By Tan Mei Xi
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The second fatal police shooting in the Downtown Eastside of 2021 took the life of 37-year-old man on Jan. 5.

On Tuesday, the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users (VANDU), held a community vigil for Chester, a resident of Filipino descent at Grace Mansion. In a press release, VANDU reiterated its call for alternatives to police presence in the neighbourhood.

“If we were given the chance to come up with alternatives for community crisis response… I am certain that would lead to less deaths,” said Vince Tao, an organizer with VANDU.

“Instead of having increased police presence… we could democratically elect and train crisis responders from the community, people who know each other," Tao added.

In a press release, the Vancouver Police Department stated the victim in the shooting was “chasing people with the weapon and using it in an aggressive and threatening manner." VANDU has claimed that this statement is inaccurate and does not match video footage of the incident.