X and I are on a stroll going through Gastown after dinner. We’re out of almond milk and need to restock.
I’m rambling on about something I saw on the news; X listens patiently. I abruptly interrupt myself and say outloud - what is that??
Up ahead, there are flashing siren lights - red and blue. I see 2 black police cars at first. No wait, there’s 10. As we walk towards it, it looks more like 20. What the hell is going on??
There’s officers everywhere. Huddled in small groups, standing by parked cruisers. Two-way traffic has become a shared lane because a giant line of police cars takes up an entire side of the street.
I ask X. if we can walk closer to take a look. He nods. He knows I can’t look away from a train wreck-like situation. Like a moth to a light.
An ambulance is parked at the mouth of an alley. A police officer is moving barricades, adding to existing ones on the road. An entire section of the street is blocked off from car traffic. Pediatrician traffic is allowed. We walk by.
An ambulance stretcher sits on the sidewalk, unused. Looks like it’s ready for something - but for what?
Looking at the officers standing around, there isn’t a sense of urgency. Nearby bars and patios are lightly filled with customers having dinner and drinks.
We decide to talk to two men sitting on lawn chairs on the sidewalk. They look like they’re sitting at a theatre - the only thing missing is a bucket of popcorn. They’re staring at an low-rise apartment building across the street in the heart of Gastown.
Me: Do you guys know what’s going on?
Guy 1: He nods towards the apartment building - our neighbour started throwing stuff out his window this morning. He went nuts. The cops were called. They’ve been here since 4:30AM.
Me: I look at the building - Is he ok?
Guy 2: He locked himself in. They have a feed hooked into his place.
Me: You’ve been out here since this morning....that sucks.
As X. and I walk away from the crowds, I say to him - that's a lot of cops. You’d think they have Saddem Hussein in there or something.
X explains his thoughts - it’s problematic how authorities are dispatched to respond to situations like this. Instead of 30+ officers, there could be a handful instead, accompanying mental health workers assessing the situation.
I nod. Sounds like the man is not well. He needs on-site mental health help.
But the system doesn’t have that set-up currently. It only knows to dispatch law enforcers. Because the police are not equipped or trained to deal with persons with mental health issues, they do the only thing they know - throw more bodies at the situation until the issue is resolved.
That’s like assigning 30 plumbers to do the work of a few electricians. It’s not sustainable. Or a smart way of using resources, in my humble opinion.
We’re in the middle of a world-wide pandemic. There’s a finite amount of resources - perhaps we need to re-think how things are done.
Just a thought.