By Katherine Gibson (The Cascade) – Email
Print Edition: March 12, 2014
“Don’t mistake change for growth,” rang Mr. Bennett’s song “Alcatraz” as the opening sequence of The Chicken Manure Incident documentary appeared on the screen of UFV’s auditorium on March 4 — a sentiment that encapsulated the evening.
More than 70 people filled the auditorium to watch UFV Urbanists’ screening of Kevin Miller’s documentary, which chronicles not only the City of Abbotsford’s decision to dump chicken manure at a homeless camp on Gladys Avenue in summer 2013, but also the lives of homeless individuals and homeless advocates within the city.
Prominent voices within the homeless debate, such as Mayor Bruce Banman, 5 and 2 Ministries’ Jesse Wegenast, police chief Bob Rich, and the Abbotsford Christian Leaders’ Network’s Jim Burkinshaw, were all featured during the film. After the screening, all four individuals formed a panel to respond to the documentary and answer audience questions.
Although implicated by the film, Banman remained adamant that he had no prior knowledge any action was going to be taken by city officials.
“I had no idea this was going on,” Banman told the audience. “You would think that the mayor should know every little thing that’s going on in the city but … when you have 800 employees; you don’t always know every single thing they do.”
When asked how homelessness should be addressed in Abbotsford, Banman called on Fraser Health to put more funding into mental health programming. Banman went on to further assert that removing the homeless from the streets was necessary in combatting the situation.
“The only time we lock people up is when they actually become a danger to others, and not themselves. I think as a nation, we need to revisit that,” Banman said. “There’s something inherently wrong when we cannot put someone away for their own good.”
Responding to the same question, Wegenast noted the collective responsibility of the city, emphasizing the need for action, rather than simply discussing the issue.
“Everybody in the community is culpable. This isn’t any one body’s problem,” Wegenast said. “Responsibility ultimately lies with … everyone in our city.”
“I completely agree that we ought to move forward, but it seems we’re pro-actively standing still from a civic perspective,” he said. “Everybody has learned how to talk the talk in Abbotsford about homeless issues …. but in the meantime people are dying.”
Burkinshaw called attention to city council’s recent decision to decline Abbotsford Community Services’ (ACS) housing unit proposal.
“We are looking at the disappearing backside of the best proposal we have seen for years, bar none,” Burkinshaw said. “I think we need to eat some humble pie … we swung at a ball instead of a strike.”
Acknowledging the complexity of the issue, Rich recognized that the diversity of the homeless population will require a diverse solution.
“It certainly involves a solution for a person,” Rich said. “It’s an individual journey off the street and into a more healthy life, so trying to understand how to do that with each person … It’s going take a lot of that in Abbotsford to help these folks.”
