Hysteria won't help m

MUCH has been made
in the past few weeks
of the apparent disap-
pearance of 21 women
from the Downtown

Eastside.

Peter Warren, the bom-
bastic CRNW talk show
host, did a 10-segment
analysis of the situation over
the last two weeks.

A memorial march was
held last week ar Crab Park
on the waterfront. A bit pre-
mature perhaps, inasmuch as
no one really knows if they
are in fact dead. The
Vancouver police have been
taking it en the chin trom
those who claim they don’t
care about the women
because they are prostitutes
and drug addicts.

Some are
claiming there
is a serial killer
at work and
trying to whip
up hysteria
among the
masses.

Is it possible
a latter day
Jack the Ripper
is at work on
our meanest
streets?
Certainly, it is possible.
Whether it is fikely is anoth-
er question altogether.

The problem is there is
no real evidence to suggest
the women have been killed.
There are no bodies.

Of the cases in question,
the oldest dates back to
1988 and involves a woman
from White Rock, The rest
were last seen between 1995
and this year.

Because of the fit
these women led, i
difficult for the police to”
determine what has hap-
pened. Thev are all drug
addicts who sell their bodies
tor money co teed their
habits. They live in rooming

tye

“The problem
is there is no
real evidence to
suggest the
women have
been killed.”

crime and
punishment

houses, flea-bag hotels or, in
some cases, HOWwhere at all.

Very often it is weeks or
months hefore the police are
advised they haven't been
seen fora while. From a
police perspective, where do
Vou start to investigate?

Vancouver police have a
three-man Missing Person
investigative section along,
with a civilian assiszant. To
get an idea of how busv they
are, let’s look at
the numbers for
1997, the last
vear the stats
are readily
available.

In 1997, the
Vancouver
Police
Department
investigated
1,940 missing
juveniles and
975 reported
missing adults. Te date only
four cases remain unre-
solved. Of the four, three are
missing prostitutes.

In 1998 there is only one
outstanding case and that is
an edult male. There are
three new missing prostitute
cases in 1999,

Now most of these cases
involve runaway kids or
adults who have taken off
after a family fight. Most
resolve themselves in a short
Period of time.

The police sav they can
usually cell ia reported
missing person will curn up
because of the circumstances
leading up to the disappear-
ance. These cases don’t usu-

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ally get much attention from
the police. Accordingly, the
reports of the missing prosti-
tates routinely get more
attention than the average
missing person because of
the higher likelihood of foul
play.

To say the police care fess
for these women than if
there were 20 missing
women trom Point Grey is
simply untrue.

Given the fact these
women are addicts and living
in the most degrading of cir-

issi

cumstances, there is no well-
defined starting point for the
police to begin their investi-
gation. Without evidence,
they rely on talking to ovher
street people for informa-

tion, not the most reliable of

information sources at the
best of times.

This would seem to be
the crux of the problem. All
the potice have to ge on is
the information trom the
families indicating they
haven't heard trom che
women fora period of time.

Save Cypress from |
further desecration |

Dear Editor:

J have lived in Vancouver for most of my life and frequent-
ly hiked or walked on Hollyburm Mountain.

Cypress Bow! Recreation Ltd., which has the lease for this
area, is now deing allowed to expand i its operations, and some
impeziant and beautiful areas will be obliterated.

For instance, the Cypress Bowl end of the Baden-Powell
trail’s Hollyburn section will be, apparently, completely cleared
to make way for a new snoweat garage and maintenance facili-
hw

* Other areas of the mountain will be blasted and bulldozed
to make way for restaurants, buildings, parking lots ete., — this
all in a class A provincial park!

What is our government thinking of to allow such desecra-
tion? | have nothing against the existing downhill ski area,
which serves a need, but to ruin the surrounding wilderness in
the name of “progress” is surely a travesty.

The Baden-Powell ‘Trail, which extends ftom Horseshoe
Bay to Deep Cove, and which was built with volunteer labour.
should not be touched.

More and more people are appreciating the chance to walk
along the beautifill North Shore mountains, and this trail will
becor ore popular and even famous,

The Holiyburn/Cypress area shot! be preserved from any
further encroachments, and this anique oasis of forests,
streams, lakes, and wild life should be preserved for future gen-
erations who will appreciate the foresight we can show by say
ing it,

Jeanette Helmer
Pemberton, B.C.
helmer@direct.ca

Wednesday, May 19, 1999 - North Shore News ~ 7

ng women

There's no question there
are predators on the streets,
The missing women placed
themselves in positions
where they are the most vul-
nerable.

There’s no doubt we
should care about what may
have happened to the
women, There’s no question
the police should be com-
mitting their resaurces ta
resolving these cases.

But whipping up public
hysteria is not the answer.

— lkniqht@direct.ca

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