Vancouver Riot 2011 – Telling the good guys from the bad

Bad Guys

The instigators are unquestionably villains. They came with weapons, prepared to riot regardless of the game’s outcome. They thrive on destruction and knew that they could count on emotionally charged drunks to join in.

I’m also going to include those who joined in the feeding frenzy and are waiting to see whether they get caught. And likely won’t feel bad about what they’ve done if they don’t.

Those are the people who make me wonder whether we should bring back flogging. Just for them.

Good Guys

The clean-up crews were angels.

Then there were the people who, drunk or sober, effectively or quixotically, stood up to rioters to defend businesses and cars. Standing O. From my heart.

Emergency crews did the best they could in a bizarre situation that sometimes forced them to wait for instructions before responding to an emergency.

Although police were lambasted for being unprepared and no doubt did injure innocent people who got in the way, they did an admirable job of handling the craziness. And - let’s be honest - had police been more pro-active and prevented the riot, the criminal liberties acolytes would be bleating about nannying, jackbooted, genocidal maniacs sucking all the joy out of being a public menace.

Good or Bad?

First, there were two types of people who took pictures:

-      law-abiding citizens who wanted to help police identify and prosecute rioters later and

-      rubberneckers who wanted souvenirs of an event they found entertaining, which they would not even have thought of sharing with police had there not been a popularity pay-off.

Regardless of intentions, the effects were the same. The picture-takers were generally not active rioters, tended to get in the way of emergency responders, and have provided useful tools for identifying and prosecuting the offenders.

Then there was the justifiably angry reaction of the larger community, which has led to a massive campaign to identify the rioters and bring them to justice. I’m all for that.

But some call it snitching, oblivious to the subtle difference between ratting out someone who stayed at a parking meter an extra ten minutes without paying and reporting serious, violent vandalism to the proper authorities.

Still others are promoting racism and vigilantism under a halo of self-righteous indignation against not only offenders, but also their families, friends, employers, and other associates. Like sadistic prison guards, they know that few will pity their victims. Just last night I saw a Facebook post by someone who felt that one of the offenders, who had come forward voluntarily, should “take his chink ass back to Korea or whatever shithole he came from.”

I am clear that I want all the rioters held accountable for their actions, including the ones who come forward voluntarily. They owe us and they should pay.

But somehow, deep down, I have more room in my heart for a frightened young man who has admitted to doing something horrible and knows he deserves the consequences than I do for someone who would feel good about himself for posting a comment like that.