Letter: ‘They fear our voices — but we have not yet begun to fight’

In a strongly worded letter, Vancouver resident Justin Forsman accuses local political figures and media of suppressing dissent and free speech during his campaign.

Vancouver resident Justin Forsman believes the political establishment, propped up by a shrinking circle of loyalists, is working desperately to protect its crumbling hold on power

Across Vancouver and beyond, a battle is unfolding — not merely between candidates, but over the right to speak, to question, and to be heard.
The political establishment, propped up by a shrinking circle of loyalists, is working desperately to protect its crumbling hold on power.
They cannot afford honest competition.
They cannot withstand open debate.
And they cannot dare allow their chosen leaders to be discredited before the public.

What we are witnessing is not strength.
It is weakness hiding behind outrage.
It is desperation cloaked in self-righteousness.
It is a political regime in its final convulsions — and it knows it.

As part of my campaign critical of Mayor Anne McEnerny-Ogre’s failed leadership, dozens of signs have been posted across the city.
In the past several weeks alone, approximately 50 smaller signs have been stolen, and multiple larger signs have been vandalized.
This isn’t random mischief.
It’s part of a deliberate effort to erase dissent from the public eye.

And now, they’re bragging about it.

This past week, on public forums like Reddit, individuals openly admitted to stealing campaign signs from public spaces.
They weren’t ashamed — they boasted about it.
They cheered each other on, proud to silence others instead of debating them.
When vandalism becomes a public badge of honor, it shows exactly how far the defenders of the establishment have fallen.

This is not activism.
It is not civic engagement.
It is cowardice.

And whenever damage is done — when a sign is destroyed, a challenger is slandered, or a citizen is silenced — you can count on The Columbian to either look away or quietly run defense for those in power.
They don’t serve the public.
They serve the structure.

Those clinging to the corrupt status quo know they cannot win in the open light.
So they tear down the evidence that another path even exists.
They do not defend their own ideas — they seek only to erase yours.

And yet — the harder they work to silence, the louder the truth becomes.

Because this battle is no longer about left or right, liberal or conservative.
It is about freedom versus suppression.
It is about courage versus cowardice.
It is about whether our city belongs to the people — or to a few desperate hands clinging to fading power.

Make no mistake:
The desperate will not surrender easily.
They will sabotage, censor, and tear down anything they cannot control.
They are in their final throes — and they know it.

That’s why this moment demands action.
Not tomorrow. Not next year. Now.

Every citizen who believes in free speech must stand.
Every citizen who believes in honest debate must speak.
Every citizen who sees what is happening must get involved — at whatever capacity they can.

Post. Share. Volunteer. Organize. Speak truth boldly.

Because if we abandon the public square to vandals and censors now, we may never get it back.

This is bigger than any one candidate or campaign.
This is about defending the American principle that ideas must rise and fall by merit — not by force.

Vancouver belongs to its citizens — not to a political class that fears their voices.
It belongs to all who believe that truth should be heard — not hidden.
And it belongs to all who still know that freedom must be defended in every generation.

And so we will not be silenced.
We will not bow.
We will not surrender this fight for open dialogue, free elections, and honest leadership.

The harder they push, the harder we will stand.

The more they erase, the louder we will speak.

The more they censor, the clearer the truth will ring.

And to those working so desperately to strangle the truth — and to all those rising to defend it — know this:

We have not yet begun to fight.

Justin Forsman
Vancouver