A 1971 Vancouver protest over marijuana laws and undercover policing escalated into violence, later officially characterized as a police riot by a judicial inquiry.
Key Facts
- Date
- August 7, 1971
- Protesters present
- approximately 2,000
- Arrested
- 79 people
- Charged
- 38 people
- Inquiry head
- Supreme Court Justice Thomas Dohm
- Commemorative mural installed
- 2009, Woodward's complex
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Vancouver police conducted weeks of undercover drug squad operations in Gastown, leading the Youth International Party (Vancouver Yippies) to organize a 'smoke-in' protest in Maple Tree Square. The event sought to oppose the use of undercover agents and advocate for the legalization of marijuana.
On August 7, 1971, police moved to disperse approximately two thousand protesters gathered in the Gastown neighbourhood. Officers used newly-issued riot batons, conducted mounted charges on crowds, and were accused of indiscriminate beatings of both protesters and bystanders. Seventy-nine people were arrested and 38 were charged.
A commission of inquiry headed by Justice Thomas Dohm criticized police conduct severely, characterizing the incident as a police riot. While the Yippies were cited as instigators, the report's censure of police conduct became a significant episode in Canadian civil liberties discourse. The events were later commemorated in a large photo mural installed in 2009.
Political Outcome
Judicial inquiry declared the incident a 'police riot'; 79 arrested, 38 charged; police conduct officially condemned.