On a sunny Sunday afternoon in Richmond, dozens of cars lined a parking lot, many of them adorned with signs, purple ribbons, and balloons.
They gathered for a “drive to destigmatize,” the same day B.C. marked eight years since declaring the toxic drug crisis a public health emergency.
Standing next to his late brother’s purple 1999 Mitsubishi 3000 GT, Trevor Tablotney said his goal for the day was simple: He wanted to show those who have felt “attacked, unheard, or cruelly profiled” by recent protests that they were not alone.
“There’s a lot of literature and a lot of studies around stigma and how it contributes to individuals hiding their substance use and that is why they are dying instead of getting help,” he told CityNews Sunday, his voice breaking.
The car he drove Sunday was once the pride and joy of his late brother Curtis. The 36-year-old died on Nov. 14, 2022, at his home, on a work night, playing PlayStation. His father found him the next day after Curtis didn’t show up for work.
In the years since his brother’s death, Trevor has taken the time to repair and upgrade the car. The vehicle has become somewhat of a conversation starter with the public about how to use drugs safely and prevent overdose.
For many taking part in the car rally Sunday, this year’s anniversary was of particular importance, coming after hundreds of people protested a safe injection site in Richmond just months ago.
“They don’t really understand what is going on and that there is a lot of stigma,” explained Jessica Smart-Abbey. “It’s a health issue and it needs to be treated as such — we need to get people educated.”
“I think a lot of the problem was there was a lot of misinformation spread into a certain community, so I can kind of understand how a lot of people might have been very fearful and angry. But they were really protesting against something that wasn’t actually happening, so it was really unfortunate,” added rally-participant Donna Colpitts.
Tablotney is hoping the Sunday event will encourage Richmond residents to stop condemning drug users and allow for safe consumption in the city without judgment.
“People do drugs, its part of the human experience that some people enjoy, and we need to come to terms with the fact that people do drugs,” he told CityNews. “At the end of the day, you just don’t need to be so mean to the community around you.”
As of April 2016, almost 15,000 people have died as a result of toxic drugs in the province. The Coroners Service says toxic drugs are the number one cause of death for people between the ages of 10 and 59 in B.C., claiming more lives than homicides and natural causes for that age group.