Chilliwack – In an open letter to media, both Chilliwack MLA’s, Chilliwack Mayor and Council, and the Chilliwack BIA, the owners of A Bridge to Better Living comment on a recent shoplifting incident which led to the assault on a senior.
Re: State of Affairs in the Downtown
To Mayor Ken Popove,
We are writing to you to address the current state of affairs surrounding shoplifting
and the current presence of policing and security in Downtown Chilliwack. A Bridge to
Better Living Society is a non-profit society that has been located on Wellington Ave since
2016. Proceeds from both our stores Downtown go towards juvenile diabetes research and
prevention and we support Diabetes Canada through their Clothesline program.
Additionally, we provide job and employment opportunities for youth and other at-risk
individuals in the local community. We have worked with School District 33, Sto:lo Aboriginal
Skills and Employment Training, and Chilliwack Society for Community Living just to name
a few organizations.
On Thursday, July 22, 2021, an incident occurred at our Thrift Store where a woman
shoplifted from our store and proceeded to head out the door with product she was going
to load up in her shopping cart that was parked outside. However, this incident was different
from the usual shoplifting occurrences. An older customer attempted to stop the woman
from leaving and was subsequently attacked until she was able to get outside and head off
down the street. Eventually, she was followed from a distance by a member of our team,
who called the RCMP, which eventually arrested the woman. However, this incident should
not have happened in the first place and there should never have been an opportunity for it
to occur.
The location where this incident occurred is located directly next to the Chilliwack
Crime Prevention Society and Community Policing. Yet, there is such confidence by this
woman and others who shoplift from us that it is indicative of a major problem in the
Downtown. Shoplifters continue to steal from us and likely other businesses because there
is a lack of active and visible policing and security presence in the Downtown area. Please
put yourself into the mindset of an individual who shoplifts. Would you choose a store located directly next door to Community Policing? Not if you did not have such a high level
of confidence that you could get away with it.
We recognize that homelessness is an ongoing problem in the Downtown area and
that some members of the community are in unfortunate situations that lead to this.
Despite this situation, some people have been good about coming into our stores asking for
help. Whether it is because they have been wearing the same things for weeks on end or it
is winter time and they need a jacket and blanket to survive the harsh cold, we have always
been willing to do the best we can and give them something to help them out. However,
that does not mean it is appropriate for people to come into our stores and simply steal
from us.
Something needs to be done. There needs to be more of a community oriented
policing presence in Downtown Chilliwack. It does not particularly come across as
welcoming and accessible when you have to get buzzed in through a locked front door to
talk to someone at Community Policing or in our case wait and sit on our back loading dock
for someone to be heading out to a cruiser parked out back. Police and Griffin Security
driving around the streets does not do anything to deter people from stealing and
committing other grievances against the businesses of Downtown Chilliwack. It would
create a better environment and sense of security for businesses, employees, and customers
to actually see people on foot interacting with the community and making their presence
known. Walking down Wellington once at 7:30 am, before all the businesses open up, and
having no one around during the weekends does not give us an adequate sense of security.
It hurts knowing that someone was attacked in one of our stores. The community has
been so amazing at supporting us over the last 5 years. Unfortunately, we worry that this will
not be the last time this happens as incidences have been becoming more frequent and
frankly aggressive lately. It cannot happen again, it should not happen again, and hopefully
with action from yourself and our local government it will not happen again.
Sincerely,
A Bridge to Better Living Society
