, it was how do you want it done?
The city has not maintained this park on purpose, so of course when the proposal of 'making it better' comes along all types of people jump on board. The problem many people take with the re-development of the park isn't about making a nicer park for all people to enjoy, it is about making a definite statement that some people are undesirable in 'our community'
Also contrary to the previous statement, people did attend the farcical public consultation process from an anti-development standpoint. Some folks had no idea they were happening, and some people felt that it didn't really matter if they went at all. This do not preclude these peoples opinions or involvement in the community. I find it highly offensive to imply that because people do not have the free time or resources to be involved in an organized sport group and present their wants in a bureaucratic dance that they should shut the hell up. How many Indigenous faces did you see at these consultations, despite the fact that it is UNCEDDED NATIVE LAND,
Grandview is the only green space right on the drive that people can hang out without having to buy something, and they closed ALL OF IT mid summer. The "Friends of Grandview" who are a group of homeowners involved in the re-development of grandview, first attacked the chili wagon (a free food serving occurring in the park) and moved onto cleansing the entire park.
We are not angry about a new play ground, or a waterpark. We are angry about the gentrification of OUR neighborhood, the displacement from the drive and the community itself with the fancier business', the higher rent, less free communal space. This is what I'm fighting for, a community that doesn't shit on some for a new bike polo court or higher property values, not just a park.
cosmic Tami - interesting
cosmic Tami -
interesting take. can you explain your points 2 thru 4 in more detail? i didn't really understand number 1, so lets just leave that one.
number 2: shady business? do explain! lets hear the goods.
number 3: pretty sure the park board CONsultation included several public meetings, that were um.. public. did you attend?
number 4: why did they leave oppenheimer closed "on purpose"? what negative results from the upgrade have you seen since reopening?
thanks - best of luck.
phil
Anything better? No? shut up then!
Hi,
To all you perpetual complainers: do you have an alternate proposal for the park?
Whether the Parks board has neglected the maintenance "on purpose" (City of Vancouver as nothing to do with how the Parks board sets priorities, by the way) is based on anything else than drug-induced hallucinations , we'll never know. But the fact that the park needs some renovation, that's undeniable.
Some of you are seeing gentrification plots everywhere, but I ask you: what's wrong with gentrification to begin with? What's wrong with some people wanting to live in a clean, safe neighborhood? I, for one, can't see anything wrong with it.
Whether you are able to afford to live in a particular neighborhood is 100% your own responsibility. We all make life choices at some points, but we also need to accept the consequences of these choices. I don't profess to be particularly "capitalist" (in fact, I agree with most of Che's teaching), except that I expect people to work for their living, and then live according to their means. I work hard, but I understand that I may never be able to live in Point Grey because it's an expensive neighborhood. Does that mean that if I can't afford to live there, it's a form of social injustice?
Stop complaining about everything and start working towards realizing your goals. Nothing is easy in this world, and I can't certainly blame people who succeeds for their success. Nor can I blame people for wanting a nicer neighborhood. I can only work harder to achieve my goals, whatever they are, and make the necessary sacrifices to attain them.
Geez... these are completely foreign concepts for so many people: hard work AND sacrifices...
Imby:Blah blah blah here we go again,GP is native land.Wake up.
"if you were so concerned about the process and the renovation, where were you during the consultations? You certainly weren't verbal or apparent then. Only after the consultation process did your messages start appearing and only now, when the fences go up and the reality of a six month closure are in your face are you getting attention. By the way, tipping over the fences on a regular basis is the one major thing that is going to delay the park's reopening. Nice work.f you were so concerned about the process and the renovation, where were you during the consultations? You certainly weren't verbal or apparent then. Only after the consultation process did your messages start appearing and only now, when the fences go up and the reality of a six month closure are in your face are you getting attention. By the way, tipping over the fences on a regular basis is the one major thing that is going to delay the park's reopening. Nice work."
No need for another fucken idiotic redundant lecture about how democratic city hall is, the same fucks who pandered to the big-wigs during the Olympics, and the same hypocritical mayor ROBBERson who ignorantly believes he can count the homeless and save their pitiful asses while at the same time enable gentrification of Mount Pleasant until the dispossessed all magically go away. Not.
Listen up good.This action is part of a world-wide resistance to capitalism, demonizing the poor, gentrification(ie. redevelopment), erasing the dispossessed from public sight, criminalizing dissent,and is in solidarity with other such actions occurring around the world. Get it ? Tearing down a f%%%%%%n fence will not slow down a damn thing, but does send a clearmessage that the resistance will never die just because some namby-pamby sheep slaves believe that community consensus can magically transform well-informed, educated resistance movements.