ORE GF NORTE AND WEST VANCOUVER

November 29, 1992

68 pages

Office, Editorial 985-2131

Police monitor youth gang
activity after stabbing death

LOCAL POLICE say they are monitoring the activities of
young ‘‘pang’’ members active on the North Shore.

The North Vancouver RCMP
ate paying closer attention to the
exploits of groups such as the
North Van Locals following the
Nov. 14 stabbing death of 21-
year-old Darren James Ford of
Burnaby.

Carlos Escobar, 23, of Van-
couver, was injured in a fight be-
tween rivals on Robson Street.

Darryl! Christopher Kirby, 20,
of North Vancuuver, faces a
first-degree murder charge and a
charge of attempted murder as a
result of the incident.

According to Special Projects
Unit Cpl. Kelly Auld, the police
are seeing an increase in the
number of weapons carried by
young people on the street.

Said Auld, ‘There is a definite
increase in weapons. We're seeing
baseball bats in the cars we're
checking, and the kids are saying
they are carrying them for protec-

Assaults invoiving youths, al-
though without the deadly out-
come of the recent Robson Street
brawl, are commonplace on the
North Shore.

Said the corporal, ‘‘There are
always kids fighting here; we're
getting assaults happening every
weekend. There is always some
sort of violence happening here,
but it is random.”

Bu: he said, ‘This thing is get-
ting a bit blown out of propor-
tion.’"

By Michael Becker
News Reporter

The North Vancouver RCMP
Special Projects Unit has been
given the task of monitoring the
local street scene.

The Underground Possee and
the Bad Boys Club are two new
groups that have recently come to
the attention of the police.

Auld described the groups as
including members 16 years old
and up who generally ‘party
together, hang out together and
do petty crimes together."

The police have identified at
least 10 members of the North
Van Locals.

Said Auld, “Right now it's
males that we have identified, and
of course they have girlfriends,
and we're putting them in as
associates. *'

The Special Projects Unit has
been tracking the trouble for the
last four months.

“We've known of the groups,
but they have never been a prob-
lem to worry about.

“They are still not: organized,
but they are getting violent in
terms of the attack in Vancouver,

“We're petting on top of it, and
we want to identify these people.
We'll be monitoring it very close-
ly,” Auld said.

Elections Act changes
jeopardize democratic
rights, says Mitchell

NDP move alarming WV residents

THE PROVINCIAL government would remove the demo-
cratic voting rights of British Columbians if its proposed
changes to the B.C. Municipal Elections Act are made,
West Vancouver-Garibaldi Liberal MLA David Mitchell

charged Friday.

And Mitchell said West Van-
couver residents will be one of the
groups hardest hit by the propos-
ed changes.

The provincial government’s
discussion paper, Local Govern-
ments Election Legislation, pro-
poses changing the current B.C.
Municipal Elections Act to pro-
hibit property owners from voting
in local elections if they live in
another area. .

Mitchell said the move is
undemocratic, because people who

By Surj Rattan
News Reporter

pay full property taxes, but who
might not live year-round in a
particular area, should still have
the right to vote in local elections.

He added that the proposed
change will have a significant im-
pact on people in his riding,

See Bowen page 5

C. Crenna previews
winter’s stylish skins

Fashion: 22

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NEWS photo Terry Peturs

A doll’s house

WEST VANCOUVER resident Stefanie Deutsch began her enormous collection of Barbies by
purchasing them at flea markets as an 18-year-old living in Germany. She stopped counting
after amassing about 2,300 dolls. She has contacts with collectors all over the world to buy
and trade dolls and accessories associated with the Barbie cult. See High Profiles, page 48.

LS ay CaO ISTE E

REACHING EVERY DOOR ON THE NORTH SHORE SINCE 1969