Jeremy Omand of the Gastown Residents Association appears to grab, force person to the ground in video
Omand, whose actions are described by one resident as 'vigilantism,' is on the advisory committee for the forthcoming Gastown community policing centre
By Tyson Singh Kelsall with P.O.W.E.R.
In a video submitted to P.O.W.E.R., Jeremy Omand can be seen grabbing a person by their chest before forcing them down to the ground inside the atrium of the Woodward’s building in Vancouver.
The person recording the event told P.O.W.E.R. they were then shoved “forcefully” by Omand, causing them to fall to the ground and lose grip on their phone.
In a statement to P.O.W.E.R., Omand confirmed that he is the person in the video, and rationalized his actions. He refers to the person he pulled down as a “thief.” Omand is the vice-president of the Gastown Residents Association, as recently as January 2025, according to his newsletter.
(The full video can be viewed here.)
The 2023 video was provided to P.O.W.E.R. by the concerned resident who captured it. The resident described Omand’s actions as “vigilantism.”
“This is the one time I caught it, but I don’t want to imagine what he has done since,” says the resident, who P.O.W.E.R. is keeping anonymous for considerations of backlash.
Omand says he is on the advisory committee for the forthcoming Gastown community policing centre. P.O.W.E.R. reached out to the City of Vancouver for comment, but the City did not respond by deadline.
In his response to P.O.W.E.R., Omand stated, “I stepped in to assist the security guard, I brought the man to the ground as gently as I could…and in a calm and controlled manner; I did not throw any strikes, he was held there for about 1 second.”
Omand expresses that his “heart breaks” for people experiencing “homelessness, drug addiction and mental health challenges in our community,” including a member of his family.
He adds, “we also have a responsibility to uphold the rule of law.”
Omand reports that after police reviewed the footage, the officers told him the force he used was “reasonable,” as he “was assisting security who had legal authority to detain the suspect.” (P.O.W.E.R. inquired with Omand if there was record of this or a secondary witness, but did not hear back prior to the publication.)
The resident who recorded the video affirmed that Vancouver Police officers did arrive on scene after being called by security. They say that after giving their contact information to the officers, they did not receive any follow-up communication.
Previous freedom of information documents show the Gastown Residents Association lobbying then-ABC party park board commissioners and city councillors to clear the CRAB Park encampment in 2024.
One day prior to the 2025 Vancouver byelection, the Gastown Residents Association hosted an event featuring city councillors Peter Meiszner and Brian Montague–who is also a former Vancouver Police spokesperson–as the councillors campaigned “on behalf of their ABC candidates,” according to the association’s April newsletter.
Omand is currently listed as a real estate agent with Keller Williams Realty Van on their website.