Gastown riots
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49°17′00″N 123°6′15″W / 49.28333°N 123.10417°W The Gastown riot, known also in the plural as Gastown riots, also known as "The Battle of Maple Tree Square", occurred in
Police were accused of heavy-handed tactics including indiscriminate beatings with their newly-issued riot batons. They also used horseback charges on crowds of onlookers and tourists.[3][4][5]
A commission of inquiry into the incident was headed by Supreme Court Justice Thomas Dohm. The Inquiry cited the Yippies as instigators of the Smoke-In, calling them "intelligent and dangerous individuals," but was highly critical of the police's conduct and described the incident as a police riot.[6][7]
The Gastown riots are commemorated in a two-story-high 2009 photo mural called Abbott & Cordova, August 7, 1971 by local artist Stan Douglas, installed in the atrium of the redeveloped Woodward's Complex.[8][9]
References
- ^ "Operation Whirlwind," Georgia Straight, August 3, 1971.
- ^ "Gastown Riot". Canada's Human Rights History. Dr. Dominique Clément, University of Alberta. Retrieved October 15, 2015.
- ^ "Aldermen seek probe of wild Gastown clash," Vancouver Sun, August 9, 1971.
- ^ Collins, Doug (August 15, 1971). "Pot and Politics: Canada and the Marijuana Debate - 1971 Gastown riots over Vancouver smoke-in" (video). CBC News. Retrieved August 31, 2013.
- ^ "Photos: The 1971 Gastown riot" (photos). Vancouver Sun. May 25, 2010. Retrieved September 1, 2013.
- ^ "Police charge yippie plot," by Jes Odam, Vancouver Sun, Oct 1, 1971;
- ^ "Excessive force cited," by Iain Hunter, Vancouver Sun, October 7, 1971.
- ^ Kamping-Carder, Leigh (2009). "At The Gastown Riot: Vancouver artist Stan Douglas reimagines a neighbourhood's troubled past". The Walrus. Retrieved August 31, 2013.
- ^ Woo, Andrea (March 2, 2012). "Gastown Timeline: From 'Gassy Jack' to riot to Woodward's redevelopment". Vancouver Sun. Retrieved September 1, 2013.