Welcome To East Van, Cross Installed

A gang sign? didn't know that we used just draw that as if it was East Van's logo or something. Interesting.

That is completely awesome!! Definitely gonna be a good photo op for me and my friends throwing up gang signs.

Freaking awesome! I'm gonna go check it out, I heard about this yesterday and read about it today on Metro and now you guys. Kudos this thing is boss!

That is awesome! East Van is my home and I love that!

Wow, it's definitely quite prominent. I'm not quite sure how I feel about it. Public art is great, but this seems more like a sign to me. Not sure.

Would definitely like to see more public art in the city though, and surrounding areas… e.g. not just downtown

wow,didn't expect that – the legitamization of a criminal tag. anyhow looks good.

That's a disgusting sign and only further adds to the east/west divide in our city.

is it some sort of religious thing?

Pretty much anyone who propagates the east side pride or East Van cross are basically coming up with symbol that outside of a select few people saying "that's cool" means little to nothing to the MAJORITY of people living in Vancouver. Remember, the majority of people sites like vancity buzz don't represent the majority of Vancouverites.

Focus on things that actually make east van awesome. Like Commerical Drive, Main street. the PNE fairgrounds, Everett Crowley Park, and that's pulling awesome places out of my ass. You don't see the west side of the city being like "West side pride" No, they focus on things that makes the side of the city awesome like Pacific Spirit Park, Dunbar/pt. grey, West 4th Avenue, English Bay, Queen Elizabeth Park for example.

It's all great to find hope in symbols, but honestly, the symbolism with the cross is just hokey to me. But then again, I've lived a block west of Ontario(which is the actual dividing line of the city) all my life, so what do I know. I'm not from your exclusive east van club.

slow down Jr. "Mark" im sorry that you dont understand the true symbolism of the east van cross. Sadly you stated "…Focus on things that actually make east van awesome. Like Commerical Drive, Main street. the PNE fairgrounds, Everett Crowley Park, and that's pulling awesome places out of my ass."
Its not about what make it awesome, its the struggle and the history behind the cross. Thank you for telling us you grew up on the west side, making your comment VOID.

Dude i dont talk rich so you dont talk poor get it. Your putting it like this buds, its like saying instead of honoring the people, you want us to honor the rich investors that have never grown up here. The PNE is a crap version of a shitty amusement park. Why would the city of Vancouver put a monument of the PNE on 6th and Clark?!?! Give me a break. Sadly this monument will only support the "wannabe gangsters" that follow under the "East Van" code, erasing all artistic creditability. Thus making it a shitty symbol that the city only put up to make Vancouver look more cultural for the Olympics. Honestly they never would have put it up if we wernt hosting 2010 Olympics.

Im all for it being born and raised in East Van, but the timing couldn't be any fisher, cumon guys this should have been put up years ago. And dude its time for you to get out of your shell. Honor main street HA(for what??) . . Everett Crowley Park are you joking, tell me son honor a park Located near Kerr Rd. and Marine Way on once again 6th and Clark hmm… you need a map. Im sorry man that was just funny.

Pick up a history book on the city you live in then comment.

Also id like to see your artistic symbols that would have put up in one of the poorest locations in Vancouver. Seriously please try and do better.

Thank you City Of Vancouver for putting up such a controversial monument. Im not to sure of the underlining meaning your trying to portray, but my nose says that this could be a nice excuse for the "poor" visuals that the olypic goers see, Aka all the crack head and welfareits know as the "east vaners". So once again you've stumped us, what to think of all of this, whatever it is i feel that your putting a dunce cap on "East Van" maybe a different time and place. If i was a detective id say case closed.

A GANG SIGN? I thought it was some kind of ghostly tombstone, hovering in the night.

Way to go, Ken Lum. All these tax dollars and public and private institutions working so hard to break people out of the cycle of gangs, violence and criminality, and for what? Clearly the gangs are in charge.

The purpose of public art is to INSPIRE the public, and in this, the Gang Sign is an epic failure. "Give up" it says, "the gangs have already won. Have another hit, and keep pushing that shopping cart".

And for the nostalgists? Logo recognition isn't art, it's advertising. What other logos will you commit our taxes to put up in the name of public art? An APPLE? a VW? 'Coca-Cola'? Maybe Lululemon, (if you want to keep it real 'East Side')

Stupid hipsters.

i was born and raised in east van and graduated from gladstone '93 and i know the difference! its about time east van represented but i also think it was done for the olympics… too bad. i love east van and the whole lower mainland and i miss Walley burgers. i think if your not a real east vanner you may not like the sign but who cares then, go back to Yaletown!

Anyone know how to do things like this?

you people are so stupid. this sign actually has a deeper history than little kid gangs etc, its been traced way farther back. find out about vancouver history before running off your mouths with idiotic opinions.

and shame on the author of this article for not knowing.