In Coquitlam, the poor are simply undesirable
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Updated: July 16, 2009 12:10 PM
The Editor,
Re. “Coq. bans ‘undesirable’ businesses” (The Tri-City News, July 15).
As political issues go, I suppose this is not really a hot one but Coquitlam council sure fired me up when it decided to ban or restrict “undesirable”’ businesses.
When did Coquitlam get to be such an elitist town? What gives council the right to pick and choose what kind of LEGAL business operates in Coquitlam? It just seems a bit arrogant (and just a bit Big Brother) to me.
I guess no one on council has ever had to sell their jewellery to feed their kids. What exactly is the problem with a pawn shop? It is a place where you can get a bit of money for your possessions when you really need it. Oh, I know it’s not the pawn shops so much as the people who go there, is that right? It’s the “undesirables” who sell things there who we want to restrict.
The problem is, those people already live here, so I guess what council really wants to ban in Coquitlam is poor people.
As for tattoo parlours — really? So, is it anyone with a tattoo who is not welcome in Coquitlam or just the artists who create the tattoos? What’s next, hair colourists and nail technicians?
I hope those new welcome signs we just bought for our city can be edited to say “Welcome to Coquitlam: Land of the privileged and moral (no tattooed or poor people allowed).”
Julie Rogers, Coquitlam
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