The City of New Westminster's concern about the Hells Angels attendance at the recent 12th Street Music Festival has increased since gang violence erupted in Kelowna on the weekend.
Some community members and city officials were surprised to discover that the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club had set up a booth at the 12th Street Music Festival, where it was selling items such as T-shirts. The city had provided the West End Business Association with $6,300 in cash and in-kind services for the July 31 festival.
"It is not acceptable, totally not acceptable," said Mayor Wayne Wright. "They shouldn't have been there in the first place."
Wright said city council will discuss the matter and consider ways of ensuring the city has more control over the grant process so this type of situation doesn't occur in the future.
"It is almost an embarrassment to think we had those people in our city. How many people would invite the Hells Angels to a community event?" he said. "It will never be acceptable to invite them. Not with what's going on - why would we?"
The Vancouver Sun has reported that a member of the Red Scorpions was killed and a member of the White Rock Hells Angels was seriously injured after gunfire erupted outside a busy Kelowna casino on Sunday afternoon. That incident has heightened concerns about the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club's attendance at the 12th Street Music Festival.
Coun. Bob Osterman said city council will have to have an in camera meeting with its solicitor to discuss the issue and get legal advice.
"I was totally shocked when I saw them there," he said. "I thought it was inappropriate. That is not the image of a family function."
While the city had thought "good common sense" would be used to approve vendors at community festivals, Osterman said that didn't occur, so guidelines may be needed.
"I don't think you can be too safe," he said. "Our goal is to have community functions that are safe for families."
John Ashdown, president of the West End Business Association, has issued an apology to the city for the "misjudgment" in allowing the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club to display its merchandise at the festival.
In November 2009, New Westminster city council approved an arts and culture grant to the West End Business Association for the 12th Street Music Festival.
The grant was approved to assist with costs associated with tents, setup for the event, and policing and engineering services.
Gary Holowatiuk, the city's director of finance and information technology, said the city provided $4,300 for in-kind services and $2,000 in cash for the 2011 event.
"Council has asked that staff look at changing some of the wording in the grant guidelines in order to flag that we really do expect organizations to support strong social and community values, and have events and projects that are not offensive to others," he said.
Wright said the city received numerous calls and emails about the motorcycle group's attendance at the event.
"When it happened, dozens were contacting us," he said. "The greatest concern I had was on our police force."
Wright said taxpayers' money goes to policing efforts to monitor the activities of the Hells Angels. Wright, who is chair of the New Westminster police board, left Tuesday for a policing conference in Regina, where he expected to discuss the issue with other members of the police board attending the conference.
New Westminster Chief Const. Dave Jones said he's written a letter to the city council to convey a "high level" of disappointment and concern about the Hells Angels' attendance at the event. He said police officers had attended to do traffic control and pedestrian safety, and to staff a display at the festial, but their role ould have been ifferent if they'd nown the Hells ngels would ave a booth at he event.
"If they are going to be present, our policing strategy is totally different in a community setting," he said.
Although the Hells Angels are able to gather for events such as toy runs, anniversary celebrations, funerals and other events, Jones said the police service would take on a different role. Instead of a "community support" role such as that provided at the 12th Street Music Festival, he said the police function may be dedicated toward safety enforcement.
"It is certainly nothing our members were too pleased had occurred," he said. "I have written to city council to express our concerns and thoughts. I am sure that will be discussed."
Jones noted that New Westminster Police Service's role varies depending on the event that officers are attending, whether it's a parade or a festival.
"You develop a plan to deal with it accordingly," he said. "It doesn't means it's all about enforcement."
In an open letter to supporters of the 12th Street Music Festival, Ashdown said organizers worked for two months to put the event together.
He noted that the festival brought much-needed economic benefits to 12th Street businesses.
"By attending the many other successful festivals in the Lower Mainland, we attracted vendors and sponsors who created such a great positive energy at their festival," he wrote. "To meet the expansion and higher than normal budget of our festival, I attended a very successful charity Show and Shine event in Coquitlam and circulated a brochure inviting cars and vendors to 12th Street in support of our version of a Show and Shine."
According to Ashdown, the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club applied for a spot to display its gear.
