Sigh. I can't believe it. A disappointing family event to be sure. It hurts to lose after going 3-3. We could have used the burst of hope of winning. Earlier there had been such pride in the streets. People wearing Canuck shirts and symbols proudly. As the game got closer, random people began shouting in the streets, getting a head start on the anticipated celebrations. People left their cars at home and took transit in. Everything was ready.
Unfortunately, not for a celebration... but shame on the streets. A bunch of hooligans without anything better to do, determined to cause a riot.
It began small. Crowds gathering. Some jack-monkey hanging from light standards. A trash fire. Everyone got their phones out and started texting and tweeting. Many posing in front of the fires...like it was some celebrity event, and unwittingly fueling the events, making it seem bigger than it was...in a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Then, just when it seemed that the police might be getting things under control, we got more fires, more idiots and then the cars being overturned, windows being smashed, looting, I heard an sharp explosion and seconds later I heard it on the TV coming from a flaming pile, and I smelled smoke...
Now we have the mounted police unit, firemen desperately trying to put out fires without being set upon by the crowds, a female reporter being punched in the face, the dog units are out...it's like some apocalyptic scene right in downtown Vancouver.
I took my camera out to take pictures of the smoke rising from the downtown and saw blips of light all over the city, and I realized that many people might be doing the same thing I was. At least we weren't heading down to gawk and unwittingly adding to the crowds. The crowds which have been growing.
Stay home everyone...please. It is not a spectator sport...
My prayers are with Vancouver. I hope the crowds disperse...because things will not be returning to normal tomorrow. We will have to face what happened today and ask ourselves, why?
No comments:
Post a Comment