Reports that Vancouver Councillor Kerry Jang had received threats are incorrect, according to the man who said his call was responsible for the story.
Jang, the city councillor heading Vancouver‘s effort to license cannabis dispensaries, said that he had received personal threats from a “fringe element” during a phone call and had increased security as a result.
World Cannabis activist Chris Reekie said he believed the call Jang was referring to came from him, but no threats were made.
During a protest at City Hall Apr. 29, during the city’s deadline for dispensaries to close if they had not proceeded in the city’s licensing process, Reekie said he called Jang on speaker phone after not finding him in the building.
“I said ‘Mr. Jang my names Chris Reekie I’m with World Cannabis, I’m outside with people, we want answers on why you’re not in the office today, we want answers on why you’re trying to shut down our dispensaries,'” Reekie said. “He took it as a threat and hung up the phone on me.”
Jang wouldn’t confirm or deny that Reekie was responsible for the call in question but said in an email that he took the threat seriously.
“It started out as a campaign that ended up with one specific threat,” Jang said. “There is an investigation on-going.”
Reekie said he hasn’t been contacted by anyone at City Hall or the Vancouver Police Department but is concerned that his words were misinterpreted.
“I just get the feeling that he’s missing my words because there was no threat made,” said Reekie. “He’s just going on, from my point of view, trying to start stuff because he doesn’t like the activists, he’s against marijuana.
“He’s going to do whatever he can, to make me or the other activists in Vancouver look bad — We just want answers.”
Reeke admitted it was possible, that with over 100 dispensaries shutting down, that someone else could have actually called and threatened the Councillor, but said he didn’t want to take the chance.
“I am a little bit concerned that I may be taking the fall for other people,” he said “All I want from Kerry Jang is that I want him to know that there’s no threats being made, all I want from him and City Council is answers on why they’re doing what they’re doing.”