Protesters continue blocking traffic on Georgia, Dunsmuir viaducts
Posted June 13, 2020 11:23 am.
Last Updated June 14, 2020 6:26 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) — A blockade of the Georgia and Dunsmuir Viaducts that began Saturday morning has lasted 36 hours, and seems set to continue overnight.
The demonstration is in support of Black Lives Matter, and began early Saturday.
A large sign saying “Hogan’s Alley Survival” references the fact that when the Viaducts were built, Vancouver’s Black community was displaced.
“Hogan’s Alley was the unofficial name for Park Lane in Vancouver’s Strathcona neighbourhood. The alley ran between Union and Prior Streets from approximately Main Street to Jackson Avenue. Hogan’s Alley was home to Vancouver’s Black population,” explains the Hogan’s Alley Society website.
“Fifty years ago, the construction of the Georgia and Dunsmuir viaducts displaced this diverse immigrant enclave.”
The society said it supports the blockade.
NEWS 1130’s Kareem Gouda spoke to protesters Saturday evening, where several dozen people had signs that read “Black Lives Matter” and “Defund the VPD,” as all of them are wore masks and remained physically distant.
The Black Lives Matter Vancouver chapter has a list of demands, chiefly that police be defunded, and public money be poured into social supports like child care and mental health intervention.
On Saturday Gouda said he hadn’t heard from anyone who plans to leave.
“I’ve talked to a few people who said that they’ve been here for a few hours, and they kind of rotate between all the different points of entry. That’s pretty much what’s going on right now. It doesn’t seem like anyone’s going to move,” he explained.
“There’s a lot of people walking on the bridge too, they’ve got a tent with some food. Most people seem to be calm, they’re just hanging out, sitting down, and it doesn’t seem like they are planning on moving.”
Demonstrators are also being asked to bring masks, hand sanitizer, water, and snacks so they could stay for as long as possible.
The Vancouver Police Department is recommending drivers to continue avoiding the entrances to the Georgia and Dunsmuir Viaducts.
VPD Sgt. Aaron Roed told NEWS 1130 officers were monitoring the protests throughout the day.
“Our primary purpose is to protect the safety of the protestors, the public and the police. We respect peaceful protests, and during public demonstrations, police response is proportionate to the activities observed.”
Roed added the VPD will also provide updates for the disruptions to traffic through their social media.
“We do have plans in place to deal with situations that may arise, however, for security reasons, we would not share publicly what those plans are,” he said.
For traffic updates, tune into NEWS 1130 for the latest reports every 10 minutes on the ones. Or visit NEWS 1130 Traffic on Twitter.
