Vancouver - DTES Downtown Eastide 100 E Hastings.

[210482fmj]

if youre life gets to this point. kill urself. unless you can find a way out. if not you'd be better out of ur misery

[MissCaityLady]

You did a fine job of depicting the neighborhood. Most of my experiences with folks that live in the area are tame even though the conditions they live in are less than acceptable in comparison to the affluence that surrounds it. Most are passive-aggressive even though they live in heavy pressure. These people are survivors and yet they get such a bad rap.

[shazamm51]

PLEASE!! research IBOGAINE. it is a cure to addiction. no withdrawal no cravings.

ibogaine

[PsychoticButcher]

It's sad to see, but I couldn't help but laugh at that ladies thong sticking wayyy out.

[ShmuelEhrlich]

Notice how the media has different words from what most people use? The call Skid Row "Downtown Eastside." Whores are "Sex trade workers."

Bums are "homeless," dumpster divers are "recycling binners," illegal aliens are "undocumented migrants," and men, women, boys and girls are all "persons."

[mnkystyle]

you guys are gonna hate me for saying this but from what Ive seen, alot of people down there are there because they want to be there. They are addicted the drugs and the street life. Canada is one of the few places where something like this can occur. Most other countries there isnt this problem because the government doesnt give these people welfare cheques to support their addiction.

[Maltsev604]

all Canadian cities are safe ...

[SithAnonymous]

Look at all that stolen merchandise, the cockroaches of the DTES have been busy.

[luwdmke]

They didn't have to do drugs in the first place and the CIA and drug lords would have no one to sell it to. Everybody knows how bad drugs are for you these days and where it leads to. The CIA and Drug lords have to be arrested and brought to justice. Everyone knows it's the CIA who is bringing the stuff in or allowing it to be brought in.

[BankofSpirit]

Pain & Wasting, pity, shame, within just a few blocks radius, they've many soup kitchens & gov/private outreach service providers. so many making a living, helping the needy, it's like those who help the needy KNEAD the needy. i wonder who needs who more, those making livings from the dying or the dying who get a bit of what services, saying they work at helping, get/collect off those who'll not give directly, using middle men. truly, pro's helping the needy, KNEAD the needy in our mind & sight.

[luwdmke]

Now tell me that drugs are not harmful. I bet 99% of those people are junkies. And who's fault is that I wonder ? The reason they get fined is probably the strore fronts have been complaining to the Police about the garbage that gets tossed around and people don't want to go shopping over there. They need to find a garbage dump outside of town and take the junkies over there to setup camp.

[lowaces]

@luwdmke and what would the junkies do there starve ?? do you know how many people would become unemployed if the junkies all packed up and left, read the comment above yours, it makes a lot of sense

just legalize the shit and treat them with the same respect as alcoholics and prescription pills addicts

[luwdmke]

@lowaces Nope your 200,000,000 % wrong.

[lowaces]

@luwdmke no your wrong, prohibition has complately failed, just look at the narco wars which are going on in mexico and have spilled into the united states-- WAR IS GOING ON BECAUSE DRUGS ARE ILLEGAL -- and as long as good fine upstanding men continue to pay money to have sex with prostitutes the drug cartels will be forever funded, they decriminalized all drugs in portugal in 2001 and thier country didn't descend into total anarchy-- its just fear and propaganda from the CIA who deal the stuff

[cougar776]

Typical canadian white trash!!!!

[chrisperdicaro]

Canada has so many social programs for people to offer compared to many other countries--even first world countries. I encourage some of these activists who feel Canada is short changing the public, travel to developing nations and see true, abject poverty. It is no wonder why some of those people who come from those developing nations think Canada is a paradise and they do very well here--even their kids go to university and become very successful and productive for Canadian society.

[lowaces]

still better than nanaimo

[generalwise]

@lowaces you have obviously never been to east hastings... or perhaps nanaimo...

[lowaces]

@generalwise of course i've been to east hastings, i can even tell you about the alley next to the carnegie center where all the action takes place -- and nanaimo is just as bad, filled with junkies filth and scum

i've been to skid row in toronto and montreal to but they're nice places compared to east van or nanaimo

[beanzntoast]

by the looks of things that is 1 messed up place with messed up people. sad really unless you sell crack there's lots of customers close by lol

[cheesenow1]

If that was me I'd be afraid of getting beat up.

[Begbucks]

FREE ENTERPRISE!!!

[LaynesAddiction]

most downtown eastside people want to live there, they like doing drugs and like living on the street and like the street life, many of these people choose to live this way, and for those who dont there is help available, but most of them say they'll die there or live the rest of there lives on the streets of downtown vancouver.

[Mattey10101]

No most are addicted, you should make that distinction between choice and addiction.

[PrettyBrg]

The Vancouver government is trying to fix things up for these people and they have safe injection sites and methadone clinics set up for them, they also have medical people visit the area.

There is four main reasons why this problem is so bad in this area & Vancouver.

[crushwack07]

They need to burn it to the ground with all these junkies locked inside.

[recktum]

What the fuck is wrong with you -- how can you say that? Killing people will solve this problem? That disgusts me. Junkies are proud, strong people who will NEVER give up, NEVER let people like you infringe on their human rights. As soon as people stop hating and start helping this epidemic will disappear. Look it up -- it's researched and proven time after time -- harm reduction works. Murdering innocent people does not, and if that's your best idea, go fuck yourself. LEARN SOMETHING!

[crushwack07]

some dickweed named recktum is calling me dumb. thats funny.

fuck the epidemic, it was their own choice. destroy them.

[NeutralExistence]

@crushwack07

You are one sick fuck.

"Their choice"?? I seriously doubt many of these people would choose to live like they do.

Have some respect for your fellow man, an addict is a human being just like you, and me. They have enormous problems that they deal with most of the time, and the drugs take away their pain.

Give some love, not hate.

[LaynesAddiction]

they'd re populate in a month or less.

[crushwack07]

I see what you're getting at!

We need to lace the dope with something that will make them sterile, right?

[ronNkola]

@crushwack07

heartless idiot, for this kind of words you will burn in hell i´ll promise

[Savaril]

@crushwack07 you're awful

[MrGeltabs]

@Savaril No your FUCKING BLIND, Look its a really sad thing to see (Junkies) but there was NEVER a point when somebody was standing over them with a gun saying "Inject this Heroin" Don't be so fucking naive. Its like a woman walking complete naked around in a prison yard with no guards anywhere and she's hoping the inmates only wanna look at her. Well guess what there going to rape her no doubt about it. Same with H, u wanna mess with it and then come crying back that ur an addict!

[MrGeltabs]

@Savaril I hate sounding like I have no soul, but the fact of the matter is, once Pandora's box has been opened. ITS OPENED

[PrettyBrg]

1. Warm weather in the winter in Vancouver makes it easier to be without a home in unlike the rest of Canada so the motivation to avoid being stuck outside in -40 winter is not a big like the rest of Canada.

2. Lack of funding for Mental Health buildings from BC/Canada government is when the problem really got bad because they shut down the mental health buildings and most of them just ended up living on the street because they are to crazy to live a normal life without government support.

[PrettyBrg]

3. The isn't as huge on a large scale in Vancouver, it's just that these people have a hang out on hastings & main that they are left to be alone in unlike most cities that would drive them out of the area if they grouped up to much.

4. Vancouver is one of the (if not the most) expensive cities in Canada yet the job availability and wages don't come close to matching the increasing population and economic inflation.

[vanguy77]

Vancouver Has no clue on what to do they are to stupid to do the right thing

[dirtyminded604]

Vancouver needs to take a look at how Amsterdam is run. The Heroin is supplied free to the heroin addicts with medical coverage. The prostitution is legalized and marijuana decriminalized up to 5 grams. They get it right. If Vancouver were to do the same you would find the problem would drastically improve.

[LaynesAddiction]

i agree.

[LaynesAddiction]

only problem with that is people covered under medical have the right not to disclose there medical history, so you could have a heroin addict getting supplied with free heroin, shooting up then operating a crane for example with a 50000 pound load on it and thousands of people below it, or have heroin addicts working jobs endangering peoples lives, not all heroin addicts cant function doing these things, some are more alert, but there a majority of addicts that would risk lives.

[japenisrules]

they dont' scare me at all as much as chinese drivers do, just waiting to t bone you like a ninja.

[SexyAlien2]

Walking on East Hastings was one of the scariest experience in my life. And i thought there were a lot of junkies in montreal ...

[borninvanbc]

@SexyAlien2 Junkies in Quebec and Ontario etc freeze to death. No injection sites or food are provided. Vancouver tax payers foot the bill for canada. If you ask many of the junkies you will find they are from Montreal. This is Canada's problem, not just BC's. We just host them all. So Kick in some cash with your opinions.

[theJPMAC23]

OMG i didnt actually think people lived like that, even the poorest parts of Scotland are nothing compared to this.

Why isnt the goverment helping?

Free Drug Treatment, Houses, ect

[calexise]

the government did try to help....

they do get free drug treatment, houses

if they WANT... the problem is.....those ppl just spend every coins they got from government in to drugs or alchohol...and ignored the helps..

[theJPMAC23]

Its shocking though...

Its like another world, like a little area where they shove the addicts..

Crazy!

[LaynesAddiction]

they dont make them stay there, they stay there on purpose

[morleyrox]

The gouvernment makes stores were they give them free drugs lol. So they aren't doing them on the street.

[theJPMAC23]

Dont be so stupid, free drugs..

I think you mean free Needles, Syringes, citric acid, alcohol wipes & filters, this is called 'Needle Exchanges'

But ''Free Drugs'' Sorry But Never heard something so stupid.

Maybe places where they can hit up with clean works to reduce to spread of HIV, HEPATITUS & all other diseases.

[Wilhemet]

You have guts girl.

Although I do ask of you to respect their privacy at times and ask before capturing them.

[qwertj1]

lol the guy asked how much. i guess everything is for sale out there.

kind of reminds me of borat when he goes around asking women how much.lol

[CanadaRocker11]

That girl has to be more careful. Her camera could easily get stolen.

[SprtnMstrChief117]

say what you want, i have seen more crackheads and junkies in canada in a 6 month timeframe than i have back in the U.S (and i live there). i hate that in vancouver and in vancouver island i repeatedly kept getting asked "you got any spare change?". and ima say it cause i know some are thinking it... majority of the time, all the junkies and crackheads were indians or natives. they are some of the worst people in canada. wankstas with drug problem. but canada does have its good places though.

[poohu]

fuck whatever i seen pepole get stabed up on east hastings @ like 2 am all i did was move to the outher side of the street to main and take my hoot lol

[crono916]

Damn did i just see a crackhead in a thong?

[stepAKApets]

I live a town over from this place, I feel horrible for them :(

there was a poor old guy completely bent over in his wheel chair, not sure if he was alive or not, we told the police and they took care of him....

[snugglebugg2100]

wow that is crazy

[bobbyChrismikeLou]

Ummm....big deal?

Most of the people you show look like normal joes. Some weird junkies lurking about, but you can see that in almost any city.

[bobbyChrismikeLou]

Care to elaborate?

I grew up in southeast San Francisco. This is pretty tame compared to that. Not trying to start a pissing contest, just saying that just because people are scary at first doesn't mean they're "junkies."

[tryss]

This is a pretty realistic depiction of DTES even though I've never been there. And big ups to the camera girl for having the courage to walk through such a dangerous place just so we can get an experience out of this. Good job 5 Stars!!

[brandonlacavera]

so what is this stupid bitch doing about it llool

[Mizznewbooty018]

Id Be scared to walk through that with a camera

When I go to Vancouver I Never Get Out of car in that area unless the store im going to is close

[aszxdfcvghbnjk]

lmao hahaha "how mutch"... dahhh to mutch for you bud dont even think about it

[Pepsicoke33]

it's a lot worse at night I heard, but I've only been there during the day

[SharpSho0ter99]

East van needs more project housing. Theres only like one housing project complex. For a ghetto, theres not many projects. When I lived in east van with my dad when i was a kid, we had to live in an apartment project building in a room the size of a car. All sorts of shit in east van. Homeless people, prostitutes, gangs, drug and gun dealers, pimps, etc. Tough place to grow up.

[thomas242007]

so what happened to this district of canada?? was it drugs?? or did it just shut down??

[jherikurl]

vancouver's climate dictates you can live on the streets 12 months of the year. you couldn't do that in winnipeg or edmonton without freezing to death.

[LaynesAddiction]

thats not true, people freeze to death some winters here.

[mrsthursday]

If you listen to the politicians it's always been like this....not.

It's been low-income for decades, not this fu*ked up.

Now it's just a dumping ground, for what the 'suits' call undesireables.

They tried getting me and my disabled husband to live down there.

They'd have to kill me first.

[lumpyhumpy]

I would save all the children/babies I possibly could. I don't care If I had to snatch em' If it meant removing thme from thier current situation. I would do it in a heart beat.

[whiteworldreturns2]

Yeah. I pity the little kids. Its not their fault that their parents are fuck-up junkies.

[yaiknowscrewme]

nothing worst then ppl making excuses for others that make bad decisions in life..I would fix that town fast let me tell ya

[iwonttell19888]

Then do it, move to vancouver and fix the problem.

[yaiknowscrewme]

The problem is not me..its you!!If i move there and run for office and come up with fixes for teh problem non of u would vote for it..so watch it turn into a bigger problem..U started it u fix

[billytalentandmcr]

OKAY SHE PROBABLY HAD A CAR FLOLLOWING HER TO SEE IF SHE WAS OKAY OR SOMETHING , like i cant even drive past that street at night my friends car got smashed by a bottle of shit !! its so scary ......DONT SAY ITS OKAY GO OVER THERE AND WELL SEE IV BEEN TO AMERICA< OKAY ITS NOT AS BAD AS OVER HERE!!

[divinenobody]

billy... no car following me... i have a job that places me in the heart of this dtes once a week. yes there are risks involved when there is this much psychological trauma... but for the most part... those who are addicted, keep to themselves... they don't bother people... and those who i speak to want to do something useful and helpful, in whatever way they can. we all need to be valued and to able to contribute in whatever way we can.

[emilyface42]

Brilliant, thanks for doing this

[divinenobody]

thanks emily

[Seiben187]

the neiborhood isn't that bad if a chick can walk through there with a camcorder and not get mugged by a crackhead. or mabey canadian crackheads are just more peaceful than american crackheads heh

[Str8ThugLife]

It's bad. My friend got mugged twice in one week walking down East Hasting. He also saw a dead body in an alley way off Hasting...

[divinenobody]

well, i have some stuff on film that i won't put on youtube... i have been threatened.  and have also had my bag stolen (though it was set down). i have had to move out of the way of fights and blood and puke and lots of sad stuff. i have also been helped and blessed and had many kinds words spoken to me in this neighborhood.

[SCguy7]

east hastings is the roughest area in all of north america you dumbass, rougher than any other place in the states, you see dead bodies in the alleys.

[YungMoezy]

its not the roughest in north america just one of the roughest

that place is pretty fucked up

[tiggerphoo]

Wow, if you are going to post fluff pieces, you should learn the blocks your referencing. Many more bleeding hearts like yourself are going to miss the flea market in your exopse if they going looking for it in the 100 block east hastings.

[spc6000]

Vancouver is getting sick and suffering from failing infra.health, education, crime,etc.

Politicians get busy taking advantage and ripping off tax payers.

UN takes action and save people in Canada.

[Jokertattooo]

Yeah. Now with all of our social programs destroyed politicians have gotten a 45% pay hike to ease their conscience... EVERYBODY HAS THEIR PRICE...

Gabor Maté's (YouTube him) work in the downtown Eastside and in addressing adverse childhood experiences (ACE's), attachment voids and family, social/community and national atomisation is #1!!!

Hopefully divinenobody has/is going to grace her camera with the good man's character and work to show us from an expert's pov what we can all do to help.

[spc6000]

Vancouver is getting sick and suffering from failing infra.health, education, crime,etc.

Politicians get busy taking advantage and ripping off tax payers.

UN takes action and save people in Canada.

[fleshprop9]

That was the recycling center where I've been 100's of times. I miss that parking lot. Now it's going to be a low income building. Hmmm, we'll see how that goes. You're lucky the camera wasn't grabbed. People even sell cat food down here.

[noblejames111]

What are you trying to prove? No politco in Vancouver will ever really deal with the homelessness and drug abuse in the DTES. Why? because the methods needed to cure the root problems of the DTES would be seen by bleeding heart liberals as ANTI-poverty and human right abusers. To a Career politician, getting branded as the above means possibility of reelection is remote. You really want to help? Cash your next paycheque and give it to those people down there.Make them happy till the next high.

[fordxg]

Some of that stuff looked ok :)

[FreedomFighter333]

We accept and encourage irresponsible slovenly behaviour, not we've got it.

[faerie77]

u got balls walkin down there with a videocamera i give you that much. im surprise nobody snatched it from you, also surprise nobody dragged you into an alley and rape you

[gurlguide]

There's a reality check though, there are far too many people down there and the prison systems are far too constipated and over capacity, that it is highly likely that there will be mass lawsuits for human rights infringments.

[gurlguide]

I think this is an excellent way to let people know exactly what is going on around Hastings Street.Unfortunately the government needs to do more than house Aboriginals, drunks, drug addicts and prostitutes prior to the olympics. Like all other governments trying to make a good impression of their country they'll sweep it under the rug and pretend it isn't there.

[OlymPigs2010]

Thanks bs-zero-zero-zero-x-6! Coming from a self educated bigot like yourself its quite the accolade!

[OlymPigs2010]

Canada's population was 16 million in 1965 and the reason its doubled since then is not because Canadians were sex maniacs but because of immigration.

Vancouver was a sleepy little city up until Expo86 when the powers that be started promoting the city and the province the way their American counterparts were promoting California in the 1960's.Los Angeles is now like one,big polluted,fucked over ghetto and Vancouver will soon follow its disasterous lead!

[bsg1006]

'smatter olympigs2010? afraid of a few immigrants? a little paranoid about it mebbe? now you know how the Haida and other first nations felt when you disease-ridden europeans showed up on the scene. Yer nothin but a racist pig - olym-pig that is.

[MJWeait]

This is really great - Matthew (UK)

[fishshady]

shut up already

[hazel8500]

Great video, next time could you say your radio station slower for me? Thanks. Love this idea.

[kelcca]

most of these people are on disability, so what!! Can u live in Van. on $850 a month?? Disability is a joke.

[LaynesAddiction]

haha i know it is a joke, i dont even think its that much

[immoralanimal]

"Affordable Housing is almost non-existent." You are so full of indignance. Turn left on Columbia St and there's 6 huge non-profits. The Hotel Europe, Columbia House, 3 sisters etc. Powell & Alexander all the way past Main has lots of social housing. Nice places, too. Main has a bunch. The Ford Building, the one across from it. Then there's the Raycam area.

This is just a ghoulish, appeal-to-sentiment publicity stunt for your radio program. Get off your soap-box, Lady.

[divinenobody]

DTES is a unique culture in itself. housing rates. SRO $375.00 often no fridge/stove.

re: show. cohost took over, i found myself another gig talking to myself.

the intent was to show what is. i have interviews with people who are homeless, some addicted. but not on here. i am thinking of deleting everything as it is. wwld? i will keep asking.

[immoralanimal]

i guess all these puff-pieces are popping up all over as a retort to the olympic. i think 2010 is a fucking sham, too, but i'm calling bullshit on blatantly manipulative stuff.

the jamaican guy for one is sort of a false sermonizer...they don't enforce panhandling and binning laws at all, and on the very rare occassions when they mess with guys on that ordinance, it's really just to scare new faces in the area and to run names for warrants from back east. nobody pays those fines.

[ArdRi79]

Dont delete this stuff, It illustrates the problem in a way figures never could. im from ireland and ive spent the last 6 months living and working in Canada, Ive seen a few big cities and Vancouver shocked the hell out of me. I mean the 3rd highest quality of life in the world, 1st in North America and this goes on.

[tworooms]

I work in the DTES, with the people depicted here, 50-60 hours a week, and the perspective is essential.

[tworooms]

Pt 2: Vancouver is the only city in Canada with a climate nice enough to live outdoors, so the scummies migrate here from across the country. Result is the junkie population of a country of 33 million being overwhelmingly disproportionate in one area of one city of 2 million.

[tworooms]

Pt 3:Add in the purity and cheapness of drugs in a Pacific Rim port city and the prevailing liberal political culture that provides safe injection sites, generous welfare and free medicare to anyone, regardless of the source of their ailment, and you have a few blocks of utter filth and degradation.

[tworooms]

Pt 4: Furthermore, add the inevitable sprouting of an entire industry dedicated to a permanent state of crisis but claiming ownership of the moral high ground even while profiting from ongoing misery. and you can do the math yourself.

[immoralanimal]

Okay, so, that chick yelling through the blue gated door at 0:45 is on DB. She makes about $900 a month for multiple barriers disability. Her rent is $375 a month. Hydro is free, so's the food-bank, the Blue Bus and Catholic charities food-line, the Sally-Ann food line, and she probably has a free pass for the drop-in-centre cafeterias that serve institutional-grade grub 3-times-a-day, 363 days a year. Plus, methadone is free. Do the math, Mother Theresa.

[immoralanimal]

This is such a corny, moral indignation piece. "This is what people have to resort to to get by!" I call Bullshit on your vid. Lady, you're walking in front of the "United We Can" bottle depot on a blazing-hot summer day, when all the binners are standing in line waiting to get their money for last night's work. MOST OF THESE GUYS COLLECT DISABILITY BENEFITS. A few don't by choice, and live off their binning money.

[cdnlady7]

This is a sad reality in every city. Vancouver gets more homeless b/c of the climate, but overall it is a very good city.

[peteynum1]

o this sucks :(!im from new zealand and my gf is from hong kong we plan on moving 2 canada in the next 2 yrs!is vancouver safe?why arent these people helped?is there much of this in vancouver or canada?

[thrump]

Supposedly this is the poorest postal code in Canada, so no, most of Canada isn't anything like this. Vancouver is a very nice city, but has a lot of homeless people (because of the relatively nice climate maybe?) It's safe however. You'll be asked for a lot of change, but that's about it.

I don't have enough info to comment on why these people aren't helped. There are lots of opinions online.

[gupnup]

Yea, Vancouvers safe. That just the "ghetto" part of Vancouver. Each city has its worse parts. But theres a higher homeless pop. cause of the climate(then in other parts of canada). Most of these people are drug addicts. Most of the time they just go back to there habits. Most you cant really help. To the last question: theres not much in Vancouver but a fair bit more because once again the climate. But most of Vancouver is beatiful.

[Killersenic]

I suprised that you didnt get mugged or raped for that matter by these thugs. I personally bring a knife whenever I walk around that awful area

[internaut101]

You have obviously never been to E. Hastings. It is surprisingly safe.

[ukikiukikimonkeyuki]

Paranoid much?

[dustbunnieboo]

So sad. Thanks for sharing this.