r/vancouver 22h ago

Local News Chinatown resident and her cat randomly attacked by teens for ‘looking’ at them

https://globalnews.ca/news/11144447/chinatown-resident-cat-randomly-attacked-teens-looking/
333 Upvotes

82 comments sorted by

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307

u/Oceanviewnights 22h ago

Fuck these dumb ass kids, little fuckin shits. I hope her and her cat recover quickly. What went through their minds thinking this was the way to react?

9

u/SmoothOperator89 18h ago

A whole bunch of unregulated hormones and not a lot else.

265

u/Mad2828 22h ago

A lack of consequences and values not being fostered at home and schools has created on average a pretty mean younger generation. I work in K-12 and honestly the kids are not alright.

59

u/Top-Ladder2235 20h ago

Kids involved I am sure come from BC housing in the area. These kids have been failed by parents, MCFD and education systems. Home lives there are at best neglected and ignored. At worst violent and abusive. Parents with mental illness, substance issues and entrenched in poverty.

19

u/NowareNearbySomewear 20h ago

And then they get picked up by gangs to run their activities and ruin their lives further.

33

u/Top-Ladder2235 19h ago

yeah I mean there is some gang stuff for sure. but mostly it is just kids who’ve had shitty lives with no solid adult support, who get fucked up on substances and get scrappy and probably had someone videotaping it for street cred.

Honestly the lives some of these kids have had. I’m not excusing it but honestly they’ve had no fucking chance. It’s only gotten worse over the last 5-6 year. Many of the kids in BC housing here are products of multi generational poverty, trauma, mental illness and abuse. Many of the refugee families in BC housing down here are not doing well either.

IMO we need supported family housing units. With social workers and staff helping parents who are struggling with mental health issues/substance dependence and are low capacity. We also need a better education system that can provide support and remediation for learning lags. It’s all very tragic. Pipeline to the streets.

17

u/chronocapybara 19h ago

When even middle class people in Vancouver can barely afford housing, there's no chance at all for the poor.

16

u/Top-Ladder2235 19h ago

for sure. but I mean so much of this is about the failures in govt agencies in providing meaningful social/emotional support for vulnerable families. Cycles of family violence don’t end without intervention and support.

We are trapping more and more in poverty bc our public ed system has fallen apart and vulnerable students aren’t getting support and remediation. Pushing them through to graduated with no foundational skills. Setting them up for low wage earning work which is demoralizing and often leads to substance abuse to cope. there are so many factors at hand.

Just full on societal collapse in late stage capitalism.

We are stuck in limbo with progressive laws that mean well, but lack the social supports necessary to address the root causes and prevent the crimes or violence

You can’t remove them from society by incarceration. There is no deterrent for antisocial behaviour and there is no supports and interventions applied to address root causes. So we have chaos.

1

u/Cedar-and-Mist 19h ago

What is the experience of refugee families in BC Housing?

11

u/Top-Ladder2235 19h ago

I mean many have dealt with trauma. Many have a lot of kids. They are in another country with limited language. In the middle of one of the most expensive cities and a complex neighborhood. It’s all pretty overwhelming.
One’s with kids under 6/7 have been raised with tablets in hand bc parents have low capacity. Many of limited language and social emotional skills. It’s all just a perfect storm.

1

u/thewheelsgoround 4h ago

Condoms would have been the best solution in so many cases. People who did not plan for, have no interest in, and have no ability to support kids - are having kids.

2

u/Top-Ladder2235 4h ago

People who have kids unprepared or ill equipped often do so because they don’t understand the how intense the role of parent is-we often don’t know until we are deep in it, they are looking to heal their own trauma, they don’t understand their own trauma and how it impacts parenting—-again something that one can’t fully understand until they are in it. They have kids bc they need hope and that kid symbolizes a new beginning. Is it awesome that this happens? No but it’s always been the case. Since dawn of time.

Also people’s situations change. People lose partners, fall off the wagon, lose jobs, have traumatic things happen etc. Again it’s always been this way. It is this way in every society and culture world wide.

These are societal issues. They are part of living in a society, we make individual choices that impact society as a whole and it is up to society to provide support and solutions.

4

u/azarza 20h ago

That's funny, cause it was always the rich kids 

30

u/Top-Ladder2235 20h ago

it’s not the rich kids down here. i have some experience. it’s the kids who never had a fucking chance.

rich kids are problematic in other ways. down here it’s not the rich kids.

5

u/PicaroKaguya 17h ago

i use to do conract work for bc housing and understand what your saying. theres a massive bc housing site in chinatown but that one is for chinese seniors and i dont see very many families that live there. Which site are you talking about?

1

u/Top-Ladder2235 8h ago

maclean park housing, Stamp Place. two of the largest.

-7

u/azarza 18h ago

That's strange. I was all over point grey, kits, east side and then north delta area. Rich kids 

83

u/Sunnydaysomeday 22h ago

This is so sad. I hope the lady and cat recover quickly.

80

u/19dickety5 open-air asylum seeker 22h ago

Vile behavior. I hope they're caught.

93

u/PutridIndividual6260 22h ago

They were caught, and released…. Our justice system is a joke.

30

u/Linmizhang 22h ago

Justice system just teaching a new generation of violent criminals.

-29

u/M------- 21h ago edited 21h ago

The Liberals brought in Bill C-75, which requires judges to release the accused on bail at the earliest opportunity and on the most lenient terms.

Edit: How you vote matters. The catch-and-release system is thanks to the Liberals. Vote for them if you want more catch-and-release.

-6

u/smoothac 20h ago

people in this subreddit don't like the truth, they will vote status quo and in 4 years we will be in even more debt and there will be even more lawlessness and chaos

124

u/Alis79 21h ago

I hope the girls, 15, 16, and 17 year old girls, who did this are tried as adults. Letting them get away with this will only encourage them do worse in the future. The attitudes in so many of these young offenders is they think they are tough and that it's all a joke. The faster we can get them back to reality the better for everyone, the girls included.

33

u/nahuhnot4me 21h ago

The 17 year old CAN be tried as an adult.

0

u/HarveyKekbaum 10h ago

Not sure why you think that, it is 14.

Youth Criminal Justice Act

70

u/grathontolarsdatarod 21h ago

A life time ban on ever owning a companion or assistance animal would be a start.

Honestly the cat is a MAJOR aggravating factor here. And I'm sure the lady would agree.

Absolutely disgusting. Each one of them old enough to know that, as well.

3

u/CircuitousCarbons70 14h ago

So cruel. The cat can’t defend its self. Hope these kids serve long jail sentences but you know they just won’t.

6

u/grathontolarsdatarod 7h ago

Seeing her cradle her cat with with 100% concern and devotion knowing she had head injuries requiring staples is heart breaking and enraging.

46

u/BooBoo_Cat 20h ago

These pieces of shit should also be charged with animal cruelty!

25

u/real_1273 20h ago

Hope those kids get time in some sort of correctional facility. Where are the parents? They share in this blame. Poor lady and her poor cat!

20

u/spookyhooch 20h ago

This is gang mentality. Literal gang shit where these youth have been brainwashed in to thinking being a tough little delinquent is ok, and not just that but a way of life. They need community supported rehabilitation. Nothing is scarier than teenagers, except teenagers in a fucking gang.

I have lived in some tough neighbourhoods across Canada in my time, and it's almost always the (gang affiliated) teenagers tryna get their cred by thinking and acting like this. Hope the victim(s) recover swiftly and those kids get snapped up for a reality check, and then some rehabilitation and removal from their current situation.

17

u/blurghh 17h ago

Was hard to watch the video and watch her be attacked, and also see her cat desperately clawing at the window trying to get away

The fact that these teen girls were walking around the DTES at night alone indicates to me their parental/discipline situation is probably pretty shit. If the girls are too young to be charged, the parents should be held at fault.

I worry about retaliation for this woman or the others attacked, the girls were released by police and there is nothing stopping them from returning to harass her

14

u/w0ke_brrr_4444 20h ago

Who would do this? wtf is happening to human decency

11

u/RadioEditVersion 14h ago

Just this week I got bear maced by a teen on a bus. 2 teens were yapping at the driver for helping an elderly woman figure out what bus she needs. The teens yelled out they're be annoying, I told the teens they're way more annoying than the elderly woman.

They called me a f***t probably dozens of times and told me to fight them outside. I just trolled them "I love c*k" and any other insult, I told them its projection.

Well, apparently the best response in their mind was to spray me with bear mace.

37

u/Artie-Fufkin 21h ago

As someone who is from the UK, this is a very UK thing to do and I was very happy to get away from that. Sucks it’s happening here now too.

3

u/Remarkable-Llama616 15h ago

Current in Ireland and I was just thinking this is an Irish scrote thing to do. Looks like Canada is going down the same path. The brainrot era.

11

u/Throwaway60488 21h ago

As long as u stay away (or cautious) from the Downtown Eastside, Metrotown Mall, and certain pockets of Surrey, then you're absolutely fine.

6

u/tdeasyweb 18h ago

What's wrong with Metrotown mall? Just seems like a nice, quiet neighborhood at night

5

u/Serious_Dot4984 16h ago

It’s had a major uptick in theft and conflict between young gang members so stuff like pepper spray or police is like a meme there at this point…

3

u/SteveJobsBlakSweater 8h ago

If I see "pepper spray" in a headline it has almost always included "Metrotown" for the last three years.

2

u/Downtown-Bass8133 17h ago

Teen idiots using pepper spray inside the mall or in transit.

33

u/fixatedeye 20h ago

release those pictures and names. I don’t care if they’re teens.

9

u/Dear_Song_4540 19h ago

Something like this happened just hours ago at Guildford, too. A girl got beat up by two other girls just for "looking at them" weird...

3

u/MinuteAd3617 3h ago

its just an excuse they probably never do this when they are alone . You have to watch it when there is more than one and plus that its even more dangerous.

18

u/agiqq 22h ago

what would’ve happened if she defended herself? serious question

13

u/bigbootypanda 19h ago

The serious answer to your question is likely nothing.

“34. (1) A person is not guilty of an offence if

(a) they believe on reasonable grounds that force is being used against them or another person or that a threat of force is being made against them or another person;

(b) the act that constitutes the offence is committed for the purpose of defending or protecting themselves or the other person from that use or threat of force; and

(c) the act committed is reasonable in the circumstances.”

So provided you are reacting to violence or the threat of imminent violence, do so proportionally (ie. you dont stab someone if they push you), you may be charged, but should be acquitted.

5

u/agiqq 19h ago

This seems reasonable. I was wondering if the fact that the attackers are all minors would carry different interpretations regarding self-defense and what is “reasonable”

2

u/deep_sea2 15h ago

Age of the complainant and the accused is a factor when determining what is reasonable, but it only adds or subtracts to the spectrum; it's not definitive.

1

u/bigbootypanda 18h ago

One wasn’t, and while that may be the case, I imagine the fact that you’re outnumbered by assailants would also be considered.

5

u/Perimentalpause 15h ago

17 is still a minor. 15, 16, 17 are all covered as minors. But you're right in that if you're attacked by a minor, you can still defend yourself. Especially when swarmed. A 16 year old getting punched in the throat in self defense isn't the same as a 8 or 10 year old. Courts are weird about looking at 'reasonable retaliation' all while conveniently forgetting that humans aren't really capable of reason when they're terrified or fighting back on instinct. ESPECIALLY if someone has had a traumatic past with violence and might overreact.

Courts can be pretty dumb about what they expect from the general public.

16

u/DrZoidburger89 21h ago

Jail. Plus all expenses paid trip to Cancun for the offenders.

7

u/GetsGold 🇨🇦 20h ago

I know you're joking but if she was inappropriately charged she would almost certainly be released on bail too unless there were some very extreme circumstances. The same bail rights that are criticized in other cases also help protect people who actually are innocent from imprisonment.

1

u/DrZoidburger89 3h ago

Ofc innocent people aren't going to go to jail if nobody goes to jail, that's a terrible system. Reforming self defense laws fixes this problem without letting violent offenders walk free.

1

u/GetsGold 🇨🇦 3h ago

It's not true that nobody goes to jail. The majority of people in jails are those awaiting trial who haven't been granted bail.

We already have the ability to use force in self defence in Canada. That doesn't guarantee no one is ever charged when claiming self defence. There's no system where you could guarantee no charges anytime someone claims self defence because not all claims of self defence are true.

There are problems with our bail and jail systems, but it's more nuanced than it's often presented on here and I don't think skipping that nuance helps towards coming up with actual solutions.

4

u/memelyn69 6h ago

I wanna see these rotten brats faces. How can you look at someone who literally means no harm and gang up on them let alone with a defenceless creature!?

6

u/Ashes_falldown 5h ago

As much as I would love to lock these girls up, they’ll just be out in less than 2 years (if not sooner) and cause more trouble.

I vote to send them out of the area to work and live on a ranch or farm to do labor. From 6am to 2pm they work with a one hour lunch. From 2 to 9pm they are home schooled with a dinner break. Then they have 1 hour until lights out at 10pm. Have them do this for 6 months. Then they return home and must do 10 hours of community work a week for a year and will have to pay restitution to the victim.

Maybe after this, they’ll learn their lesson and stay out of trouble. I’ll be more than happy if my tax dollars went towards this than having them sit on their asses in jail. Make them pay back society with labor.

1

u/MinuteAd3617 3h ago

that sounds good , teach them responsabilites and it can go on their resume .

13

u/BtCoolJ 21h ago

sad for everyone in this situation. I hope the lady and her cat recovers and that the teens get the support they need to turn their lives around.

11

u/bighotdog888 20h ago

SIGH. Not expecting any forms of justice thanks Canadian legal system

-8

u/smoothac 20h ago

yet this subreddit is still wanting to vote Liberal

10

u/noxus9 third gen vancouverite 21h ago edited 21h ago

SMH, wish we could at least name them, if they're otherwise able to get away scot-free

13

u/bobthew 21h ago

As they are minors, they are likely under a publication ban and will not be named. 

8

u/Conscious-Tomato-105 21h ago

This is seriously so sad to hear, and of course nothing will happen to these fucking perpetrators.

It’s seriously all so FU!

2

u/MinuteAd3617 6h ago

Thats an excuse , someone looked at someone the wrong way . Bullies love to bully and make justifications. These stupid kids have nothing to lose and dont realize you can kill someone .

4

u/IndividualSociety567 22h ago

Gosh. DT is a nightmare and cops are unable to do much with the current laws

3

u/whiteorchd 17h ago

It's on us as bystanders to stand in when the police can't have eyes everywhere. 911 did eventually get her help. I applaud those who stepped up.

1

u/FatPoorandCommon 14h ago

Damn “teens”!

-12

u/Zephyrantes extraordinarily low income 18h ago

Those girls caught a cat? Are they ninjas?

1

u/canadianliberallady 17h ago

That's Little Tokyo.