It's pay-back time and the perpetrators of last week's post-Stanley Cup mob violence should be dealt with immediately and appropriately.
But neither is likely to happen if resolving the pain and hurt of Vancouver's notorious Game 7 riot - and the millions in resulting damages - is left up to B.C.'s overburdened court system.
Other serious cases such as domestic assaults and home invasions are already being delayed because there aren't enough sheriffs and judges, according to the recent Black Press series Justice Denied, and should many of these cases come to trial, it will be months - even years - before the perpetrators do time or pay fines for their crimes.
There has to be another way to deal with the hurt and damage caused by intoxicated and crowd-maddened knuckleheads last week. While naming and shaming may give victims and shocked witnesses a momentary feeling of empowerment, this online outpouring of grief and frustration will amount to nothing if the police and court systems don't have the resources to deal with the aftermath.
Similarly, individuals who apologize online or in the media a safe distance from their victim are just kidding themselves if they think they are actually taking meaningful responsibility for their actions.
What if, instead of just blogging their apologies, perpetrators actually sat down and faced their victims in a well-established process called restorative justice and were encouraged to make things right?
What if, instead of moaning about their loss of jobs, sponsorships, respect they listened to the victims and their needs?
What if they had to pay insurance deductibles and act as taxi drivers for those inconvenienced when their cars were overturned and torched?
The anger being directed toward those who looted, set cars on fire and beat bystanders is understandable. But in cases where victims and perpetrators can be identified, groups such as the Tri-Cities' own CERA (Communities Embracing Restorative Action) should be given the job of finding a swift and meaningful resolution.
Publish the results? Sure. The public needs closure and its faith in the justice system restored, otherwise frustration will continue to mount, ratcheting up the anger and the hate, and further blackening the city's tarnished reputation.
