Business owners in Downtown Eastside say tent removals did little to improve sense of safety

Some Downtown Eastside business owners say the recent removal of tent encampments has done little to increase foot traffic in the area or improve their sense of safety.

A number of small business owners in the Hastings-Crossing neighbourhood say they are speaking out in hopes of saving their livelihoods, mental health and bringing about substantive changes to their area.

"I feel like it's clear it's been neglected," saidLinda Ly.

In 2015, Ly opened Onyx Nail Salon on Abbott Street, just off East Hastings Street.She says the area has declined considerably since, particularly duringthe pandemic.

WATCH | Safety concerns remain in Downtown Eastside, say business owners:

Downtown Eastside businesses say tent removals did little to improve safety

1 year ago

Duration 9:57

One month after tents were removed from Vancouver's East Hastings street, businesses near the centre of the Downtown Eastside say little has changed, and in some cases, believe the decampment has made things worse.

She says worries for her and her all-female staff's safety more than ever, andkeeps her doors locked at all times.

"I've got spat on," said Ly."The [female staff] got chased here."

Shortly after tents were formally removed on April 5 and 6, she says a naked man chased one of her employees into the salon and kept rattlingthe doorafter she ran inside and lockedit.

Ly says she wants governments to move quicker in helping people struggling with mental health and drug use,and not just focus on cosmetic changeslike removing tents.

Her neighbour, Rasa Shadmani, who ownsTanoorPizza, is pushing for similar action.

Since tents were removed, she says more people have been camping and sleeping outside her front door.

She tries to help and offer food, but she says she finds most people are rarely hungry. Instead, she believes they need support in other ways.

"They need their space to live, they needhome," said Shadmani.

Shadmani adds that people experiencing mental health and drug use episodesend up in her restaurant at least four times a week.

It leaves her barely able to sleep, she says, worried for her employees and spending nearly all her waking hours at work.

Justin Hall, who works on Abbott Street,says he visits some of the nearby businesses andunderstands why some business owners are unhappy about interruptions inside their stores.

"People shouldn't be allowed to go into businesses and cause a scene," he said.

But he says he can't see the problem going away until toxic drugs are no longer on the streets.

Chris D., who lives in the area, says addictions compounded by issues like sleep deprivation also make it challenging for people to control their behaviours.

A complex problem

Former provincial health officer Dr. Perry Kendall says the issues on the DTES have been compounded over the last decade by increasing poverty, toxic drugs and a shortage of mental health and primary care doctors.

He adds the continued criminalizationof drugs under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act is putting lives at risk.

"We need to have a discussion about is this really a sane policy or not," he said.

He says he wants to see a regulated supply of drugs, much like alcohol or tobacco, but anticipates it is a "big political leap."

"We've spent 30 years getting to this state and now we need to get out of it in less than 30 years."