Racial profiling in Vancouver
Vietnamese stigmatized in grow-op hysteria
by Reed Eurchuk
The Republic
Vietnamese people throughout Vancouver have been stigmatized as involved in gangs or marijuana grow operations by constant media and police reiteration of Vietnamese control of the trade. The pattern was set early by the Vancouver Police Department, when, in March 2000 at the beginning of police and media promotion of the grow op hysteria, then VPD media liaison Anne Drennan told the Vancouver Sun that, "We have seen more and more evidence of almost complete domination of the cultivation business by Vietnamese."
The Vancouver Sun reported the latest sorry incident in which a 72 year old Vietnamese man opened his front door and according to reporter, John Mackie, "was greeted by two Vancouver police officers pointing guns at his head." This elderly man, and two other males living in the house were handcuffed. One of the family members told the Sun that, "I believe this is discrimination. We are Vietnamese people, we live in east Vancouver and we pay a low [electricity] bill. It doesn't mean we do drugs." No grow operation was found at the home.
There are a number of dangers with such claims based on ethnicity. One obvious danger is that stereotyping of behaviour can result, with a negative impact on innocent people.
A Vietnamese person may be deprived of rental housing because of prejudices promoted by such attitudes. Vietnamese youth may be targeted by police or other authorities simply because of their ethnicity.
A Vietnamese person may be deprived of rental housing because of prejudices promoted by such attitudes. Vietnamese youth may be targeted by police or other authorities simply because of their ethnicity.
In the United States such targeting, called "racial profiling" in crime-fighting jargon, has led to a huge disproportion of young black men in jail on petty drug-related crimes.
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