‘Enough is Enough’ rallies scheduled across B.C.

The message is “enough is enough.”

Rallies have taken place in cities across B.C. Thursday, pushing the province to do more to deal with social disorder and public safety.

Organizers hoped crowds would gather over the noon hour at the Legislature in Victoria, as well as in Nanaimo, Penticton, and Prince George.

Additional rallies are set for Thursday evening at Holland Park in Surrey and in Dawson Creek.

“We are hoping for good outcome and we want to be heard collectively as a province versus us single handedly,” Dupinder Kaur Saran, who is one of the organizers for the Surrey rally, said Thursday morning.

She says while each city has its own concerns, the bottom line is many people, all over, just don’t feel safe in their communities. She says it’s time to put more pressure on governments to do something.

“When we talk about public safety, we see different concerns coming up in different areas. But, bottom line, it always goes back to we don’t feel safe in our communities. Whether it’s mental health needs, the policing side, the housing side, there’s many, many different layers here. I think, collectively as communities, we felt like we needed to address it all at once,” Saran added.

In a release from the Nanaimo Area Public Safety Association, organizers say the focus is on the violent incidents that “continue to pile up across the province at an alarming rate. Enough is enough.”

Related articles: 

• Video of B.C. Uber driver being punched prompts calls for safety

• Canadian mental-health services come too late, experts say, after uptick in violence

• B.C. Crown says bail policy changes need to come from federal government

They say despite talk and commitments by governments, converging social crises continue to escalate.

“We now have a housing and affordability crisis, a mental health and addictions crisis, and a judicial system crisis which have combined to result in a public safety emergency province-wide,” the release reads.

“A growing number of grassroots, volunteer-led groups and societies are calling on the provincial and federal governments to step in to protect the citizens of British Columbia from the destructive forces of social disorder, and address (finally) the root causes of the rising tide of human suffering across this province.”

According to the release, rallies are scheduled in:

• Victoria – Lawn of the Legislature 12:05pm
• Surrey – Holland Park @ 6:00pm
• Nanaimo – Diana Krall Plaza @ 12:00pm
• Prince George – Walkway Along Hwy 16 Between Treasure Cove Casino and SD 57 @ 12:00pm
• Dawson Creek – Northern Alberta Railway Park. Public BBQ @ 4pm, rally to follow @ 6:00pm
• Penticton – Riverside Drive @ 12:00pm
• Kamloops – Lawn of City Hall @ 12:00pm

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.