Inside Vancouver
Crime & Punishment
By Gary Stephen Ross published Jun 1, 2009
Investigative reporter Kim Bolan on the surge in gangland violence, living with death threats, and the shortcomings of our criminal-justice system
In the 25 years since she got her master’s of journalism from the University of Western Ontario and joined the Vancouver Sun, Kim Bolan has established herself as one of the most dogged, fearless, and connected investigative reporters in the country. She made her reputation with her coverage of the Air India bombing; in recent years she’s focused on organized crime. Her daily reporting, feature stories, and blog postings are closely read by law enforcement officials as well as gangsters themselves.
Q: Why has gang violence in the Lower Mainland escalated over the past six or eight months?
A: Actually, it’s been escalating over the last three or four years. There’s been a record number of murders; the situation just wasn’t getting intense media coverage. Then, in 2007, we had the Surrey Six slaughter, which got national attention and, I think, really galvanized public opinion. My understanding from sources is that the Red Scorpion gang from Abbotsford had planned to kill this one dealer, Cory Lal, at the Balmoral Tower, and five other people happened to be there. Lal was a drug trafficker in Surrey Central, and the Red Scorpions were taking over the lucrative drug business there. Lal was trafficking in their territory and he wasn’t paying tax to them—that’s why he was targeted. After the murders, Lal’s family found a safety deposit box with $50,000 cash in his name. Where does a 21-year-old with no job get $50,000?
Q: But three or four years ago we didn’t have people shooting each other in mall parking lots in the middle of the day.
A: More and more young people are getting involved in gangs, trying to make their mark. The quickest way you do that is through violence, hiring yourself out for very little money—I’ve heard of hits being done for as little as a few thousand dollars. These people are young, they’re guys, they have that fearless risk-taking spirit that might have made them great mountain climbers or snowboarders, if that’s what they’d chosen. They’re drawn to the money, the access to drugs, the young women attracted to that scene. Brutality is how you get recognized by the higher-ups.
Recent Comments
Discussed
criminal much happening now, and need the police role that is able to bring people out of criminal trouble. many reasons why people commit crimes, and that is why police must act decisively to give punishment.
personalized lollipop | warnet.
People handle punishment very differently especially if you have power and authority over the other. I think we've all heard people joke that a person should be qualified before they're allowed to have children, and this nut job Joshua Tabor personifies the argument for that – the guy in the "father waterboards daughter" story. Waterboarding is unequivocally torture; there really isn't any debate over that. When it comes to the enemy, that is one thing, although information extracted with torture isn't entirely reliable, but waterboarding a 4 year old for not saying the alphabet? This guy is going to need some payday loans at least to afford a good lawyer.
