Pubdate: Tue, 03 Jan 2017
Source: National Post (Canada)
Copyright: 2017 Canwest Publishing Inc.
Contact: http://drugsense.org/url/wEtbT4yU
Website: http://www.nationalpost.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/286
Author: Douglas Quan
Page: A1

BACKLASH AFTER B.C. CHURCH PUTS UP FENCE

'What would Jesus do?' painted on wall

VANCOUVER * Fed up with the drug dealing and other "undesirable
activities" near their front doors, officials at Central Baptist Church in
downtown Victoria installed a 15-metre-long concrete wall and topped it
with a 1.2-metre-high black metal fence.

But what they thought was a necessary safety measure - other buildings in
the area feature similar fencing - has turned into a public relations
battle, with some residents accusing church leaders of turning their backs
on the city's most vulnerable citizens.

The backlash culminated just before Christmas in an act of vandalism:
"HATEGATE?" and "#WWJD" (What Would Jesus Do?) were spray-painted in black
across the wall.

The pastor and a member of the church's board insisted in interviews they
have not given up on the street community and have every intention of
continuing to reach out to their disadvantaged neighbours. "We could
easily sell our property and move somewhere else and build a nice, shiny
building in the suburbs," said Rev. Barton Priebe, the lead pastor. "But
we're choosing to stay as part of this area."

The church is in a neighbourhood dotted with organizations providing
support for the homeless, drug-addicted and working poor. Earlier this
year, a large brick building next to the church that used to be a seniors
care home was converted into housing units for those who had been evicted
from Victoria's sprawling tent city. The local health authority has
proposed installing a supervised injection site inside the building.

Priebe said the church welcomed its new neighbours with a chili dinner,
and church members routinely volunteer their time with organizations that
serve hot meals and provide other support for marginalized groups.

"As Christians, we believe we're called to pour ourselves out for the good
of the city," he said.

But over the years, the frequency of the drug selling and using in a
covered area in front of the church worsened to the point where they felt
they had to take action, Priebe said.

"It's a daily cleanup of graffiti, urine, vomit, needles, garbage. Drug
users are constantly picking away at the ground trying to get tiny pieces
of drugs. Just about anything you can imagine we clean it up."

After consulting with police and knowing it couldn't afford full-time
security, the church settled on the wall and "decorative fence" solution
and submitted a permit application to city hall in July.

The application noted that some parents had removed their children from
Friday youth nights, while other church members had left altogether
"sensing a lack of safety and security."

Loiterers have become a noticeably "younger and rougher male crowd," the
application said. On one occasion, a temporary security guard was
assaulted and hit with a beer can when he confronted a couple of
loiterers.

The additional concentration of former tent-city residents next door will
"likely increase the loitering and possible undesirable activities," the
application read.

The city approved the proposal and the construction got underway last month.

But before the concrete had dried, the backlash on various news and social
media sites had begun.

"Way to shut the door on those seeking shelter at Christmas," one person
wrote.

"It would be better to be building relationships with these people instead
of locking them out!" wrote another.

Rev. Al Tysick of the Dandelion Society, which advocates for the area's
homeless, told a local TV station the church had misspent its money.

"The role of that church was leadership towards justice, not building a
wall," Tysick said. "That church could have led all of the other churches,
our community and our city to other solutions."

Others, however, said they understood the church's decision.

"I think the church is in a difficult position because their (front) steps
were really an area for drug dealing," said Grant McKenzie, a spokesman
for Our Place Society, which provides meals, showers and counselling for
homeless. "We completely understand why they would go to this measure."

Of course, the drug activity will likely be shuffled to someone else's
doorstep, he said, but that speaks to the broader problem of lack of
mental-health and addiction resources in the community.

"It's almost like they're leaving it up to not-for-profits and churches to
take care of all these people ... instead of the health-care system and
the housing system."

Church board member Monty Crisp, who has been behind much of the planning,
said he knew the optics of the fence weren't great but never expected it
to generate so much controversy.

Crisp said there are plans to install plants and shrubs behind the fence
and hanging baskets along the structure to make it more attractive.

"The city didn't want it to be fortress-like in appearance," he said. "We
do feel we not only will be able to make the church more of a welcoming
place but that part of (the street) also more appealing."
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