(Apologies to Charles Dickens) While Vancouver was burning after the loss of the Canucks to the Bruins, Boston showed ‘class’ when its fans estimated to be a million lining the parade route, rooted for their team without a single police car set on fire or stores looted.Long after the smoke settles on the 2011 Vancouver Riot, this city will still be haunted by the im­ages of that night of madness.

And how does one explain to a six-year-old Canuck fan what hap­pened at the Stanley Cup finals? My grandson, like other kids, has been following the games closely. Days before the finals, he proudly showed me a banner he made at school with the Canucks logo. I pasted it the window to show him I was proud of his work and cheered his team.

Then came the night of igno­miny! He was still in diapers when he begun participating in rallies in downtown Vancouver. Instilled in his mind is the idea that we have to stand up against injustice in the world – whether it is a war of aggression or unjust laws or poli­ cies such as the Live-in-Caregiver Program (LCP).

That there is a ‘cause’ or rea­son for our gathering or venting our rage. But to gather and riot for a sports game? It is said that the fire that burned in the hearts of the young during the days of ‘Peacenik’ have been slowly extinguished. Vancouver and other cities used to see mas­sive rallies for Peace, etc. but today, we are lucky if can gather a thousand people.

The latest rally on violence against women triggered by the assault on a Bangladesh woman by her husband attracted only several hundred. Where were the hundreds of thousands who come out on sports events ?
But I am not discouraged. I see that seed growing in my young grandson. Or the courage of the Commons Page who stood up alone at the Senate chambers to protest against the Harper government. Despite the ugliness of the Van­couver riot and its utter senseless­ness, we have to hang on to the hope that our young generation will someday arise and recapture the spirit. (tedalcuitas@shaw.ca)

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