Crack buys lead i WITH visions of Littleton, Colorado, dancing in their minds, Coquitlam RCMP took no chances last week when reports came through of a young man with a gun at Terry Fox secondary school. With an abundance of cau- tion, the Mounties secured the perimeter of the school then ordered the building in total lock-down while they painstakingly searched every part. The incident began, in reality, wo days carlier when threats were made to a teenage female student of the high school. The threats were met with violence by friends of the girl who tracked down the purvevor of the threats and gave him “what for.” The following day, far trom being chastened, the 19- year-old male returned tc the school, nearly ran down some kids in a crosswalk and ulti- mately threatened another female student with a hand- gun gently placed at her tem- ple. Enter the police. But it was the reason for the threats and the violence thar startled many. The orizi- nal girl was threatened over 3 drug debt owed. Not fore bag of pot, but for crack cocaine. Crack, the insidious scourge of American streets, Jong present on the streets of the Downtown Eastside, had naw made it to the burbs, On the same day Vancouver police conducted another sweep of the “skids” follaw- ing the latest undercover “buy and bust” operation. THE 1999 GRAND VITARA V4 1 V6 power,2d-valve, quad com. Drive select 4x4 Full-frome 4x4 MacPherson strut suspension o4-wheel ABS brakes Power steering Power windows North Vancouver Suzuki 983-208 “Dual cir bogs “Tit steering "Overhead mop lights *Adjustoble front heod restraints Leo Knight crime and punishment Thirty-three more warrants were issued for the arrest of crack dealers on Hastings Street, virtually all of them refugee claimants from Central America. The prevalence of crack cocaine on the streets of the Downtown Eastside comes as no surprise. The latest announcement of the arrest sweep caused barely a flicker of attention. We've seen it all before. But the appearance of crack in the high schools of Coquitlam should cause us all " ¢o sit up and pay attention. If it’s available at Terry Fox it’s probably just as available at Carson Graham or Handsworth or Sutherland or Sentinel. Mounties in Coquitlam said they began seeing the transition in the schools there as long as two vears ago. Its usage gradually built in the subsequent time. The quality of B.C. hydro- ponic marijuana has caused the price to rise dramatically. But crack cocaine is cheap — as little as $10 a rock. It’s vas- ily within the financial reach of high school kids. Worse, it is probably the most addictive of all illicit substances avail- able on the streets today. North Van Mounties say they haven't seen too much of the stuff in the schools, yer. And “yer” would scem to be the operative word. There are known crack houses in Power mirrors *Powerlocks Hult point electronic fuel injection #16° all-season radial tires *24-hour roadside assistance *Ciy12.3 U/100km (23mpglt Highway 9.7/100km (29 mpg)t 1695 Marine Dr. North Vancouver north shore news VIEWPOINT North Vancouver and with the open markets of the skids just a SeaRus ride away, it won't be long until Coquitlann’s experiences are mirrored here. Doug Mackay-Dunn, a North Shore school trustee and, in his other fife, the staff sergeant who oversees polic- ing on the Downtown Eastside, says the police have seen kids from North Shore schools on the so-called crack corners in the city. Mackay-Dunn says he is very concerned about the potential availability of crack in our schools. He said the RCMP are watching and the principals are being vigilant. “The principals are aware of the danger and are doing what they can to stop it,” Mackay-Dunn said. “To say there’s no drugs in our schools is wilful blind- ness. The situation needs to be worked on betore the problem becomes too great,” he concluded. Mackay-Dunn has joined forces with Reform MP Randy White and will be speaking at an anti-drug rally in Abbotsford on May 27, at 6 p.m, at the Ag Ree Centre. White is trying to develop a national drug plan to fight drug abuse. He is bringing out former Canadian boxing heavyweight champion, George Chuvalo as the keynote speaker, Chuvalo lost three of his sons to drug abuse and now is a fierce campaigner for the war on drugs. eee The Makah Indian Band in Washington state finally killed their whale last week after much fanfare, much crit- icism and much bluster. But what struck me most Lease a Grand Viroro for Including Freight & PDE. Buy frem $24,390" | or geta § Grand Vitara JLX MT with air conditioning, CD player ctuisa conte! ond cluminum wheels & S329 22 Including Freight & P.O.E. Buy from 27,390" : fei “Sport Utility of the Year” ET All you have to do is drive one BF rene poorer bound on AB mers tera co S277 00/5299 00/9207 01/5126 O0/ermed renal mean cbiegengn $12,722 OLS 4 7H OO/S te 252 OU'HNE.L47 004 Pi anes, OAC wh $2.25) 00/$7.250 00/82, 150/82. 250 chown payment schi was nor the outrageous pho- rograph of the hunters danc- ing on the carcass of the manne behemoth, but rather it was the television pictures of the members of the Makah trying to pretend they were enjoying their repast. For those who didn’t sce the videotape, once che dead grey whale had been towed ashore and butchered, a cele- bration of sorts was held and the participants were all shown “eating” the whale meat. Closer inspection showed the video to be tittle more than propaganda. Those partaking in the feast were raking little tiny pieces about the size ofa pea and clearly having to make an effort to get it down their necks. No doubt they would probably preter the ‘T-bones dished out at the local Safeway. The Makah would seem to be engaged in a public rela- tions exercise to convince the world they have the right te kill whales as part of their tra- David Neel “Native JEWELLERY/ Weboinc Rincs 44% West 3rd Street, North Vancouver 988-9215 | Osteoporosis | Testing | NORTH SHORE | BONE DENSITY State of the art bone density measurement done in our office. Our 8 dexa machine is the lat- | est technology. The process is painless and quick and the results are graphically present- ed in colour and explained. $140. without referral. $ with Dr. referral Call or stop in for a complimentary Osteoporosis Risk Assessment. Only thru May 30th # #104-2419 Bellevue Ave, a West Vancouver, B.C. V7V ‘44 : Wednesday, May 26, o} Vi 7 ditien, I suspeet the motive is little more than a desire to capitalize on the huge market in Japan for such delicacies. With the bulk of the civilized world stacked against whal- ing, the Japanese market has been virtually starved, save for the little harvested from Norwegian waters under the equally suspicious “research” motivation: The grey whales were res- cued from the brink of extine- tion not that many years ago. Their species has not yet fully recovered. While the taking of one whale a year by the Makah, if indeed that’s where it stops, doesn’t mean much in terms of the uldmate sur- vival of the species, the poten- tial for other coastal nations . Park Royal South next to the Vanden Bosch 1999 — North Shore News - 7 lence to resume whaling is a real possibility if the tread grows to other First Nations. How does the world sav no to Ieeland, for example, with their long history and tradi- tion of whaling dating back centuries, if ali coastal First Nations rake up the hunt? Respect for the traditions of First Nations is admirable and to be encouraged. 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