Cardero Cafe on Davie. (John Streit Photo) Click any photo to enlarge — Cardero Cafe on Davie. (John Streit Photo)
Click any photo to enlarge

A DRAMATIC RISE IN THEFT
AND VANDALISM
Police, Businesses, and Residents Seek Solutions

by John Streit

Running one business in the pricey West End sounds tough enough in a pandemic. But try running three, like Sonia Zebadua.

The owner of a pair of always busy Cardero Cafés (one, you guessed it, on Cardero Street and the other on Davie at Thurlow) along with a Latin grocery store (also on Davie) loves this neighborhood, and it obviously loves her, judging from her many Facebook fans and queues for her lattes and cappuccinos.

However, like many others, she has noticed a dramatic deterioration of safety and an uptick in crime on West End high streets, especially Davie. "I think many of the business owners have witnessed a lot of crime, especially petty theft. Lots of very interesting folks have been appearing in the West End. At our grocery store, some guy took a full cart with products and walked away. Of course, I don't want staff to try and stop these people, especially since the staff are mainly just young women. So we installed a panic button to be used when they feel threatened. But sometimes the thieves are very quick and just grab and run. That has been happening a lot," she says.

On July 5, the front window of her Cardero Café on Davie was smashed. The thief got in and stole cash and merchandise.

In fact, smashing windows appears to be the latest modus operandi for Vancouver criminals, looking for quick and accessible merchandise to turn into drug money, by all accounts.

Saatchi and Saatchi on Robson. (John Streit Photo)

A quick walk or roll of the downtown core and you’ll notice many storefront windows and doors boarded up with plywood after break-ins. On Robson, the door and windows of Saatchi and Saatchi Fine Jewelry were recently smashed. Same situation at a children’s clothing store near Bute Street. On Burrard, both the IGA at Smythe and Pharmasave near Davie were recently hit.

It’s been even worse on Davie Street. One recent four-month count racked up smashed windows at Kinara Indian Cuisine, Pho Central, Flight Central, Abasa Optical, Mumbai Local, Davie Tanning, Manoush’eh, Starbucks, Shoppers Drug Mart and the adjacent Care Point Medical Center.

Perhaps the most high-profile smash-and-grab happened at Marquis Wine Cellars on September 8.

Its massive front window was smashed by someone using a restaurant-style (think crème brule) butane torch. Apparently, the simple process of heating up a small portion of the glass can bring down an entire pane in seconds. The act was caught on store surveillance video but by TWEJ ‘s press time, the culprit has not been caught.

Incidentally, the thieves weren’t after what perhaps could be the city’s best wine selection, but a $6,000 store e-cargo delivery bike inside. At last check, the bike has not been found.

Since that violating and costly day, owner John Clerides has been extremely active on social media and in the news slamming the City of Vancouver for what he feels is inaction on this issue. “The mayor's office called, but that was only after an email introduction by Ian Tostenson who is president of the BC Restaurant and Food Services Association. Every single one of my clients has expressed they’re sorry about this happening. Additionally, they have lamented at the poor state of the City and lack of will and leadership.”

It appears some City of Vancouver action is now being taken to combat crime in the downtown core, especially targeting Davie and Granville Streets.

Vancouver Police say they’re starting regular beat patrols by foot, bike, and vehicle. Chronic criminals are being targeted. Clerides feels his situation helped spark the long-awaited VPD action. “All this came from the publicity I received from my window being broken. Beat cops should never have been disbanded.”

Sgt. Steve Addison with Vancouver Police understands rising crime is a troubling issue in the West End for both residents and business owners. “Though crime stats don’t paint the whole picture, I can tell you that calls to police involving glass breaks – this includes mischief, vandalism, and break and enters – increased 100 percent this summer, compared to last year, and 500 percent since the summer of 2019. That’s an alarming figure,” he tells TWEJ.

Addison says his department is hearing and responding to concerns. “We share them, and we’re trying to do something about it. We don’t have unlimited resources, and we still need to properly serve other neighborhoods in the city, but we’re committed to doing everything we can to reduce crime and help people feel safe again in the West End,” he says.

Often, crimes go unreported because of the feeling that no one cares or the perception there’s no chance the bad guys will get caught. But Addison stresses if you become a victim, call the police. “People tell us all the time about incidents that have not been reported to the police. We encourage people to call when they see a crime, if they feel unsafe, or if they see someone in distress, so we can properly respond and better allocate our resources,” he says.

Marquis Wines on Davie. (John Clerides Photo)

The West End Journal asked the VPD about the potential deployment of a temporary mobile security camera trailer on Davie to battle the uptick in crime, as was used to tackle violence and shoplifters on Robson and Richards Streets, the racist anti-Asian vandalism and graffiti in Chinatown, and to protect a Catholic Church on Musqueam Lands. “There are no immediate plans to deploy one of our public safety trailers, although it remains an option. These trailers work well to deter crime and have cameras attached to them, but we’re mindful that some people feel uncomfortable having the trailers deployed in their neighborhood because of privacy concerns,” Addison explains.

Stephen Regan, the outgoing president of the West End Business Improvement Association, agrees the high-tech security unit is not a good fit on Davie Street. "I don't think so, when you think about Davie Village and the LGBTQ+ community and how tolerant and welcoming the community tends to be. I think privacy is an issue and people just want to live their lives. That kind of moves to a fortress mentality. Get some beat cops out there, build relationships, don't be too obvious - they know who the bad guys are. Let's get two or three beat cops out there so they cover each other off day and night," he says.

The West End Business Improvement Association’s Stephen Regan.

He feels when it comes to the smashing of windows on Davie, seeing multiple attacks happen within a short period of time in a three-block area starts to get “a little intense.”

"In the general public's mind, it's all conflated. They hear from the shopkeeper about shoplifting, they hear from Marquis Wine Cellars about a smash-and-grab, they walk by a plaza and see the encampments and the situation in front of St. Paul's is getting worse by the week it seems. People are like ‘what the hell's the matter with our neighborhood’?

"That's kind of what we're hearing. Our businesses, which are direct targets, are mad and frustrated that the trend is going in the wrong way," he says.

Last month, Regan’s BIA took part in a private ZOOM forum with Vancouver Police, the City of Vancouver, and other stakeholders about crime in the West End. "We feel good that the police finally responded, promising to go after the career criminals who do the brazen smash-and-grab thefts late at night or early in the morning. We've always had good relations with the police, but we've been encouraging them through our VPD Community Policing Office to get more eyes on the street."

He understands street disorder in Vancouver can be a very sensitive topic. "Some people have had a tough life. A tough upbringing. They've bumped into alcohol or substance abuse. Some of those drugs are so damaging. God, forbid, any one of us, we're only a couple steps away," he adds.

Some store owners on Davie Street are actively looking at boosting security.

On Twitter, Clerides has publicly asked his architect to investigate the City’s policy on exterior metal roll-down shutters for Marquis Wine Cellars. Someone at the City responded by saying “planning approval” would be needed for his location on Davie Street as those types of shutters are usually reserved for “industrial areas.” The City instead recommended an “interior metal grill that can be rolled away in the daytime when the business is open.”

Clerides’ pointed response? “He must be smoking something funny. We are in a war zone and Mayor Kennedy Stewart is watching it burn.”

His quick advice for other businesses in the area? “Security film on windows. Secure your doors, better cameras. Make it harder for them to break in,” he says.

Back at Cardero Café, Sonia Zebadua is asking her landlord to gate the large patio she shares with other businesses to help prevent break-ins. "If they want me to serve coffee and candy behind bars, I'll do it. I'm coming from the world's worst background where we had to defend ourselves a lot in Mexico. I'm used to that. But is that what we really want the West End to become? We are losing our quality of life. I know people who are moving. But I want to be there for the gay and Latin community. I want to hang out with my neighbors. We have a long list of customers, we know their lives and they know our lives. We are like family. Are we willing to give all that up just because we're not doing anything? We all need to rally a little bit."

Regan fears what a vibrant and open Davie Street could become if crime isn’t reduced. "We're signaling to our businesses and the VPD that the West End should never be flirting with an ugly fortress mentality. We have lots of eyes on the street because we're densely populated. We just need a few more officers. We can't hire private security and business cameras can't do what really well-coordinated police patrols and beat cops can do. They can chase down and target known criminals. Their presence is a super-strong deterrence and there's not really a substitute for that,” he says.

As for solutions on top of an increased presence, Regan feels it’s important to be a squeaky wheel. "Advocacy is many voices and one message. Effective advocacy is by the time you're sick and tired of saying the same thing you're just starting to break through. We let the VPD know that what's happening now on Davie Street is not normal and we would like a not normal response, and I think that's what we got."

Zebadua agrees and just hopes that an increased police presence will help. “But it has to be together, not just a police job. The community, businesses, City of Vancouver, West End BIA, and the VPD all have to work together. If we're all together that would be perfect," she says.

Clerides would like to start by taking out the congregation points, like reopening Bute Street north of Davie. He’s also calling for better lighting in the alleys.

Some West End business owners have hinted at leaving the neighborhood due to the extraordinary costs associated with crime in a pandemic. But Zebadua’s roots are here now. "We're not moving from the West End. I told the BIA and the VPD that I'm a rebel and I'll fight until we can't do anything - until we become another Hastings or Granville Street. Then we'll have to look at another area. But that's not the solution," she says.

She adds it’s really important to have a voice and a focus. “I know nobody wants to talk about the negative. I understand a lot of people aren't used to defending themselves. But at this point, we need to do something that is clear and specific. Protect your home. The West End is your home."