'I stepped over dead people to get to my car': Former Gastown business owner’s candid letter on Vancouver's crime
A former Gastown restaurant owner has sent a candid letter to Vancouver city officials, detailing his five year experience in the area. Uwe Boll was the owner of Bauhaus restaurant, which closed in March of 2020.
"We got robbed, vandalized, peed on, yelled at and spit on from homeless (people) and drug addicts for five years," Boll wrote in a post online.
"I stepped over dead people to get to my car. My wife had a dead person lying on the roof of her car."
Boll is currently in Germany for work but tells CTV News Vancouver he wrote the letter after the Gastown Business Improvement Association reached out to members asking them to send emails to government, detailing their experience.
"I got a lot of response from people I know, they say, finally somebody said it as harsh as it is," Boll said. "We got robbed various times, broken into our cars." He said a staff member once had to go to hospital while taking garbage into the alley and stepping on a needle but "the biggest thing was when a dead person was on top of my wife's car."
Boll said he and his wife heard sirens one night and walked outside the restaurant to find a woman’s body on top of their vehicle.
"Police are around your car and somebody’s thrown a woman out of a window on top of a car, dead. And they just told my wife she should drive through the car wash," Boll said, adding it was something that gave them nightmares.
Other business owners across the city are also voicing concerns about crime and disorder.
John Clerides is the owner of Marquis Wine Cellar on Davie Street. Last month, thieves used blow torches to shatter the front window of his store and steal a $6,000 e-bike that was used for deliveries.
"They were in and out in 30 seconds," Clerides said, adding the current rate of crime is worse than he’s ever seen.
"Definitely more street crime, vandalism, B and Es, drug use, public defecation," he said. "Historically Davie Street has always been a fascinating, interesting place and that’s what I love about it."
Jacqui McMullen with the West End Business Improvement Association says she’s also felt a shift.
"You have to have your wits about you when you’re walking around sometimes and it never felt like that," McMullen said. "It’s the worst I’ve seen, definitely."
Business owners all through the downtown core have been dealing with smashed windows for months, with hundreds of thousands of dollars spent on repairs in recent months. According to the West End Community Police Office, there’s been a 50 per cent increase in mischief related crimes from April to September of this year.
There’s also been an increase in “stranger assaults”. The Vancouver Police Department says there were around 1,555 attacks involving 1,705 victims reported from Sept. 1, 2020 to Aug. 31 of this year.
In response to some of the concerns, VPD stepped up patrols in September.
A statement from Const. Tania Visintin Thursday said patrols are continuing, but there were no figures available yet on any arrests.
The new executive director of the Gastown Business Improvement Association is optimistic. Wally Wargolet moved into the role only six months ago and says he is seeing improvements.
"We’ve had some tourists come through, some of the businesses are starting to come back," Wargolet said. "This is a neighbourhood that has always had empathy for the entire socio-economic groups, all of them."
In response to Boll’s candid letter, Wargolet said "what you’re hearing is empathy is beginning to turn to apathy."
Wargolet said he is meeting with three councilors from the City of Vancouver in November.
“We’re going to talk about action items and what the city can do,” he said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
Federal government grants B.C.'s request to recriminalize hard drugs in public spaces
The federal government is granting British Columbia's request to recriminalize hard drugs in public spaces, nearly two weeks after the province asked to end its pilot project early over concerns of public drug use.
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
Stormy Daniels took the witness stand Tuesday at Donald Trump's hush money trial, describing for jurors a sexual encounter the porn actor says she had with him in 2006 that resulted in her being paid off to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
MPs agree Canadian gov't should improve new disability benefit
The federal government needs to safeguard the incoming Canada Disability Benefit from clawbacks and do more to ensure it actually meets the stated aim of lifting people living with disabilities out of poverty, MPs from all parties agree.
Bye-bye bag fee: Calgary repeals single-use bylaw
A Calgary bylaw requiring businesses to charge a minimum bag fee and only provide single-use items when requested has officially been tossed.
CFL suspends Argos QB Chad Kelly at least nine games following investigation
The CFL has suspended Toronto Argonauts quarterback Chad Kelly for at least nine regular-season games following its investigation into a lawsuit filed by a former strength-and-conditioning coach against both the player and club.
Boy Scouts of America changing name for first time in 114 years, aiming for inclusivity
The Boy Scouts of America is changing its name for the first time in its 114-year history and will become Scouting America. It's a significant shift as the organization emerges from bankruptcy following a flood of sexual abuse claims and seeks to focus on inclusion.
opinion Tom Mulcair: Trudeau's handling of Poilievre's 'wacko' House turfing a clear sign of Liberal desperation
When Speaker Greg Fergus tossed out Pierre Poilievre from the House last week, "those of us who have experience as parliamentarians simply couldn't believe our eyes," writes former NDP leader Tom Mulcair in his column for CTVNews.ca
New charges for Ont. woman who previously admitted to defrauding doulas
The Brantford, Ont. woman who was previously sentenced to house arrest after admitting to deceiving doulas has been charged again in connection to a new victim.