Chinatown community calls for “more police presence” amid incessant vandalism

Vancouver’s Chinatown lions have been vandalized yet again, after they had just been cleaned up following vandalism earlier this month.

Although it is not explicit as to whether the vandalism is racially motivated, Danny Quon, chief dance instructor for the Hon Hsing Dragon and Lion Dance Club, says the frequency of the crime and the target of the lions leads him believe it could be an anti-Asian act.

“The person who’s doing it probably knows how important lions are to the Chinese culture. I just wish that they would just leave the lions alone, they are guardians of the community, they also bring good luck to everyone and everything in the community.”

Although there have been repeated calls for solutions to the increased vandalism in the area, feasible solutions are yet to be implemented.

Although Quon says he does not want to speak for the entire community, as some share different opinions on increased law enforcement in the area, he says there has been some rhetoric around wanting more security and supervision in and around the area.

“I would feel more comfortable if there was a little bit more of a police presence in the community. In my day, cops walking the beat was not an uncommon thing to see, at that time, the community was a lot more safer, in my opinion. I understand issues about defunding the police and that movement, but I truly believe that if you let your guard down people will just take advantage of the situation.”

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This week, a motion before council to implement CCTV cameras throughout the city failed, but Quon says though he understands the qualms of surveillance, the motion could have had some benefit, particularly in Chinatown.

“I do understand the arguments that people don’t want to live in a police state, personally I would welcome more CCTV cameras in areas where there is more prevalent crime. I do agree that cameras probably do play a small role in helping to catch criminals, but speaking from someone who volunteers and who’s so tied to the community, I just would love these these crimes to be deterred, not even to happen at all.”

This is the second time this month the lions’ eyes have been coloured green, and the area near the community centre defecated on.

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