When Trevor Tablotney sent out a community-wide invitation for a chat about the toxic drug crisis at his brother's memorial bench in Minoru Park, he didn't know what to expect.
"I thought it was just going to be 'man sits on a bench and everybody ignores him.' I didn't realize people would actually talk to me," he told the Richmond News.
A "steady stream" of visitors had walked through the path of purple flags and arrived at Curtis' bench since Trevor arrived at 7 a.m.
By the time the News checked in with him at sunset, he had already been there for more than nine hours.
"It's been overwhelming, the amount of support and the amount of people that are feeling the magnitude of this crisis," Trevor added.
He told the News the experience has been "very supportive and validating in some ways" as community members have reached out to thank him for his advocacy.
He was also able to connect with strangers who happened to walk by and share their experiences of losing their loved ones to overdose.
Trevor's brother Curtis passed away from a toxic drug overdose one year ago today, and he wanted to honour Curtis by connecting with the community.
He also brought along Curtis' favourite Mitsubishi 3000GT, which is being fixed up to help raise awareness about the crisis. The car, now partially wrapped in a design honouring Curtis, was decorated with candles, lights and flowers and provided information pamphlets on harm reduction.
Always open for conversation
For community members who were unable to stop by today, Trevor wants them to know they can reach out to him anytime.
"We're a resource for families. We're a resource for people that are struggling with addiction. And you know, we just want to make sure you're safe and feel supported and someone's backing you," he said.
He added the car is available for anyone who needs a ride or a "cool escort" to seek recovery, or any event that needs harm reduction resources, naloxone and testing strips.
He also hopes community members will feel welcome to share their stories, which will help demonstrate the need for change, and to put pressure on their politicians to make a change.
"Because they're the ones that are in charge of the law and they're the ones that are in charge of policy. And they'll listen," said Trevor.
"And also let them know that the bipartisan part of politics should not apply in this scenario because people are dying. Let's push them to really, really focus on it.
"We declared it an emergency. Let's focus on it as an emergency. And let's make sure that we see some results."
On Wednesday, B.C. Coroners Service issued a public safety warning in light of an increase in overdose deaths, which now averages seven deaths per day.
B.C. chief coroner Lisa Lapointe, who will retire in February, said in an interview the issue has become "very political" and this year is "looking to be the worst year ever in terms of lives lost to drug toxicity."
In Richmond, city council gave the green light on Monday to make naloxone kits available in all civic buildings.
Four people died of suspected overdoses or drug poisonings in Richmond in October and 20 people have died so far in 2023.
To find out more information about the Curtis' Dream project or to reach out to Trevor, email [email protected] or message @curtisdreamcar on Instagram.
- With files from Canadian Press.
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