Wreck Beach Bum

Today’s paper contains the story of Anthony Wayne, a local beach bum that’s complaining about being ‘hassled’ by the Greater Vancouver Regional District. The GVRD has filed a petition in B.C. Supreme Court seeking several orders against Wayne including claims that he sells pot and booze to beach-goers and harms the environment. This wanker is quoted as saying “I’m a dropout. I’m on social assistance and I’m an admitted [marijuana] smoker” which says nothing of his decade in prison for robbing three banks in three months. Mr. Wayne is insisting he have free access to Wreck Beach to sell pot and booze although he denies the allegations of his entrepreneurial endeavors. We’re to believe this guy just wants to hit the beach and let it all hang out? Not likely.

He has spent at least part of every day of the last 15 years at the beach and spends most of that time in his ‘condo’ – a small clearing on the hillside. He lived on the beach full time for six months in the 1970’s after suffering a nervous breakdown then moved to the Cobalt Hotel. After becoming “sick and tired of being sick and tired” he left the downtown eastside and returned to the beach, bought a camping stove and brought his groceries to his new home. He now works for a catering company (would you want this clown preparing or serving your meal?) and has a residence away from the beach although he still considers his little niche in the hillside his true home.

So we, the hard working public that probably pays most of Mr. Wayne’s day-to-day living expenses are supposed to allow him free reign to sell pot and booze on a public beach? Wreck beach is a lovely stretch of sand and surf, well maintained and a nice place to spend the day (as long as you’re not squeamish about nudity of course) but if they continue letting these morons roam the beach it’s probably off limits to the majority of Greater Vancouverites. I encourage the GVRD to punt his useless, naked behind as far from the beach as possible.