Watched the game from work for the most part. Stuck it out after my shift was over since I figured if I switched locations somewhere closer to the downtown core, I'd just miss the last period anyway.
Game ended, the hated Boston Bruins won. Shame. Fine. Sad, but I'll get on.
On the way home with a couple other people, the police brother texted me:
"You're not downtown are you? If you are, get out of there ASAP. It's turning bad here."
Sooo as more people than not expected, people tried to start shit up. A few car fires, broken store windows, attempts to loot . . . a parkade is on fire now . . . straight up assholery all around, likely from young people who more or less intended to start shit no matter which way the game went. Basically, assholes who saw an excuse to break shit, so they went out, covered their faces, and started breaking shit.
So the riot police are kicking ass. ERT is out in force (go get 'em!). Even mounted units are out, which is admittedly a little cool. Tear gas, folks being told to GTFO . . . sun's almost setting as I type this, and it's been about an hour and a half since the end of the game (though I heard one fire was already on before the game was over).
So yeah.
You wanna ask me how embarrassed I feel about my team losing game seven in a shutout? You really wanna know how sour I am about all that?
It doesn't even matter anymore. I more embarrassed that Vancouverites destroying their own city is what our reputation has to be now. I'm more embarrassed that even though we already had this reputation back after 1994, we still can't learn from that to try better. That is embarrassing.
Silver lining is that in the age of Facebook, Twitter, and cell phone cameras, we'll have a lot more identifying of the idiots running around being fucktards. That would make me happy.
Vancouver, British Columbia. Keepin' it classy.
Fuck. That is all.
EDIT:
Aaaaaaaand we have stabbings. And there are more fires indoors and out. And the officers are forming shield walls. And pretty much every major shop downtown is smashed and/or looted. And there are rumours that there is a fatality from someone pushed over a 3rd floor railing.
Fuck, Vancouver. Seriously . . .
