New ESPN doc on 2011 Vancouver riot launches in Canada

June 15, 2011, was a horror show and one of the darkest chapters in Vancouver’s history.

Mere minutes after the final buzzer of Game 7 between the Vancouver Canucks and the Boston Bruins, the streets of Downtown Vancouver erupted in chaos. Within minutes, fists were flying, police cruisers were being torched, store windows were being smashed, and looting was widespread.

ESPN’s latest 30 for 30, I’m Just Here For The Riot, looks at that night through the lens of those who took part. There is also analysis from local journalists, fans, the Vancouver Police Department, and Vancouver Fire Rescue Services. There is even a brief appearance from former Canucks goaltender, Roberto Luongo, who was in net that night.

Directors Asia Youngman and Kathleen Jayme spent five years working on the documentary.

“It’s a big story in Vancouver, a big part of Vancouver’s history that we both felt was swept under the rug and we had both been wanting to tell it,” Jayme tells CityNews.

Jayme says tracking people down and getting them to agree to speak had its challenges.

“We had a great research team behind us to help us try to figure out who to contact. We had some quick yes’ and we wanted to make sure they understood what they were saying yes to. We had some individuals who took a bit more convincing. We had some individuals who we had to find ways to make them feel safe to be part of the film. And we had a lot of people who ghosted us.”

Jayme was in Vancouver on the night of the riot and says one of the goals of the film was not to lay blame.

“We didn’t want to point any fingers. We didn’t want people to get away with things either, but we wanted to tell this, as best we could, truthfully. We want to make sure this doesn’t happen again in the city for a third time, obviously.”

The film also narrows on what’s often dubbed the first “smartphone riot.” Almost everyone had one at the time and all the images and footage collected, helped investigators track down those responsible.

“There’s a new generation that’s coming up that might not have been born or were very young when the riot broke out, so we want to make sure with what’s happening with technology these days that people understand the power of social media. What’s happening with surveillance these days and making sure when the Canucks do make it to the playoffs … that this doesn’t happen again.”

The documentary runs just over an hour and Jayme says they had to leave some stories on the cutting room floor, including hearing from victims of an assault that night and from those who chose not to move ahead with charges.

“When you actually talk to people who were hurt, and the way that they needed to move forward was just to be able to forgive the person who had hurt them and move on. I thought that was just a really powerful thing that we learned. I found that really fascinating.”

But the film isn’t all doom and gloom. It also shows the morning after when people came out in droves to help clean up and board up large swaths of the city’s core.

“We made sure to highlight that moment. It was a very powerful thing to see. As quick as that riot unfolded, people were just as quick to come together to clean up the city.”

The overall cost of the riot was about $9 million in damages and prosecution costs as more than 300 people were charged with more than 900 criminal offences.