Vancouver Riots: Hockey Fans Stick It To Their Own City

Updated: June 16, 2011, 3 p.m. E.T.

The police in Vancouver did little at first when drunken and angry sports fans took to making sport of the streets of the city. It all started with the flipping of a car on Georgia Street inside one of the outdoor spectator zones set up to watch the seventh and deciding game of the National Hockey League's Stanley Cup championship between the Vancouver Canucks and the Boston Bruins. The voluble disappointment over the local team's 0-4 defeat at the hands of the American team had a cheeky undertone to it in the beginning, the crowd entertained by the flipping of the car, by the people who dance on top of the tumbled vehicle, friends tweeting friends about the incident, laughing. Then the glee turned nasty. Fires were lit in trash bins; garbage was hurled at the police. Violence begat violence. The angry fans took apart the blue fencing used to demarcate an alcohol-free zone, turning it into riot gear to use to push back against the shields of the police.

It was only 8 p.m. in British Columbia when the mayhem started. The sun was still shining, but black smoke was rising everywhere. More than a dozen cars were torched, including at least two police vehicles that had also been flipped. The fire deparment was unable to move in to extinguish the flames. Suddenly, lawlessness became the law, and countless mainly young fans chose to obey the new dictum. Crowds started doing more than just flipping cars and throwing debris at police: they smashed glass storefronts and looted stores, including the Bay department store, stealing everything from clothing to chairs to cosmetics.

More uniformed officers arrived on the scene, and then the first tear-gas canisters and flash grenades were launched to disorient and disperse the mobs. It was a tall order. The city had invited more than 100,000 fans to gather on the streets of Vancouver to watch the game on four giant screens on the closed-off streets. Precautions had been taken: more than 2,000 liquor pour-outs took place, and alcohol sales were prohibited before game time. But many of the fans still somehow got the fuel to ignite their already fiery passions over hockey. "We shut the liquor stores down and were patting down people," said Vancouver police chief constable Jim Chu on Thursday, "But it is clear the alcohol was at an extremely high level." He said that earlier on Wednesday, he and his officers had run into a group of 16-year-olds drinking heavily.

Would Sunday liquor sales increase Georgia crash rate? | Macon ...

A debate about alcohol sales hits different states and cities throughout the country at different times. The debate is about whether allowing liquor sales on Sunday is a good idea for a community. Currently, Georgia officials are discussing the matter, and residents could soon have the opportunity to vote on the controversial issue.

Why is Sunday liquor sales a controversial topic? Critics suggest that the increased availability of alcohol in a community would lead to more car accidents and an overall dangerous culture of alcohol use.

A recent piece from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution outlines the Sunday sales debate going on among lawmakers and traffic safety advocates in Georgia. It's important to consider the opinions and studies because you could have the chance to vote on this matter.

A former head of the Governor's Office on Highway Safety worries that legalized Sunday sales would result in more drunk drivers on Georgia roads. With more impaired drivers on the roads, the chances increase that DUI accidents would occur.

Surprisingly, sources from Georgia law enforcement challenge that theory. They assert that there are already strict measures in place in the state that deter people from driving drunk. They reportedly don't see that Sunday sales would have a significant impact on traffic safety.

Various studies have researched the effect that Sunday sales have on traffic safety and accident rates. According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the general conclusions of the safety studies show that the rate of traffic accidents isn't noticeably impacted by allowing alcohol sales on Sundays.

What do you think about this issue? If liquor stores were allowed to open on Sundays, would you feel less safe in your Georgia community? Or do you think that forcing liquor stores to remain closed on Sundays is an outdated practice?

Extracts from liquor laws of prohibition states

The Southeastern reporter

Supreme Court reporter

Park's annotated code of the state of Georgia, 1914, embracing the code of 1910 and amendments and additions thereto made by the General assembly in 1910, 1911, 1912, 1913, and 1914, together with complete annotations from the judicial decisions through those contained in the 139 Georgia reports, 12 Georgia appeals reports, 212 Federal reporter, and 230 United States Supreme court reports: pub. by authority of the General assembly

Federal and state laws relating to intoxicating liquor