I admire the effort of the Abbotsford News to bring to the surface the issues surrounding homelessness and poverty in our community.

However, in the article you ran a couple weeks back, “Forced into shelters,” I couldn’t help but notice a glaring inconsistency in the expressed values of the Abbotsford Police Department regarding these issues.

Const. Ian MacDonald is quoted as saying, “It’s always been the practice of Abbotsford Police to work with [its] citizens and try to assist people.”

Really?

I am part of the local ministry which was discussed in the Oct. 1 edition of the paper. This ministry is actively working on the front lines and in the streets six days a week to address poverty, addiction and hunger among the poor and homeless, while striving to develop and maintain strong relationships with those we serve.

However, we ran into a roadblock a couple weeks ago. Our director Ward Draper was pulled over by the APD for external vehicle deficiencies – a cracked taillight and an unmounted front licence plate.

This is the van referred to in last Thursday’s paper as “the nightmare.”

Both of these are simple repairs and do not adversely affect the safety of others on the road. This vehicle is the backbone of our outreach initiatives. It is stocked with clothes, water, food and various other necessities to our street church and community fellowship events we run daily.

Instead of taking into account the value of this vehicle to our ministry and our community, the officer threw the book at us and ordered a vehicle inspection – an expense which our ministry (which already exists hand to mouth) can’t afford.

We are scrambling to scrape together the funds to continue our work in the city.

This hardly seems to reflect the values expressed by Const. MacDonald. But I guess the old adage “to serve and protect” doesn’t apply to those with no fixed address.

Jesse Wegenast

The 5 and 2 Ministries