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As a traditionally low-income neighbourhood, the Downtown Eastside is home to poor and displaced populations including First Nations people, runaways, prostitutes, petty criminals and
drug addicts. The DTES's (and Vancouver's) drug problem has grown steadily worse over the last decade, resulting recently in the opening of the first official safe injection site in the neighbourhood. The Downtown Eastside also has the unfortunate distinction, according to a recent article in The Georgia Straight newspaper, of having the highest rate of HIV infection in the Western world, largely attributable to the sharing of infected needles by intravenous drug users. The southwest corner of Main and Hastings Streets continues to be a problem as drug sellers and users frequently occupy the corner, despite recent efforts at increasing police presence at the location. The central police station is only half a block north of the intersection.The trial of Robert Pickton, a pig farmer accused of the murders of over 40 women from the DTES is currently ongoing.
The Downtown Eastside is defined by Cambie Street to the west, Clark Drive to the east, Pender Street to the south and Cordova Street to the north, with Hastings Street running down the middle of the neighborhood. The area located between Cambie and Main Streets is generally considered the worst part of this neighbourhood.
Vancouver's Old Chinatown (Pender Street) and the Gastown Historical District (Water Street) are popular tourist areas in the Downtown Eastside. Gastown, in fact, is home to many high-end restaurants, lofts and boutiques. While some suggest that some of this gentrificationJersey City's historic downtown is quickly becoming gentrified. Is it hurting or helping the community Gentrification refers to the physical, social, economic, and cultural phenomenon whereby working-class and/or inner-city neighbourhoods are converted in will help solve the area's social and economic problems, for the time being, it serves to illustrate the large gap between the city's wealthy and poor.
Vancouver neighbourhoods