A Vancouver gym has issued an apology for hosting a controversial comedy troupe over the weekend, calling it a "grave mistake."
The Danger Cats’ The Spite Tour was scheduled to take place at Rick Bronson's House of Comedy BC in New Westminster on March 24 but was cancelled in February. The group performed at F45 Training gym in Chinatown on Sunday, March 24.
Their scheduled appearance at the New Westminster comedy club sparked outrage among some community members, who were troubled by the group’s merchandise. The comedy troupe sold a T-shirt featuring serial killer Robert Pickton, which had a disturbing caption on it, on their website.
On Sunday, Vancouver police officers responded to the Chinatown gym to make sure there were no injuries as people protested the Danger Cats show. Const. Tania Visintin confirms there were no injuries during the protest.
On Monday, the gym posted a public apology on social media stating: “It is with deep regret that we address the grave mistake that occurred during a comedy event hosted at our space yesterday.”
According to the post, their space was outsourced for private events and done by a third-party booking service.
“Unfortunately, a mistake was made, and proper vetting of the event organizers did not occur,” states the post. “We want to make it unequivocally clear that we are in no way affiliated with Danger Cats and we do not support or condone the content of the event that took place.”
Pickton was charged with murdering 26 women. He was convicted of six counts and sentenced to life in prison. He targeted sex workers and vulnerable women, many of whom were Indigenous women.
In a jail cell conversation, he told an undercover police officer that he had killed 49 people. He was planning to kill one more and then take a break before continuing. Pickton said he got caught because he got sloppy by the time he was arrested, for the last time, in February 2002.
Response to Danger Cats show
Back in February, the House of Comedy in New Westminster cancelled the performance in response to public concerns.
“In light of recent concerns surrounding our scheduled show, Danger Cats, we have made the decision to cancel the event,” said a statement by the House of Comedy BC. “The well-being of our staff, performers and patrons is our top priority.”
The statement was posted to social media, but soon removed.
In its statement, the House of Comedy said it values and supports the freedom of expression in comedy, but recognizes that the chosen material for this show has caused discomfort in the community.
“This was not our intent,” read the post. “Our goal has always been to provide a safe space for our guests to experience a brief escape and enjoy a night of laughs. We clearly missed the mark, and aim to do better.”
The group’s scheduled appearance in New West resulted in calls and messages to the comedy club, calls to New Westminster City Hall, and the creation of an online petition.
In a social media post at the time, Danger Cats said they’re looking forward to showing that they’re talented performers, but that will happen when the time is right.
“Unfortunately, our opposition has decided to resort to arson, vandalism and threats of bodily harm, so that time is not now,” said their statement. “Cancelling the shows doesn’t solve anything but at least it keeps the innocent staff and venues safe. We all live to joke another day.”
