Letters from the Front Lines: Vancouver Riot

A hero among the rotten pack

In this video, photographer Bert Easterbrook was beaten by a mob after stopping a rioter from trying to set fire to a truck in Downtown Vancouver during the Stanley Cup riot.

For anyone feeling post-riot despair over what British Columbians are capable of, I have an antidote. His name is Bert Easterbrook. He was beaten bloody for his bravery.

The 32-year-old photographer and care worker for severely disabled people had been watching Game 7 of the Stanley Cup final at the Cannabis Culture Vapour Lounge near Gastown. When he went outside for fresh air, he saw smoke rising from the city core.

“I sent my girl to go hide out in the truck and keep her safe and ran out to get some pictures,” Easterbrook says. “That’s when I saw a bunch of people being stupid.”

The grandson of a Vancouver policeman, Easterbrook waded into the crowd on Georgia Street near the main post office to help police hold their line. A nearby car was being doused with accelerant, and rioters were rocking a green pickup truck to roll it over.

“Me and a couple other guys said, ‘This is not cool,’ and decided to step in,” he says…

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