Analyzing the Riots in Vancouver

When you think of Vancouver, you think of beautiful city, sports, fine restaurants, and the Winter Olympics. But did you ever think that it could also be a city where a big riot broke out in the downtown Vancouver? Well, that is exactly what happened Wednesday night.

Right after the Game 7 between the Canucks and the Bruins in which the Bruins won the Stanley Cup, angry protestors and people filed into the downtown streets and started smashing up department stores and looting around for stuff, turning over cars and setting them on fire, and pouring beer down television screens, effectively killing televisions or leaving them drenched in pouring alcohol. Most of the protestors were non-Canuck fans but if you look closely, there are some Canucks fans that support this kind of violence and then go along with it. It's not only in the downtown but it's also near it as well, such as Rogers Arena or towards the outermost edges, but all of the bigger riots happened in the downtown area.

This was the second time the city of Vancouver has seen riots. The last time was after Game 7 in 1994 between the New York Rangers and the Canucks. The Canucks lost and fans and people immediately took to the streets and started tearing it up, but experts say that this one is far more worse and far more violent. They believe it has a greater damage cost than the one in 94.

Here's my take on this: Who are the idiots that take their anger out on their own city? They cause themselves too much trouble and they get arrested for it. I would like to see them act like Americans when they lose: they don't riot (well, in some cities.) I understand that Canada didn't win the Stanley Cup for years, but that's no reason to take to the streets because rioting isn't going to bring the Cup to Vancouver. It's only going to give you criticism for failing to act like respectable fans in a Canadien society. I'm glad the police took care of it, but now Vancouver has a lot of damage to clear up and I hope that the respectable ones out here give a hand and try to clean up the mess the best they can.

I'm a big Vancouver Whitecaps fan, not a Canucks fan, so I find this rather frightening now that every time I go up to Vancouver, I fear for the safety of myself and the ones around me. I hope that Whitecaps fans don't try something like this. Then again, we're not exactly championship material like the Canucks are. I would advise caution for anyone who is planning on flying to Vancouver for the next few weeks or so. This riot has given us the clue that wherever we go, we must learn to control ourselves until we want to destroy our own city and I'm sure nobody wants that.

People in Vancouver need to learn and maybe even in cities that desperately want a championship. In the US, it's different because we riot when we win. I hope there's a change in this because I don't think we can afford to lose millions of dollars to people who act like idiots and destroy our cities. Puckheads, be warned. Don't try something like this if you don't want to see yourselves in jail or in any other trouble with the law.

ABC's Good Morning America has the highlights of the chaotic riots and like the reporter said, it all started with a hockey game.




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