Vancouver 2011 Stanley Cup Riots, SHAME on those involved....

The Vancouver you are currently seeing on CNN and The View and various other shows and programs is not the Vancouver we know and love. Punks, lots of booze and anarchists are what caused the riot here last night. The hockey fans themselves are not to blame from what I have seen on the local news coverage….and that is NOT normal behavior in these parts…sure we all would have loved to win that Stanley Cup but sheesh, it is just a game, Boston played better and they won fair and square and surely their win was not something to spark such serious civil disobedience and to destroy the livelihood of so many businesses etc. (50 something businesses were affected, 17 cars torched) I felt even worse for the merchants who had their property looted and destroyed when I heard that insurance does not cover civil disobedience so the 1 million dollars that the local drug store is out is their problem and the same with all the other merchants, a lot who are struggling in an uncertain economy. However, thanks to Facebook, about 13,000 people showed up with buckets, shovels, garbage bags and gloves etc to help clean up this morning….normal citizens, law abiding ones, all pitched in with the city employees, the business merchants etc to clean up the mess….I feel so bad for the city, for the victims of this crime, and I feel bad for both hockey teams who must be feeling awful about all of this.

Shame, shame on all those people involved in this humiliating display broadcast around the world. What were you thinking??? Do you Think???  Are you going to be our legacy when we are gone? It is a GAME, people, do you not really think that the players feel bad enough watching their dream go up in smoke when almost having it in their hands? My goodness, they did the best they could and I am quite sure they wanted that cup even more than we did, they worked hard all year to get into a position to play for the cup, for that they should be congratulated and instead you erupt into such a disgusting and disgraceful display of civil disobedience. Shame, shame on the hooligans and thugs who did all this damage.

Kudos to our home team, the Vancouver Canucks, Kudos to Boston on their win and their fabulous goalie Tim Thomas who played spectacular games. My deepest sympathy to the merchants, the police from various vicinities who had to put their own life's and safety on the line, to the firefighters who were also out there despite the danger to themselves, to the hospitals who treated casualties many of whom I would have thought twice about helping as they were the makers of their own destiny's,  and many thanks to all the volunteers who turned out to help rebuild what was destroyed and try and show the world the "normal" Vancouverites....

And with hockey draft season just around the corner, Go Canucks Go...hold your heads high and hopefully next year will be your year!!

Pictures of this terrible display can be seen at the link below from the Globe and Mail, if you are local and recognize any of the faces, please call the Vancouver Police tip line, these people need to be punished

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/british-columbia/photos-of-vancouver-rioting/article2062983/?from=2063729