Old wounds and new anger surfaced Friday at a forum about policing in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside.

Police Chief Jim Chu and several officers held a town hall-style meeting in the troubled community to talk about violence against women, but the event instead saw residents lining up to criticize the police.

Resentment over the failed investigation into Robert Pickton was mixed with new complaints about policing in the neighbourhood. Some people complained of being harassed or bullied by police officers, while others said there weren't enough beat cops patrolling the area.

Many said they simply don't trust the police.

"We have asked for an investigation into the missing and murdered women; they started (disappearing) 20 years ago," said Dalannah Gail Bowen.

"If you wonder why our communication and our trust and any kind of positive action is not on the table, it's because you haven't earned it. So when we talk about how we move forward, the first thing that has to happen is you have to cultivate a relationship with us that is meaningful with the intention that you will treat us with respect."

The forum was organized in response to growing anger about the police investigation into the recent death of a woman in the Downtown Eastside. Ashley Machisknic was found in an alley in September, and some in the community believe she was murdered.

There have been accusations police haven't taken the case seriously enough, including a protest earlier in the week that led to the arrest of three people who refused to leave the police station. Those complaints were heard throughout Friday's 90-minute forum.

"Violence against women is a continued problem in our society as a whole but also in this community, and Ashley's case deserves the same due dignity and respect as anywhere else in the Lower Mainland," said Mona Woodward, a local aboriginal advocate who is related to Machisknic.

"She deserves to have her case."

After the forum, Chu said the force is taking Machisknic's case seriously, and have not, as some have suggested, simply concluded her death was a suicide. The force has stressed its homicide unit is actively involved in the investigation, which is still open.

"We were hoping that was something we could talk about, to reassure the community how much work we put into that investigation, not just in the crime scene when it occurred, but also the detectives that did the follow up investigation, the crime analysts, the forensic specialists that have been brought in," said Chu.

Chu said he welcomed the opportunity to listen to the experiences of people in the Downtown Eastside and hear their concerns, although he insisted his force has the respect of the community.

He noted there are 15,000 people in the Downtown Eastside, and he said the force's internal public opinion research indicates support in the neighbourhood is high.

"We were here to listen to how we can work better with the community," he said.

Several residents who stood at the microphone also took aim at the forthcoming public inquiry into the Pickton case. Former attorney general Wally Oppal, who watched part of Friday's forum, will oversee hearings into why the Vancouver police and the RCMP failed to catch Pickton has he hunted women in the Downtown Eastside.

With Oppal watching from a chair along the side of the room, Gladys Radek echoed many of the concerns that the former cabinet minister has too many ties to the government to be impartial.

"I'm glad you're here today; I do not support you being head of the commission and I will fight tooth and nail to have someone in there who is compassionate about all the issues around the missing and murdered women, no political ties," Radek told Oppal, who listened quietly while occasionally nodding.

"You didn't support us when we called for a public inquiry. You didn't support us then. What makes you think that you'll change your mind now?"

Outside the meeting, Oppal said he wouldn't have accepted the appointment of inquiry commissioner if he didn't support the hearings.

"I can tell you the vast majority that I've spoken to in the neighbourhood applauded my appointment," said Oppal.