1 00:00:00,400 --> 00:00:03,080 Welcome back to the Dark Mind Detective. 2 00:00:04,400 --> 00:00:08,160 I'm your host, Mark Devereaux. And. 3 00:00:08,160 --> 00:00:11,920 What you're about to hear is one of the most disturbing chapters 4 00:00:12,800 --> 00:00:14,920 in the Robber Picton investigation. 5 00:00:16,000 --> 00:00:22,480 This is episode 6 Piggy Palace, a party venue for police, 6 00:00:23,120 --> 00:00:29,280 politicians and criminals. On the surface, it looked just 7 00:00:29,280 --> 00:00:33,120 like another rowdy after hours club on a rural property. 8 00:00:34,240 --> 00:00:38,840 But beneath the neon beer signs and the deafening music, Piggy 9 00:00:38,840 --> 00:00:41,480 Palace was something else entirely. 10 00:00:42,040 --> 00:00:46,720 A gathering place where off duty cops, politicians, outlaw bikers 11 00:00:46,760 --> 00:00:49,320 and underworld figures partied side by side. 12 00:00:49,960 --> 00:00:51,200 And it was. All run. 13 00:00:51,480 --> 00:00:56,440 By the Pickton family. Why is this significant? 14 00:00:57,200 --> 00:01:01,840 Because when the lines between criminals and law enforcement 15 00:01:01,840 --> 00:01:06,000 blurs, when investigators are sharing drinks with the very 16 00:01:06,000 --> 00:01:10,200 people they're supposed to be watching, justice becomes a 17 00:01:10,200 --> 00:01:13,000 joke. Conflicts of interest aren't 18 00:01:13,000 --> 00:01:15,360 just possible, they're inevitable. 19 00:01:16,960 --> 00:01:20,400 And what's even more surreal? This wasn't some underground 20 00:01:20,400 --> 00:01:25,000 rumor. This was known, documented, 21 00:01:25,800 --> 00:01:30,160 enabled. But we're not stopping there. 22 00:01:31,840 --> 00:01:35,240 After this episode, I'll. Be dropping a bonus 23 00:01:35,240 --> 00:01:40,360 investigation that may be one of the most unsettling revelations 24 00:01:40,360 --> 00:01:44,000 yet. It's titled The Toxic Soil of 25 00:01:44,000 --> 00:01:47,720 Death. We'll explore how Picton's 26 00:01:47,720 --> 00:01:54,160 topsoil business, yes, his topsoil business, spread across 27 00:01:54,320 --> 00:01:59,200 Metro Vancouver in the Lower Mainland, a business that not 28 00:01:59,200 --> 00:02:04,480 only contaminated with dangerous carcinogens, but may have been 29 00:02:04,480 --> 00:02:09,960 laced with human remains. Kids played in it, gardeners 30 00:02:09,960 --> 00:02:13,440 grew vegetables in it, and landscapers worked in it, 31 00:02:13,800 --> 00:02:18,400 completely unaware. Following that, we'll be taking 32 00:02:18,400 --> 00:02:21,720 a short break from the Picton series to bring you something 33 00:02:21,720 --> 00:02:25,440 deeply personal and profoundly powerful. 34 00:02:27,800 --> 00:02:32,680 A super episode featuring my close friend and collaborator 35 00:02:32,680 --> 00:02:38,880 David Fella, a former Mafia hitman who is now fighting 36 00:02:38,960 --> 00:02:42,880 terminal cancer, David has shared. 37 00:02:42,880 --> 00:02:46,040 Things with me over the past year that most. 38 00:02:46,040 --> 00:02:48,280 People would take to their graves. 39 00:02:49,760 --> 00:02:53,040 The supercut will bring all. Of our recordings together for 40 00:02:53,040 --> 00:02:56,080 the first. Time and after that we'll be 41 00:02:56,080 --> 00:03:01,920 releasing one final deathbed confessional episode, David 42 00:03:01,920 --> 00:03:04,480 said. Please don't publish it until 43 00:03:04,480 --> 00:03:07,080 after I'm gone. I don't want the police 44 00:03:07,080 --> 00:03:11,600 arresting me on my deathbed. And when we return. 45 00:03:11,640 --> 00:03:16,600 We'll pick back up with Episode 7 through 10 in the top 10 46 00:03:16,600 --> 00:03:21,720 anomalies of the Picton case, plus unreleased bonus material 47 00:03:21,920 --> 00:03:24,000 I've. Already recorded, I got a. 48 00:03:24,000 --> 00:03:26,440 Lot in the pipeline. And if this is your first time 49 00:03:26,440 --> 00:03:29,200 tuning in, welcome to the investigation. 50 00:03:29,400 --> 00:03:31,880 This is not just a podcast, it's A reckoning. 51 00:03:33,280 --> 00:03:36,560 I just want to say that this case has challenged me more 52 00:03:36,560 --> 00:03:39,440 deeply than anything I've ever worked on. 53 00:03:40,280 --> 00:03:42,440 My name is Mark. It's the first time you've ever 54 00:03:42,440 --> 00:03:45,080 listened to my podcast. But I go by the Dark Mind 55 00:03:45,080 --> 00:03:50,560 Detective because I don't just chase the headlines or dwell on 56 00:03:50,560 --> 00:03:53,240 the gore. I investigate the dark 57 00:03:53,240 --> 00:03:57,560 psychology that drives these crimes, the manipulation, the 58 00:03:57,560 --> 00:04:00,360 sociopathy, the systemic failures. 59 00:04:00,600 --> 00:04:04,760 I look past the blood, the spectacle, into the deeper 60 00:04:04,760 --> 00:04:09,600 shadows, the indifference, the trauma, the scars that take 61 00:04:09,600 --> 00:04:16,120 generations. Robert Picton case isn't just 62 00:04:16,120 --> 00:04:20,480 one of Canada's most horrific serial killer stories, it stands 63 00:04:20,480 --> 00:04:24,280 among the most disturbing criminal cases in modern 64 00:04:24,280 --> 00:04:27,600 history. I say that without exaggeration. 65 00:04:27,760 --> 00:04:32,240 This was more than murder. It was industrial scale 66 00:04:32,240 --> 00:04:36,480 dehumanization. The women consumed by this 67 00:04:36,480 --> 00:04:41,600 ecosystem of violence and addiction were treated as less 68 00:04:41,600 --> 00:04:45,440 than human. When they could no longer be 69 00:04:45,440 --> 00:04:53,360 exploited for profit, drugs, or sex, they became commodities of 70 00:04:53,360 --> 00:04:57,480 death, forgotten, discarded and erased. 71 00:04:59,160 --> 00:05:04,840 What makes this case even more tragic is how long it was 72 00:05:04,840 --> 00:05:09,400 allowed to continue. How many people knew, suspected, 73 00:05:09,760 --> 00:05:13,800 or even enabled it through silence and competence. 74 00:05:13,800 --> 00:05:18,560 Or worse. That question, how and why was 75 00:05:18,560 --> 00:05:24,440 this permitted for so long is what drove me to spend over a 76 00:05:24,440 --> 00:05:28,800 year researching, collecting data, digging into archives, 77 00:05:28,800 --> 00:05:34,000 interviews and the memories that many would rather forget. 78 00:05:34,760 --> 00:05:38,480 This wasn't a story of a lone predator. 79 00:05:38,560 --> 00:05:45,280 This was an enterprise were murder, an exploitation came 80 00:05:45,280 --> 00:05:49,200 with the price tag. I wrote a 20 part series. 81 00:05:50,000 --> 00:05:53,560 Then I thought, well, maybe I should Just a podcast with the 82 00:05:53,560 --> 00:05:57,360 top 10 things you should know about the Picton case to prepare 83 00:05:57,360 --> 00:06:00,440 the listeners before diving into the 20 part series. 84 00:06:00,840 --> 00:06:05,360 But like this case itself, the 10 part series expanded and 85 00:06:05,360 --> 00:06:08,320 became 10 parts and kept involving like an accordion. 86 00:06:08,640 --> 00:06:12,800 It unfolded in directions I didn't anticipate, but now I'm 87 00:06:12,800 --> 00:06:14,600 ready to release it for what I built. 88 00:06:15,520 --> 00:06:19,840 Not because I've answered every question, but because I've gone 89 00:06:19,840 --> 00:06:24,080 as far as I can. Now there are still chapters 90 00:06:24,080 --> 00:06:27,280 left. The destruction of evidence. 91 00:06:28,080 --> 00:06:34,480 The whitewashing of truth, the unanswered questions that cling 92 00:06:34,480 --> 00:06:38,960 to the story like ghosts, like the victims of during the Jack 93 00:06:38,960 --> 00:06:43,120 the Ripper era. The women of the Downtown East 94 00:06:43,120 --> 00:06:46,760 Side of Vancouver deserve justice, even if it comes 95 00:06:46,760 --> 00:06:50,080 decades later. If I can contribute anything, 96 00:06:52,120 --> 00:06:55,560 it's to make sure that these stories aren't forgotten, that 97 00:06:55,560 --> 00:07:02,640 someone, years from now, may stumble up across the Picton 98 00:07:02,640 --> 00:07:08,080 file and see something I missed, something that brings truth and 99 00:07:08,080 --> 00:07:14,880 clarity and maybe even closure. When I'm gone, I hope people 100 00:07:14,880 --> 00:07:22,400 remember that I did everything I could to preserve this story, to 101 00:07:22,400 --> 00:07:29,080 document the facts, to shine a light on what the system tried 102 00:07:29,080 --> 00:07:32,720 to bury, what was hidden in the shadows. 103 00:07:33,240 --> 00:07:39,680 Piggy Palace, a party venue for off duty cops, politicians and 104 00:07:39,680 --> 00:07:42,680 criminals. The Picton family ran Piggy 105 00:07:42,680 --> 00:07:46,840 Palace, an after hours club where off duty police, 106 00:07:46,840 --> 00:07:50,560 politicians, bikers and underworld figures partied 107 00:07:50,560 --> 00:07:53,360 together. Why is it bizarre? 108 00:07:53,720 --> 00:07:57,920 The Farm and the Picton's properties was a Nexus of 109 00:07:57,920 --> 00:08:02,880 criminal activity and social mingling between law enforcement 110 00:08:02,880 --> 00:08:08,120 and criminals, making conflicts of interest and corruption 111 00:08:08,120 --> 00:08:12,800 highly plausible. The story of Piggy Palace stands 112 00:08:12,800 --> 00:08:18,120 as one of the most disturbing chapters in Canadian history, a 113 00:08:18,120 --> 00:08:23,160 place where the boundaries between community celebration 114 00:08:23,480 --> 00:08:30,320 and sinister activity blurred in a way that would eventually 115 00:08:30,320 --> 00:08:35,200 horrify a nation. To truly comprehend Piggy 116 00:08:35,200 --> 00:08:39,840 Palace, we must peel back the layers of the interconnected 117 00:08:39,840 --> 00:08:46,040 elements, Vancouver's vibrant yet shadowy underground culture, 118 00:08:47,040 --> 00:08:52,600 the Downtown East Side's trouble yet rich history, and the social 119 00:08:52,600 --> 00:08:57,440 conditions that allowed predators to operate while 120 00:08:57,440 --> 00:09:03,040 authorities look the other way. This isn't merely a story of a 121 00:09:03,040 --> 00:09:06,400 notorious party venue. It's an examination of an 122 00:09:06,400 --> 00:09:11,600 environment that nurtured it, the culture that accepted it, 123 00:09:11,600 --> 00:09:17,960 and a system that failed to recognize the danger lurking 124 00:09:18,240 --> 00:09:22,680 within its walls. In my book, Picton Land, which 125 00:09:22,680 --> 00:09:27,080 I'm still developing, Piggy Palace occupies a central 126 00:09:27,080 --> 00:09:30,920 position, a physical manifestation of the darkness 127 00:09:30,920 --> 00:09:35,200 that can fester when society turns a blind eye to 128 00:09:35,200 --> 00:09:42,240 exploitation and vulnerability. What you're about to hear isn't 129 00:09:42,680 --> 00:09:49,280 a simple tale of good versus evil, It's a nuance exploration 130 00:09:49,640 --> 00:09:53,440 of how communities, authorities and individuals can become 131 00:09:53,720 --> 00:09:58,000 unwitting participants and tragedy. 132 00:09:59,800 --> 00:10:05,960 Let me take you back to a Halloween night in the mid 1990s 133 00:10:07,880 --> 00:10:12,520 through the eyes of a witness who still feels the chill of 134 00:10:12,520 --> 00:10:17,000 that evening decades later. A longshoreman who requested 135 00:10:17,000 --> 00:10:20,960 anonymity. He attended a Halloween 136 00:10:20,960 --> 00:10:25,280 celebration at Piggy Palace with an old friend and Co worker. 137 00:10:25,600 --> 00:10:30,520 His account will transport you to the heart of this notorious 138 00:10:30,520 --> 00:10:34,000 venue. I arrive. 139 00:10:34,800 --> 00:10:40,680 It was pitch black around 9:00 PM, he his voice dropping to 140 00:10:40,680 --> 00:10:45,040 almost a whisper. Rain was coming down, turning 141 00:10:45,040 --> 00:10:51,080 the ground into a muddy mess. The property was littered with 142 00:10:51,280 --> 00:10:56,080 motorcycles and old cars, their metal gleaming Dolly in the 143 00:10:56,080 --> 00:10:59,720 sparse light. And at the center was a massive 144 00:10:59,720 --> 00:11:05,320 pig roasted on a split, the flames casting an eerie dancing 145 00:11:05,320 --> 00:11:10,440 shadow across the grounds. He paused as if he was seeing it 146 00:11:10,440 --> 00:11:13,320 again. Children in Halloween costumes 147 00:11:13,680 --> 00:11:18,080 darted around through the darkness like ghosts, some 148 00:11:18,080 --> 00:11:23,160 dressed as witches, monsters and ghosts and goblins playing in 149 00:11:23,160 --> 00:11:27,800 the mud without supervision. There was hardly any lighting, 150 00:11:28,280 --> 00:11:31,280 just enough to see the shapes moving. 151 00:11:33,040 --> 00:11:37,240 I noticed numerous women who I recognize from the streets of 152 00:11:37,240 --> 00:11:41,840 the Downtown Eastside. The party wasn't concentrated to 153 00:11:41,840 --> 00:11:46,120 1 area, it's spilt across an entire property with people 154 00:11:46,400 --> 00:11:50,600 disappearing into the main house and nearby trailers for God 155 00:11:50,600 --> 00:11:53,760 knows what. What truly haunted him years 156 00:11:53,760 --> 00:11:56,480 later was a moment that sent ice through his veins. 157 00:11:56,880 --> 00:12:01,880 I remember walking past a small shack with nothing but a dim 40 158 00:12:01,880 --> 00:12:04,200 Watt light bulb hanging over the door. 159 00:12:04,240 --> 00:12:08,840 I could hear machinery running inside, a low a mechanical hum 160 00:12:09,240 --> 00:12:12,280 that seemed to vibrate in my chest. 161 00:12:12,800 --> 00:12:18,040 In that moment I experience of what I can only describe as a 162 00:12:18,040 --> 00:12:22,320 death chill. The hairs on the back of my neck 163 00:12:22,360 --> 00:12:26,560 stood up. My feet felt frozen into the 164 00:12:26,560 --> 00:12:29,920 ground, almost like they'd grown roots. 165 00:12:30,120 --> 00:12:35,120 An overwhelming sense of dread washed over me, a primal 166 00:12:35,120 --> 00:12:37,840 warning. Something deeply wrong. 167 00:12:38,160 --> 00:12:41,240 I heard something. It was almost like a a low 168 00:12:41,960 --> 00:12:47,400 whimper. It wasn't exactly what I saw. 169 00:12:48,160 --> 00:12:53,920 It's what I felt. I knew immediately I had to 170 00:12:53,920 --> 00:12:57,360 leave. I turned away and I made my way 171 00:12:57,360 --> 00:13:00,240 home shaking. It wasn't what I saw, it's what 172 00:13:00,240 --> 00:13:02,880 I felt. It's almost like I felt 173 00:13:02,880 --> 00:13:08,120 something whispering at me, like get away from here, leave now. 174 00:13:09,440 --> 00:13:13,840 But there's something about that low whimper was almost like 175 00:13:14,280 --> 00:13:17,800 something I can't shake. I never stopped thinking about 176 00:13:17,800 --> 00:13:21,120 it ever since. This Lonshoreman's account 177 00:13:21,120 --> 00:13:25,680 wasn't unusual or exaggerated by many others who visited Piggy 178 00:13:25,680 --> 00:13:28,240 Palace, sharing Similar's impression. 179 00:13:28,480 --> 00:13:34,200 Wild Atmosphere's rampant drug use a roasted pig as a central 180 00:13:34,600 --> 00:13:38,240 feature of these gathering. I was about to eat some pork, 181 00:13:38,560 --> 00:13:43,040 Lonshoreman added, his face contorting at the memory. 182 00:13:43,240 --> 00:13:47,400 Then I saw Robert Picton tearing the pig apart with his bare 183 00:13:47,400 --> 00:13:49,760 hands. I decided against it. 184 00:13:50,000 --> 00:13:54,200 His hands were filthy. I'll never go again. 185 00:13:54,520 --> 00:13:59,200 The crowd was extremely raunchy, cocaine everywhere, and truly 186 00:13:59,200 --> 00:14:02,640 dangerous people. I wanted nothing to do with it. 187 00:14:04,920 --> 00:14:09,160 Piggy Palace was officially registered as a nonprofit 188 00:14:09,160 --> 00:14:12,760 society dedicated to raising money for sports and 189 00:14:12,760 --> 00:14:15,000 organization and other worthy groups. 190 00:14:15,560 --> 00:14:20,160 It wasn't just a hidden underground venue operating in 191 00:14:20,160 --> 00:14:23,360 the shadows. It functioned openly, with a 192 00:14:23,480 --> 00:14:28,320 carefully constructed veneer of legitimacy that allowed it to 193 00:14:28,320 --> 00:14:34,000 exist in plain sight. It was located at 255 Burns Rd. 194 00:14:34,240 --> 00:14:37,680 And it's worth mentioning too, it was on a different property 195 00:14:37,960 --> 00:14:40,600 than Robert Pickton's Slaughterhouse, which was on 196 00:14:40,600 --> 00:14:44,240 Dominion Ave. about a mile down the road. 197 00:14:45,840 --> 00:14:49,120 It wasn't just visited by badass people. 198 00:14:50,320 --> 00:14:55,360 The guest list included two mayors, several City Council 199 00:14:55,360 --> 00:15:01,680 members, local businesses, civic leaders, hockey moms, even high 200 00:15:01,680 --> 00:15:04,960 school and elementary school students. 201 00:15:05,000 --> 00:15:08,800 They all came for what was described as functions, dances, 202 00:15:08,800 --> 00:15:11,320 concerts and recreations at Piggy Palace. 203 00:15:11,960 --> 00:15:18,360 So when I I post both my Robert Picton case on my Instagram 204 00:15:18,360 --> 00:15:23,360 page, the Dark Mind Detective and I had so many people contact 205 00:15:23,360 --> 00:15:25,000 me. People had their high school 206 00:15:25,000 --> 00:15:30,080 graduations, their people have done fundraisers for their 207 00:15:30,080 --> 00:15:33,800 sports teams. It was a very thriving place. 208 00:15:34,480 --> 00:15:40,640 Two faces, the community part. And then it had the raunchy wild 209 00:15:40,640 --> 00:15:48,800 parties, drugs after hour apart. So much more sinister is what 210 00:15:48,800 --> 00:15:54,200 makes the Piggy Palace story so profoundly unsettling. 211 00:15:55,280 --> 00:16:00,440 The massive scale of the operation events ranged from 212 00:16:00,440 --> 00:16:05,160 raves with pounding electronic music to live band performances. 213 00:16:05,360 --> 00:16:09,640 From community fundraisers to wild drug fueled parties. 214 00:16:10,040 --> 00:16:14,400 These gatherings could attract up to 2000 people approximately. 215 00:16:14,400 --> 00:16:19,480 About the ominous physical setting, Piggy Palace operated 216 00:16:19,840 --> 00:16:23,920 out of a large converted shed but had state-of-the-art sound 217 00:16:23,920 --> 00:16:31,920 equipment and a big sound stage. This industrial, makeshift 218 00:16:31,920 --> 00:16:38,400 venue, poorly lit, isolated and sprawling, created the perfect 219 00:16:38,400 --> 00:16:43,160 environment for activities that would never have been tolerated 220 00:16:43,160 --> 00:16:46,960 in a more visible or regulated space. 221 00:16:47,560 --> 00:16:52,560 So according to Scott Chubb, who became a police informant who 222 00:16:52,560 --> 00:16:54,320 actually broke the case wide open. 223 00:16:54,320 --> 00:16:58,480 We'll get into Scott Chubb's story later on. 224 00:16:59,680 --> 00:17:05,440 He worked the door and cover charges typically range from $10 225 00:17:05,440 --> 00:17:11,440 to $20 per person. He said on any given night he 226 00:17:11,440 --> 00:17:17,920 never collected anything less than $10,000 in cover charges 227 00:17:18,280 --> 00:17:25,599 and one particular night he collected over $43,000. 228 00:17:26,200 --> 00:17:29,000 And this translate you do the math that say they were charging 229 00:17:29,000 --> 00:17:35,200 $20.00 at night translate to 2150 people passing through the 230 00:17:35,200 --> 00:17:41,960 door. Bill Hickscox provided another 231 00:17:42,200 --> 00:17:47,240 most revealing insider perspective on Piggy Palace. 232 00:17:47,640 --> 00:17:53,200 As someone who worked directly at the Picton's Brothers Farm, 233 00:17:54,080 --> 00:17:57,000 his observation carries a particular weight. 234 00:17:57,440 --> 00:18:03,720 According to Hickscox, the special events at Piggy Palace 235 00:18:03,720 --> 00:18:08,840 weren't just wild parties, disturbing undercurrents of the 236 00:18:08,840 --> 00:18:12,320 entertainment. He noted that these events 237 00:18:12,480 --> 00:18:18,640 regular featured A rotating group of sex workers brought in 238 00:18:19,360 --> 00:18:25,560 from the Downtown East Side, women who were often vulnerable, 239 00:18:25,600 --> 00:18:29,640 struggling with addiction, and easily exploited. 240 00:18:31,160 --> 00:18:35,600 Hickscox didn't mince words when describing the overall 241 00:18:35,600 --> 00:18:41,480 atmosphere, calling it chaotic, concerning by what he described 242 00:18:41,480 --> 00:18:45,640 as a creepy environment throughout the farm. 243 00:18:45,640 --> 00:18:48,840 It was rough, sketchy and dangerous. 244 00:18:49,360 --> 00:18:52,680 The clientele represented a strange and volatile mix. 245 00:18:52,680 --> 00:18:56,920 Hardcore bikers along ordinary residents and occasionally even 246 00:18:56,920 --> 00:19:01,000 civic leaders who should have known better, create an 247 00:19:01,000 --> 00:19:05,640 environment where normal boundaries and protections broke 248 00:19:05,640 --> 00:19:11,480 down, where the vulnerable became invisible, and where 249 00:19:11,480 --> 00:19:14,720 predatory behavior could flourish undetected. 250 00:19:15,880 --> 00:19:20,920 The breaking point came following a particularly massive 251 00:19:20,920 --> 00:19:25,000 New Year's Eve celebration on December 31st, 1998. 252 00:19:25,520 --> 00:19:29,080 In response, authority took decisive action, slapping the 253 00:19:29,080 --> 00:19:33,720 Pictons with a court injunction that banned future parties. 254 00:19:34,280 --> 00:19:39,400 The language of the court order was ambiguous, noting that 255 00:19:39,400 --> 00:19:43,960 police were henceforth authorized to arrest and remove 256 00:19:43,960 --> 00:19:50,400 any person attending public events at the farm, a clear 257 00:19:50,400 --> 00:19:55,880 indication of how seriously officials have begun to take the 258 00:19:55,880 --> 00:19:59,920 situation. The final nail in the coffin for 259 00:19:59,920 --> 00:20:06,280 Piggy Palace came in January of 2000, when the society lost its 260 00:20:06,280 --> 00:20:12,360 nonprofit status for failures to provide mandatory financial 261 00:20:12,360 --> 00:20:15,240 statements. This administrative action. 262 00:20:15,640 --> 00:20:19,920 While seemingly bureaucratic effectively ended the venue's 263 00:20:19,920 --> 00:20:22,840 ability to operate even under the thinnest vineyard of 264 00:20:22,840 --> 00:20:26,640 legitimacy. The scale of these operations, 265 00:20:26,880 --> 00:20:31,360 the diverse mix of attendees, a dual nature of Piggy Palace as a 266 00:20:31,360 --> 00:20:34,920 both a community gathering spot and a haven for illicit 267 00:20:34,920 --> 00:20:37,280 activities, created a perfect storm. 268 00:20:37,480 --> 00:20:40,400 A place where predators could operate with relatively 269 00:20:40,400 --> 00:20:44,960 impunity, hidden behind a facade of community service and 270 00:20:44,960 --> 00:20:49,400 entertainment. To understand Piggy Palace, you 271 00:20:49,400 --> 00:20:53,680 need to see it as part of a larger tapestry. 272 00:20:55,400 --> 00:21:01,440 Vancouver 1990s which I was born and raised. 273 00:21:01,440 --> 00:21:05,440 I was in my early 20s. It was a city with a thriving 274 00:21:05,440 --> 00:21:08,880 underground nightlife for those of us who grew up there. 275 00:21:08,880 --> 00:21:15,640 Booze cans and after hour clubs, they were fixtures of the city's 276 00:21:15,640 --> 00:21:20,600 nocturnal landscape. I was too young in the 80s to 277 00:21:20,600 --> 00:21:23,440 know about them, but by the time I finished high school in the 278 00:21:23,440 --> 00:21:28,160 90s, these underground nightclubs have become a part of 279 00:21:28,160 --> 00:21:32,560 Vancouver's identity. When licensed bars and clubs 280 00:21:32,560 --> 00:21:36,880 shut their doors at 2:00 AM, the night was just beginning for 281 00:21:36,880 --> 00:21:41,960 those who knew where to go next. The Vancouver I knew back then 282 00:21:41,960 --> 00:21:47,160 was a lot edgier, grittier than the gleaming glass metropolis of 283 00:21:47,160 --> 00:21:49,920 today. The city pulsed with a raw 284 00:21:49,920 --> 00:21:53,960 energy after dark, a place where boundaries blurred and rules 285 00:21:53,960 --> 00:21:57,000 bent. It wasn't just about drinking 286 00:21:57,000 --> 00:22:02,240 after hours, it was about the whole parallel culture operating 287 00:22:02,240 --> 00:22:05,000 in the shadows of the official cities. 288 00:22:06,400 --> 00:22:11,280 These venues existed in a legal Gray area, unlicensed, hidden, 289 00:22:11,640 --> 00:22:15,360 and operating well beyond official closing times. 290 00:22:16,680 --> 00:22:22,160 They materialized in the most unexpected places, repurposing 291 00:22:22,640 --> 00:22:25,520 spaces. I used to frequent one called 292 00:22:25,520 --> 00:22:29,320 The World, which during the daylight hours was a legitimate 293 00:22:29,320 --> 00:22:32,480 language school. Then on weekends it's 294 00:22:32,480 --> 00:22:36,840 transformed into a throbbing after hours club where hundreds 295 00:22:36,840 --> 00:22:40,680 danced until dawn. Their own versions there was 296 00:22:40,680 --> 00:22:45,160 Jamaican after hour clubs up pulsed with reggae and dance 297 00:22:45,160 --> 00:22:47,080 hall. I actually liked those ones 298 00:22:47,080 --> 00:22:50,880 because they always had really awesome food and believe it or 299 00:22:50,880 --> 00:22:55,640 not they were pretty chill too. Chinese venues operated out of 300 00:22:55,680 --> 00:23:01,000 upscale houses, often featuring high state gambling alongside 301 00:23:01,000 --> 00:23:05,920 drinking bikers. Some of the biker after hours 302 00:23:05,920 --> 00:23:10,600 had poker tables, blackjack and roulette tables conversion. 303 00:23:10,600 --> 00:23:14,960 The warehouse in Yale Town occupied a formal industrial 304 00:23:14,960 --> 00:23:21,240 space filled with electronic music that echoed off its 305 00:23:21,240 --> 00:23:24,960 concrete walls until the morning light filtered through the high 306 00:23:24,960 --> 00:23:31,400 windows. What's critical to understand 307 00:23:31,400 --> 00:23:35,920 that these weren't normal, small, secretive operations. 308 00:23:35,920 --> 00:23:39,360 They were known entities, places where hundreds, sometimes 309 00:23:39,360 --> 00:23:41,200 thousands, of people would gather. 310 00:23:41,360 --> 00:23:46,040 Police were aware of them, City officials were aware of them, 311 00:23:46,040 --> 00:23:50,600 yet they operated with minimal indifference, creating places 312 00:23:50,600 --> 00:23:54,200 where normal rules and protections didn't apply. 313 00:23:54,720 --> 00:24:00,360 I never went to Piggy Palace myself, but I heard whispers. 314 00:24:00,360 --> 00:24:02,360 I definitely knew some people that went there. 315 00:24:02,360 --> 00:24:07,640 You'd hear about this after our place that was on some pig farm, 316 00:24:07,640 --> 00:24:10,280 they would say, and some people actually really liked it. 317 00:24:10,280 --> 00:24:13,720 They liked the environment. But yeah, it just sounded kind 318 00:24:13,720 --> 00:24:16,160 of kind of freaky for me even back then. 319 00:24:16,400 --> 00:24:19,200 There was these other properties that you would hear about. 320 00:24:19,200 --> 00:24:23,240 There was this one, I can't remember the name of it, but it 321 00:24:23,240 --> 00:24:29,200 was a mansion that had some large acreage grounds with this 322 00:24:29,280 --> 00:24:32,640 outdoor swimming pool. It was known for swinging 323 00:24:32,640 --> 00:24:34,640 parties. I knew strippers that would go 324 00:24:34,640 --> 00:24:37,480 to these events. They would be like good food 325 00:24:37,480 --> 00:24:40,800 there and they'd be meet couples and they'd do swinging and 326 00:24:40,800 --> 00:24:44,400 they'd have all these different rooms for different types of 327 00:24:44,400 --> 00:24:46,760 activity. Yeah, I, I never went to that 328 00:24:46,760 --> 00:24:50,160 myself, but I I've heard and talked to people who went to 329 00:24:50,160 --> 00:24:52,400 that one. And then you'd hear about 330 00:24:52,600 --> 00:24:56,200 properties out, let's say in Maple Ridge, even out in 331 00:24:56,200 --> 00:24:58,920 Chilliwack where they have these big buns and fire events. 332 00:24:59,160 --> 00:25:01,920 So this was a thing, especially in the 90s. 333 00:25:01,920 --> 00:25:05,720 And then there was, I believe where all the bikers went in 334 00:25:05,720 --> 00:25:08,120 Nanaimo, I believe it's called Angel Acres. 335 00:25:08,120 --> 00:25:10,360 It was a big party. I think that was like a once a 336 00:25:10,360 --> 00:25:13,000 year party, I believe. I don't know, I, I, but these, 337 00:25:13,000 --> 00:25:14,640 what you'd hear about these things. 338 00:25:14,640 --> 00:25:18,360 I I never really strayed off the beaten path out of the downtown 339 00:25:18,360 --> 00:25:22,280 core or maybe some after hours that were in Kitsilino. 340 00:25:22,800 --> 00:25:25,320 But you know, through your circles and networks, you'd hear 341 00:25:25,320 --> 00:25:28,480 about these different spots. Like I was saying, the, the 342 00:25:28,480 --> 00:25:33,600 mansion for swingers out in Langley, bonfires and party 343 00:25:33,600 --> 00:25:35,800 events. And so Piggy Palace, believe it 344 00:25:35,800 --> 00:25:39,160 or not, didn't really stand out as unusual. 345 00:25:39,160 --> 00:25:43,200 Maybe the activities that went, but a place where people went 346 00:25:43,200 --> 00:25:47,160 and partied and after hours kind of off the books in a Gray zone 347 00:25:47,400 --> 00:25:51,880 was not an uncommon thing of Vancouver of the 90s. 348 00:25:52,120 --> 00:25:56,560 Like, as I said, as outrageous as Piggy Palace might seem in 349 00:25:56,560 --> 00:26:00,960 isolation, it was an extreme example of a phenomenon that was 350 00:26:00,960 --> 00:26:05,120 woven to the fabrics of 1990s Vancouver. 351 00:26:05,240 --> 00:26:11,160 The city operated with a certain looseness, then an understanding 352 00:26:11,160 --> 00:26:15,320 that some of these rules were flexible, especially if the 353 00:26:15,320 --> 00:26:19,160 right palms got greased. I worked in a lot of legitimate 354 00:26:19,160 --> 00:26:24,800 nightclubs that were fronts for deeply illegitimate activities. 355 00:26:24,800 --> 00:26:27,400 I worked. I worked in a club in New 356 00:26:27,400 --> 00:26:31,800 Westminster that was run by Chinese organized crime. 357 00:26:31,960 --> 00:26:35,120 Another one on Kingsway that was controlled by a coalition of 358 00:26:35,120 --> 00:26:39,080 Indo Canadian gangsters and Mexican cartel representatives. 359 00:26:39,720 --> 00:26:43,440 Their head of security was an ex fighter who served in Hezbollah 360 00:26:44,080 --> 00:26:46,920 and he was actually a cool guy believe it or not. 361 00:26:46,920 --> 00:26:49,840 I used to play pool with him. He was a super chill dude. 362 00:26:49,960 --> 00:26:51,880 Right? I just was lucky I never made a 363 00:26:51,880 --> 00:26:55,120 MAD or got on the wrong side of him because yeah this guy was. 364 00:26:55,120 --> 00:26:58,280 Apparently he could take care of business for what I heard. 365 00:26:58,280 --> 00:27:03,400 Vancouver in the 90s wasn't just a pretty postcard city, it was a 366 00:27:03,480 --> 00:27:07,280 place with a thriving underground economy where 367 00:27:07,280 --> 00:27:12,800 criminals organization operated businesses that served as an 368 00:27:12,800 --> 00:27:16,720 interface between the legitimate world and the underground. 369 00:27:17,200 --> 00:27:22,240 Piggy Palace didn't emerge from a vacuum, it grew from fertile 370 00:27:22,240 --> 00:27:25,720 soil that has been cultivated for decades. 371 00:27:28,320 --> 00:27:32,720 One of the fascinating threads that connects Piggy Palace and 372 00:27:32,720 --> 00:27:35,360 Vancouver's broader nightlife culture. 373 00:27:36,080 --> 00:27:39,640 So Dave picked and reportedly got the idea for Piggy Palace 374 00:27:39,640 --> 00:27:44,680 when he was hired to demolish the Caribou Pub that I knew I 375 00:27:44,680 --> 00:27:46,960 worked there a few times as a bouncer. 376 00:27:46,960 --> 00:27:49,840 So when I worked at the nightclub in New Westminster, 377 00:27:50,160 --> 00:27:53,560 when someone was sick from the Caribou Pub, they would ask us 378 00:27:53,560 --> 00:27:56,720 to sub for them. And so, so if I was available 379 00:27:56,720 --> 00:27:59,320 and they had, you know, when their bouncers or regular 380 00:27:59,320 --> 00:28:03,240 bouncers were unavailable, they would ask us to kind of fill in 381 00:28:03,240 --> 00:28:07,680 the spot because the head doorman at nightclub I worked at 382 00:28:08,240 --> 00:28:12,880 was friends with the head doorman at the Caribou Pub. 383 00:28:13,360 --> 00:28:17,080 Now I want to say something. I have been to a lot of bars 384 00:28:17,080 --> 00:28:20,120 across Canada and the United States. 385 00:28:20,520 --> 00:28:24,440 And I used to work for an agency that would send me to nightclubs 386 00:28:24,440 --> 00:28:28,080 across Canada to do nightclub like nightclub entertainment. 387 00:28:28,080 --> 00:28:30,160 So I've, as I said, I've been to a lot of bars. 388 00:28:30,160 --> 00:28:34,080 The Caribou Pub was the toughest, roughest place I ever 389 00:28:34,080 --> 00:28:36,680 set foot in. It was not a place for the faint 390 00:28:36,680 --> 00:28:38,960 to heart. Filled with lot of sawmill 391 00:28:38,960 --> 00:28:44,320 workers that worked in close proximity, lots of bikers, the 392 00:28:44,320 --> 00:28:48,960 biker Mamas who I could say were the most formidable people in 393 00:28:48,960 --> 00:28:50,960 that room. You did not mess with the biker 394 00:28:50,960 --> 00:28:54,360 Mamas. Oh, no, yeah, they were super 395 00:28:54,760 --> 00:28:57,520 intimidating actually, and they didn't give any fucks 396 00:28:57,520 --> 00:29:01,920 whatsoever. The the the hardcore bikers, if 397 00:29:01,920 --> 00:29:05,280 you were polite and gentlemanly to them, they were cool. 398 00:29:05,400 --> 00:29:07,240 They never had any problems with them. 399 00:29:08,000 --> 00:29:12,640 But man, not from the biker Mamas, you know, Jeez, I I'll 400 00:29:13,320 --> 00:29:15,120 tell you a quick story. So I worked with her. 401 00:29:15,120 --> 00:29:19,080 I was a guy named Don who was like a big muscle Italian guy, 402 00:29:19,080 --> 00:29:20,760 kind of looked like Stallone, right? 403 00:29:20,760 --> 00:29:24,400 Similar. They had similar look and he 404 00:29:24,400 --> 00:29:27,480 threw a biker Mama out because she was being so drunk and 405 00:29:27,480 --> 00:29:28,920 obnoxious. So you know what she did? 406 00:29:29,000 --> 00:29:34,960 She walked by a table and grabbed a fork off the table and 407 00:29:34,960 --> 00:29:38,040 then went up to him really nice and going hey I'm sorry for my 408 00:29:38,040 --> 00:29:43,160 behaviour my bad and went to go shake his hand and soon as she 409 00:29:43,160 --> 00:29:49,840 as soon as dawn grabbed her hand she stabbed him in the shoulder 410 00:29:49,840 --> 00:29:53,080 with a fork and the fork was all sticking out of his shoulder. 411 00:29:53,920 --> 00:29:56,480 Everyone had a big laugh, including the all the other 412 00:29:56,480 --> 00:30:00,320 biker Mamas and a crowd that went to the Caribou pub would 413 00:30:00,320 --> 00:30:03,760 have felt perfectly at home at the Piggy Palace party. 414 00:30:03,760 --> 00:30:06,280 You know rough, tough blue collar clientele. 415 00:30:06,640 --> 00:30:10,000 They would have totally loved Piggy Palace it it was actually 416 00:30:10,000 --> 00:30:16,040 a very smart business move of Dave Picton. 417 00:30:16,440 --> 00:30:20,680 It's important to note that not everyone who attended Piggy 418 00:30:20,680 --> 00:30:23,760 Palace was a predator or a criminal. 419 00:30:24,800 --> 00:30:28,760 Most were ordinary people looking for a good time, a drink 420 00:30:28,800 --> 00:30:31,240 after hours, or a community gathering. 421 00:30:31,320 --> 00:30:37,160 But the environment, the unregulated, isolated, and 422 00:30:37,160 --> 00:30:42,480 operating outside the normal societal constraint created the 423 00:30:42,480 --> 00:30:47,960 perfect conditions for predators to blend in, to become just 424 00:30:47,960 --> 00:30:51,320 another face in the crowd while hunting for victims wouldn't be 425 00:30:51,320 --> 00:30:55,240 missed. Piggy Palace became a place 426 00:30:55,240 --> 00:31:00,240 where 2 worlds collided, the everyday world of community 427 00:31:00,240 --> 00:31:06,720 gathering and the shadow world of exploitation and predation. 428 00:31:07,880 --> 00:31:13,640 This collision was possible because Vancouver's after our 429 00:31:13,640 --> 00:31:19,600 culture had already normalized these spaces that existed beyond 430 00:31:19,600 --> 00:31:22,320 the reach of regulation and oversight. 431 00:31:23,800 --> 00:31:28,920 In my series when I first started, name was Vancouver True 432 00:31:28,920 --> 00:31:30,600 Crime. And one of the things I talked 433 00:31:30,600 --> 00:31:33,960 about or my series called Vancouver, the Beautiful and 434 00:31:33,960 --> 00:31:38,640 ugly, the bipolar nature of Vancouver, the beautiful 435 00:31:38,640 --> 00:31:44,080 postcard images, the gorgeous beaches, you know, the outdoors, 436 00:31:44,640 --> 00:31:48,720 the healthy, attractive Vancouver and then this gritty 437 00:31:48,760 --> 00:31:55,760 underground economy and which was a very bipolar and I'm sure 438 00:31:55,760 --> 00:31:59,800 a lot of cities have this, but I feel that the Vancouver has the 439 00:31:59,800 --> 00:32:05,760 most extreme of these two images that clash with each other. 440 00:32:05,960 --> 00:32:10,880 I think an important aspect when you look at the Piggy Palace 441 00:32:10,880 --> 00:32:13,560 case, and it's something I'm going to emphasize throughout 442 00:32:13,560 --> 00:32:16,840 the series. Piggy Palace, Robert Picton's 443 00:32:16,840 --> 00:32:20,400 farm could not existed without the Downtown East side. 444 00:32:20,400 --> 00:32:23,960 They have this symbiotic relationship with each other. 445 00:32:24,440 --> 00:32:28,200 When people hear the Downtown East Side, if you're from 446 00:32:28,200 --> 00:32:31,600 Vancouver or you're familiar with it, if you're not from 447 00:32:31,600 --> 00:32:36,720 Vancouver, the Downtown Eastside is a neighborhood with a lot of 448 00:32:37,840 --> 00:32:41,240 addiction, poverty, and open drug use. 449 00:32:43,320 --> 00:32:46,880 It would be considered it would be similar to let's say Los 450 00:32:46,880 --> 00:32:51,440 Angeles's Skid Row or the the Tenderloin District in San 451 00:32:51,440 --> 00:32:55,560 Francisco would be a a good comparison if you are listening 452 00:32:55,560 --> 00:32:58,720 and you're American. So when people hear the Downtown 453 00:32:58,720 --> 00:33:02,360 Eastside, they immediately conjure conjure image of 454 00:33:02,360 --> 00:33:07,320 addiction, poverty and despair. These problems are real and 455 00:33:07,320 --> 00:33:11,560 shouldn't be minimalized, but it only represents one layer of 456 00:33:11,560 --> 00:33:14,560 this neighborhood with a rich and complex history that 457 00:33:14,560 --> 00:33:18,640 deserves recognition. Before it became synonymous with 458 00:33:18,640 --> 00:33:23,240 social problems, the Downtown East Side was an economic and 459 00:33:23,240 --> 00:33:25,800 cultural heart of early Vancouver. 460 00:33:26,440 --> 00:33:30,760 It was a vibrant industrial area humming with commerce, shops, 461 00:33:30,760 --> 00:33:35,320 ports, warehouse, creating a bustling hub of activity and A 462 00:33:35,320 --> 00:33:38,280 and and lots of jobs. Lot of high paying, good paying 463 00:33:38,280 --> 00:33:42,880 jobs. Within this industrial landscape 464 00:33:42,880 --> 00:33:47,560 existed A distinct community that contributed to Vancouver's 465 00:33:47,560 --> 00:33:51,480 multicultural identity. Multicultural identity 466 00:33:53,040 --> 00:33:58,200 Strathcona is one of the oldest residential area welcoming waves 467 00:33:58,200 --> 00:34:01,560 of immigrants who built their lives and communities despite 468 00:34:01,560 --> 00:34:05,240 discriminations and hardship. Japan Town along Powell St. 469 00:34:05,440 --> 00:34:09,719 thrived as a cultural and commerce center till the forest 470 00:34:09,719 --> 00:34:14,400 internment of Japanese Canadians during World War 2A wound that 471 00:34:14,400 --> 00:34:17,520 the neighborhood never really recovered from. 472 00:34:18,760 --> 00:34:23,080 The area was also home to a significant Black community with 473 00:34:23,080 --> 00:34:27,239 jazz club speakeasies that created a vibrant nightclub 474 00:34:27,239 --> 00:34:33,800 scene decades before the rage. The rave culture of the 1990s. 475 00:34:35,159 --> 00:34:39,800 One of the most poignant connections to this musical 476 00:34:39,800 --> 00:34:43,239 heritage is Jimi Hendrix. Grandmother Nora Hendrix lived 477 00:34:43,239 --> 00:34:46,600 in the neighborhood. Young Jimi spent time there 478 00:34:46,600 --> 00:34:50,520 absorbing the sounds, a rhythm that would later influence his 479 00:34:50,520 --> 00:34:54,400 revolutionary approach to music and becoming the world's 480 00:34:54,400 --> 00:34:57,720 greatest electric guitar player in human history. 481 00:34:58,520 --> 00:35:04,520 So this history, this history has been overshadowed by recent 482 00:35:04,520 --> 00:35:08,400 troubles. It's a tragedy, really, that 483 00:35:08,480 --> 00:35:12,720 these vibrant historical traditions haven't been 484 00:35:12,720 --> 00:35:18,440 preserved and celebrated, has been largely erased from public 485 00:35:18,440 --> 00:35:21,800 consciousness, replaced by the stereotype and fear, drug 486 00:35:21,800 --> 00:35:26,440 addiction, lawlessness that have indeed taken root like a cancer. 487 00:35:26,840 --> 00:35:31,920 But focusing exclusively on these problems prevent us from 488 00:35:31,920 --> 00:35:36,440 seeing the full humanity of this area and its residents. 489 00:35:37,640 --> 00:35:43,120 What makes the Downtown Eastside unique is a status of what I 490 00:35:43,120 --> 00:35:46,360 call the Gray Zone, a place where activities that would 491 00:35:46,360 --> 00:35:50,600 quickly suppressed elsewhere or tolerated and overlooked. 492 00:35:50,800 --> 00:35:53,320 This isn't about official policy. 493 00:35:53,320 --> 00:35:58,000 It's about a complex web of factors that create a space 494 00:35:58,000 --> 00:36:00,960 where normal rules don't fully apply. 495 00:36:01,400 --> 00:36:07,360 Consider the stark contrast. If someone begins to deal crack 496 00:36:07,360 --> 00:36:11,640 or cocaine or meth in front of a luxury boutique on Robson St. 497 00:36:11,640 --> 00:36:15,600 which is like the fancy high end shopping district, the police 498 00:36:15,600 --> 00:36:17,720 response would be swift and decisive. 499 00:36:18,440 --> 00:36:23,800 The same activity on Hastings St. continues for decades 500 00:36:24,120 --> 00:36:28,280 without any real intervention. The differential enforcement 501 00:36:28,280 --> 00:36:33,920 creates a a de facto zone of tolerance that persisted for 502 00:36:33,920 --> 00:36:36,920 decades. This Gray zone didn't develop 503 00:36:36,920 --> 00:36:40,880 overnight and merged gradually as industries moved out of the 504 00:36:40,880 --> 00:36:44,440 area, leaving behind economic depression, vacant buildings. 505 00:36:44,600 --> 00:36:49,000 As unemployment opportunities disappeared, poverty increased, 506 00:36:49,120 --> 00:36:53,120 creating conditions where addiction and homelessness could 507 00:36:53,120 --> 00:36:56,480 take root. The neighborhood became a refuge 508 00:36:56,480 --> 00:37:00,520 for those on the margin of society, a place people with 509 00:37:00,520 --> 00:37:04,720 nowhere else to go, with few resources to change their 510 00:37:04,720 --> 00:37:09,480 circumstances. What's critical to understand is 511 00:37:09,480 --> 00:37:13,720 the symbiotic relationship between the Downtown East Side 512 00:37:13,720 --> 00:37:18,120 and Picton Land, as I call it. They existed in some kind of 513 00:37:18,120 --> 00:37:22,080 dark harmony. The Downtown Eastside Gray zone 514 00:37:22,080 --> 00:37:26,080 created a population of vulnerable citizens who were 515 00:37:26,080 --> 00:37:31,440 easy targets for exploitation. The isolation of the Picton's 516 00:37:31,440 --> 00:37:36,840 property provided a space where exploitation far from public 517 00:37:36,840 --> 00:37:40,600 views. Both areas operated under 518 00:37:40,760 --> 00:37:45,600 different rules in the rest of society, places where 519 00:37:45,600 --> 00:37:49,720 authorities maintained a certain distance, whether through 520 00:37:49,720 --> 00:37:54,640 neglect and difference or active complicity, both spaces allowed 521 00:37:54,640 --> 00:38:00,840 predators to operate with relative impunity, hidden among 522 00:38:00,840 --> 00:38:04,760 populations that were already marginalized and overlooked. 523 00:38:04,960 --> 00:38:08,360 This relationship wasn't coincidental, it was structural. 524 00:38:08,680 --> 00:38:13,360 The same social forces that created and maintain the 525 00:38:13,360 --> 00:38:16,880 Downtown Eastside as a containment zone for poverty and 526 00:38:16,880 --> 00:38:20,440 diction also created the conditions that allowed places 527 00:38:20,440 --> 00:38:24,200 like Piggy Palace to exist without adequate oversight or 528 00:38:24,200 --> 00:38:27,800 intervention. Despite decades of challenges, 529 00:38:27,880 --> 00:38:32,280 the Downtown Eastside maintains a strong sense of a community 530 00:38:32,440 --> 00:38:36,080 cultural identity. Organizations like the Carnegie 531 00:38:36,080 --> 00:38:41,200 Community Center, Wish Drop in Center, and numerous Indigenous 532 00:38:41,200 --> 00:38:44,520 LED initiatives provide support, advocacy, and cultural 533 00:38:44,520 --> 00:38:48,240 programming that helps preserve the neighborhood's heritage. 534 00:38:49,440 --> 00:38:53,000 The area's artistic legacy is particularly significant. 535 00:38:53,200 --> 00:38:57,120 The Downtown Eastside has been home to numerous artists, 536 00:38:57,120 --> 00:39:00,520 writers and musicians that have created works that challenge 537 00:39:00,520 --> 00:39:04,320 stereotypes and gives voice to marginalized experiences. 538 00:39:06,400 --> 00:39:11,080 In my 20 part Picton series, I explore the concept of cursed 539 00:39:11,080 --> 00:39:16,440 land, a place where historical trauma seems to linger, 540 00:39:16,520 --> 00:39:19,760 affecting everyone who comes in contact with it. 541 00:39:19,960 --> 00:39:24,000 This isn't just superstition, it's recognition how violence 542 00:39:24,000 --> 00:39:29,680 and suffering can leave lasting imprints on both physical spaces 543 00:39:29,680 --> 00:39:34,080 and collective unconsciousness. Many cultures, including 544 00:39:34,080 --> 00:39:39,040 Indigenous traditions, recognize that land can retain energy of 545 00:39:39,040 --> 00:39:42,520 an event that occurred there. The Badlands of North Dakota, 546 00:39:42,880 --> 00:39:47,400 sites of burial conflicts during the Indian Wars, often described 547 00:39:47,400 --> 00:39:51,440 as haunted or cursed by both Indigenous people and ranchers 548 00:39:51,440 --> 00:39:54,200 who settled there. The feeling isn't just 549 00:39:54,200 --> 00:39:58,160 psychological, it's described as something palpable, a heaviness 550 00:39:58,160 --> 00:40:02,320 in the air, an inexpectable sense of dread and sorrow. 551 00:40:03,480 --> 00:40:10,440 I went to a candlelight visual in February of 2024 with the 552 00:40:10,440 --> 00:40:17,600 Indigenous community. This is when the RCMP were on my 553 00:40:17,600 --> 00:40:21,680 Dark Mind Detective on Instagram. 554 00:40:22,360 --> 00:40:25,240 I talked to a lot of people who have connections. 555 00:40:25,360 --> 00:40:28,480 You know, some actually have family that still work for the 556 00:40:28,480 --> 00:40:30,520 Pickton brothers. They still have, they still have 557 00:40:30,520 --> 00:40:35,880 companies, they still do trucking, he snow removal for 558 00:40:35,880 --> 00:40:39,240 the City of Port Coquitlam, demolition, construction 559 00:40:39,240 --> 00:40:40,400 projects. You know, they're still 560 00:40:40,400 --> 00:40:43,320 thriving. So I, I talked to a lot of 561 00:40:43,320 --> 00:40:47,600 people whose, you know, family still work there, people who 562 00:40:47,640 --> 00:40:50,960 actually been to the piggy palace parties even as kids, you 563 00:40:50,960 --> 00:40:55,160 know, for pork roast events. I've talked to people with that. 564 00:40:56,440 --> 00:40:58,120 I talked to one lady. It was very interesting. 565 00:40:58,120 --> 00:41:01,760 She contacted me through my Dark mind detective platform on 566 00:41:01,760 --> 00:41:06,400 Instagram and she, you know, again, keeping her identity 567 00:41:06,400 --> 00:41:09,000 private. She was working with someone, an 568 00:41:09,000 --> 00:41:12,600 investigating officer who was deeply affected by the Picton 569 00:41:12,600 --> 00:41:15,680 case. He made a statement that 570 00:41:15,680 --> 00:41:19,320 continues to haunt me. He believes right, And this is 571 00:41:19,320 --> 00:41:22,280 something I plan to do more research as time goes on. 572 00:41:23,080 --> 00:41:27,040 He made a statement and he believed that the violence 573 00:41:27,040 --> 00:41:31,960 associated with the Picton property was intergenerational. 574 00:41:32,920 --> 00:41:39,640 It has been going on longer than Robert Picton's activity and the 575 00:41:39,640 --> 00:41:44,720 woman seemed credible. And so this perspective suggests 576 00:41:44,720 --> 00:41:48,480 that the horrors discovered on the Picton farm wasn't an 577 00:41:48,480 --> 00:41:52,840 aberration, but part of a continuum, a manifestation of 578 00:41:52,840 --> 00:41:57,880 violence and exploitation that has deep roots in a land and its 579 00:41:57,880 --> 00:42:00,880 history. And so I've been really 580 00:42:00,880 --> 00:42:06,120 exploring this concept of cursed land and this becomes a metaphor 581 00:42:06,120 --> 00:42:12,200 for intergenerational trauma. To understand how someone like 582 00:42:12,200 --> 00:42:16,560 Robert picked and could have operated for so long without 583 00:42:16,560 --> 00:42:21,080 detection, we need to examine the families contacts that 584 00:42:21,080 --> 00:42:24,440 shaped them. The Picton family appears to 585 00:42:24,440 --> 00:42:28,760 establish a long pattern of exploitation and mistreatment 586 00:42:28,960 --> 00:42:32,120 long before Roberts crimes came to light. 587 00:42:32,680 --> 00:42:37,680 Patterns that created an environment where cruelty was 588 00:42:37,680 --> 00:42:40,920 normalized and vulnerability was weaponized. 589 00:42:41,120 --> 00:42:44,760 These weren't just isolated incidents, but a consistent 590 00:42:44,760 --> 00:42:49,840 approach to business, family relationships, interactions with 591 00:42:49,840 --> 00:42:54,840 perceived as others, The family operator for particular 592 00:42:54,840 --> 00:42:59,680 worldview. A harsh perspective that divided 593 00:42:59,680 --> 00:43:03,480 people who mattered and those who didn't. 594 00:43:03,480 --> 00:43:08,600 This mindset created a fertile ground for exploitation to 595 00:43:08,600 --> 00:43:11,840 flourish. Dave Picton, who managed various 596 00:43:11,840 --> 00:43:15,120 business operations, established A reputation that would spread 597 00:43:15,120 --> 00:43:17,560 through the community. His approach to business 598 00:43:17,600 --> 00:43:22,440 relationship was characterized by financial exploitation. 599 00:43:23,000 --> 00:43:26,840 He was known for being chronically cheap, consistently 600 00:43:26,840 --> 00:43:29,720 underpaying workers or avoiding payment altogether. 601 00:43:29,880 --> 00:43:32,520 Bounced checks. Workers reported receiving 602 00:43:32,520 --> 00:43:35,120 checks that couldn't be cash, forcing them to return. 603 00:43:35,120 --> 00:43:38,480 Repeatedly demand payment. Retaliatory theft. 604 00:43:38,720 --> 00:43:42,440 Frustrated employees sometimes resorted to stealing equipment 605 00:43:42,440 --> 00:43:45,520 as their only means of receiving compensation for their labor. 606 00:43:46,400 --> 00:43:49,880 Workers were treated as interchangeable, expendable, 607 00:43:49,880 --> 00:43:54,000 creating high turnovers and a constant stream of new, 608 00:43:54,000 --> 00:43:56,280 vulnerable people passed through the property. 609 00:43:56,560 --> 00:44:00,840 This created a cycle of mistrust and exploitation, with workers 610 00:44:00,840 --> 00:44:03,560 feeling undervalued and disposable. 611 00:44:03,960 --> 00:44:07,800 More importantly, it established the Picton property as a place 612 00:44:07,800 --> 00:44:11,560 where normal business ethics didn't apply, where exploitation 613 00:44:11,800 --> 00:44:14,800 was a standing operating procedure rather than the 614 00:44:14,800 --> 00:44:18,360 exception. Perhaps the most disturbing 615 00:44:18,360 --> 00:44:22,480 rumor surrounding Robert Picton's family involving their 616 00:44:22,480 --> 00:44:26,440 distribution of meat. These allegations that Picton 617 00:44:26,440 --> 00:44:29,600 gave out meat to employees, community members with 618 00:44:29,600 --> 00:44:33,160 insinuations of this meat may have been contaminated with 619 00:44:33,160 --> 00:44:36,640 human remains. The Picton's property proximity 620 00:44:36,640 --> 00:44:40,680 to the mental health facility created opportunities for 621 00:44:40,680 --> 00:44:45,240 exploitation as a family appears close to the Colony Farms, 622 00:44:45,280 --> 00:44:48,520 Riverview Hospital and other psychiatric centers that house 623 00:44:48,520 --> 00:44:51,360 vulnerable people. Sometimes it became part of 624 00:44:51,360 --> 00:44:54,680 Picton's Operation Day labor exploitation. 625 00:44:54,880 --> 00:44:58,280 Outpatients from nearby mental health facilities were used as 626 00:44:58,280 --> 00:45:03,080 cheap and free labor with little regard for their well-being or 627 00:45:03,080 --> 00:45:06,840 compensation. It's also worth mentioning, too, 628 00:45:06,840 --> 00:45:11,520 that these facilities also contributed to the Downtown 629 00:45:11,520 --> 00:45:14,480 Eastside. When they started to shut down 630 00:45:14,520 --> 00:45:19,560 and phase out these psychiatric centers, many of them ended up 631 00:45:19,560 --> 00:45:22,960 on the Downtown East Side. So there's like another strange 632 00:45:22,960 --> 00:45:27,120 connection between the Pictons and the Downtown East Side. 633 00:45:27,920 --> 00:45:30,840 One of the one another grotesque thing about Robert Picton. 634 00:45:31,040 --> 00:45:34,280 Apparently he like dumpster diving for the food thrown out 635 00:45:34,280 --> 00:45:37,080 by these institutions. That was when it was served to 636 00:45:37,080 --> 00:45:40,440 workers and patients. The Picton family, how they 637 00:45:40,440 --> 00:45:44,400 operate, targeting those who are already marginalized, minimalize 638 00:45:44,400 --> 00:45:47,080 the risk for consequences for their actions. 639 00:45:47,280 --> 00:45:50,960 The mentally ill, the addicted, the sex workers. 640 00:45:51,960 --> 00:45:55,120 This exploitation didn't begin with business practice. 641 00:45:55,120 --> 00:45:58,480 It seems to appear to be rooted in the family's internal 642 00:45:58,480 --> 00:46:02,560 dynamic. There is a disturbing story 643 00:46:02,560 --> 00:46:07,920 about Robert Picton's mom of throwing a boy into a ditch 644 00:46:08,240 --> 00:46:10,200 after Dave Picton hit him with a truck. 645 00:46:10,200 --> 00:46:14,160 Apparently he got his learner's license. 646 00:46:14,160 --> 00:46:17,040 He was driving the dad's truck and he was driving fast down the 647 00:46:17,040 --> 00:46:20,840 road and hit a little boy and the mother, and the boy was 648 00:46:20,840 --> 00:46:22,640 apparently still breathing. The mother just threw him in a 649 00:46:22,640 --> 00:46:24,360 ditch and they try to cover up the crime. 650 00:46:24,360 --> 00:46:26,600 Of course, Dave Picton only got a slap on the wrist. 651 00:46:26,600 --> 00:46:30,760 I think he lost his license or something, maybe paid a fine. 652 00:46:30,880 --> 00:46:33,640 But yeah, no, no real consequences. 653 00:46:34,720 --> 00:46:38,040 A pattern that suggests profound lack of empathy and 654 00:46:38,040 --> 00:46:42,640 normalization of cruelty. The family was known for being 655 00:46:42,640 --> 00:46:47,280 insular, with many described as hillbilly US versus them 656 00:46:47,280 --> 00:46:50,920 mentality that created a sharp division between family members 657 00:46:50,920 --> 00:46:54,000 and outsiders. This worldview fostered a sense 658 00:46:54,000 --> 00:47:00,200 of loyalty to family above all else, even when that loyalty 659 00:47:00,200 --> 00:47:04,200 required turning a blind eye to disturbing behavior. 660 00:47:06,520 --> 00:47:10,160 Perhaps the most telling, Robert picked and reportedly looked 661 00:47:10,160 --> 00:47:13,960 down on anyone with addictions or dependency, particularly 662 00:47:13,960 --> 00:47:18,560 Indigenous individuals. This contempt for those 663 00:47:18,560 --> 00:47:22,520 struggling with substance use or mental health issues reflect A 664 00:47:22,520 --> 00:47:27,240 broader society prejudice, but serves as a practical purpose. 665 00:47:27,240 --> 00:47:31,280 It made it easier to just justify exploitation, 666 00:47:31,280 --> 00:47:35,400 mistreatment. If someone seems less than 667 00:47:35,400 --> 00:47:39,120 human, just an addict, just a drunk, then treating them with 668 00:47:39,120 --> 00:47:41,920 cruelty becomes easier and rationalized. 669 00:47:42,280 --> 00:47:47,720 So one of the things that I would hear in my research that 670 00:47:47,720 --> 00:47:52,000 when he would take these women to the farm, he would say, hey, 671 00:47:52,000 --> 00:47:55,640 I'm going to help you out. I'm gonna help clean you up and 672 00:47:55,960 --> 00:47:58,320 almost kind of set them up. If some kind of if, in my 673 00:47:58,320 --> 00:48:00,560 opinion, this is like real emotional cruelty. 674 00:48:00,560 --> 00:48:03,600 And then he said if you ever touch drugs even once you're 675 00:48:03,600 --> 00:48:10,560 done and then other times 2 is reported to work himself up, he 676 00:48:10,560 --> 00:48:14,160 would accuse them of stealing from from him. 677 00:48:14,160 --> 00:48:16,640 Where's my stealing his wallet or something. 678 00:48:16,640 --> 00:48:19,440 Like he seemed to have to work himself up before he would do 679 00:48:19,440 --> 00:48:21,360 violence for him. And also too, it's kind of like 680 00:48:21,360 --> 00:48:23,840 a a horrible power trip head game. 681 00:48:23,840 --> 00:48:27,240 So he liked playing these kind of cruel mental games with these 682 00:48:27,240 --> 00:48:29,560 vulnerable people that became his victims. 683 00:48:30,240 --> 00:48:34,080 The Picton case represents as the one most profound systemic 684 00:48:34,080 --> 00:48:36,320 failures in Canadian criminal history. 685 00:48:36,600 --> 00:48:41,640 Multiple institutions, police departments, social workers, 686 00:48:41,640 --> 00:48:45,120 municipal governments, and broader society failed to 687 00:48:45,120 --> 00:48:47,640 protect the most vulnerable members of the community. 688 00:48:48,560 --> 00:48:52,400 These failures allowed a predator or predators to operate 689 00:48:52,400 --> 00:48:56,920 for years, claiming dozens, if not hundreds of victims while 690 00:48:56,920 --> 00:49:01,800 hiding behind the facade of community gathering places. 691 00:49:02,480 --> 00:49:06,520 The investigation into the Picton Farms revealed not just 692 00:49:06,520 --> 00:49:10,520 the horrific crimes of one man, but a web of neglect, 693 00:49:10,520 --> 00:49:14,280 indifference and exploitation that was allowed to fester for 694 00:49:14,280 --> 00:49:17,880 decades. Key systemic failures, including 695 00:49:18,080 --> 00:49:22,200 jurisdictional fragmentation, the division between Vancouver 696 00:49:22,200 --> 00:49:27,640 police and RCMP jurisdiction, created information gaps, 697 00:49:27,680 --> 00:49:32,080 coordination problems and delayed the investigation of 698 00:49:32,080 --> 00:49:34,440 marginalized victims. Women from the Downtown 699 00:49:34,440 --> 00:49:37,160 Eastside, particularly Indigenous women and sex 700 00:49:37,160 --> 00:49:40,720 workers, were not considered priority victims when reported 701 00:49:40,720 --> 00:49:45,360 missing. Besides, the statistic and 702 00:49:45,360 --> 00:49:50,640 systemic analysis are real people whose lives were forever 703 00:49:50,640 --> 00:49:54,920 altered by these failures of not only with the loss of their 704 00:49:54,920 --> 00:49:58,640 loved ones, but the knowledge that many other deaths could 705 00:49:58,640 --> 00:50:01,360 have been preventable if authorities have taken their 706 00:50:01,360 --> 00:50:05,440 concerns seriously. Many families reported that 707 00:50:05,680 --> 00:50:10,200 their loved ones missing, only to be dismissed or ignored by 708 00:50:10,200 --> 00:50:13,920 police who viewed sex workers, indigenous women and those 709 00:50:13,920 --> 00:50:18,080 struggling with addictions less worthy of protection. 1 mother 710 00:50:18,080 --> 00:50:22,120 described making repeated visits to the police station, bringing 711 00:50:22,120 --> 00:50:24,920 photos, detailed informations about her daughter 712 00:50:25,240 --> 00:50:28,560 disappearance, only to be told she'll turn up when she runs out 713 00:50:28,560 --> 00:50:34,640 of money or drugs. Such casual cruelty of dismissal 714 00:50:34,640 --> 00:50:38,040 compounded the trauma of families already facing their 715 00:50:38,040 --> 00:50:40,320 worst nightmare. Indigenous communities in 716 00:50:40,320 --> 00:50:43,240 particular have been deeply affected by the Picton case, 717 00:50:43,240 --> 00:50:46,320 which highlights disproportionate violence faced 718 00:50:46,320 --> 00:50:50,720 by Indigenous women and girls. The case became a symbol for 719 00:50:50,720 --> 00:50:54,360 what later be recognized as a national crisis of the Missing 720 00:50:54,360 --> 00:50:56,120 Murdered Indigenous Women and girls. 721 00:50:56,480 --> 00:50:59,320 For many Indigenous families, a picked in case wasn't an 722 00:50:59,320 --> 00:51:03,720 isolated tragedy, but a century long pattern of violence and 723 00:51:03,720 --> 00:51:07,160 dismissal that traces back to colonization. 724 00:51:07,360 --> 00:51:10,600 The Downtown Eastside community, already struggling with poverty, 725 00:51:10,600 --> 00:51:14,760 addiction, and marginalization, was further traumatized by the 726 00:51:14,760 --> 00:51:18,440 revelations about Pick. The knowledge that a predator 727 00:51:18,440 --> 00:51:21,440 who's been targeting their community for for years while 728 00:51:21,840 --> 00:51:26,240 authorities failed to act deepened a sense of abandonment 729 00:51:26,240 --> 00:51:29,160 and betrayal. As one community activist put 730 00:51:29,160 --> 00:51:32,640 it, we were screaming into the void for years that women were 731 00:51:32,640 --> 00:51:36,440 disappearing and no one with power cared enough to listen. 732 00:51:36,600 --> 00:51:40,320 One of the most important legacies of Robert Picton case 733 00:51:40,560 --> 00:51:43,920 has been an effort to remember and honor the victims. 734 00:51:43,920 --> 00:51:48,240 For too long, these women were dismissed as just prostitutes or 735 00:51:48,240 --> 00:51:51,040 drug addicts, their humanity and dignity denied. 736 00:51:51,880 --> 00:51:56,240 The story of Piggy Palace and the Picton case is not a simple 737 00:51:56,240 --> 00:51:59,360 tale of one man's crime. It's a complex web of 738 00:51:59,360 --> 00:52:02,120 historical, cultural and systemic factors that created 739 00:52:02,120 --> 00:52:04,680 conditions of these horrors to occur. 740 00:52:04,960 --> 00:52:08,080 For Vancouver's long history of underground nightclubs and 741 00:52:08,080 --> 00:52:12,120 marginalization on the Downtown Eastside, from the exploitation 742 00:52:12,120 --> 00:52:16,440 practices by the Picton families and failures of policing social 743 00:52:16,440 --> 00:52:20,280 services, multiple threads come together to form this dark 744 00:52:20,280 --> 00:52:24,520 tapestry. To understand this context does 745 00:52:24,520 --> 00:52:28,520 not excuse or diminish the crimes of self, but rather it 746 00:52:28,520 --> 00:52:33,440 helps us to see these atrocities could happen and more 747 00:52:33,440 --> 00:52:36,120 frequently, how they might be prevented in the future. 748 00:52:36,520 --> 00:52:40,120 It shows us the responsibility that these events extended far 749 00:52:40,120 --> 00:52:43,520 beyond one individual or one family. 750 00:52:45,600 --> 00:52:49,280 It implicates A broader societal structure and attitude. 751 00:52:50,680 --> 00:52:53,400 Thank you for listening the Dark Mind Detective. 752 00:52:53,520 --> 00:52:56,240 Thank you for listening. If you're a journalist, 753 00:52:56,240 --> 00:53:00,880 podcaster, content creator or an event organizer and you'd like 754 00:53:00,880 --> 00:53:04,400 to book me for an interview or a collaboration, just reach out 755 00:53:04,400 --> 00:53:06,920 through my platform, Instagram or Facebook. 756 00:53:07,040 --> 00:53:11,800 On Facebook, I'm known stole by my old name of Vancouver true 757 00:53:11,800 --> 00:53:16,080 crime, but on Instagram I go by the dark mind detective. 758 00:53:16,240 --> 00:53:17,880 It's the best way to get in touch. 759 00:53:18,240 --> 00:53:21,840 Once we're connected, I'll send you over details directly by 760 00:53:21,840 --> 00:53:25,040 e-mail. Starting next week, I'll also 761 00:53:25,280 --> 00:53:29,800 will be launching A fundraiser to support my upcoming national 762 00:53:29,800 --> 00:53:32,800 speaking tour across Canada and United States. 763 00:53:33,000 --> 00:53:35,840 Is more than just telling stories. 764 00:53:35,960 --> 00:53:39,440 It's about confronting uncomfortable truths and 765 00:53:39,440 --> 00:53:43,040 demanding accountability and giving a voice to the voiceless. 766 00:53:43,520 --> 00:53:46,320 If you want to be part of this movement wherever through 767 00:53:46,320 --> 00:53:51,800 donations, collaborations, or or simply helping spread the word, 768 00:53:52,120 --> 00:53:53,960 I'll be honored to have your support. 769 00:53:54,360 --> 00:53:58,160 And if you're a podcaster or a journalist looking to go deeper 770 00:53:58,160 --> 00:54:01,400 into the darkness, I'll be thrilled to join you for an 771 00:54:01,400 --> 00:54:03,040 interview. Let's make it happen. 772 00:54:03,360 --> 00:54:06,880 I'm Mark Devereaux and this is the dark Mind detective. 773 00:54:07,040 --> 00:54:10,520 Stay aware, stay awake, and never stop asking questions. 774 00:54:39,360 --> 00:55:12,400 The. The. 775 00:55:41,800 --> 00:55:41,880 The.