Pubdate: Sun, 13 Jul 2003 Source: Province, The (CN BC) Copyright: 2003 The Province Contact: http://www.canada.com/vancouver/theprovince/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/476 Author: Graham Dingsdale Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/topics/Downtown+Eastside (Downtown Eastside Vancouver) WE'RE PAYING FOR FUTILE EXERCISE Nothing irks me more than hearing about the police crackdown in the Downtown Eastside. What I see is thousands of dollars being spent on a crackdown that has no long-term benefits. It's nothing more than a temporary solution. The so-called four pillars solution requires that all pillars be in place. The crackdown only proves that if you put a police officer on every corner, the dealers and users will move out of the area. This is an expensive exercise to prove the obvious. Does the Vancouver Police Department believe that drug use will decrease when dealers are moved? Addicts are addicts and without some sort of treatment these people will not change. What bothers me most is that as taxpayers we are paying for this. When the day comes when we can no longer afford the downtown crackdown, what then? The street corners and alleys will go back to the dealers and users. The Downtown Eastside crackdown is nothing more than a waste of everyone's money. Graham Dingsdale, Vancouver - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake