Angry Vancouverites have flocked to social media sites to vent their frustration at the rioters who wreaked havoc on downtown Vancouver on June 15, following the Canucks loss to the Boston Bruins in the Stanley Cup final.

The online postings have run the gamut from: "outing" the perpetrators of the looting and violence, arranging a cleanup of the downtown core, sharing positive stories about Vancouver and, with the "Letters from the Front Lines" blog, providing a different perspective on just what happened.

In this blog entry, an E.R. nurse addresses the apology made by Tim Kwong, a young man who was caught on video during the riot.

An E.R. nurse addresses the apology of Tim Kwong:

Tim: Just because you can string an apologetic sentence together does not mean you are sorry. Perhaps I should make you aware of the consequences of your action. To you, it’s just an overturned car that you set on fire. To me, it’s walking into an overflowing ER and helping treat a girl with a severe asthma attack because she was exposed to the noxious, acrid smoke of a burning vehicle. To her, it was just a chance to be a part of a group cheering for her team. Little did she know that later on, we were thinking of sticking a breathing tube down her throat if her condition did not improve.

To you (yes, I am lumping you with all the douchebag rioters in the ER that night), it’s a chance to congregate in the ER waiting room, pounding on the triage window demanding to be seen for teargas exposure and cuts from looting and fighting, while posturing and bragging about how you kicked the crap out of somebody and smashed shit up. To me, it’s taking my time away from the little old quiet lady having chest pain or taking time away from the person you “shit-kicked” for trying to stop the looting.

To you, it’s just a fight. To me, it’s the ER social worker looking for a teddybear to console a four-year-old girl because she just witnessed her dad get a broken nose as he was trying to get his daughter out of the hotzone.

To you, it’s writing a letter saying you "will do whatever it takes to help clean the city.” To me, it’s walking home after a long shift and seeing all these people at 7:30 in the morning armed with garbage bags cleaning up YOUR mess and realizing that these people have more class in their pinky finger than you could ever muster in your whole life.

To me, it’s getting home to shower, only to have my elderly neighbour knock on my door and ask me if he should make an appointment to see his doctor because he was experiencing shortness of breath, which later turned to chest pain in the morning. He did not think about leaving his window open as he went to bed at 9 o’clock. The smoke from all the burning cars made it to our building, into his room and triggered his asthma, which then raised his heart rate, which then became a small heart attack. I asked him why he didn’t go to the ER, and he answered, “I turned on the TV this morning and saw the rioting, I did not want to be a burden.”

To you, it’s just an overturned car that you set on fire.

Why am I blaming you for all this? Because you are the instigator. You ask people to leave your family, friends and co-workers alone? I think they need to know how much of a [expletive] you are. Remember that your parents worked themselves to the bone so they can move to this country and give you your god-given right to flip cars over and set them on fire.

You, Tim Kwong — apology not accepted.

— from an E.R. nurse

The above letter by Nurse J.J. was in response to Tim Kwong’s apology, which is reprinted (unedited) below:

A Letter of Appoligy to Vancouver and Family and Friends Hey Everyone ! The status is : I Turned myself in to the VPD today at 12 p.m. I am now being charged on four counts. I am Truly Sorry for what i have done !!! I have no excuse for my actions during the Riot. To my Friends, Family, Coworkers, and of course all of Vancouver and BC i am SORRY for what i have done. I would like to say on my behalf that I LOVE VANCOUVER ! I’ve been Born n Raised here all my life !! and that This Town means everything to me !!! again i understand that my actions caused did not show any of that ! But i hope you one day see that i do care about this town and my friends n family and this is NOT like me !! I am ashamed at what i have done, I know i may never gain the respect of this town again. But I PROMISE that i will do whatever i can to make this up !! I am a big believer in Cleaning up your mess !! I WILL DO WHATEVER IT TAKES to make things right ! I hope this will insite some of the other rioters to do the right thing and turn themselves in !!!! I will do whatever it takes to help out and clean this town up and do what i can to prevent actions like this from ever happening in our town again. I know I deserve all the hate ! but please be respectful and don’t hate on any of my friends or family or co workers since these actions are only caused by ME and ME only !!!! Again SORRY VANCOUVER ! SORRY BC !!

To read the letters and comments, click here.