Chinatown BIA spending 50% of budget on security, president says in plea to Vancouver police

An woman walks in Chinatown in Vancouver, Friday, February 5, 2021. COVID-19 has taken a toll on many Canadians, but for Chinese-Canadians the impacts have been magnified by racism aimed at individuals and businesses, community leaders say. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward

The Vancouver Chinatown Business Improvement Association is spending half its budget on security to restore a sense of safety for visitors and shop owners, president Jordan Eng revealed last week while urging police to increase foot patrols in the neighbourhood.

Eng addressed the Vancouver Police Board on Thursday, describing the impact that vandalism and crime, including well-documented incidents of anti-Asian racism, have had on the community in recent years.

"This has been a real problem for us," Eng said. "And my concern is what is happening on the street is driving away good businesses, which is taking away from the vibrancy of the neighbourhood we have. It's keeping local visitors, residents and tourists away."

Community concerns have prompted the BIA to hire full-time security, at a cost of $240,000 last year alone – something that Eng argued sets Chinatown apart from other neighbourhoods.

"We're the only BIA that has that," he said. "In Kitsilano or Fraser Street, their board members are talking about what types of flowers they want to hang from lampposts."

He described Chinatown as "the heart and soul of the Chinese community," and a "living room for our elders," where seniors from across the region have routinely gathered for decades – but said fewer and fewer are feeling safe moving through the area alone.

The Vancouver Police Department's public crime statistics divide Chinatown between Strathcona and the Central Business District, which includes all of downtown. Over the last three years, crime in those two areas – which stretch from Stanley Park all the way to Clark Drive, and include the Downtown Eastside – has generally trended downward, dramatically in some categories.

But those numbers don't capture the feelings of many residents and visitors, particularly with cultural sites becoming frequent targets of graffiti and other vandalism. Eng shared pictures of two incidents in which people defecated directly in front of the entrance to the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden and the doors of the Chinese Cultural Centre, which he speculated to be targeted acts.

Police Chief Adam Palmer, who watched Thursday's presentation, also suggested the city's statistics don't paint an accurate picture of crime in the neighbourhood.

"A lot of that stuff just becomes a way of life," he told the board. "And people don't even bother reporting it anymore."

Palmer said his department has already increased resources in Chinatown, but agreed with Eng's assessment that residents "need some more help."

Speaking to CTV News on Tuesday, Eng said he's hopeful for the future of Chinatown, and wanted to emphasize the positive traits of the historic and culture-right neighbourhood.

"There is a real vibe that has happened since the lifting of some (COVID-19) restrictions," he said. "We've got so many great restaurants and small businesses. We don't want to scare people away, we just need eyes on the street."