British Columbians overwhelmingly want those responsible for rioting and looting during the Stanley Cup riot to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, according to a poll released Monday.
Most of the 906 people polled by Angus Reid Public Strategies reported feeling personally violated by the mayhem that ensued in downtown Vancouver following the Canucks' Game 7 loss last Wednesday.
Large majorities of respondents said they felt disgust (90 per cent), shame (78 per cent), sadness (75 per cent) and anger (69 per cent) about the rioting that saw 50 businesses damaged and millions of dollars in property damage.
Pollster Mario Canseco said most people had very visceral and emotional reactions when they were asked about the events following the last game of the Stanley Cup final.
"We all woke up the morning after the riot feeling that something was taken away from us and that's what came out of our feedback. People are mad. People are upset. That's why people came out to clean the streets and it led to a lot of unity around the city," he told ctvbc.ca.
Four in five British Columbians (79 per cent) and three in four Metro Vancouver residents (76 per cent) agreed with the Vancouver police assertion that the riots were caused by a small group of people.
VPD Chief Jim Chu said last week the violence was caused by a small contingent of "criminals, anarchists and thugs," a claim he recanted on Monday. Chu now says many of the people involved in the riot were young people, including many that had no previous criminal record.
About two-thirds of people polled (65 per cent in B.C., 65 per cent in Metro Vancouver) believe that police handled the situation in "a proper manner."
"There are not a lot of ill feelings towards the authorities. People are understanding and are actually satisfied," Canseco said.
But while most people agreed with how police dealt with rioters, many said they thought police should have known there was going to be trouble after the game: Seventy-three per cent of British Columbians and 74 per cent of Metro Vancouver residents disagreed with the idea that there was no way to know that the crowd that assembled in downtown Vancouver would turn violent.
Law and order
An overwhelming majority of people surveyed want to see those responsible for the riot brought to justice. Practically all respondents – 96 per cent in B.C. and 95 per cent in Metro Vancouver – want the people who took part in the riots to be prosecuted "to the fullest extent of the law."
But if people want to see the book thrown at the guilty, they aren't convinced the justice system has enough teeth to see them all charged. On average, people said they expect only one-third of those who broke the law to be prosecuted.
About half of British Columbians believe that 20 per cent or less of the alleged perpetrators will ever make it to court.
Canseco said people want to see prosecutions, not personal vendettas, against the people who smashed windows and destroyed property.
"People aren't necessarily hoping that everyone who broke windows or stole something are going to be prosecuted," he said. "You need to let justice take its course. That's something that won't just happen through naming and shaming people online."
Police arrested more than 100 people in the days after the riot. All but two were released. The VPD has received more than 3,500 emailed tips about the identities of the rioters.
Future celebrations
Most people surveyed said the fallout from the Stanley Cup riot should not dissuade the City of Vancouver from holding future public celebrations.
More than half (56 per cent) of British Columbians and 60 per cent of Metro Vancouver residents are opposed to an outright ban on street parties. Almost all respondents – 93 per cent – believe there should be a larger police presence on the street if another celebration is held in the downtown core.
Four in five respondents (79 per cent in B.C., 81 per cent in Metro Vancouver) said they would authorize the use of non-lethal alternatives, like rubber bullets and bean bag shotguns, for crowd dispersal, should the need present itself.
Sixty-two-per-cent of respondents supported holding a public inquiry into the Stanley Cup riot.
The survey polled 906 randomly selected B.C adults, including 515 from Metro Vancouver, on June 16 and 17.
Angus Reid Public Opinion claims a margin of error of +/- 3.3 per cent for the British Columbia sample and +/- 4.3 per cent for the Metro Vancouver sample.
