A year after the Stanley Cup riot in Vancouver, the anniversary was marked largely by paperwork. On Friday, Crown prosecutors approved charges agains 10 more people, bring the total number to 114.
This year, after the Canucks were eliminated early, there were no trucks turned over and set on fire. Fans went back to kvetching about Luongo.
Despite the dire warnings, we have not morphed into a city of unrepentant hooligans. The wheels of justice have ground slowly forward. While there were some calls for instant action in the days after the riot, the reality was that was not about to happen. Many more serious - but less public - transgressions of society's values are dealt with by the courts daily.
While many called for shortcuts in the riot cases, the only correct way to see justice done is through careful, often time-consuming police work and considered legal decisions. A year later, that's what's happening.
This week, Emmanuel Alviar, the first rioter without a previous record, was handed a sentence of one month in jail. That won't be enough for the hang-em-high crowd.
But in terms of the wrongs committed, it's more than a slap on the wrist. There's nothing like being led to the cells by a sheriff rather than sauntering back through the court doors to reinforce a message that certain conduct is beyond the pale.
His newly minted criminal record - and those of fellow rioters to come - will follow and remind him of that illconsidered night.
For those intent on justice - not a howl for retribution - that's a fair decision.
