Oppenheimer Park washroom closure caused by sewage backup, park board says
Credit to Author: Harrison Mooney| Date: Thu, 07 Nov 2019 21:01:47 +0000
The Vancouver park board said Wednesday that they had a valid reason for closing the washrooms overnight at a Downtown Eastside tent city.
The public facilities at Oppenheimer Park were closed Tuesday evening, the park board explained, after the discovery of a sewage backup.
Activists and residents of the tent city, however, suspect the closure is yet another attempt to break up the encampment by cutting off access to running water and sanitary facilities — a serious health hazard for those living in the park.
“We’re sick and tired of these games that city hall is playing,” said tent city liaison Chrissy Brett. “These games are impacting the lives of 150 people and adding additional stresses and pressures on already vulnerable people.”
A month ago, the park board issued an evacuation notice to residents, and many moved out of Oppenheimer and into social housing. But the population in the park appears to be increasing again, raising the ire of city officials and police.
The situation in Oppenheimer has “created a flourishing market for the criminal element,” a Vancouver Police deputy chief, Howard Chow, said in September,
“It’s allowed predators to come in, it’s allowed gangs to come in and prey on some of the victims in there,” Chow said, adding that he believes a court injunction may be necessary to clear the park.
Park board commissioners voted to reject staff’s recommendation to seek a court injunction to clear the park that same month.
But still residents of the tent city say they were suspicious when the washrooms were suddenly declared off-limits.
Activists and residents of the tent city occupied the public washrooms Wednesday in an event to prevent their closure for a second consecutive night, but the park board said the facilities would remain closed until plumbers could fix the problem on Thursday morning.
Four portable washrooms in the park remain open, the park board said, and are cleaned and restocked daily.
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