EARLY MORNING DESCENT ON BUILDINGS

Ejected From PO

Steve Brodie, Jobless Leader, Beaten
Unconscious By Several

Pelicemen

: While most of Vancouver still slept, city and Royal Canadian

Mounted police at six o'clock on Sunday morning descended on
the 750 single unemployed in the post office and art gallery and
ected them with tear gas and clubs.

As a result of this “solution”

to the unemployment problem

provided by the provincial sovernment, Steve Brodie, leader
of the men in the post office, was taken to St. Paul’s Hospital
with head wounds and body bruises, and Arthur Redseth, ad-

mitted to the General Hospital,

may lose the sight of one eye.

: Two city policemen were also admitted to the General Hos-
pital, one of them, Constable J. C. Davies, with a fractured leg.

| Davies was formerly the right-hand man of Sergeant J. Seanlon,
who recently retired from the police force.

. Residents in down-town hotels
-and apartment houses were awak-
| ened by running feet and the omin-
ous ciatter of horses hoofs over
paving stones. They heard shouts
and the sound of giass breaking.
Sirens sounded in the distance.

They looked out to see Men run-
ning along Hastings and Cordova
streets pursued by police on horse-
backs and in patrol cars. They saw
men forced up @fainst the sweep
of plate glass windows of Wood-
ward's department store and bru-
tally clubbed. More than one club
missed its human mark and went
through a window instead.

Within an hour the story had

been fiashed all over the city.
.Around siz o’clock several de-
tectives entered the art gallery.
They presented the men’s jeaders
with an order to evacuate.

A vote was taken by the
men, who stated that they would
not evacuate the building but

would submit peaceably to mass
arrest.

Police Ghief Foster replied that
there was no accommodation at
either the city or Oakalla jail for
so many men and again ordered
the men to evacuate.

Harold Winch (CCE, Vancouver
Fast), who had been awakened by
tyro detectives at four o'clock to
come down town with them, cau-
tioned the pelice against use of
violence, but soon afterwards tear
gas bombs were thrown into the
art gallery, forcing the men to
come- out.

Despite the extreme provocation,
the men did no damage to the pic-
tures valued at thousands of dol-
lars in the gallery.

At the post office there was no
reading of the Riot Act RCMPo-
lice gave the men 20 minutes to
evacuate. Steve Brodie, dynamic
young leader of the 500-odd men,
asked frst for mass arrest and,
when that was refused, for arrest
of himself as representing the men.
This was also refused.

Upon expiry of the time limit,
tear gas was thrown in. RCMPolice
appeared from behind the wickets,
clubbing the men into the street
where they were attacked by other

SE STE A e e

aks

injured

Steve Brodie, head injur-
ies, in St. Paul’s Hospital;
Arthur Redfath, lacerated
eye, in General Hospital;
Robert Porter, teargas pois-
oning, in General Hespital;
Chester WLeatherdale, Mich-
ael Hind, Albert Atkinson,
Filip Milsie, Robert Eaton-
shore, Stephen Stevenson,
William Lee, Alex Clark,
William Harrison, H. Benson,

J. Qlisen, Charles Codaux,
E. Plavoc, Harold Irlam,
Thomas McDonald, Alex

Spelak, Robert Ward, Wil-
liam Jenner, A. Ambrose,

Mike Kiprianzuk, William
Yeomans, Edward O’Con-
nell, Christopher Brown,
Peter Kowl, Mike Vertulia,
Rome Claremont, Joseph

Wollock, H. Monk, Windsor
Blaney, Lewis Gibson, Wil-
liam Gaffey, Albert Doran
and N. Pearston.

{Pag Sd Dae 4 Bae a dad bd = ad 4 4 nae a eS RG]

police who drove them along Hast-

ings and Granville streets toward
Dain-

Despite the fact that scores of
windows along these two streets
were broken, store owners stated
jater that not one article had been
taken.

At Carrall and Hastings streets
the men from the post office, many
of them cut and bruised and all
red-eyed from the teargas, swung
in behind the column of men from
the art gallery who were march-
ing to the Ukrainian Labor Temple,
headed by one man playing “Hold
the Fort” on a mouth organ.

The Ukrainian’ Labor Temple
was converted into a first-aid sta-
tion for treatment of the less
seriously injured. Mrs. Lusk, presi-
dent of Vancouver Mothers’ Coun-
ceil; Dr. Lyle Telford, M1L.A.; and
a doctor from Cleveland, Ohio, who
volunteered his services, were kept
busy dressing wounds. In the
emergency bandages intended for
inclusion in a shipment to China
by the Medical Aid to China Com-
mittee were used.

NIAGARA

OvSTHER € CH

100 PER CENT

UNION HOUSE
e@

NEW METHOD

Only Shoe Repair Store
Signed Agreement

SHOE - -

in Vancouver with a
with the Union

337 Carrall St.

“We Do

Patronize a Union Restaurant ..- -
THE FOUR WHITE LUNCHES

are on the

Patronize List”

of the Vaneouver & New Westminster Trades
and Labor Council

om) 5
Hotel & Restaurant Employees Union, Local 28 |

Not

= |

THE

POLICE TEARGAS, CLUB UNEMPLOYED

33 Injured As Men

PEOPLE'S
ADVOCATE

British Columbia’s Progressive Home Paper

7H \HE following, in part, is the

VANCOUVER, B.C., FRIDAY, JUNE 24, 1938

CCE Executive Issues Statement

Says Pattullo Has Failed

statement released to the
press on Sunday, by the CCF,
following the police attack on
the single unemployed.
x * x
“A ghastly, inhuman, brutal
course of action occurred on
Sunday morning as Christians
went to early mass. The men
in both the art gallery and post
office were prepared to submit
to peaceful arrest but the au-
thorities refused to accept their
offer, and used brutal, inhuman
methods of gassing and beating
the men.

“The problem still remains.
Wo solution has been found.
The federal and provincial gov-
ernments had ample warning.
If the governments with all
their power and authority, and
more revenue than ever before
in their history, cannot find
some other solution than these
unwarranted, brutal tactics,
then how can we expect the un-
employed to find the solution?

“Realizing the inevitability
of such a situation arising, the
CCF urged the provincial gov-
ernment to call a special session

to deal with the problem, but
the government took no action.

“The result is todays un-
fortunate incident. We feel that
elected members of the legis-
lature en masse should agree
to resign and present them-
selves before the electorate.

“Peace and good government
has ceased to exist. To be a
member of a legislative as-
sembly that permits such con-
duct as the authorities have
been guilty of is a grave reflec-
tion on the intelligence and in-
tegrity of every member of the
House.”

Police Violence Condemned

Youth Council Asks Why
Mass Arrest Was Refused

A number of pertinent questions were asked by Vancouver

Youth Council in a statement

issued Sunday on the single

unemployed. Why, the council asked, were the men refused
mass arrest if they were breaking the law?
Why was there so much unnecessary violence in elubbing

the men leaving the post office

2 was another question which

has since been asked by thousands of Vancouver citizens.

Other points made by ‘the Youth}
Council were:

i1.iIs it a fact that the police
were served a ration of rum imme
diately before the attack?

2 Was Steve Brodie, leader of
the men in the post office, stripped
and clubbed almost to insensibility
on the street by two policemen?

3. Why was violence used aiter
the Premier had agreed to meet
the men the following day to try
to arrange a peaceful settlement?

4. Why were the headquarters of
the Relief Project Workers Union
attacked by tear gas?

5. What has been solved by this
violence other than to put the
responsibility for the care of the
unemployed back upon the shoul-
ders of the public?

The Youth Council’s statement
condemned the use of violence in |

handling the question of unem-
ployment and declared that both
the provincial and federal govern-
ments’ unemployment policies were
inadequate to meet the problem.

“We condemn the violation of
human rights and liberties of men
whose only crime is lack of work
and opportunity for employment—
not lack of courage, initiative and
ability to contribute to the welfare
of their country,” the statement
read.

An appeal was made to all Van-
couver citizens “to supply material
assistance through their organiza-
tions and churches to these men,
to bring all possible pressure to
bear on the authorities .. . for im-
mediate introduction of adequate
public works of a constructive
nature.’

‘Unprovoked Attack’

Young Communist League
Backs Stand Of Jobless

“The single unemployed asked for the opportunity to do
constructive work, but responsible authorities provoked a dis-
turbance which left nearly $50,000 worth of damage in its wake.”

This statement appeared this week in a press release made
by the Young Communist League here over the signature of
Jack Phillips, acting provincial-secretary.

The release reads: <

“On Sunday RCMP and city po-
lice used teargas and clubs to eject
single unemployed from the post
office in an unprovoked attack,
rejecting the suggestion of the
men themselves that they should
file out peaceably and submit to
arrest.

“Premier T.
that he was the prime mover,
his great discredit.

“Most of those in the post office
were young men. They asked for
work or relief. They were given
teargas and clubs.

“Pattullo promised to meet a
delegation on Monday. A day be-
fore he arrived, the eviction took
place.

“Our provincial and federal gov-

D. Pattullo admits
to

ernments are shirking their respon-
sibility. It is time they realized the
unemployment situation is a na-
tional one and that a real works
program is needed. They must also
realize that the men who were
in the post office and art gallery
have to be given work and, pend-
ing this, relief.

“Tt has often been said that the
flag of patriotism covers many a
rogue. In this day and age we can
say that provincial boundaries are
the refuge of those who wish to
thwart the wishes of the people.

“Our organization, the Young
Communist League, reaffirms its
position. We support the single
unemployed without reservation
and will continue to assist them
in every way possible.”

30,000 See

Jobless Leave

Tumultuous Send-Off
For First Contingent

Vancouver has seldom, if ever,
witnessed such a demonstration as
it did last Sunday night when a
crowd estimated at 30,000 stormed
Pier D to give a tumultuous send-
off to the first contingent of i100
single unemployed who left for
Victoria by the midnight boat.

Aroused to a tremendous pitch of
both indignation and enthusiasm
at the day’s events, masses of peo-
ple surged through the streets in
a three-hour demonstration of soli-
darity for the jobless. Authorities,
if they considered further yiolence,
were powerless.

The CPR depot presented ai
amazing scene as members of the
delegation fought their way
through to the gang plank. Sing-
ing, cheering, half-hysterical with
emotion, there was no doubt leit
in the minds of government of-
ficials of where the sympathies of
the people lay.

Every vantage point was occu-
pied. The dock, the wharf and
even the roof were packed with
people. There were boos and jeers
for Pattullo and Pearson, cheers
for the many leaders of the unem-
ployed’s cause.

Time and again the strains of
‘Hold the Fort’ drifted over the
dark waters. The boys grouped on
deck sang “O Canada” and a hush
fell upon the huge throng for a
moment. The next, thousands
were singing with fervor and there
were tears in Many eyes.

Then, once again, they sang
“Fold the Fort’? as the boat slow-
ly moved away from the dock and
its sea of waving hands.

But as the people surged back
on to the street their mood
changed. The sight of RCMPolice
in the new federal building stirred
pent up emotions. The police re-
tired inside as the pressure of the
jeering crowd became greater.
From the opposite roof came a
shower of stones to smash post
office windows.

Finally at i am, R. W. Campbell,
unemployed leader, in a short
speech, declared the men’s cause
would be helped better were every—
one to go home.

And even after this hundreds re-
mained on the streets for two or
three hours, unwilling to leave. it
was dawn before the last strag-
glers departed, the red banner of

the News-Herald, which neatly
turned the story upside down,
flaunted in their faces. “800 Sit-

| downers Stage Riot,” it read.

WHEN

This advertisement

its COCKTAIL TiM

is not published or displayed by the Liquor Control Board or b

the

Government of British Columbia.

Pattullo
Flayed At
Big | Rally

‘Government Must Be
Made To Feel, Act
Upon This Protest,’
McKean Says.

15,000 PRESENT

The Pattullo government
must either act immediately to
provide work and wages for
the unemployed through a
public works program or, ad-
mitting its inability to cope
with the problem, resign.

A resolution to this effect re—-
ceived the unanimous endorsation
of the 15,000 people who rallied at
Powell street grounds Sunday
afternoon to protest the police at-
tack on single unemployed at the
post office and art gallery.

Speeches from nine champions
of the single unemployed echoed
ever prounds black with people
aroused by the morning’s police
brutalities. References to Premier
Pattullo drew roars of disapproval!

“The efforts displayed by our
underprivileged and disinherited
men today are the same as those
displayed in Spain, China, Blubber
Bay and Port Alberni,” declared
Arnold Webster. “They are the
efforts of the common people to
lead a better life. You are doing
right in protesting against the poli-
cies of the Pattullo government.”

Standing bareheaded in the blaz-
his voice trembling a
little, Rev. R. N. Mathieson ex-
claimed: ‘We would like to ask
the government what problem they
solved this morning with their
ruthless violence.

ing sun,

et a single is-
sue has been improved, but all have
been intensified. By the grace of
God, I am going to stand by the
common people and see this thing
through.”’
Reversion te Iron Heel

“This is a reversion to the iron-
heel of R. B. Bennett,” stated Fer-
gus McKean, provincial secretary
of the Communist party. “If the
Pattullo government can find no
other answer to the men’s de-
mands, then it should resign. But
the tremendous public support for
the men as demonstrated today
can win a works program. We
must ensure that this protest is
felt and acted upon by the gov-
ernment.”

R. WV.
leader,

Campbell, unemployed
who acted as chairman of
the meeting, help up a gas bomb,
declaring: “This is Pattullo’s an-
swer to the single unemployed.”

Speakers were: Arnold Webster,
CCF; A. M. Stephen, president,
Canadian League for Peace and
Democracy; Rev. R. N. Mathieson,
Gollingwood United Church; Fer-
gus McKean, provincial secre
tary, Communist party; John
Stanton, president, Vancouver
Youth Council; Mrs. M. Lusk
and Mrs. Cowsill, Vancouver
WMothers’ Council; E. Cumber, Re-
lief Project Workers‘ Union; G.
Maynard, International Woodwork-
ers’ Union.

Police Booed

As the crowd came away from
the rally thousands gathered
around the police station to beo the
few police visible in the doorway.
The boos changed to a roar as one
policeman at the foot of the steps
took hold of a woman and struck
her sharply.

The crowd surged forward and
the policeman hastily released the
woman, ran up the steps and joined
the group at the door.

Harold Winch, MLA, who was
inside the police station seeing the
boys arrested earlier in the day,
hurried outside, climbed on to an
automobile and urged the crowd
to return to Powell street zrounds.

“Tll meet you there and let you
know how the boys are,’ he said.

But for a long time after the
meeting terminated the crowd re-
mained outside the police station
until Winch came out again from
seeing the men.

atte