After a violent attack on Granville street, Mayor Kennedy Stewart issued a statement calling for reform for “prolific offenders.”
Four people were injured in a machete attack on Granville Street on Saturday night and the mayor thanked first responders for the work they did. He also offered some suggestions on how to combat the rise of violence in the city.
Many have taken to social media to respond to the mayor’s statement, calling out the timeliness of the statement, and asking what action Stewart will actually take to combat these types of violent crimes in the city.
Councillor Sarah Kirby-Yung suggested that the only reason the mayor put out a statement at all is due to the proximity to the next mayoral election which she points out is only 68 days away.
Because it’s 68 days to the election. There was no concern for public safety over the last four years.
— Sarah Kirby-Yung 楊瑞蘭 (@sarahkirby_yung) August 8, 2022
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Since the pandemic, there have been lots of very serious violent crimes in the city, including random attacks that have led to homicide.
Stewart suggests the reason behind these crimes is due to “an under-resourced mental health and justice system that endangers the safety of the community, first responders and law enforcement.”
Some of the responses to the mayor’s statement include members of the community pointing out that Stewart suggested just months ago that Vancouver was safe.
Stewart tweeted that Vancouver was one of the safest cities in the world back in January.
Headlines about crime are scary. And some politicians want you to feel scared.
But let me be clear: Vancouver remains one of the safest cities in the world.
That’s thanks to $1M/day in police funding, work to tackle homelessness, and expanding mental health + additions care.
— Kennedy Stewart (@kennedystewart) January 20, 2022
You said all was safe in Vancouver a few months ago.What changed? Oh yeah, election on Oct 15th. Your actions and policies, has created this. Don’t blame the province, you have endorsed their approach for your entire term. A new mayor Oct 15 is needed if there is to be change.
— InconvenientData (@InconvenientDa5) August 8, 2022
Not so safe after all is it? You’re an utter embarrassment
— Madmardigan (@CommunityLastNW) August 8, 2022
Let’s see @kennedystewart; in the past few weeks, we’ve had a man randomly stabbed & killed, a woman randomly set on fire and a police officer randomly struck with a weapon while sitting in his car with his window down. Does #Vancouver still feel safe to you? #VanPoli
— Melissa De Genova (@MelissaDeGenova) August 1, 2022
Like Kirby-Yung, others are also suggesting that the timing of the mayor’s comments is convenient.
Must be an election year.. You have had 3 yrs, and 10 months to support the front lines. Better late than never doesn’t work in this case
— Conky (@bdc1865) August 8, 2022
Ken Sim will likely be running against Stewart in October’s civic election and he also had a lot to say about the current Vancouver mayor’s statement. He started by calling the statement “frustrating and disingenuous.”
He ended by saying “Vancouver needs a new Mayor, it’s time for a change.”
This spawned further commentary about Stewart, including a tweet reply with someone who suggested that “he is an armchair activist hack who tweets for a living while the city has regressed under his watch to the point that the weekend’s chaos is hardly surprising anymore.”
When it comes to reform on how prolific offenders are being treated by BC’s judicial system, Attorney General David Eby did announce a plan to try and combat career criminals. Stewart did not mention this in his statement.
Needless to say, the upcoming civic election will be a contentious time in Vancouver.