Press release: “No Dual Process, no eviction”: residents respond and state bad faith communication by Park Board

Unceded xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Swx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlil̓ilw̓ətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) territories, March 12, 2024

Residents have asked for “no dual process” for the proposed large-scale cleanup and eviction of CRAB Park tent city. There is an active Human Rights Complaint currently underway, which documents bad-faith communication as one of the service areas in the complaint. That complaint must be resolved before engaging in any other so-called consultation, eviction and move of the three-year old tent city,

Last week residents presented a petition signed by almost every resident, listing 30 points of feedback and four key requests. Eight residents and supporters attended the March 7th Park Board meeting held at CRAB Park, reiterating many of the points and requesting responses.

• Any discussion or process around the proposed move should wait until after the Human Rights Complaint is resolved
• Residents must be supported to do the clean-up themselves, rather then the city or parks staff (ie access to dumpster, transportation for metal recycling, payment for peers, provided with gravel, etc)
• Don’t move everyone out at once, and don’t put any belongings into storage
• There must be a detailed written agreement signed by all parties and their lawyers

There have been about 20 bi-weekly resident-led clean up days over the past year, and one planned for this week. Residents are concerned that any Park Board clean up will result in homes and belongings being lost and destroyed. On January 25, 2024, three inhabited tents were destroyed by the Park Board. A compensation request to the City remains unresolved.

“There’s a pattern here. Belongings were bulldozed at Strathcona Park in 2021, and in Prince George tent city in 2022. Fencing, removal or limitation of belongings, lack of real acted-upon feedback and input, secretive planning — this is all part of carceral state responses to homelessness and housing precarity,” says CRAB Park advocate Fiona York.

The recently released report from the Federal Housing Advocate strongly stresses the need for consultation, participation, and non-coercive communication. The requests for “feedback” from the Park Board were made with police presence, and received no responses to date.

Residents have attended weekly meetings, sent the petition and list of feedback, and also responded to rangers’ requests for feedback. Three letters have been sent by legal teams and supporters with further requests for information and answers. No clear answers to those messages have been provided to date.

On February 22 and 29, the Park Board made references to a “report” or feedback from Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) as the reason for the large-scale cleanup and move. However, VCH has made it clear that there is no report or order, and the “clean up” is being driven by the city and Park Board.

Other feedback from residents includes:

• let us (residents) just do the cleaning ourselves — we’re already working on it anyway
• suggestion to do the cleaning in sections, moving people out in sections and then moving them back in
• stop sending groups of rangers into the park multiple times a day for “feedback” it’s invasive and stressful
• this is not an appropriate time, since we already have a Human Rights complaint
• give more room (for the camp)
• if you’re clearing out the camp anyway, can you put in electricity and plumbing while you’re at it?
• you’re asking leading questions. You never actually asked me what I thought or if I agreed or not
• it’s very coercive to have cops accompanying the rangers to “get feedback”
• you’re imposing unlawful restrictions not provided for in the bylaw or general manager’s order designating the peninsula through the guise of this “clean up”
• there’s indignity and anxiety in having belongings taken into storage (and it is not clear what residents can take to the new temporary designated area)
• don’t trust the “storage” idea

There are currently about 40 tents at CRAB Park.

Media etiquette: Please remember that a tent is a home and be respectful of personal space.

Media contacts

Fiona Y, advocate 604–251–6164

Ryan S, supporter 778–668–1645

Larry C, resident 672–667–9641

Michelle G-C, (médias francophones), 604–817–7668