On the afternoon of Thursday, December 18, Vancouver lost a quiet kind of hero.
Harold Johnson, 67, the man so many of you knew as Chinatown’s familiar security guard, the one who always showed up, passed away suddenly after suffering a heart attack, with his beloved wife Brandy right there witnessing it.
Harold was the guardian who never stopped showing up...
For years, Harold walked those streets like they were his own front yard, checking on elders, watching over shopkeepers, keeping an eye out when things felt unsafe. He wasn’t “just security.” He was part of the heartbeat of Chinatown. The community wasn’t a job to him. It was family.
In 2022, Harold was viciously attacked while doing what he always did, protecting the neighbourhood. That moment became a wake-up call for public safety and a turning point for the city’s attention on what Chinatown was facing. He carried those injuries and that trauma, but he also carried something else: pride. Pride in his community. Pride in being someone people could count on.
Brandy is now alone — and already struggling.
This is the part that’s hardest to write.
Harold and Brandy were already dealing with serious financial hardship. Life hasn’t been easy. Brandy grew up on the streets of the DTES, and Harold was her safety, her stability, her one person who made the world feel less brutal.
Now he’s gone.
And with Harold gone, Brandy is facing:
- Funeral expenses
- Rent and basic bills
- Food and daily necessities
The terrifying reality of trying to make ends meet without the person who held everything together
Grief is devastating on its own. But grief plus financial crisis is a kind of suffering no one should face alone.
Why we’re asking:
Because Harold spent his life looking out for people.
Because Chinatown has always taken care of its own.
Because Brandy does not have the support system most people do, NO immediate family and right now, she needs a community to catch her before she falls even further.
How you can help:
Please donate if you can. Share if you can’t. And please leave a message so Brandy can feel the love around her when everything feels shattered.
Let’s honour Harold the way he lived: showing up.
Thank you for caring.
Thank you for helping Brandy survive this.
—
Lorraine Lowe, Executive Director - H.R. MacMillan Space Centre
Tracy To, Business Owner - Forum Appliances
Organizer
