From the Lab Rat’s Desk – October 11, 2007

I wrote to my MLA (Member of Legislative Assembly – provincial) and this was the response:

“Dear Aletta,

I was so sorry to hear about what’s happened to you. It must have been
very scary for you and I can understand your sense of fear and caution
now. I know it must be very frustrating to have to jump through all
these hoops to get your ID back, file a police report, deal with the
Ministry, etc. However, it sounds to me as though you have done
everything you can to take care of yourself and good for you for being
so proactive.

I would strongly encourage you to speak with the folks at the VPD
victim’s services, even though it’s a bit more work for you. They have
sensitive counselors there who can assist you with the trauma of this
event and if they can help you with some of the costs then it’s worth
pursuing. You’ll find their contact information at:

http://www.city.vancouver.bc.ca/police/VictimServices/index.htm.

I will ensure that Shane sees your email and that we pass it along to
our caucus members for their review. Again I am sorry about this
terrible incident and the trouble it’s caused you. Please let me know if
there’s anything we can assist you with.

Sincerely,

B**********
Constituency Assistant
Shane Simpson MLA
Vancouver Hastings”

At least it wasn’t a form letter, a rare human touch. I have contacted Victim’s Services, they are more forthcoming in other places according to friends, but here, north of the 49th, in Vancouver, BC Canada, you fill out a form (still waiting for it to arrive in the mail) which will then be taken into consideration for possible compensation for items lost and any trauma counselling, but as far as here and now when it is needed the most, bupkis.

Meanwhile the police have the security tapes from the grocery store and are reviewing them. I was told they possibly had a suspect in mind. To keep his face fresh in my mind I’ve been sketching him. Maybe a little more artsy than you typical police sketch, but as long as it keep his face burned in memory, good enough.

My sister came over with flowers and some cash for groceries and bus tickets so I could get out of the house run errands if I needed to. Feeling a bit walled in and tired of being attached to the telephone like I have the past few days I took the bus and visited a friend, I even came back in the dark, though a bit hyper-vigilant, not as bad as I thought I would feel. It helped to know the police are actually looking into it, and even the prompt response from the MLAs office, just that gives you back some of your trust in humanity.

From the Lab Rat’s Desk – October 10, 2007

Spent the morning and most of the afternoon on the telephone, listening to musac on the hold button. Just occasionally there was a real persona to talk to as none of the numbered choices had anything to do with stolen identification, losing one card, that’s bad enough, but having had all of it gone in one swoop well that is a much different problem. To get my bank card right away so I have access to money requires two picture IDs. If course I haven’t got any. Luckily (if you can call it that), the bank will mail it to me, hopefully it will arrive very soon. I can’t do any running around because I haven’t got any bus fare, nor a bus pass, because that too was taken. A new social insurance card is coming in the mail and the medical card. Now comes the hard stuff, citizenship card, and a driver’s license. Normally I wouldn’t have had anything on me other than a bank card, if I just hadn’t had to see my social worker that day. Thursday I have to stay home because the police are coming by, maybe one of those photo arrays for identification. I am so tired of all of this, the stress isn’t doing me much good. I feel so stuck, can’t even take a bus somewhere.

The police suggested I call Victim’s Services, they too will send me a form and that may or may not defray some of the related costs. Goodie more paperwork. Whose wisdom was it to get rid of social workers? I am so drained. Still I kept calling around. I found out to get a BC ID or Driver’s license replaced I need either a birth certificate or citizenship card if born outside the country, which I am.
With my rotten luck they’ll deport me. Starting to feel that way, the old “what else can go wrong?”. To get my citizenship card I have to “surrender” all relevant documents, my original citizenship papers plus my dutch birth certificate, oh and eighty dollars. At least there are hints that some of it will possibly maybe be paid back to me. Not clear through what process, no one seems to want to tell me.

It is getting more and more frightening to live here, so many are desperate, so little dignity, so few options. It is not a kind world, almost as if the people not in bad shape take perverse delight in having the poor to blame things on.

If I didn’t have friends and family, what would I do? No money, no way to travel around, no end in sight. It isn’t bad enough to be robbed, have your dignity and security violated, but now it is going to pervade all my waking moments trying to recoup it all and get back to something approaching normal. It sucks.

I live on a disability, and it was last Thursday afternoon I was ordered in for a look-see at the social services (or whatever they’re calling it this week) to bring all my ID, my bank account printout, just to see if I was who I was two years ago when they last took an interest. I found out we no longer have a caseworker, a new model. So who would I go to for help? I was already upset from the discussion I had with the worker about the city’s ability to close down residential hotels and apartment buildings if there was a lot of crime. I had told her it holds me back from calling the police because I’d rather not end up homeless and lots of tenant where I live feel the same. I am ending up living in a state of fear, because there are no choices, no choices on this budget to move elsewhere, so I can’t lose the little I have. Still I didn’t see this coming.

At least I had thanksgiving dinner with my daughter, I put it all out of my mind and thoroughly enjoyed the time there. When I get my bank card I am buying a chocolate bar, nothing worse than all this stress and not a bit of chocolate or pacify myself with.