Vancouver police are taking East Hastings Street back from the homeless and drug addicts.. Police on East Hastings .On Wednesday, City of Vancouver employees began to dismantle tents on the downtown's east side..A street person, who requested anonymity, sent the photos to the Western Standard of the scene outside her home..“The street is usually packed with dealers, illicit stores, and broken people,” the witness said..“Now the streets are totally clear.”.East Hastings Street was littered with crime with people living in tents and make-shift structures..The removals began on Main Street..For around eight months the encampment was in place and it was the fourth major one in Vancouver..Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim said in a statement eight encampment residents who asked for shelter have been accommodated,.Bylaw officers and police worked to remove the garbage and tents despite opposition from residents advocating not to do so..“Police cleaned up the street, moving all homeless and addicts along in one swoop,” the witness told the Western Standard..She could only capture a few photos because she was afraid drug addicts and dealers who littered her street would see her taking photos..Two people were arrested as the city started removing dozens of entrenched tents and shelters. Some criticized the police and called the city's move “oppression.”.The city said the tents and shelters needed to be removed due to a deterioration in public safety and an increase in fires..Dozens of black plastic bins, labelled “personal storage,” littered the sidewalks.. Clear East Hastings StreetClear East Hastings Street .Police shouted “keep moving back” using megaphones to remove the homeless, as city workers slowly moved along a two-block stretch of East Hastings..The witness said the sidewalks on the 100-block of Hastings were mostly clear and street-cleaning trucks awaited to power wash what was left behind..Vancouver Police Department spokesperson Const. Tania Visintin said “two people were arrested for assault.”.Visintin said the two were not camp residents and that they were “part of the protesters.”.“The street is usually lined with dealers and tents, now it's clear,” the witness said on Thursday..The city said early Wednesday it planned to remove an estimated 80 tents and structures remaining in the area..“I just spoke to the police ... they're cleaning up the tents and structures along East Hastings. This is day two,” the witness said..“There is little resistance on day two and the street population is now less than a third. Streets are clear.”
Vancouver police are taking East Hastings Street back from the homeless and drug addicts.. Police on East Hastings .On Wednesday, City of Vancouver employees began to dismantle tents on the downtown's east side..A street person, who requested anonymity, sent the photos to the Western Standard of the scene outside her home..“The street is usually packed with dealers, illicit stores, and broken people,” the witness said..“Now the streets are totally clear.”.East Hastings Street was littered with crime with people living in tents and make-shift structures..The removals began on Main Street..For around eight months the encampment was in place and it was the fourth major one in Vancouver..Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim said in a statement eight encampment residents who asked for shelter have been accommodated,.Bylaw officers and police worked to remove the garbage and tents despite opposition from residents advocating not to do so..“Police cleaned up the street, moving all homeless and addicts along in one swoop,” the witness told the Western Standard..She could only capture a few photos because she was afraid drug addicts and dealers who littered her street would see her taking photos..Two people were arrested as the city started removing dozens of entrenched tents and shelters. Some criticized the police and called the city's move “oppression.”.The city said the tents and shelters needed to be removed due to a deterioration in public safety and an increase in fires..Dozens of black plastic bins, labelled “personal storage,” littered the sidewalks.. Clear East Hastings StreetClear East Hastings Street .Police shouted “keep moving back” using megaphones to remove the homeless, as city workers slowly moved along a two-block stretch of East Hastings..The witness said the sidewalks on the 100-block of Hastings were mostly clear and street-cleaning trucks awaited to power wash what was left behind..Vancouver Police Department spokesperson Const. Tania Visintin said “two people were arrested for assault.”.Visintin said the two were not camp residents and that they were “part of the protesters.”.“The street is usually lined with dealers and tents, now it's clear,” the witness said on Thursday..The city said early Wednesday it planned to remove an estimated 80 tents and structures remaining in the area..“I just spoke to the police ... they're cleaning up the tents and structures along East Hastings. This is day two,” the witness said..“There is little resistance on day two and the street population is now less than a third. Streets are clear.”