P.O.W.E.R. DISPATCH #1
Update on community-based reporting through P.O.W.E.R.
Initial intakes and drop-ins at Police Oversight with Evidence and Research (P.O.W.E.R.) have yielded a number of themes since operations started.
*Dispatches: P.O.W.E.R. intends to release updates on community-based reporting outside of our academic and single topic newsletters when time and resources permit.*
Photo by Jackie Dives
Dispatch #1: Themes
There are many calls to the police that have not compelled any positive action, but have been harmful.
A number of participants in P.O.W.E.R. have described ways in which they attempted to communicate with the police and there was either no follow-up, or the interaction with police led to negative outcomes or increased surveillance.
Majority of intakes to date have been women.
To date, the majority of formal reports to P.O.W.E.R. have been from women. All reports have been received so far at VANDU, which is not a resource tailored to serve women specifically. This tells us that gender-specific concerns are likely more prevalent than our early operations have captured.
Appetite for a police reporting service & action in Vancouver.
Outside of formal reports to P.O.W.E.R., there have been a number of visits to the site and/or people in the community via outreach. Community members have generally been supportive of the project, with many expressing that it is “about time” this type of resource existed.
Outreach as brief intervention.
P.O.W.E.R has regularly had people on outreach throughout the week. P.O.W.E.R. members have reported that these visits generate discussions and allow people impacted negatively by police the space to debrief and connect with someone, offering some relief and sense of support.
Previous newsletters
P.O.W.E.R. released a multimedia newsletter covering concerns regarding police officers attending overdoses, and released preliminary concerns from community members surrounding the police killing on Hastings Street on Aug. 2, 2024.
P.O.W.E.R. released a statement with 17 other organizations condemning expansion of involuntary treatment in BC. A number of P.O.W.E.R. members also contributed and attended the subsequent rally in Vancouver.
Outside of VANDU
During the VANDU closure this summer, P.O.W.E.R. held information sharing sessions by setting up a tent and table at Pigeon Park and the Patricia Hotel.
P.O.W.E.R. in the news
Globe and Mail: B.C. to introduce involuntary care for people with concurrent addiction, mental disorders, premier says
CityNews Vancouver: Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside community launches police oversight project
BC CTV: 'Like urban warfare': Community-led police oversight project launched in Vancouver
Megaphone Magazine: Harm from ‘Benzo Dope’ on the rise
Recent research with contributions from P.O.W.E.R. members
International Journal of Drug Policy: Preferred pharmaceutical-grade opioids to reduce the use of unregulated opioids: A cross-sectional analysis among people who use unregulated opioids in Vancouver, Canada
Harm Reduction Journal: Increases in housing rules and surveillance during COVID-19: impacts on overdose and overdose response in a community-based cohort of sex workers who use drugs in Vancouver, BC
International Journal of Drug Policy: People who use drugs’ prioritization of regulation amid decriminalization reforms in British Columbia, Canada: A qualitative study