Pubdate: Sun, 15 Oct 2006 Source: Province, The (CN BC) Copyright: 2006 The Province Contact: http://www.canada.com/theprovince/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/476 Author: Doriana Barros IT'S A DIFFERENT WORLD Irene Abramyk's letter made me think about how grave the problem of the Downtown Eastside has become. I too grew up in the east end of Vancouver and thought nothing of walking from Commercial Drive to the downtown area. Later, I worked at the police station at Hastings and Main. I used to pass a few down-and-out people, but they were rarely aggressive, and I never felt threatened. It's a different world now. Rehabilitation is a long-term process and is probably not cost- effective. But it is necessary for success. It's high time that this problem be made a priority. Doriana Barros, White Rock - --- MAP posted-by: Elaine