Hamilton's Carpet One (Lethbridge News NOW)

By Lara Fominoff

Harm Reduction?

Lethbridge Police investigating death threats against local business owner relating to local SCS Facebook post

Jul 5, 2019 | 12:02 PM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – Call it what you want – a feud, disagreement, or a battle. But an escalation of tensions appears to have occurred in recent weeks between the owner of a small business near downtown Lethbridge, and those who speak for the Supervised Consumption Site in Lethbridge.

According to a post from ARCHES Lethbridge dated June 27, 2019, staff are unhappy about a local business owner who is “broadcasting pictures and videos of our clientele and staff over social media. Many of these posts clearly identify the people accessing our services.”

The posting on Facebook, which has now been shared more than 635 times and contains more than 1,000 comments, claims the pictures and/or video the business owner is posting are there to “shame and dehumanize people who are already vulnerable, marginalized and living in a cycle of judgement.”

The post has tagged groups like the Vancouver based group Canadian Drug Policy Coalition, HIV West Yellowhead in Hinton, Canada-wide group Moms Stop the Harm, Alberta Nurses Coalition for Harm Reduction, the Pivot Legal Society in Vancouver, Turning Point in Red Deer, and other provincially and nationally based groups.

ARCHES June 27 post

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Although it doesn’t name him specifically, the post appears to be directed towards business owner Doug Hamilton, whose property sits directly behind the Supervised Consumption Site.

Hamilton has made no secret in the past of the problems he says he and his staff have experienced. The back of his property borders on the alley directly behind the SCS. Issues include homeless people and addicts having sexual relations on his property, human feces and waste littering his property, loitering and trespassing. Most recently, his property was vandalized with gang tags, spray paint and damage to the front of his store.

The business has been in the family for more than 70 years, and at its current location on 2 Ave. South for nearly 10 years.

Hamilton says he purchased a series of video cameras and posted them in several different areas around the building, which are visible to anyone who may be walking near or around the store.

Alley behind Hamilton’s Carpet One (Lethbridge News NOW)

However, what appears to have escalated the division between him and those who work at and use the SCS, is a YouTube channel that livestreams what goes on, on all sides of the building 24/7 – including what happens behind the SCS, the former Gospel Mission Thrift Store, and in the alley. He has also recently posted other videos showing the faces and actions of addicts, those who appear to be dealing drugs, and others who frequent the area.

According to ARCHES Facebook post, the “shame and judgement is now preventing people from accessing services for supports that are completely unrelated to drug use for fear of being outed by overly-simplistic, damning and inaccurate assumptions.”

ARCHES calls the act an invasion of privacy and an infringement on human rights; inflammatory and hate-inciting, and says steps are being taken to “deal with the situation.”

The post also reads “Your voices matter. Your dollars matter. The time has come that we as a community make it clear that we expect a far higher ethical standard than is being exercised with this behavior.”

Lethbridge News NOW reached out to the Lethbridge Police Service to ask whether the videos and postings are criminal. We have been told they are not. It may however, be a matter for the province’s Privacy Commissioner, according to LPS.

Doug Hamilton meantime, says he has not only been bombarded with dozens threats online, by telephone, to his company’s head office and by email, he has received at least four death threats from people across the country, which Lethbridge Police confirm they are now investigating. He says the death threats occurred after the ARCHES post on June 27, 2019.

He says he is now at the end of his rope; business is down 90 per cent and he has issued a statement to that effect. The following is a portion of that statement:

“I support the concept of harm reduction, and I am not opposed to the Supervised Consumption Site. The reality is that downtown Lethbridge is grappling with a very serious problem, one which threatens the viability of the entire downtown of our city. The SCS is one aspect of our community response to that crisis. Other things need to be done, and our city will not overcome this crisis in the next few weeks or months.

“I am also not unsympathetic to the users of the SCS. I recognize that they are human beings, and they are hurting and caught in a vicious cycle of addiction. However, I must approach this issue….as a business owner. My first concern, therefore, has been to protect my business. I have a right to do so. That led to me installing a series of security cameras to monitor activity that takes place on my property every hour of every day.

“My second objective is that this issue remains front and centre…the drug crisis in Lethbridge is still alive and still requires attention. My actions have been in support of protecting my business and my family…they have not been to ‘dehumanize’ or shame people.

“Clientele of ARCHES are not prevented from using the SCS. At the same time, I should not be prevented from making known, and visible, that which is killing my business and threatening the viability of our downtown.”

Lethbridge News NOW also contacted ARCHES’ Director of Programming Megan Williamson for an interview. We asked whether the organization’s Facebook post was directly asking residents to stop patronizing the business. The following is also a portion of her statement:

“We recognize that Mr. Hamilton has legitimate concerns. However, many of these posts have shown people engaged in everyday activities like walking, talking or having a cigarette…the language of these posts often has nothing to do with safety and security of his property, and instead is discriminatory and dehumanizing.

“We’ve had many clients come forward, often in tears over the shaming comments made by both the poster and community members…these actions further limit access to supports.”

Williamson goes on to say that the organization operates more than 15 programs and offers 24-hour security in and around the building, the needle debris hotline, a partnership with Clean-Sweep, Community Outreach Addictions Program (COPE), and a monthly neighborhood relations meeting.

“To date, our attempts to connect with Mr. Hamilton and his business have not been well received. Over the last year and a half, our staff and clients have been personally targeted with harassment and threats of violence. As an organization, we do not condone threats of violence or harm to any individual.”

Online, the polarization between supporters of ARCHES and those of Hamilton are apparent in the comments posted.

Bobbi Bachman Arches Lethbridge as a paying customer at many of these businesses for years I can say we have gone somewhere else since this site has been implemented. This site is enabling addicts. I take my children shopping for a bike they and myself shouldn’t be scared for our safety. The community shouldnt have to ever deal with this. I’m ashamed to be from this town as many people are. Field trips to down town businesses are being cancelled because the school isn’t willing to take on the dangers that this area and the addicts pose. Before this site I hadn’t seen a needle or ever had to show my 3 year old what they looked like. It’s not safe. At some point the general public and majority of this city has to matter.

Danielle Smerek My family owns a local independent business here in Lethbridge and if I worked my whole life to build a business that provided for my family and then suddenly had a safe consumption site placed next door to my business and felt a negative effect from it day in and out – I would do the exact same thing.

Mishelle Carlee I just want to add too…Do you guys ever consider the people who use the SCS are still humans ? What if it was your family that was there? Would you want them to be estranged in this way? Arches is right they wanna help these people. Stay safe for one and also they want to help them In any way they need and can yes some people only have them I know how this feels every person is entitled to help and healthy supports. people need to stop alienating them it’s only making everything worse it’s not helping anything and is a major contravention to these people right to privacy which they are still entitled to. Also saying people have no shame ? They aren’t thinking about that addiction is a complicated and ugly disease
It is what it is everyone can say what they want I understand people are fed up with public drug use outside the scs and that’s perfectly valid but deal with it in an affective and rational way not like that right

Travis Dow With all due respect arches… when a Junkie (sorry, addicted individual) negatively impacts my right to property, liberty, and freedom, thats not right. Countless bikes stolen around town… a friend who awoke to find a junkie IN HER HOUSE, cars ransacked… clientelle afraid to enter businesses, individuals PEEING ON MY PLACE OF EMPLOYMENT… seriously. I get thst you wanna defend them, and support them. But do not stand there and reprimand us for reacting. Addiction IS a disease. IT IS NOT A FREE PASS FOR BLATANT DISRESPECT OF OTHERS PROPERTY

Hat Overdose Prevention and Education – HOPE We honour and support ARCHES and the compassionate humans working tirelessly to make a difference in the lives of those who need their services. We also understand the concerns and frustrations of all other community members. The addiction, mental health and other social challenges continue to increase in many parts of Canada, and we as a society need to come together to advocate for evidence based solutions to increase the health and well being of all our community members. By helping those who have experienced hardship, we improve everyone’s quality of life. These mental health and social challenges exist whether we address them head on or not. There is more work to do. You can help by advocating for supports for these folks, including mental health supports, housing, prevention, treatment, indigenous healing through Truth and Reconciliation, harm reduction, educating yourself and others about the science and evidence about the issues at hand, and support for the tireless compassionate front line workers who are trying to make a difference. You can also work With Arches to brainstorm solutions specific to you. All of these efforts and actions on the community’s part will go much further in changing things than inciting hatred, shame, marginalization, and stigmatization.

At this point, it’s not clear what the solution may be. However, while Hamilton owns the building where his carpet and flooring business is currently located – he says will likely move to another location by the fall of this year.

He hopes ARCHES will consider his “requests and rights as a business owner” and says he is prepared to meet its representatives. He also urges Mayor Chris Spearman and city council to look at the ‘more’ that can be done, adding that he applauds the efforts of The Watch and increased policing resources.

ADDENDUM: As Lethbridge News Now completed this story, Lindsay Stella, Director of Clinical Services with ARCHES contacted LNN to retract an earlier statement provided by Megan Williamson. The following is the entirety of the new statement, along with questions asked by LNN.