PRISON

604-665-2289

AUGUST 1, 2009

carnnews@vcn.bc.ca www .carnnews.org ( 373 hits per day!)

http://harvesters.sfu.ca/chodarr (INDEX)

USTICE DAY

MEMORIAL RALLY Monday AUGUST 10 I 6:00 pm Claire Culhane Memorial Bench, Trout Lake Park, East Vancouver, SE corner of the lake, near the snack bar. Rain or shine. Speakers will include ex-prisoners and prisoners' rights activists.

NATIONAL PRISON JUSTICE DAY was started in 1975 by prisoners in canada to remember all the women and men who have died unnatural deaths inside prison. On August 1 Qth prisoners across the country go on a work stoppage and refuse to eat. On the outside it is a day to build solidarity and support for prisoners' rights and issues. This year we are focusing on the Mother & Child program at Alouette Correctional Centre for Women which was cancelled in April 2008. This program allowed women who had given birth at the jail to keep their child with them. Now when women give birth in jail, the child is immediately apprehended by the Ministry of Children and Families. It can take years for a woman to regain custody of her child after release, if she regains custody at all. Five women have filed a lawsuit against the Attorney General, the Solicitor General, the prison and its warden, with the goal to have the program reinstated. The women need outside support. For more info visit www.prisonjustice.ca.

Cancellation of Mother-Child Program Repeats Trauma of Residential Schools

In April 2008, the new warden of the Alouette Cor­rectional Centre for Women (ACCW) quietly can­celled a Mother-Chi ld program that was in operation at the prison. This program allowed mothers who give birth during their prison term to keep their ba­bies with them, rather than be forced to give them over to relatives or the Ministry of Children and Families. Given recent research on the importance of such early bonding and attachment to a child's future well-being. as well as the hope and joy the program granted to new moms, this program seemed like a step towards a less punitive prison environment. Sev­eral ex-prisoners and an ex-guard have altcsted to how the presence of babies in the prison helped to create a better social environment for everyone. It is well documented that Aboriginal women are alarm­ingly over-represented in prisons across Canada. so Aboriginal mothers will be overly affected by the cancellation of the Mother-Child program. Their forced separation from their chi ldren risks repeating the traumatic effects of the residential school system.

Yet just shortly after the Mother-Child program was cancelled, Prime Minister Stephen Harper was busy apologizing to Aboriginal people for the harm caused by the residential schools. Residential schools were widespread in the late-nineteenth and early twentieth century and the last one did not close its doors until 1996. Many Aborigi nal communities were forced or coerced into sending their children to these schools, effecting a separation between parents and children intended to assimilate Aboriginal children to Euro­pean-Canadian cultural practices. Of course. as we now know, children were frequently punished for

speaki~g their traditional languages or trying to carry on the1r own cultural practices, and physical and sex­ual abuse were common. The social and psychic legacies of this colonizing system are enormous cer­tainly for Aboriginal people but also for those of us descended from colonizers, and we arc only now just starting to think about how to address them.

Butllarper's apology ties the injustices of the resi­dential school system securely to the past, while at the same time encouraging us to turn a blind eye to how new versions of the same injustices live on in the present. Aboriginal chi ldren continue to be enor­mously over-represented among those apprehended by child welfare officials across the country, for ex­ample, and now the cancellation of the Mother-Child program at ACCW repeats the pattern yet again. The government has simply found new and subtler ways of separating Aboriginal people from their children. perpetuating colonial practices that are anything but past. !low can our governments apologize for res i­dential schools at the exact same time they continue to support or order'similar policies and practices to­day? The residential schools apology may be a small but important step towards greater justice for First ~a.tions in Canada. but without a concomitant recog­nition of how present-day policies and practices re­~eat the i~justices and traumas of the past. true jus­lice remams a distant possibility.

Five Aboriginal women who have been in prison at ACC\V and were affected by the cancellation of the Mother-Child program have launched a court case to try to get the program reinstated, which was also ~led o~ behalf of two of their children. Their lawyer IS argumg that the cancellation of the program vio­lates the women's right to security of the person. No doubt imprisonment also violates this right, but both

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the provincial and federal government could take another small but important step away from repeating the legacy of residential schools by reinstating the Mother-Chi ld program immediately.

For more info on the Mother-Child program, see the interviews from March 10 and September 8, 2008 available via Stark Raven radio's podcasts, which you can find at prisonjustice.ca

Write to the Solicitor General and Attorney Gen­eral of B.C. and the warden at ACCW and urge them to reinstate the Mother-Child program at ACCW immediately:

Solicitor Gen­eral of B.C. PO BOX 9053 STN PROV GOVT VICTORIA BC V8W 9E2

Attorney Gen­eral of B.C. PO BOX 9044 STN PROV GOVT VICTORIA BC V8\V 9E2

Warden, ACCW PO BOX 1000 MAPLE RIDGE BC V2X 7G4

Attend th e P rison J ust ice Day Memoria l Rally Man AugtL~I lOth, 6pm. Claire Culhane Memorial Bench Trout Lake Park, East Vancouver. Spe~kers, performers. Bring family, friends and

flowers. If you know of a prisoner who has died and you would like to have the ir name li sted on the PJD memorial banner and/or on the In Memory webpage, please email pjd@prisonjustice.ca Organized by the Vancouver Prison Justice Day Committee lmp://www.prisonjustice.ca

Amber Dean is a postdoctoral.fe!low at McMaster University. -: ~

It is with profound sadness that we ~nform ~ou o: the passing of little Phoebe Conway, Kun Col hers mece, along with Kim's daughter Azra and Phoebe's little brother Fergus ina recent cabin fire at Shuswap Lake If you wish, ask at Carnegie's Front Desk to sign the condolence card to Kim.

Terry and Savannah -J

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Living with HIV/Aimrt we need youP

Join the BC Coalition of People with Disabilities' new health project!

After 30 years of advocacy, the BC Coalition of People with Disabil ities (BCCPD) knows the power of people with disabilities sharing their experiences and knowledge with others. The common theme among people living well with disabil ity is thei r ability to create a personal path to HEAL-health education, advocacy and leadership*

We arc pleased to offer our first HEAL program: creating five HEAL guides for people living with HIV/AIDS.

If you are a person living with II IV/AIDS and have some experience with one or more of the topics be­low, we want to hear from you. We'll be creat ing a series of booklets on the Il EAL approach to living with II IV/AIDS and:

• Depression • Bipolar disorder • Substance abuse/harm reduction • Stigma • Episodic disabi lity

Interested in hearing more? Contact Shelley at BCCPD Phone 604-875-0188 or toll-free to leave a message 1-877-232-7400 Fax 604-875-9227; Email wdi@bccpd.bc.ca Confidentiality is assured and you may participate using a pseudonym. Information is also available at www.bccpd.be.ca under News at BCCPD

*Read more about HEAL in the Summer 2009 issue of Transition magazine at www.bccpd.bc.ca.

Community Meeting Oppenheimer Park Redevelopment

There will be a public meeting on Friday, August 14th at 2pm on Dunlevy (beside the park) .. Please come to hear an update on the redevelopment,

to ask questions and to make your concerns known.

Matthew, President, CCCA

I attended two ot the events 111 the informative and event-filled weekend called "Eastside Stories". I very much regret that circumstances made it difficult for me to attend all of the events because I'm sure they were all great. Anyway, these are my takes on the two that I did attend. I am very much looking forward to the annual " Heart of the City Festival·' coming up in October. It is a fun and busy time in our downtown eastside community.

A WalK with Bruce EriCKson Part of the East Side Stories Weekend

Dark ominous clouds loomed overhead and the sun broke through brilliantly, as we walked through all the places that Bruce Erickson, Jean Swanson, Bob Sarti and Libby Davies had lived and loved in. About fifteen of us had met on the grand staircase of

the Carnegie this late spring afternoon, to enjoy the Bruce Erickson walk, hosted so humorously by our one and only Bob Sarti. Our first stop was the Ovaltine Cafe, one landmark

of our area that is familiar to so many of us. Many a cheap breakfast had been shared by Bruce and his gang at the Oval tine; while they tried to figure out how to fight the evils of this world. When Bruce saw the appalling conditions in the SROs down here, he fought with all his being to improve the plight of DTES residents. At that time, many people died each year to hotel fires. Through his efforts, sprin­klers are now mandatory in all hotels. Next, Bob stopped by the Patricia Hotel to explain

how Jean had been a waitress here when Bruce first met her. At that time, the beer parlours down here were the living rooms of residents and there was a lot of over-serving of beer, so much so that people were in danger of becoming too drunk and maybe even dying. Bruce and company fought to have serving rules so that no one would become overly drunk. Me, enjoying the odd beer in the bar now and then, have observed many of these rules in action and can

see how abuse could easily happen. At that time, Skid Road, was of little consequence

to I he powers I hal be and they thought that the people down here could just go away and die; for all they cared. When Bruce and Bob got in a brawl in a beer parlour once over some abuse they witnessed, they got thrown out into the street together. Believe it or not, this was a great bonding experience for them; and even though Bob couldn't stand Bruce a lot of the time, he very much admires his tenaciousness now.

Next we walked down to Oppenheimer Park. When we saw the huge fence around our only green space. more than one of us remarked, "What would Bruce & Company think ofthisT' Would they be there with us protesting the arrogance of the city, closing down the park until February of next year, especially in the summer! I think they would be fighting with us. As we talked of this, Bob told us about how so much of the social housing down here such as the Oppen­heimer Lodge would not exist now without the ef­forts of Bruce and his gang.

As we wended our way down Powell Street towards the Sunrise Market, some street people asked us: '·Where's our money- what are you rich people do­ing down here giving tours for money?" This is ex­actly what Bruce fought for; so that the people who live down here can claim this neighbourhood as their own. Bruce was a cantankerous sort and saw through bullshit clearly and did not mind speaking his mind. He would have been complain ing and causing a ruckus about what is happening now in his beloved downtown eastside; as the bogeyman of gentrifica­ti on looms over our heads. I should have told these people that all the money being raised through this walk would be going to the Carnegie Action Project and not somcone's pocket.

J\nyway, as we stood beside our new community court, Bob talked of all the services that ended up down here; s uch as the Remand Centre, the Police Station and the Courthouse. The Remand Centre was actually a godsend because that meant people in re­mand could be close to where they li ved and not way out in the boonies. Now that same building is our first Community Court; which is also here to serve downtown eastside residents. One of the stories I particularly enjoyed was of when Bruce and Libby first got together when Libby was a young woman and community activist. The first

time Libby's parents figured out that they were a couple was when Bruce and Libby came out of her bedroom in the morning. ·'Oh those hippy years!"', said to myself. This story really brought home to me the humanity of Bruce and Libby and their friends.

Our tour ended up in front of the Bruce Erickson Place, which is kitty corner to the Carnegie. We looked at the plaques of words that adorn that build­ing and realized everyone of them represents the ide­als of Bruce, Libby, Jean and all those that carry on in the downtown eastside right now; fight ing fo r re­spect and dignity in this world.

1 thought to myself as the s un peeked through the clouds and we all dispersed back to our li ves: "Thank you, Bruce, for g iving us your spirit and your guidance! What would we have done without you?"

By Adrienne Macallum, Rapporteur for Eastside Stories

THE FIGHT FOR COMMUNITY RECOGNITION FRIDAY, JUNE 191 11

' 7-9 PM

This informati ve and entertaining evening began with a wonderful performance by the Harmony of Nations Drum Band. It was the third time! had heard this group open an event; and each time ! was very impressed by their drumming and singing. I particularly loved Peter's dancing and their rendition of Amazing Grace!

Terry introduced the event and told us that it was being recorded so that future generations would have access to the aural history stories that were about to

be told by our esteemea panel or speaKers: :::.anuy \..,.. Cameron, Jean Swanson, Sheila Baxter, Bob Sarti, J and !an MacRae. The moderator for the evening would be our own Carnegie Association President, Matthew Matthew.

Shei la's humorous tal es started out our discussion. She told us that s he had been an active Carnegie member now for 23 years. At one point in Carne­gie's history, as Sheila says in her book Still Raising Hell: " In 1986, I and a number of other community activists learned that the Carnegie Community Centre Association (CCCA) was badly divided and run un­democrati cally. We fought hard for a community approach to Carnegie's problems ... A special general meeting off the CCCA was called and a new Board was elected in Apri l 1987.'' She has been writing and fighting ever since; and

has written 5 books about ! !omelcssness. She ila wrote the "Balmoral Cockroach Poem" which was featured in the production In the Hearl of A City: The Downtown Eastside Community Play in 2003 and always performs it at any event she is part of. She performed it for us and got us all laughing. She says she always gets hugs from people and says: '· It doesn' t get any better than that"!

Bob Sarti said he wanted to talk about Bingo. didn't quite know what Bingo had to do with this but 1 soon found out. Apparently, when Bingo was first introduced as a fundraising method for the Carnegie, there was opposition to the gambling aspect of it. They soon decided not to be so high and mighty about it when they learned that $2000 a month could be earned through Bingo. Today the Carnegie raises $4000 a month through Planet Bingo. Volunteers from the Carnegie still go to Planet Bingo every month and the money generated goes into many Car­negie programs that we enjoy today.

Jan MacRae shared s tories with us of the early days of the Downtown Eastside Residents Associa­tion (DERA) who he worked with from 1993-2003. 1 !e said when he first came down to this part of town, he would enjoy a beer at the Dominion I !otel. At that time all you could get to eat in the bar was a pickled egg! He said that Gastown was a different place then; it was more of a hippy area and was populated by artisans and creative sorts. The first Community Meet ings held by DERA were very dis­organized and chaotic. When Jenny Kwan was first active way back in the late 80s, she inspired Jan to

become more active in the world down here. Ian also volunteered in the Learning Centre as an ESL tutor at that time. Anybody could be a tutor then and every­body learned how to Oy by the scat of their pants. It was a wonderful time in our Learn ing Centre. I have done some ESL tutoring mysel f here so I so unde r­stand how rewarding it can be.

Mathew Matthew shared with us his experiences as President of the Board: how there's always some­thing going wrong every day, how if the Carnegie were not here - where would so many people go; it is the living room of the DTES. lie spoke of the rela­tionships that are formed here. how so many people ~ork together so the ship doesn' t sink. Matthew is very involved in many aspects of the Carnegie: in­cluding CCA P and has participated in many of their demos. Recently he worked to keep the hote l rooms in the VIC's cafe building open so that o lder Chinese residents there would not lose their homes and we would keep housing for the people '' ho live down here. lie ended by saying that he hopes that he will be s itting in a similar discussion group to this one 20 years from now, speaking about his experiences working for community in the area.

Our Lady of Activism, Jean Swanson, spoke next of her long involvement in fighting for this community. She worked with Bruce Erickson and Libby Davies in the 70s when DERA was fo rming and Skid Road was virtually written off by the rest of the city. From her beginnings as a single mother of two kids '' ho was waitressing in the Patricia Hotel. she has led a long and committed li fe in this community. Today she works tirelessly'' ith CCAP: organizing demos and fighting for the people of the DTES, long after she retired from her last job at End of Legislated Poverty, where she worked for years. Jean spoke of the fight for the Carnegie Centre: how

City lla ll couldn' t see why they should put any mone) into Skid Road, or why would /hose drunks need a library? She spoke ofhO\\ all the other hotels in the cit) had to comply with maintenance by-laws but that they were not enforced in the DTES, causing needless deaths by fire. She told us about hO\\ 600 residents got together and got the area rezoned so they could apply for a Neighbourhood Improvement Grant which they used to plant trees on Hastings and make improvements to Oppenheimer Park. To th is day. she says, we are still go ing for a swimming pool of our own!

Jean then told us about the media sensationalism that s he calls "Poornography" - how our neighbourhood is portrayed as a horrible den of poverty by so many media stories. Almost every day you can read or see something denigrating the DTES in some way. This is how gentrification works- as the richer people move in - slowly the marginalized arc ignored and pushed away. Jean and Wendy at CCAP have done a wonderful job of organizing against this for many years. I and man) others salute you!

Sandy Cameron, a great poet and long time activist down here, next spoke eloquently of how the DTES is one of Vancouver's oldest communities, and that it has been the Soul of Vancouver for man) years with a long history of struggle for human rights. He spoke of the 1913 General Strike to protest the murder of a Union Organizer. lie told us that during the Depres­sion 300 unemployed young men occupied \\hat was then the Carnegie Museum to fight for fair wages. We then learned of the "On to Ottawa Trek" \\ hich began at the foot of Gore in May of 1935 where a group of unemployed men travelled to Ottawa to fight for their rights.

Sandy then told us about how a group of Strathcona residents protested putting a freeway through our area and vi rtually stopped the bulldozers. lie spoke of how the fight for the Carnegie Community Centre took 7 years. More recently there has been ··wood­squat" and ·'Latinos in Action" fighting their fights for our rights. He said our "hood" is under siege with the threat of gentrification towering over our heads- How we have to continue fighting like the group of people who occupied Crab Park in the 80s so that we can have that green space to enjoy today.

The evening ended with us a ll feeling much encour­aged and inspired to keep on with the fight for human rights and dignity for our much be leaguered and loved part ofthc city!

Terry wrapped up the evening for us with a cheer to ·'Never Give Up" as the light goes on!

Submitted b) Adrienne, Rapporteur

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A Multimedia, Outdoor, Visual Arts Market in Napier Square

(Napier at Commercial)

Every Sunday- August 9 to September 6, 2009

For more Information,

leave a message for

Katherine Polgrain at

604.718.5800

or e-mail her at

courage@vcn.bc.ca

· Britannia ~bilHft .... §tUt Commun1ty !:le1 vice~ Centre

1661 1\apier Street

Vancouver. B.C. YSL 4X4

12:00 noon- 5:00pm

www.britanniacentre.org

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BC Libraries At Risk

_BC libr~ries are at risk of losing significant provin­CI~I ftmd1_ng. We can help prevent that by circulating th1s website and encouraging all who use and care about libraries to get in touch with their MLA and other government officials regarding the implications (apparently funding decisions are being made in the fall). The library system is a very important resource for

~ovNct *- ~dvocates and the public can use free pub­he access Sites to get online to our web site and li­braries across BC carry PovNet bookmarks' and refer patrons to PovNet resources. When I'm travelling, 1 oft~n do a sess10n at the local public library about online poverty information and how to find it.

Those hardest hit by cuts will be those of limited income who rely on libraries as their only free access to bo_oks, technology, research, resources, job and hous~ng postings. Sometimes the need is as simple, yet vital, as a safe place to be warm and dry for an hour or two for a quiet read.

Here's a link to the website­http://www.stopbclibrarycuts.ca. It has an online pet!ti o~1 ~nd links to your local MLA. But as always, an md1v1dual call or message carries the most weight.

Penny Goldsmith, Executive Co-ordinator www.povnet.org

Outrage - that BC's public libraries are on the list for the next round of cut/slash/burn by those people pulling Gordon Campbell's chain. Liken it to the USA and George W - a proven moron as President after a B-movie actor last time ... when the character isn' t there it' s obvious so-called leaders are only allowed to pretend they have the power to steer or control anything. There are ongoing training lessons to cultivate a public perception, but woe to any elected dough head who decides to just 'wing it.' :h~re has to be a powerful backlash. Cutting $200

~II lion from healthcare is appalling but unsurprising, g1ven that those in public government have been under orders for some time to enable privatization. The privatization of Libraries could be next. PRT

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New Books Spice up your Spanish with The Red-llot Book of

Spanish Slang and Idioms (468.34) by Mary McVey Gill and Brenda Wegmann. Fi nd out the how to say Tengo monos en Ia cara? or ser un espantapajaro in English, or translate "chi ll out" or "Easy street"' into Spanish. Germs. They're everywhere. And Mary Ruebush

thinks you should make friends with them. In Why Dirt is Good (616.07), Ruebush, a microbiology and immunology instructor, claims that cleaning every­thing with antibacterial soap is going to make you more vulnerable to disease and help create a new generation of superbugs.

Novel Shortcuts (808.3) shows you how to quickly writer a first draft that's also rich and engrossing. Laura Whitcomb uses instruction and exercises to cover anything from premise development to fore­shadowing and tone. If you'd rather tell your own story, check out The Autobiographer's Ifal/{lbooke: The 826 National Guide to Writing Your Memoir (808.06), edited by Jennifer Traig. Some oftoday's most successful autobiographers, from Nick !lorn by to Dave Eggers to Frank McCourt, share tips, advice and strategies.

Want to learn Chinese? The O.).ford Beginner's Cl!inese Dictionary (495.13) helps you get to grips with Mandarin Chinese and learn grammar, very ta bles, and practice lists of essential words.

Wayson Chov On Monday, August 10 at 7pm, Wayson Choy re­

turns to Chinatown for an evening of reading, remi­niscing and friendship. Born in Vancouver's Chinatown, Wayson Choy has written three award-winning books set in the area: The Jade Peony (Trillium Award winner, Giller Prize finalist), All That Matters (Trillium Award winner) and Paper Shadows (Charles Taylor Prize, Governor General's A ward finalist). Not Yet: A Memoir of Liv­ing and Almost Dying is an intimate look at how Choy survived two brushes with death and discov­ered that "family is who loves you regardless of reli­gious and blood lines." Words from Wayson Choy: On writing Paper Shadows"[! was] wrapped in a

world where words matter, because they are allowing me to understand what I am writing, what I have lived, what I have perceived. That is the flashpoint in my head that makes me realize I may be a writer." On his parents "They fell into accepting me the way I am, as many parents do, even when they don't have the language to express their disappointment," "l know I am a writer because until I'm writing 1

don't know what I know,"

I'm going to be away for the first week and a bit of August. If you need help with anything in the library, please stop by and see Aaron, your librarian for the next little while.

Beth, your librarian

Someone, somewhere... 4 Someone's over there, I see, maybe looking at me .. who knows? I do. I feel. I sense, maybe worry and take care. Don't look. don't spy. Stop it; don't pry. Drop it - move your leering eyes. Please just shut me out, don't lock me down. I don't invade your groove. Mind that advice; soft core. I wish: no watching, no where to hide so get lost forever, move on, buzz off! I'm sorry, nor mean; just upset - that's it. So many emotions you have -wondering, hating, wanting, begging, lusting, forgiving, coveting, grasping, hurt­ing, sympathizing; lazy eyes be bright at times like a cat, oblong, cars hearing within, secretly despairing in your most pathetic eyes. No love, for sale; not me, no way: dream big, my space is off limits neither bought nor sold; you cry, you rant, you weep then scold. An old song & dance ... I am so tired; leave me alone. That old song can't, shant spark in me. Night heart's on lire for someone, somewhere. but not you. Give up, move over. press on. It's hard- 1 sympathize - look fo11h elsewhere forever but even in need never settle for less --<lisappointment'll fol­low for sure. Breakdown, break-up, brokenhearted with blackened dreams ... protect yourself, take care b~ strong in spirit, be persistent and share. Your ey~s still glow, you're young you' re dewey you ' re sweet. You touch, you hug, you smile at times though force? remains quite real. Take heart -you've got just what 11 takes, you're one of a kind .. you dazzle like a star - take your pick ... then again from me so long, ~arewell, ma~be see you around; stay in touch if not m body the~1 111 soul. I'll think of you softly, both awake and m pleasant dreams. Please understand. It may make little sense but I cannot explain. 1 keep some secrets; a self-ingrained doctrine that only I can know, locked up, no keys, hidden behind the masks and armour. I have played yours somewhat reluc­tantly, both before and in the now. I've defeated you often, on a regular basis casting away your mysteries that I've found amusingly but deeply disturbing. You leave ~e no choice: you won't permit yourself or me to be 1gn.ored or avoided - it's a most cryptic game of detounng puzzles unto quizzing quagmires riddled with traps, snakes and ladders, ... what does tl~is tedious mismatch mean and all add up to in the bmer end?! Nothing much we suppose in this limit­less eternal universe; it and we are of little conse-quence. a very s light matter. ROBYN LIVINGSTONE

31 7 E. BROADWAY

MUSIC LOUD IIW>INGs LORA McELHINNEY " ANNE STONE

.... PRISON TOWN U.S.A. ca..- ..... ,..,_""'' CEASE WYS~ .HIZQJji ['S K.nt:HEN '!'Ill IE DP£N DURING THI S ~~ '1)~~ tvt:NT, 50 COME U.RLY, CHDWDOIU•' ---_...l~ca_,-~-~~'-'t'-~--

,.R, •oN..o uo , ·oa ,.. .cA Cafe

l 1 I

Carnegie Community Action Project (CCAP) Newsletter

Find us in the Carnegie Association office (604-839-0379) Aug 1, 2009

Shelter residents targeted with hate Housing Minister Rich Coleman

should keep the shelter at 1442 Howe St. open. That was the main message of a news conference held on July 21 in the

alley behind the shelt.er•. ~~~~~~~

A

--Some local condo residents have organized to try to get the shelter closed

at the end of July. The decision is up to Coleman because the province funds the shelter.

The Carnegie Community Action Project organized the news conference to show that Jots of people support keeping the shelter open and to reveal how hateful some of the opposition to the shelter has become.

Residents at the shelter have been harassed by some local condo owners and supported by others who brought cookies. The worst form of hate, however, descended on the shelter dwellers from the Granville Bridge above the shelter. It was a bag of feces with a note attached: "Just F*** off back to East Van where you all belong. Get the F*** out now. The bombing will continue. F* * * off losers."

Wendy Pedersen of the Carnegie Community Action Project (CCAP) said "We don't know who did it, but it's contributing to a climate of anxiety and a lynch mob mentality in the area."

Fortunately J-Hock and Carter of

H omelessnation were on the spot to film the bag and note earlier in July. Shelter residents agreed to have a news

~OV\t'iV\I.Ju( .9V\. f~~ f)._

Contlr\\.tuL ~ P~ ( conference about the hateful act but declined to call the police.

At the news conference Brenda Jamer, a condo owner who lives about a block from the shelter, told the media, "One of the main reasons why you haven't heard from a lot of. the residents in the area is that most of us haven't noticed anything. Very little has changed here." Jamer also said that one of her neighbours who

People who spoke in favour of keeping the shelter open included Glyn Townsend of BC Persons with AIDS Society. Townsend said the shelter was needed because hotels in the Granville area that used to house low income people have all gone upscale. Many people who used to live in them have HTV and want to be close to St. Paul's hospital. But with the hotels closing,

refused to sign a petition against the shelters was told, "I hope you get mugged.'"

(((HOHEtESSNATIOFl))) While they were organizing the news

conference Wendy Pedersen and Jean Swanson of CCAP both talked to condo owners in the area of the shelter who said they were afraid to speak in favour

of the shelter because of intimidation by the who are opposed to keeping it open.

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they have nowhere to live that they can afford. Teresa Diewert of Streams of Justice encouraged citizens to take time to understand why a person is forced to use a shelter. Often, she said, a homeless

person's story is tragic. "People need support and community. These shelters offer that to people," Diewert said. Patricia Morris and David Lee spoke on behalf of Just Build It, an organization of condo and business owners in the Downtown Eastside who support social housing. Citywide Housing Coalition and Pivot Legal Society, as well as the West End Residents Association also sent representatives to support

keeping the shelter open.~JS

Is revitalization without displacement possible?

This article is part of a series of ''paragraphs" that CCAP lias been sending to Mayor and Council every Tuesday for tile last few months. Council gets this picture of "unity" drawn by Diane Wood at one of tile visioning sessions last year every Tuesday.

~<$WI~~~,· ,~~. " \ JfJT:- ... '{ \ \ - ., 1': ...... v N -~ ~ lU

o' [ 1 ~~\t,..~~ .[,.1. l ',: \ } ) ;..) . '

Dear Mayor and Council, For years the city has been saying that

its policy in the Downtown Eastside is "revitalization without displacement." As a result, it has been encouraging market housing there. The market housing is outstripping new self­contained social housing 3: l and having ripple effect on so many things that low income people in the community need and value. Land prices go up. New social housing becomes more expensive to build. Business taxes go up and neighbourhood serving businesses and social agencies can't afford to serve the low-income community. Rents escalate in residential hotel rooms, the housing of last resort for really poor people (see CCAP's hotel report). New businesses exclude low-income people with their

3

prices and security guards. A new power structure, dominated by the new residents who have more money evolves. Some residents work to stop new housing and services for low income residents.

Low income residents in social housing may not be physically displaced. But they become emotionally and financially displaced as the community hubs they depended on diminish and as stores become more expensive. Neighbours exist in isolation from each other or in conflict (see "Kafuffie at the Dominion Hotel" in July 2009 NL insert). Low-income residents who aren't in social housing find there is no place they can afford and are physicall y displaced. Revitalization without displacement is really gentrification, especially when senior governments refuse to fund adequate amounts of new social housing to prevent displacement.

There is a better way. Stay tuned for CCAP's mapping report later this month. It will give the city reasons to build on the strengths of the existing DTES community. And it will provide ammunition in the form of residents' words and insights to help work for a safe, healthy, inclusive low-income community in the DTES. - JS

Social mix or gentrification? This is another Tuesday paragraph in the same series as the article on page 3 of this newsletter.

tM\~s~~, ; I J\1'"> \)N I~ .. ~. ~ [~ . ~ ~\'·o:;!S"".L;-l ~ ~~ j J

Dear Mayor and Council, Our eyes popped open last week when

we looked at 2 maps on the Salient Group's website, put there to lure buyers for its Gastown Paris Block condos whose prices start at $380,000. CCAP has just finished a community mapping process with low-income DTES residents. Residents drew sites that were meaningful to them on a blank "map". They also drew the best housing and best places to get food and shop. Talk about two different worlds!

The Salient maps are for the western end of the DTES where over 70% of residents have low incomes, according to Statistics Canada. Salient has one map that shows 28 new developments. On this map there are only three sites that low-income mappers mapped: Woodward's, Tinseltown, and Portside Park. But the low-come mappers put the new Woodward's and Tinseltown in the unsafe, uncomfortable category and they called Portside Park by its

.I l

4

community name, CRAB Park. CRAB stands for Create a Real Available Beach, the name of the group that squatted on the site of the park to get it turned into a real park.

Portside is the official name, an insult to the low-income community who fought for the park.

The other Salient map seems to be mostly businesses serving upscale residents. Sun Yat Sen Gardens and Save On Meats, which is now closed, are on both the second Salient map and the low-income maps.

Both are sites of genuine social mixing. But that' s all. The Salient maps and the CCAP maps show that gentrification in the DTES is not creating a "social mix" but what the academics call "social tectonics." Where two groups exist in the same space and

Robert Fung, developer of the Paris Block which is across from the Grand Union Pub. (Continued on page 5)

(Continued from page 4) don't mix, or when they do mix. the mixing is conflictual. Many of CCAP's mappers named Gastown as an unsafe or uncomfortable place because its businesses excluded them with prices or security guards who harass them.

Stay tuned for CCAP's mapping report to be released hopefully by the end of this month. -JS See this map more clearly at www.parisblock.com. Carnegie is not otr tlris map!

on•erlC:\'C ~rhocd n·.ap lf!~uru

I•Ja.m wen= tc.n.•tJG I• JIUrn c~>'cV row

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5

Is the Downtown Eastside a ghetto? This is another Tuesday paragraph i11 the same series as the article on pages 3, 4 & 5oft/tis newsletter. The idea for this paragraph came to us after talking with Councillor Kerry Jang, who said the Downtown Eastside is a ghetto. But, as you can imagine, we are not convinced that adding richer people to the area will end our troubles with poverty, homelessness and addiction. -wp

Dear Mayor & Council, Some people say the DTES will be a

ghetto if it doesn't have more condos so richer people will live there (the city has approved 1842 new condos units and is considering 16 more condo towers.) A ghetto is a slum area occupied by a segregated group. But the DTES has many assets: a great sense of community; social services for people who need them; places where people can gather, socialize and create for free; a feeling of acceptance of all residents; and a rare sense of authenticity. The DTES has many community groups that local residents participate in and control.

...

6

Allowing condos to overwhelm the neighbourhood will damage or eliminate these many assets. There are already many examples of condo owners trying to get rid of or prevent low-income services or people in their immediate vicinity. Low income people will feel looked down on in their own community. Upscale stores catering to condo owners will constantly remind them of their poverty. Rents and prices will increase as businesses start serving people with more money. Condo owners, with many more resources than the low-income residents, will start up their own groups to push for their own interests.

Yes, the DTES has problems and they need to be solved. But let's stabilize the existing community with all of its assets before destroying a place where low income people feel safe and accepted. Some people call it a ghetto. Residents call it a community.- JS

Where are we going with all this visioning stuff?

As you may know, CCAP is working on a vision for the Downtown Eastside from the perspective of low-income residents. So far we reached out to 1,200 residents. We wrote about 1000 residents in

You cannot imagine how hard this amazing volunteer works for us. And how mad site will beat me for putting tltis in.

"Nothing about us without us" and 200 residents in "Our place and our words : Mapping DTES community assets and challenges" which will be published before the end of July.

Our next step is to have a planning day. We'll pull together 25 low-income residents from across the DTES, to come up with a vision statement, principles for developing the DIES and

I I

7

some strategies to achieve our vision. We'll ask ourselves: What would you like the Downtown Eastside to look like in 10 years, 50 years? What does City Hall need to know about our community? Between 2003 and 2011 , the city says

we' re going to get 1842 condos in this area, about 3 times as many new condo units as new self contained affordable housing units. The city is also considering 16 more condo towers in the area.

The city's policies are based on what they think is wrong with the DTES. People are poor, throw in more rich with more purchasing power; people

have health and addiction issues; throw in some rich people who don't so that "behavior and expectation will be normalized." We didn' t make that up. It's poor bashing but it's the basis of their policies.

What will happen if the DTES gets more condos? There will be more poor bashing from NIMBYs like when condo owners didn't want UWC to move to Alexander Street, when they protested (Continued on page 8)

(Continued from page 7) against new supportive housing at 1005 Station St., and when business owners tried to get the tenants evicted at the Dominion Hotel. Owners will develop their own associations and lobby for what they want. When a new power structure emerges, low-income people will find it even more difficult to organize for what they want and need. Many low-income residents will be pushed out physically, financially, or emotionally because their community has changed so much.

OK, all this planning stuff, will it work? Well, if we don't tell city hall what we want, there is no chance, for sure. But if we keep strengthening the residents in the area to speak their mind and come together for common goals, we may have a chance. At the very least it will give low-income people a stronger negotiating position with the city so we can keep more low-income people from being pushed out. We need your help and everyone's help. See you in September.

8

On May 22, 2009, a reflection committee of residents who had participated at the mapping sessions reflected on the mapping and overall community input process and give direction for the future steps. We took these photos that day.

Van city Support for this project does not

necessarily imply Vancity' s endorsement of the findings or contents

of this report."

No Trip to the Moon On July I 5 many people from the Downtown East­

side and beyond were invited to board buses for a free trip to the HR Macmillan Space Centre. In prior years there was moderate attendance for this event. This time posters advertised "free pizza & pop" so the crowds were there for the 4 or 5 buses used.

After arriving and receiving the free food, the crows was gathered at the upper level for a lecture by UBC prof Jayne Matthews, who told us we were here to "kind of be like ambassadors·· to folks afterwards about what we saw and heard.

f-irst off the talk was about the 40'11 Anniversary this year of 'our' trip to the moon via Apollo II . The prof then explained with pictures how those who claimed it was all a hoax were wrong. Questions began from the audience but he said that questions would be al­lowed after his lecture and that we wait till then. As the show continued we were shown/told how

"mythbusters" proved that the ' hoax' people are wrong and that the Americans' Moon Mission really did land people on the moon. Jayne reiterated this for a conclusion: ' Yes!' is the answer to the question of did the moon loanding of July 1969 really happen. But then, guess what? No time for questions so any­one could talk to him afterwards or email him.

With the word Q UESTIONS on the sdcreen but knowing none would now be taken, William and I lefl while others stayed for the second part - a live re-enactment about Galileo and likely more "space propaganda".

We went outs ide to where the buses were to leave from and heard someone say how the moon hoax was just more government propaganda. There was no trip to the moon and our trip to the space centre was short

MayK

The photos here, all taken by Sharon Burns, are from 3 separate events happening on the same day! Earle and choir and Sharon were at the Strathcona Community Gardens annual Open House/plant sale and Libby Davies hosted her annual barbeque in the park on Commercial Drive. Face-painting!!!

l

""""'""" ._ • ..., ._, •• "'-&V ....,.....,. • ..,. ~V& .. Ln;ova..t. .... ..._ • • a

Police investigating death of sex worker Police are delving into the lite of Usa Arlene Klreche In an attempt to discover how the 41-year-old ended up dead in the Fraser River last week.

six days after she was officially re­ported missing.

that ti.meline. We need to. discover her whereabouts and when exactly she went miss-ing."

"We have to cover all the bases at this point, but certainly there are a lot of risks that come with the lifestyle," she said. " It's just the ulti­mate tragedy for this woman."

Kireche, a sex-trade worker, was found float­ing in the river late in the evening of July 23- 13 days after she was last seen at her home in the Downtown Eastside and

So far, police have been unable to determine what happened to the city's 15th homi­cide victim during that span.

KIRECHE

Although po­lice have identi­fied Kireche as a sex-trade worker,

Police are asking any­one who had contact with Kireche from the time she was last seen to her death to contact them immedi­ately at604-717-2500.

"We don't know what happened to her," said VPD spokesperson Const Jana McGuinness. "We need to reconstruct

Lisa- our friend, our sister. O ur love travels w ith your Spirit

My name is Marlene June Wuttanee. l was born in North Battleford, Saskatchewan on Match 6, 1944. This is a sequel to the article published in the July 15 Carnegie Newsletter.

In 1988 I was in a car accide3nt6. My right hand was amputated, so now I wear a prosthesis. The rca­son l was in a wheelchair was because my right and left hip was fractured. The Dr. Operated on me. So when that wicked cop

pulled me off my wheelchair and threw me to the ground, the pain was extremely unbearable. When he twisted my left arm with his boot on my back he crushed the bone in my left arm. The pain was excru­ciating.

My right "hand" was useless and then so was my left. Therefore the care-aid had to feed me for six months before I could feed myself. I'm lucky he didn't Taser me because l would be dead like that Polish man the Mounties tasered 4 or 5 times.

My boyfriend David De Roche went to the drunk tank. The cops didn' t even say to me 'You are under arrest.' They should lose their jobs for brutality, for racism,

for prejudice. No one is safe in a wheelchair in Van­couver. l demand Justice Be Served. My case goes to court in November. l will keep you posted.

McGuinness said police are still trying to determine whether her PI'liession p ~~ role in herd -MATTKJELTYKA, 24 HOURS

I miss you.

All my (our) relations 'J' Cree elder

elementS X Stnemele

\ three bottles of booze

discussing the mirits of the spirit the first said it didn't matter

the second claimed it had a right and the third just smiled and passed out

karl wen YOUR LIFE IS A MAP

(

YOUR FUTURE UNTOLD ) DECISIONS YOU'VE MADE YOUR MAP WILL UNFOLD

, NO MATTER YOUR AGE BE IT YOUNG

BE !TOLD YOU IN Ti lE END

DEFINE THESHAPE OF YOUR LIFE'S MOUU

THIS IS YOUR DESTINY

Nashantha

/ inside , me yawn wi nd at dawn :\

cof fee tickles the nost r ils n e ws have listened to a fr ida y in septe mber

is born

karl wendt

The Swine F lu Vaccine is a Threat to Your Health . Read this and make an informed choice 1. There is no threat of a deadly pandemic. Only 700 people have died from the swine flu worldwide in the last year. ln the same period, half a million people died of the regular flu. but that isn't called a pandem­ic. We are being lied to. 2. Vaccines cause s ickness and disease, they don't prevent it. The 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic, which killed over 22 million people (more than the 4 years of World War 1), immediately followed a worldwide vaccination against smallpox. Vaccines contain lethal viruses, and kill people with weak immune systems, like children, the poor, addicts and the elderly. 3. ·n,e swine flu (Ill N I) vaccine is lethal. It contains mercUiy. aluminum, and a substance called Squa­lene, which breaks down the human immune system, and is used in biological weapons. The company that manufactures the swine flu vac-

cine in Canada, GlaxoSmithKiine, is one of the worst toxic chemical polluters in the world, and was found guilty of poisoning people with their llepatitis C vac­cines. In 1976, a similar swine flu vaccine in the USA caused more than 5000 people to be struck down with neurological disorders. 4. You are not being given a choice. The government is making it mandatory for everyone to get the swine flu shot and is thereby violating your constitutional right of informed consent. You have the right under the law to refuse to receive the swine flu vaccine, or any other shot. 5. This vaccine is being pushed to make big pharma­ceutical companies billions of dollars: companies like Baxter, PfizerWyeth, Roche-Gilead and Novartis, all of which are tied to the military. Don't be their gui­nea pigs. 6. Protect yourself from any flu by strengthening your natural immune system: Avoid junk food and sugary foods and drinks. Drink lots of water. Eat raw vegetables. Sleep regularly and avoid stress. W~sh your hands with soap three times a day. Take VIta­min C and Oil of Oregano. You can get cheap Vita­min C from QUEST, in the 300 block of East l last­ings. Say No to the Swine Flu Vaccine and stand up for

your rights! YOU CAN SAY NO

MAIN STREET STATION

·storytelling & kids activities each week ....-----_:~~~~~..., • high quality produce, meat & Cheese Downtown Eastside artists are invited to bring

• ready-to-eat food & coffee their work to Thornton Park at Main & Terminal on Wednesdays between 3 & 7pm (every week!)

• free grocery delivery by The Farmer's Market has agreed to give space for the sale of art by the art ist. Bring a couple of pieces

bicycle & bike tune-ups of your best work to offer for sale and gather with fellow artists having a fun afternoon .

• Use your Debit card to Oppenheimer Park Arts Outreach wi ll be providing

get Market Money*. the tables. Bring your own lawnchair & come make a few bucks. For more information fo to Oppenheimer

*$2 fee per transaction Outreach on Dunlevy Street.

' I

1 destroy homes, 1 tear fami lies apart, I 'll take your children, and that's just the start. I'm more costly than dia monds more precious than go ld, the sorrow 1 bring is a sight to behold . If you need me, remember, I'm easily found: 1 live a ll around you- in schools and in town. 1 live with the rich and 1 live with the poor, 1 live down the street and maybe next door. I'm made in a lab but not what you think; 1 can even be made under the kitchen sink, in your child's closet and even in the woods. If this scares you to death, well it certainly should. 1 have many names, but there's one you know best. I'm sure you've heard o f me, my name is crystal meth. My power is awesome try me you' ll sec, but, if you do, you may never break free. Just try me once and 1 might let you go but try me twice and 1 ' ll own your soul. When 1 possess you, you'll steal and you'll lie, you do what you have to, just to get high. The crimes you'll commit for my narcotic charms wi ll be worth the p leasure you'll fee l in your arms (your lungs, and your nose) you'll lie to your mother, you'll steal from your dad; when you see their tears you shou ld feel sad. But you'll forget your morals and how you were raised. I' ll be your conscience, I' ll teach you my ways. 1 take kids from parents and parents from kids. I tum people from god, and separate friends. I'll take everything from you, your looks and your pride .. I' ll be with you always-right by your side. You'l l give up everything- your fami ly your home your friends your money, then you'll be alone. I'll take and take, till you have nothing more to give. When I'm fin ished with you. you'll be lucky to live. If you try me be warned-this is no game, if given the chance I' ll drive you insane. I' ll ravish your body, I' ll control your mind. I' ll own you complete ly; your soul will be mine. The nightmares I' ll give you while lying in bed the voices you'll hear, from inside your head. The sweats, the shakes, the visions you'll see. 1 want you to know, these arc a ll gifts from me. But, then it's too late and you'll know in your heart that you are mine and we shall not part. You'll regret that you tried me. they always do. But you came to me, not 1 to you. You knew this would happen, many times you were to ld, but you cha llenged my power and chose to be bold. You could have said no, and just walked away. If you could live that day over, now what would you say? I'll be your master; you'll be my slave. I'll even go with you, when you go to your grave. Now that you met me, what will you do? Will you try me or not? It's all up to you. 1 can bring you more misery then words can tell, come, rake my hand ... I' ll lead

you to hell' .. /~.-fl-/ $ ./_ Submitted by :ivr~ ~

U ninterrupted Habits

1 am out here every day! You are looking; why are you not seeing?

And every day you rush by, thinking what you have thought a ll along: That 1 am no good!

That 1 am having a good time ! 1 am teach ing you something.

Can you learn that 1 am in my disease? Can you learn that 1 am sick?

Or am 1 too much a crystall ization of your own horrors? You may ask: how come I look like you?

fl ow come I do not have horns, or two heads? You see, I am an Addi9ct!

It is unnatural for me to be sober or not take drugs.

Y o u cannot learn to understand that, but you are a ll so learned in despising me.

I am nearing Death to show and teach

Noth ing left but to naunt it ­

When you are willing to learn I will be able to stop dying.

theresc

Net Worth Gentrification and the Myth of a Mixed Income Community ·

The fight the 'Downtown East Side Community' wages for self-preservation has many fronts, all of them fierce battlegrounds. The juggernaut of gentri­ficati on, however. is currently poised to deliver a deathblow to this precious, unique community, and the status quo's moral conscience is placating itself with the mantra of "mixed income".

One needs simply to glance toward the I 00 blo West at the mountain of steel and concrete that i. Woodwards development to get a dramatic feel for how the concept of mixed income plays out. For well over a decade, the fate of the department store site has been seen as a harbinger of the community's fate , and when we finally got a guarantee for social hous­ing there, it seemed like a victory. Looking at it now fills me with a sense of impending doom. The condo towers at Wood wards dwarf the social

housing block and loom ominously overhead like a colossus about to crush a midget underfoot. It feels li ke a farewell, my friends, like we are about to be swept away.

For seven years I lived in a West End Mixed In­come project called 'Mole I I ill' and I am sorry to say that 1t doesn't seem to work. The individuals selected for this kind of home are of a type unofficially la­beled "the deserving poor". They are mild mannered and neat in appearance, etc. Despite this, there is fear and bigotry against low income individuals inst illed in those of higher income levels. I noticed that many of l_llY neighbors who were poor got systemat ically ev1cted. The dav recently came for my eviction.

My notice of eviction was soon followed by a dis­pute reso lution package containing all of the "evi­dence" against me .. . It was astou nding! My more affluent neighbors had accrued a tome of complaint letters over the years. Most of the letters resulted from my friends coming to visit, and "seemingly poor" translated to "suspicious looking; endangering the lives of children and families"! Over time, the letters grew more and more vitrio lic. My neighbors were terrified of me: I was a pimp and a drug dealer and my apartment a mini-brothel ! Jt was said that I was continually being arrested and I spent more time in jail than at home! ( ... I've never ?een to jai l, never sold drugs and have no record .) It 1s particu larly disturbing to think that my former neighbours seem to assume that a! I women of low income are prostitutes.

The project manager was deeply apologetic, but overwhelmed by the campaign of social cleansing. I didn't even bother fighting to retain my cozy apart­ment and settled with mutual termination of residen­cy- who wants to li ve where they are hated? So, happy Whist ler 20 I 0! Happy double mocha, hundred dollar haircut, Prada shoes and Gucci shades! Welcome unblemished neighbour, Officer Fnendly ... and a one-way ticket to Palookaville. I don't know what that really mea1is, but it sounds ap­propriate.

Shawn Millar (Note: This article originally appears in the Summer 2009 issue of Upwards.]

Pass ing As Sane: Coming Out Crazy

Every day I pass as sane Pretending control and serenity Appearing reasonable, average, normal.

I confess to taking pills - altering my st!he Bringing optimism, steadiness A less subject ive reality Also church in small doses- immunizing me Meditation on the quality of water Plenty of rest- far from a crowd On a bed of pine needles, fragrant and sophorific Spice of earthe.

Temptation to come out eating at my sense of hon­esty - But I d id that before, remember?

The time I gave away the books & records

Suddenly I was crazy in your eyes Overnight I was changed Into one whose touch could contaminate Whose word could not be trusted

So I cont inue my careful way: passing as sane Fak ing it... not till I make it Because I will never make it- I am crazy for good. But because the prizes go to the winners The whole- the sane - the happy-And sure, I want to win- I'm not that crazy!

Vegetable Love

Love is like a lettuce leaf Fra il and limp after its day Usedio be the qual ity of a Mackint~h , _. Crisp and sweet and tart Maybe a Chinese radish, hot on the tongu';"" Late ly it's mashed potato sandwiches, says a man ' Too many nubile young loves.

I want ruby-red tomatoes in MY salad d'amour Organic carrots in My soupc du jour Fresh and dirty beets for boiling in their skins

And avocadoes of course!

Wilhelmina -

~ I Call You in the Moming

I call you i9n the morning When the horrors of the night Still press their dark shapes Against my breast.

Late r, I know these frights wi ll fade And the sun will nood my narrow room But NOW is the only ti me The only time a human voice can dispel

this cosm ic emptiness_ Your human voice.

Later you say-Later, we will talk of pain and sorrow Now is time for WORK And yet I know by then my pain will be forgonen Or maybe just buried 'neath the noises of a new da

Yes. Verily I say unto thee Abandon all hope

Wilhelmina

For that hoping chi ldish was leads to disappointmen And worse If there be worse If we can imagine worse it can be

So ever onward, even upward or downward As your case may be T he fix is in Change has begun- is progressing Except in those few jungle holdouts Cut off Cut o ff from the receiving of the dispatches Still fighting the '·good·' fight Still maintaining the status quo However for the majority of us I say Abandon hope - it is hopeless We however encourage EXPECTATION.

W ilhelmina

ABSENTIA Let me get this right straight as coils can be ­Oppenheimer Park closed for the summer now we don't want people sharing a day of fun collectively the A&B Sound gets bounced around sorry but more liquor establ ishments to be found don' t we don't we! Dickson Dicks will now be Dickson Seymour taking their roadshow to new lows how this could destroy Noize To Go making it a no go. Sorry Mr Chips but my friend Mr Dale can't take much more of this sic­kening future which will never never in a trillion years let go. The Cottage Restaurant; Lubics the bar­bers at I 51 & Commercial gone gone gone like Wood­wards, Riverview, Okalla & Willingdon I'm tellin ' ya I've got the right to point at the selfishists - when they run out of bui ldings and streets it 'll be us next on their docket sheet.. I plead absentia Tell me .. Where am I? Who am I? Why am I so frickin' mad because this London*Paris*New York*Vancouver is a joke so jokeless we will be the 51 51 state before you know you've been had (&you have) The weather calls for glass seismic really mailers try forgetting the past now wear your war's bloodproof shoes are a must a tsunami the size of Vancouver's "l ight rain'' I'm being negative which reminds me I have l lep C useless again but here are my buses! I never learned much but know right from wrong I've shopli fted bookstores out of existence .. 7-1 Is to the brink of despair. Drugs*Location*drugs I really

r ya knO\~ I could be King for that day, the seat I'm ~riling from must now go in so before I'm carried away I'll end it th is way til we (e)merge again&again &again By ROBERT McG ILLIVRAY "Sometimes the "unfin ished" arc the most beautiful of symphonies!"

33rd Annual Powell Street Festival All events arc free! To volun teer call 604-739-9388

This is the largest Japanese-Canadian fes tival and the longest-running community celebration in Van­couver! Enjoyt traditional and contemporary Japa­nese Canadian performances, including taiko drum­ming, sumo wrestling, martial arts demos, folk & modern dance, alternative pop/rock/urban music, visual arts, film/video, as well as a fantast ic array of Japanese food, crafts & displays.

didn't care but now I do I wish others could to but little boy entranced by Chibi Taiko's performance at the

there's no one there. Oh well: like a child with gang- 2008 festival.

stcr kids in their class (gradewise, not wise guys); )R.!. "0:' .J ~LY 'lEW LOCATION: W OODLAND PARK

I'm not into waking up with a horse's head up my ass This is no longer my country; Commercial Drive more dead than alive, Destruction sites at 15't\ 13'", I O'", Broadway Skytrain Station too. All at the same time and you wonder why I call this New Vancouver City workers tore down the new bus shelters benches the only place left free to sit down at Powell & Vic. I just went to ask a question his stare said fuck-Off went back to wri ti ng in JJ Bean some people make me sick anyway - the Doomsday Circus clock is clicking & clicking closer the amount of sharing and caring left with space lefl the width of a poster but a real live comet plays Earth in 2037 I' ll be the Tick­etmaster passed out ncar Betty Crocker's gas ovens then again Nostradamus says Dec 23/2012 is the glo­rious dav that oendulum feel in!! has !!rown aooealing

Frances St

0 c "' "' ...J u L

Adanac St

0 '0 c "'

E Pender St

Frances St

'0 E Georgta St

~

GET CLEAN! Shower up at the Lord's Rain

There is a shower facility at Gospel Mission, 327 Carra II Street Oust off Pigeon Park). There

are towels, soap, shampoo- the works! & Coffee

-"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." -Margaret Mead

' We acknowledge that Carnegie Community Centre, and this Newsletter, are occurring on Coast Salish Territory.

"' ..... . . - ; · . -Monday 1 Oam-3pm; Tuesday Ladies only 1-4pm Everyone 7- 8:30pm

Friday 1 Oam- Jpm; Saturday 7 - 1 Oam lei on parle Francais; Hablamos Espanol

CFRO 102 •. 7 F1l CO-OP RADIO

.. THIS NEWSLETTER IS APUBUCAnoN OF THE

.o.RNEGIE COMMUNITY CI!M1tE ASSOCIA. TION Anides repn!DIIt tile .ten ol"llldiritlaal Ceatrl1ntton aad ootollllo. ~

Editor: PauiR Taylor; Rect~ngular artwork by Tim c Wttbber . Collation & distribution crew: Bill, Liu Lin, Harold, Mary Ann, Miriam, Kelly, Videha, Rolr, Priscillia, Robyn, Nick, Jackie., Matthew, Ida, Nicole, Lisa.

TIM STEVENSON CITY COUNCILLOR SERVING THE COMMUNITY

WITH PRIDE City Hall, 453 W 121

b Ave, V5Y 1V4 Phone: 604-873-7247

Jenny Wai Ching Kwan MLA Working for You

1070 - 1641 Commercial Dr, VSL 3Y3

· · i have the audacity to believe that people everywhere can have three meals a day for their bodies, education and c~ltur~ !or their minds, dignity, equality and justice for thetr sptnts. I believe that what self-centred men have tom down, other-centred men can build up.'

Dr. Martin LuthP.r Kinn .lr

Next issue is August 14th

SUBMISSION DEADLINE Tuesday,August11

CHANGE OF ADDRESS!!! Mental Health

Action Research Advocacy • As of Monday, July 6, our new address will be

163 West Pender Street (it's a storefront at the sidewalk!)

~one# 604-689-7938 remains the same.

WANTED Artworlt for the C~~n~ep Nntsldler

• SmaB lluslralioos lo accompany articles and poelry .> Cover art -Uaxitun size: 17an(6-3/41 wiie._ X 15an(6") liljL

• Subject maller relevalt to issues pertaining to lhe DowniDwn Eastsile preferred. but aD 1110rtc wil be consiiared;

• Black & Whle printing any • Size restriclions IIIJSl be considered fte. I

yow Pees is too large, il wl be n!Cb:ed arO'or ~to II;

• AR artists wil receive aedit lor their WOik; • Originals wil be relumed to the artist after

beklg copied lor IIJbf'ICalion; • Remooeraliln: Carnegie volunteer tickets..

• Please make submissions to: .,...

Paul Taylor, F.diwr. CEEDS folks -S60

2009 DONATIONS: Barry M.-$150, Libby 0 .-$70, Rolf A.-$50, Margaret 0.-$40, Jenny K.-S25, Sue K.-$30, Michael C.-$50, Jaya B.-$100, Christopher R.-$180, Mel L.-$25, Greta P.-$25. Leslie S.-$25, Harvey B.-$25, Sheila B.-$20, The Edae -$200, Wilhelmina M.-$30, Anonymous $1500 Anne P.-$50

Open letter to Colin Hansen Minister Responsible for Housing ..

Imagine losing your job. How would you feel~ when' you are looking for a new and comparable posi~n,• that yo~ are no longer qualified- too old perhaps, or your skil ls obsolete? Then figure out how you wi ll maintain your current

lifestyle. Perhaps you start drinking more than usual.. P~rhaps you miss a few payments .. Once you get be­hmd, and with no mcorne, it's frightening how fast • everythmg can unravel. a

Now imagine being evicted. What will you do with your stuff? Maybe you could live awhile in your car .. then you get towed. All your stuff is in it! Y?u haven't had a shower in a week. A policeman

notices you on a bench where you are sitting deject­edly, trying desperately to figure out what to do next. None of your former friends have time for you. The policeman doesn't care. He just sees 'burn on bench.' You are taken in for loitering; for being inside the park outside of posted hours. It doesn 't matter: he doesn't believe you were once a responsible citizen. l

When you finally get approved for welfare, you find you have to choose between food & rent. The places you can afford are dirty & bug-infested. The free food at t~e missions is unpalatable. Then your case­worker ?Jsc~vers you have made some extra money from a li_ttle JOb you found putting away folding cha1rs alter meetings. The earnings are deducted from your next cheque. !<low ,you've lost the room. Perhaps at this point • ou ll}ight come up with some

cornpellmg reasons for the e• stence of shelters.· ..

Delanye Azrael As I begin to talk, re latmg some amusulg 11121&@111 ·

or deep insight You move away Bathroom, bedroom, balcony, kitchen Clattering, cleaning up The cluner of dirty cups and spoons

My voice grows louder: keeping up Then gradually fading out Unable to be heard above the business and harmony Of the tidiness you impose As you put your design of superficial order Upon the remains of the dinner.

Wilhelmina

Censored-speech zones make more sense Vancouver Sun July 21, 2009

According to the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, freedom of speech is the norm. This has implications for the notion of free speech zones around Vancouver during the upcoming Winter Olympic Games.

1\s free speech is the norm, it would make more sense to declare zones in which speech is censored by the province, the city, the nation or the various police forces, with their Tasers. There should be plainly readable signs around these zones warning against offering an opinion. These signs should be in all the regional languages, and there should be symbols (a circle with a line drawn tlif>ugh a tongue, or perhaps through a brain) for .!hose who do not like to read.

··' ~ ~ ~ ' George Bowering Former pa?liamentary pq_et laureate, Vaacouver

more social housing!

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