What does DTK need?

[dtkvictim]

I don't think this is biased as you think. I've on more than one occasion been verbally, explicitly threatened by people who are not homeless or otherwise destitute (you can tell because they were often driving their families in nice vehicles, dressed in nice clothing), and the police also do not care.

Interesting point. It's certainly true, but I haven't really experienced this myself. I am highly conflict avoidant though, which I'm not saying is right, but might change what I experience. My problems downtown have generally all been situations I had no way of avoiding other than not existing in this space. I also think there is a difference in people who have lost control of their emotions, versus people who have lost control of their minds.

That said, as someone who is out cycling often, I'm keenly aware of the reality that there are people out there who would be happy to see me run over. Fortunately I've never had anything close to that happen (the opposite actually, with people often yielding their right of way or saying "Hey cool bike" out of their window) - only people ignorant to my presence on the road.

I had more drunk drivers crash into things around my home than I had interactions with homeless people in the 5 years we lived downtown. So yeah, when I worried about my daughter downtown, I worried about the drunk, aggressive, or distracted drivers, not the homeless people.

Of course. My vehicle parked in a private spot (not a public lot) has been hit twice and it's large and stationary, and at least one of them was 100% drunk. Walking through Victoria and Weber multiple times a day, before the encampment ever existed, was probably more threatening to my safety than anything else I'm describing. But this is a problem you can hardly escape in Canada, and I'd rather not also have these other problems piled on top.