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Living
Grandview Park, part XIV
An announcement of a re-fit leads to an unfortunate poster
By Kevin Potvin
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After Vancouver Parks Board announced that Grandview Park on Commercial Drive was due for a re-fit, The Courier weekly newspaper featured an article about a young family welcoming the re-fit. In that article, the family was quoted making comments about marijuana being smoked within range of the children play areas and close to the young family drop-in centre. The fate of Grandview Park has always given rise to heated emotions. Situated in an area of the City long deficient in park space surrounded by residents who often don’t have enough living space themselves, the park has more regular users from wider walks of life than probably any park in the city. It serves important functions as a public social space at a time when private space is increasingly encroached upon and what’s left of public space is increasingly under surveillance and guarding. There is not enough outdoor space for children to play, for adults to breathe and relax, or for anyone else to hang out and burn weeds—all these being traditional and well-tolerated activities, at least on this side of town. They will inevitably end up on top of each other and getting their elbows up. Blame the City for never addressing the deficiency of park space in this area. A poster appeared this week on lampposts and other surfaces around the neighbourhood featuring photos of the family and their names. The poster calls them “yuppie prudes” who want to “sterilize and yuppify” the park, and are part of the reason why “regular people can’t afford to live in most of the neighbourhood anymore.” The poster goes on to make valid claims about past City attempts to re-fit parks, about the waste of money such re-fits incur, and about inaccuracies in reporting about crime, drugs and protests in the park. Were it not for the personal attack on fellow residents, this poster would be fine—although it did fail to indicate responsibility for the poster, which is usually also a good thing to do in general. Unfortunately, by naming people, picturing them and insulting them and casting aspersions upon them, the makers of the poster have potentially killed their cause. Those who would have happily endorsed the idea of no re-development of Grandview Park, like this newspaper for example, now have their hands tied by the implication that they would also be endorsing the tactic of naming individuals and exposing them to personal risk by ascribing scurrilous motives to them. There are different views of what should happen to Grandview Park and everyone who is a nearby resident has the right to express those views. In the end, a compromise is always possible, and this neighbourhood is well used to making such peaceable compromises. A fair debate is what is required. By way of setting a better tone for such a debate, perhaps the posters could be covered with others that apologize for making the issue personal, and that re-iterate the issues surrounding the park in less hot-headed tones. And perhaps those who decry the varied users of the park might also tone down their condemnations and offer to separate true crime from mere marijuana smoking. It is, after all, a fair point that parents letting their kids play in the playground might not want wafts of smoke of any kind too nearby. And it’s also a fair point that people would like to hang out, protest, and smoke a little harmless weed without being cornered into fewer and smaller outdoor places. It’s a big park. Maybe it could use a better layout for all concerned.
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The Republic of East Vancouver masthead
The Republic of East Vancouver supports no party, advocates
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problems with no preconceived notions. We hope to afflict the comfortable,
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