Vancouver police put ‘spin’ on meat-cleaver incident, DTES women’s groups claim

The arrest of a man who allegedly threatened people with a meat cleaver at a Vancouver women’s shelter has led to backlash from organizations accusing police of spinning the story in their favour.

Police said a man followed a woman into the Downtown Eastside Women’s Centre on Columbia Street over the weekend. They said he threatened people while holding the weapon before dropping the large knife and walking away.

Alice Kendall, executive director of the shelter, says it was the quick action of staff at the centre that prevented harm, not police.

“They handled this situation within seconds … They stepped in front of him and asked him to leave … He pulled a knife and banged it against the door,” Kendall said, adding staff closed and locked the door before he could get in, emphasizing the man dropped the knife outside and left, and officers found him on the street.

She believes police are using the incident to come off as heroes in the media. However, in the VPD’s initial statements about what happened, it said police “applaud a number of quick-thinking witnesses who grabbed the knife off the ground, called 9-1-1, then pointed out the suspect after he walked away.”

“Many violent crimes go unreported in the Downtown Eastside, and this arrest was made possible because several people acted quickly and did the right thing,” Sgt. Steve Addison said in a statement at the time.

“Their actions allowed VPD officers to respond immediately and arrest a violent suspect before anyone was physically hurt.”

#VPDNews: A man with a meat cleaver was arrested by Vancouver Police on Sunday after threatening to kill women at the Downtown Eastside Women’s Centre. https://t.co/3IlMtLhN5K pic.twitter.com/EzuD4DFaW1

— Vancouver Police (@VancouverPD) January 17, 2022

On Wednesday, Addison responded to the accusations of spin.

“Certainly, it was the quick action of a number of people who were present at the time of this incident that allowed VPD officers to respond quickly and make an arrest,” Sgt. Steve Addison repeated, calling it a good example of a community “working closely with police officers to prevent crime and to improve public safety.”

Related: Man arrested after alleged meat cleaver incident at Vancouver women’s centre

Still, Kendall remains critical of the way VPD handles incidents on the Downtown Eastside.

“They have not changed their policing practices since the provincial inquiry with the corresponding recommendation suggesting that they do so,” she argued.

The report, called Forsaken: The Report of the Missing Women Commission of Inquiry, made 63 recommendations, including the establishment of a Greater Vancouver regional police force.

A joint statement from Kendall and other women’s organizations on the Downtown Eastside says sexualized and gender-based violence happens daily.

“Women and front-line staff respond and deal with, aggressive and violent predators and incidents that often remain unreported. When police say, ‘many violent crimes go unreported in the Downtown Eastside,’ this is a painfully long-standing and well-known fact to women and women’s organizations. Fear of further retaliation, or of repercussion due to engagement in criminalized and stigmatized activities such as sex work or drug use, is real and extremely harmful.

Police have recommended assault and weapon-related charges against the suspect in the weekend incident.

With files from Martin MacMahon