Dear Editor:
A week ago, I chose to be arrested at Burnaby Mountain. As a physician, a scientist, a grandfather and one who loves this planet, I know it's way past time to drastically change our carbon-burning ways and to stop destroying nature when we have better options. So I crossed the line and got arrested.
Lucky item No. 1: The RCMP were courteous and caring to me and those arrested with me. This stood in contrast to what I saw earlier in the week when other RCMP folk were aggressively pushing back a line of protestors.
Lucky item No. 2: After my first ride in a paddy wagon, I and my fellow arrestees were assembled and briefed by an RCMP officer who told us that an hour previously the judge who issued the indictment under which I was arrested voided all the arrests because Kinder-Morgan had provided the wrong GPS data. Being arrested and un-arrested within two hours is weird, but lucky.
Lucky item No. 3: Instead of hopping on the No. 135 bus immediately to return to Vancouver, I craved a Greek salad and walked into what I hoped was a Greek café. It was. There in the corner was a group of muddy-footed people, one of whom I was arrested with. Conversation led beyond salad to a beer, then a coffee, then some great baklava.
When it was time to go, I went to the cashier to pay my bill. I learned that Cathy and Paul (or Peter) were expressing their appreciation of what the muddy-footed people had done by picking up everybody's tab.
How lucky can you get?
What Cathy and Paul generously gave us represents what I think is a broadly held feeling of support for what the protestors did on Burnaby Mountain and for that I want to thank all of Burnaby.
Fred Bass, via email
