Gastown residents fed-up with nearby protests

VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – The people against gentrification in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside are leaving those living in Gastown scared and fed-up.

Protests outside PiDGiN restaurant are now into the third month and Andy Patton with the Gastown Gazette says another one happened on Wednesday night.

“The protestors were heading down Cordova Street with a dozen large lit torches with their faces covered  with signs that said burn the condos, I think that was discomforting enough.”

Patton says those living in the neighbourhood are not opposed to more social housing there, but they think a mixed living situation is important and just simply want the protests to stop.

“Local business community and the local residential community recognizes that the leaders of these protests are professional protestors, a lot of them don’t even live here.  It seems to be the majority of people here are sort-of fed-up at how they’ve targeted one local business,” he adds.

Patton says some people living there have even experienced protestors banging on their doors.

Meanwhile, Vancouver Police are now looking for a woman they say tried to chain shut the restaurant’s back door back in March.  Twenty-five-year-old Robyn Claire Pickell of Vancouver is wanted for mischief.  “Some of them [protesters] are individuals that we are aware of who they are even though they were masking their faces.  We know who they are.  They’re involved in hijacking many protests in the city for various causes,” says Constable Brian Montague.

He says officers never had to physically intervene, but did step up enforcement to ensure things were peaceful.