Pubdate: Thu, 20 Jul 2000
Source: Vancouver Sun (CN BC)
Copyright: The Vancouver Sun 2000
Contact:  200 Granville Street, Ste.#1, Vancouver BC V6C 3N3
Fax: (604) 605-2323
Website: http://www.vancouversun.com/
Author: John Mackie

EX-ADDICTS 'SCORE BIG' VS. POLICE

There have been a million softball games in the naked city. But none
of them has probably ever been quite like The Street vs. The Heat game
Wednesday at Strathcona park.

The Street team was made up of current or former drug addicts
associated with the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users (VANDU). The
Heat was a crack crew of Vancouver Police Officers.

They came together to do battle, but also to bond, break down social
barriers and have some fun. And judging by the sea of smiling faces,
the game was a big success.

"It's a great concept," said Rick Schaaf of the police squad. "It's
good to meet them out of the police atmosphere. Reaching out to the
community is the best way to go. Everybody's happy, they're having
fun, and it's a great atmosphere."

For their part, the Street Team was happy to be able to come out and
show they're not just shadowy figures in Downtown Eastside alleys.

"It humanizes everybody," said Don Baker. "Instead of just being a
junkie or something, it humanizes you."

"It's exciting to just come out and do a barbecue and be part of the
community, because we are people," said a tall, bearded Street player
who gave his name as B.C.

"It excites us to be part of the community. Most people look at us as
'they're just drug users.' But we're not, we're actually pretty active
in this community."

The game was held alongside a community picnic that drew about 1,000
people to Strathcona Park. In some ways, it looked like a standard
community affair, with kids playing tugs of war and seniors relaxing
in the sun.

But parts of the game could have been out of a Hieronymus Bosch
painting. At the beginning of the game there were hordes of people
wandering around the outfield. Down the first base line, a Chinese
senior choir was singing away. Nearby, a piano and guitar duo
performed a cocktail lounge version of Volare.

Street pitcher Dan Brixhe exhorted the crowd with a little dance, and
they roared when he struck somebody out. Both teams had some big hits,
and some excellent fielding plays.

The final score was 15-14 for The Street, after umpire Larry Campbell
- - B.C. Chief Coroner Larry Campbell - invoked his authority to add a
few runs to their total.

But nobody seemed to care who won or lost, it was playing that
counted.

"It was just a chance for everybody to mingle and have a good time,"
said Dave Dickson of the police. "To get away from the street and find
some common ground. In the past there's been a lot of tension. (But)
you get to know most of these people, they're pretty good people."

"We're not looking for any mystical silver bullet here," said Downtown
Eastside activist John Turvey. "It's just, we all know if you do
things together, you have a relationship. We're trying to change the
nature of a relationship."

"That's community-based policing," said Vancouver Mayor Philip Owen.
"Police deployment has changed so dramatically over the last couple of
years that police are out here playing baseball on a sunny afternoon
with a bunch of people involved in the drug activity in the Downtown
Eastside. I think it's fabulous."
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