A theft in the community?

Recently on one of my trips to the New Amsterdam, I decided to stop across the way at the Vancouver Seed Bank to enjoy a more relaxed smoking space before diving into the swirl of smoke and speech that is our beloved café on a weekend.

Turning the corner a pair of women drew my eye. Stationed in front of the door to the VSB and dressed for the biting cold of a Vancouver November, both held a small stack of leaflets in their hands. Not connecting them to my destination (this is after all Vancouver, we have more protesters then we do grow-ops) I preceded towards the door. With a flyer thrust forward the line greeted me “These guys are selling stolen seeds.” The other woman added “Yah, please don’t buy from these guys.” Not wanting to detour into a conversation on my day off I smiled, pocketed a pamphlet and went inside what was then in my mind, the Vancouver Seed Bank...

Distracted by the protesting pair I had failed to notice the conditions inside the café. Bare, empty, devoid of customers; never the busiest of locations my second favorite smoking spot had become a ghost town, occupied only by one man with his back to the door and a lone employee behind a desk.  Buying my usual I sat and rolled and watched the room. The man at the desk was statuesque, sitting still, and staring with a depressed intensity out the door at the women standing guard on his doorstep.  Noticing my stare he turned to face me, coldness in his eyes. Caught in my journalistic exercise I offered a quick comment to shield myself. “That must really kill your day eh?” “Yes, its just so childish” he returned. With the situation defused and feeling the negative vibe I finished my work and quickly left.

Across the street the in the New Amsterdam I took the time to read the flyer I had shoved into my coat pocket. Imagine my surprise when I found the flyer originated not from the kind of small fringe group I was expecting, but from the mother location of the Vancouver Seed Bank, situated further up Hastings.  Confused by this divide in the Vansterdam community I attempted to gain some perspective on the issue. My first step was to contact the principle parties involved....

Part two HERE