NEWSLETTER 401 Main Street, Vancouver. V6A 2T7 C604t 665-2289

Dear Friends, Thank You

AUGUST 1, 2010

http://harvestors.sfu.ca/chodarr [Index]

Thank you so much to all the friends who signed the get-well card that Diane Wood made for me. It's the people who make our community beautiful , and they do that by reaching out to each other and helping each other. That's why the Downtown Eastside is the soul of Vancouver. The card you sent me has lifted my spirit, and I am grateful.

In her get-well card Diane has represented our community as a mighty Douglas Fir tree with strong roots that sustain it. Among the roots she has painted faces representing community members. Her card says that even as the giant Fir is nurtured by its roots, so our community of the Downtown Eastside is nurtured by its members- and I am nurtured by the caring people who signed that card and who carry on the work of justice from one generation to another.

Bud Osborn has said that we are a community of prophets in the Downtown Eastside, and prophets present visions of justice.

I thank you for your courage and commitment.

Sandy Cameron

Chief Constable Jim Chu Vancouver Police Department 2 120 Cambie Street Vancouver, B.C. VSZ 4N6

Dear Chief Chu,

RE: Video Footage of a Constable Shoving a Dis­abled Woman in the Downtown Eastside July 9, 20 10

I am writing with a heavy heart and deep concern about the disturbing behaviour of the Vancouver Po­lice Department's constables in the above mentioned incident. I respectfully request that the current investi­gation into this matter be concluded quickly, and the appropriate discipline be meted out swiftly.

My riding represents the Downtown Eastside and I know that the Department is well attuned to the multi­ple problems faced by its residents. These problems are deeply rooted and complex and primarily they are systemic -and tragic - byproducts of poor social pol­icy. In this context, I also know that your officers for the most part do an exemplary job in one of the most challenging neighbourhoods in Canada.

The Department is an integral part of the Downtown Eastside community, and high expectations are placed on your officers to provide safety and security for all, and to conduct themselves with integrity and profes­sionalism at the same time. Therefore, it is my hope that at the conclusion of the investigation those in­volved with this incident will be held accountable for their actions.

Sincerely, [original signed by) Libby Davies, MP (Vancouver East)

STOP POLICE VIOLENCE IN OUR NEIGHBOURHOOD!

A loved member of our community, 26-year old Sandy with cerebral palsy, was shoved and thrown to the ground in a physical assault by a police officer on the beat in the Downtown Eastside. This is the latest in a series of daily assaults, arrests, beatings, and po­lice brutality in the DTES. This one just happened to be caught on tape and has sparked outrage across the neighbourhood and city.

-The Police Apology to Sandy is Not Enough: Get that Officer off the beat!- Why Do Police Not Get Criminal Charges for A-ssaulting Women and Dis­abled people? -No to Internal Investigations: Armed, Violent, and Dangerous Police Off Our Streets! Stand Up for Yourself, Your Friends, Your Neighbour Come out!

MCFD: KEEP OUR F AMJLIES TOGETHER! Gather at Ministry of Child and Family Development

Regional Office Tuesday, August 3 from 3:30-5:30pm @ 865 Hornby, corner Smithe

The Ministry of Child and Family Development (MCFD) has forcibly removed many children from their families, especially from single mothers, poor families, Indigenous communities, and from parents who were themselves caught in the vicious cycle of foster homes. There are currently more Indigenous children in the child welfare system than there were in the residential school system. Thousands of mothers and families are enduring surveillance and scrutiny instead of receiving support.

The DTES Power of Women Group is organizing to defend and support healthy families. Almost all the women in our group have had their children appre­hended temporarily or permanently, or are currently facing the threat of child apprehension.

All welcome, please join us! For more information project@dewc.ca or call 604 681 8480 X 234.

..

Happy Birthday Bud Osborn I wish you love and laughter on your birthday

and every day! Kelly, purple-scooter lady.

Slow Learner

I used to remember - but slowly I used to remember like hot wax

taking the image from the pot Metal and terra cotta Now memory assaults me at every turn Too synchronicitous Too immediate

Take back that eternal present­powerful

Gimme some rest this knight has fought too many foreign wars

And now that have come home Home to infest us Be sure Shirley, Joe and Jo Bob Da war is on you head now babies ...

in the early morning rain at the United Church, Vancouver

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~~~~~=-';:::..,..:::;.-·----..._Wilhelmina Miles

~

Destiny Defined Your life is a map Your future untold Decisions you make, Your map wi ll unfold No matter your age Be it young - be it old You in the end Define the shape of your life' s mold This is how your destiny is defined.

Nashantha Day

A tful Sundays An Outdoor-Multimedia-Visual Arts-Market

In this world

How does anyone say "We do not care."? Can a person be so mean Can a person be so blind Not feeling remorse in how we can treat each other? In how we can destroy? Not even thinking on how it affects one's feelings ...

Learn to forgive Especially oneself

Live day by day Appreciate what our Mother Earth

provides, Give thanks for being alive today Always think of all the beauty You'll always be a grateful person Believing in yourself and surroundings to forever.

All My Relations, Bonnie E Stevens

n vay {NapH~r St. a ... aust 8 to September

n cr al r.) 2pm to r.pm

THE CRY Of EMPTINESS You are alone and have no place to go You sit, count days 'til the elected servants-of-the-day give you a pittance. Out to the street you hustle Immortality for a day There is no tomorrow until tomorrow you find you spent your food, lodging, Betrayed friends and Rode the High Horse to glory. But alas it was for naught Today is that tomorrow You waited for yesterday a little less hope,

. .... l ' .J-- f ·~

Bntann1a ~ ~ ,_,. ... ( -.. "

forgotten dreams, an emptiness in the soul. Life, it seems, is not a reality of living but a disaster of emotional grief and heart-rending sorrow. Why should I go on? No family; no friends, just a pittance issued for the safety of good humanity It's a short month or maybe five weeks of living in your man-made hell. Help! Help! No one hears my silent plea ... l guess this is the end of me.

Elders

News From -the Library It's great to be here in the library while Beth is on

vacation. One of my favourite things to do when I come here is to write this column.

First of all, thanks to everyone who came out on Fri­day the 23'd to see Morris as Elvis! Morris Bates, one of the first and most-successful Elvis impersonators, entertained a crowd of about 85 people with stories of his career as Elvis, and performances of a few Elvis favourites.

How many sci-fi novels are set in the Downtown Eastside? You'd be tempted to say "none", but in fact local author Miguel Burr has just published Human­oid (FIC SF), set in the year 8007 'AM'. In a future where Judaism and Islam have merged and taken con­trol of the entire planet, the two main characters, Hu­bresh and Vladesh, are 'sub-social irregulars' who live in the Heatley Block. One day they discover a hidden vault of outlawed chemicals, and their story takes off from there.

When you think of the Tour De France, you think of Lance Armstrong, the comeback king. Although he didn' t come anywhere near winning this year's tour, his book Comeback 2.0 (796.62) documents his return to the tour in 2009. Having retired in 2005 with a re-

Firehall arts centre

VSA PASS Firehall ArtS centre & its V6A Pass What is the V6A pass? The V6A Pass is a program designed to provide resi­dents of the Downtown Eastside -within the V6A postal region- with the opportunity to attend profes­sional arts events at the Firehall Arts Centre. For each performance at the Firehall a minimum often tickets will be made available to residents who have received a V6A Pass for only $5/$2 Students/Seniors/Low Income, How?

cord seven tour wins, Armstrong made the unbeliev.5 able decision to race the tour again at the age of37. Although he didn't win it, he placed a respectable thi rd, and held his own against riders far younger.

As Rock bad-boys go, few can top W. Axl Rose, lead singer of Guns 'n · Roses. From fight ing with fans and fel low rockers, to no-shows at concerts (including one here in Vancouver that started a riot), to taking I 5 years to record the band's Chinese Democracy album, Rose has seemingly perfected rock and roll loutish­ness. Mick Wall 's W.A.R.: the Unauthorized Biogra­phy of William AxJ Rose (78 1.57 ROS) tells the whole sordid story.

Fieldy, bassist for Nu-Metal band Korn, seemed des­tined for a li fe similar to Rose's. As bassist for one of the most successful bands of the last I 5 years, Fieldy lived the sex, drugs, and Rock and Roll li festyle. Unlike Rose though, Fieldy found a way out of this lifestyle. His book Got the Life (921 FIE), is his story of how religion, a stable re lationship, and fatherhood helped him change his li fe.

All of these books are in the library display case, and will be available to borrow on Monday, August 2"d.

Randy, your librarian

Pass members can easily show their passes at the box office on the evening of the performance to secure their ticket. When? V6A pass holders may begin booking their perform­ances or events within the 20 I 0/20 II season. This offer will be available for all Firehall performances within the Firehall season. A minimum of 10 tickets will be available for each performance at a first-come, first-serve basis. How do I get my V6A pass? Those interested in signing up for the V6A pass can fill out the membership signup form and further de­tai ls regarding the pass will be sent to you soon. The pass is free and displaying it every time you attend a performance will ensure you receive this amazing op­portunity (pending availability), Sign up now to be one of the first to take advantage of this fantastic offer! Questions? Feel free to call us at604-689-0691 or vis it our web­site at www.firehallartscentre.ca for updated informa­tion coming soon!

~_»rison Farms Sideswiped by 'Roadmap to Transformation'

The Harper government should halt their plans to shut down Canada's prison farms and hire independent ex­perts to study the impact of the closures, says a House of Commons committee report that the government plans to ignore.

The Standing Committee on Public Safety and Na­tional Security has presented a report in the House of Commons calling on the Minister of Public Safety to "refrain from taking any steps to sell, dismantle or reduce operations at any of Canada's prison farms in any way, until independent experts have had an oppor­tunity to fully review the value of the farm program and fully report in writing".

Canada has been operating prison farms since the 1880's. The farms are for-profit enterprises that oper­ate on prison labour. Roughly 300 prisoners work at the farms, raising livestock, operating dairies, produc­ing crops and supplying food for both federal and pro­vincial prisons and the local community.

After more than 120 years of sustainable farming, Canada's six remaining prison farms are slated to close by March 20 II .

•Pittsburgh and Frontenac Farms in Kingston, Ontario •Westmorland Institution in Dorchester, N.B. •Rockwood Institution in Stony Mountain, Manitoba •Riverbend Institution by Prince Albert, Saskatchewan •Bowden Institution in lnnisfail , Alberta

Rockwood's farm includes a feedlot, composting set­up, grain farming, and a dairy operation. The com­posting program handles a trai ler-full of organic waste daily from Canada Safeway alone. Most of the com­posted matter gets spread on the fields, where prison­ers grow grain to feed the cattle.

Frontenac's dairy herd is acknowledged to be one of the highest-quality and best-managed anywhere. Its 130 cattle produce 4,000 litres of milk a day. That ranks the herd among the top 20 percent in productiv­ity in the province. Frontenac's dairy operation is able to provide milk to all federal prisons at a price to the government of 28 cents a carton.

A CSC spokesperson said the decision to end the farm program came after a strategic review of COR­CAN services. The farm program costs $4 million a year to run and "wasn't meeting the employment reali­ties that offenders were facing in today's labour mar­ket. Once they were released into the community, very few were actually finding jobs in agricultural busi­nesses." esc was unable, however, to provide statis­tics on the number of participants in the farm program who found work in other areas. Although CSC says the money saved will go toward new employability programs for prisoners, they were unwilling to say what programs might replace farming, or what the costs will be to replace the food currently produced at the farms.

Publicly posted government tenders reveal CSC will pay almost $ 1 million to replace the milk they cur­rently produce themselves on one prison farm. The tender notice issued indicates that the contract is to cover only the Ontario prisons currently supplied by Frontenac's dairy. The tender falls under NAFTA regulations so the contract would go to the lowest bid­der, so the milk could come from as far away as the U.S. or Mexico. It seems cost of the closures is not the only thing that

the CSC is unwilling to reveal. The National Farmers Union says corrections officials won't release any in­formation about prison farms' profitability or how many workers re-offend after their release.

Both the Save Our Prison Farms Campaign and The House of Commons Committee have asked the Harper

government to make public the CSC Strategi.c ~e­view, which proposed the closures. So far th1s Infor­mation has not been released. Clearly the 'strategic review' used to justifY the clos­

ings has little to do with ensuring a more effective use of government funds. The Conservative government has doubled the budget for prison construction and maintenance as it prepares federal institutions for an influx of prisoners resulting from its onslaught of new crime laws.

In an interview with The Globe and Mail, Public Safety Minister Peter Van Loan revealed the govern­ment is leaning toward renovating existing prisons and building new wings as a short-term approach to man­aging the increase. He said cabinet will take ano~er two or three years before decidil}g whether there IS a need to build large new regional prisons as recom­mended in the 2007 advisory report (Roadmap to Strengthening Public Safety), but the governmental­ready has some land in mind. The plots are currently being used by inmates for milking cows and gathering eggs to feed their fellow convicts.

Community volunteers opposed to the closure are staffing the Community On Watch Station (COWS) outside Frontenac 24 hours a day, and they are pre­pared to initiate a blockade if trucks show up to haul

t e cattle or chickens. heck out the national campaign

at saveourprisonfarms.ca

Anyone can count The amount of seeds in one apple however Only the Creator can truely tell how many apples will come from one seed. Nashantha Day

Humanities 101 Community Programme is now I~ ing for students/participants for September courses! •

Would you like to be more involved in Writing, First Nations Studies, Literature, History, Politics, Art, Phi­losophy, Architecture, Music, Sociology, Gender Studies, Critical Thinking, Popular Culture and more? Do you have a lust for learning, live in and around

the Downtown Eastside and Downtown South, and live on a very low income? The Humanities 101 Community Programme (aka

Hum I 0 I) offers free university-level courses at UBC and free education on the DTES/Downtown South for residents. Hum is I I years old, and has a Steering Committee made up entirely of students and graduates of Hum courses (there are over 400 graduates so far) which guides all aspects of the Programme. There are 2 evening courses held at the UBC campus:

- an 8 month course in the humanities, called Humani­ties 1 0 I (held on Tuesday and Thursday evenings) - a 3 month writing course called Writing I 0 I (held on Tuesday evenings only) Support for students includes books, school supplies,

student cards, transportation, meals, and child care if necessary.

If you'd like to apply to take a course·which starts in September, please come to the information and appli cation sessions which will be held at:

Downtown Eastside Women's Centre, 302 Columbia Wednesday August 4th at I :00 pm for Humanities I 0 I, Wednesday August 4th at 4:00pm for Writing 101.

Carnegie Centre, Main and Hastings: Thursday August 5th at I :00 pm for Humanities I 0 I, Thursday August 51b at 4:00pm for Writing 101.

The Gathering Place, 609 Helmcken: Friday August 6th at I :00 pm for Humanities I 0 I, Friday August 6th at 4:00pm for Writing 101.

Crabtree Corner, 533 East Hastings St: Tuesday August I 01

h at I :30 pm for both Humanities 101 andWriting 101.

Vancouver Recovery Club, 2775 Sophia St: Wednesday August 11'" at II :30 am for both Humani­ties 101 and Writing 101.

You must attend one of these sessions if you want to apply; we do not accept applications online.

LOST LOVE

Pressure, all four walls, my mind a whirling dervish spinning, doing circle games, dizzy with no destina­tion, making detours around darkened doorways and si lent screams; no satisfaction running -where? Hid­ing - why? From who? I'm forgotten by everyone so what the hell! So what, who cares, right~ which way .. where's home? I don't know l swear: Move heaven, now earth until I hurt and stop. I wait everywhere and nowhere, please call; hearing only what' s Up, what's Down they're selling I've only ever loved one person, for all time, it's true. She's gone somewhere - I wish I knew- and I miss her. l was a fool , unrequited , and let her get away ... l have regrets, I hurt every day First sight, first love only once - it won't happen twice Woe is me: move on can' t you see, move on I guess what I am I am supposed to do. A broken heart may be some day way off in time some place; until then I will pray.

ROBYN LIVINGSTONE.

Never Ending Circle

The sticker on newspaper box is clear: "speak truth to power" yet power has a way of toying with those less fortunate like a strong cat with a wounded, grounded, bankrupt bird. so buy all means, Mr. Moyers, spit in power's eye: be it bush, Hussein, stalin, thatcher, Putin, etc. or miscellaneous gods so odd yet recognize whilst doing it time & boundaries limit the spitter! So do 'speak truth to power' shout Slogans into Ia wind, at any steeple, But slogans spit right back as stones, steeples topple, fondling our very bones = thus be of good cheer: wind steeple gods They have not OUR dissenting lusty

Odds! john alan douglas

The Thursdays Writing Collective successfully launched the new chapbook, StoryBox, at the Brick­house in Vancouver on July 15,2010. It was a great evening for writers, readers, and listeners as they shared the pub, the prose, and the poetry. These writ­ers entertained us with their pieces: Henry Doyle, Stephen Lytton, Antonette Rea, Patrick Foley, James McLean, John Douglas, Diane Wood, Joan Morelli, Colin Beiers, Anne Hopkinson, Anne Young, Eliza­beth Buchanan, John Chen, Robyn Livingstone, Bakir Junaideen, and Elee Kraljii Gardiner. You really can't go wrong with a room full of people who love words. The stories, the images, and the impact of their writing engaged us all.

Elee Kraljii Gardiner organized and hosted the event, describing the StoryBox project and introducing each writer. Joan Flood and Kevin Spenst, members of the Thursdays Editing Collective, did the trickiest part; they set up and ran the sound system. Photographer James Loewen filmed the writers at the microphone: look for those videos to be posted at www.thursdayspoemsandprose.ca. Copies of the chapbook are available for sale (contact one of the writers for info) for $5 and are also in the Carnegie Centre library. Many thanks to Leo at the Brickhouse, to Naomi Steinberg from the StoryBox Project_, SFU, urban ink, and to our audience for their support and applause. Now back to writing until we reconnect! Hope to see you then: Thursday, September 16, 2-4pm on the third floor of Carnegie.

I

UBC LAW STUDENTS LEGAL ADVICE CLINIC

St.;;rti;;g~onCJay. I'\OY 24 End s Thursday. August 19

Drop -In Mondays & Thursdays 9-Spm

TUesdays l - 9pm

3rd Floor- Art Gallery

These are the links for those collaborating on THE RED JAM SLAM 2010

www.coopradio.org www.cjsf.ca

www.creativetechnology.org gunnersgonna@yahoo.com 604."990.3537

Carnegie Community Action Project (CCAP) Newsletter

Read more on the web at: ccapvancouver.wordpress.com August 1, 2010

Community Vision tackles stereotypes and gentrification

Below is the media release that we sent to reporters and assignment editors, to about 2000 CCAP supporters, city politicians and staff, all BC MLA 's and Canadian MP's. We launched the Vision in the Carnegie Theatre on july 20th. We got good news coverage from both mainstream and alternative media. The next step is to Implement the Vision. Do you want to help? -Thanks to Duncan Williams for the great photos of Launch presenters. - WP

The low-income community in the Downtown Eastside has a right to exist and seek improvements for itself.

That's the main point of a new Vision

called "Assets to Action, Community VISion for Change in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside. "

The Vision was developed over two years with input from a massive sample

of 1200 Downtown Eastside (DTES) residents, in co­operation with manyDTES groups. The process, led by the Carnegie Cormmmity Action Project (CCAP). included Visioning workshops with about 300 people, a questionnaire with 655 people, (Cont. on page 2)

(Continued from page 1) mapping workshops with 200 people, three days of work with 44 low-income community leaders drawing out the Vision, Values and Actions from the previous work, distribution of the draft report to numerous DTES residents and groups for feedback, incorporation of the feedback into the final document, and three published interim reports. CCAP proposes that the Vision be the foundation and guide for future development in the DTES.

"Our Vision starts from the fact that there are lots of good things about our community," said CCAP organizer and report co-author. Wendy Pedersen. "Our community assets include a sense of community and belonging, life saving social and health services, many chances to volunteer

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and contribute, a lack of judgment, and connection to the cultural heritage of the neighbourhood. The wider society stigmatizes many DTES residents because of race, gender, sexual orientation, addiction, mental or physical health and poverty. But in the DTES people who experience discrimination are the majority. They are not marginal . They feel accepted here and don't always have to defend their situation to others."

"With this Vision low-income residents are saying they want to have more control over their own

community," said Phoenix Winter, one of the participants. and a board member of the Carnegie Community Centre Association. "We don't want others corning here and telling us what's (Coni on page 3)

(Continued from page 2) wrong with us and what we need. We have good ideas about solving J problems ourselves."

Actions needed to implement the Community Vision include more sociaJ housing, reducing poverty, slowing gentrification until low-income residents have decent housing and low-income community assets are secure. The Vision also caJls for treatment on demand for people with addictions, more harm reduction services and replacing the current illegal drug market with a regulated legal market based on public health and human rights principles. See page 8 and 9 for a full list of Actions. "While government is needed to get some of these changes," said Pedersen, "residents are already working on others

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like a DTES street market and expanding wireless internet to the whole

DTES." "Slowing

gentrification is crucial to implement this report," said Pedersen. "Low income people are being pushed out by property value increases. Only 12% of privately owned SRO hotel rooms are now

renting for the welfare shelter allowance or less. That's why we are calling on the Mayor and Council to do three important things for DTES residents: 1) Purchase five lots a year for social housing in the DTES for the next ten years; 2) Use its zoning and planning tools to slow gentrification until existing residents and homeless people have decentsel~contained

social housing, and our community assets are secure; 3) And use this Vision as the basis of a DTES strategy for

change .. , said Pedersen.

Here's our Vision for the DTES

Honour the Coast Salish People on whose unceded Traditional Territory the DTES resides;

Celebrate our strong community of urban Aboriginal and low-income people of many ancestries, abilities, cultures, health conditions,

genders, ages and sexual orientations; Put people first and welcome all who advocate for affordable low-income housing and

respect our vibrant community values; Ensure low-income people have affordable homes and access

to resources to meet our needs; Unite in fair processes and act in peaceful and necessary ways to expand our abilities,

overcome adversity and protect our community.

DTES Community Values Working for justice and the community;

Strengthening our community; Respecting each other and nature;

Making decisions about our own neighbourhood; Accepting people without judgment;

Cooperating; Appreciating diversity;

Providing sanctuary for people who aren't welcome in other places; Caring;

Respecting all generations and their roles in creating a healthy community; Building harmony;

Empathizing with those who are suffering.

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The 12 Key Actions to Implement

The actions needed to implement the Vision are as follows:

1. Build social housing for low-income people; 2. Tackle systemic poverty; 3. Stop gentrification; 4. Improve safety by working with police to provide a better understanding of DTES

residents from their perspective, dealing with security guard harassment, non­resident drinkers, and replacing the illegal drug market with a legal market based on health and human rights principles;

5. Improve health services; 6. Support and fund DTES arts and culture; 7. Develop an economy that serves and employs local residents; 8. Ensure public spaces are public, not gated, sufficient, safe, and welcoming; 9. Keep towers out and retain heritage buildings; 10. Involve DTES residents in neighbourhood decisions; 11. Attract more children; 12. Create a DTES image that honours and respects low-income residents.

Some of these Actions can be done by residents themselves, some by residents plus others, and some require major actions and/or funds from government.

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What others said about the Vision "I believe "Assets to Action" is a magnificent document. We have never seen such a comprehensive description of the values, vision and recommended actions of the low­income community for the future of the DTES. Working independently of government, that community, which forms the majority of residents of the area, has been able to create an easy-to-read, yet comprehensive and detailed plan to guide the future development of the DTES. The community values set out in the document provide a guide to the way we should be planning for the future everywhere.... This is a major contribution to the future of the DTES and our city and warrants high priority as a guide to all actions taken by all levels of governments, agencies. developers and others when contemplating change in the DTES."

--Ray Spaxman, former Director of Pl~nningfor the City of Vancouver

"Cities and neighbourhoods often present us with a paradox: traveling through them, almost anyone can see so much of what's in plain sight -- and yet the most important things, like the decisions that shaped the place and the experiences of the people who live there, are impossible to 'see' in just a short glance. If you want to see the Downtown Eastside through the eyes of the people who truly understand and live it, read 'Community Vision for Change in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside.' It's an extraordinary clear view of the neighbourhood's strengths and challenges, a valuable, eloquent, and powerful testimony to the values and principles of true community."

--Elvin Wylie, DTES condo owner and Associate Professor of Geography and Chair of the Urban Studies Program at UBC

"Congratulations on this excellent report. It is well thought out and presented so clearly in a readable language. Your leadership has galvanized an amazing team effort."

--Colleen Miller, Gastown business owner

"I think the report is beautiful and wholeheartedly support it!!!!" --Teresa Vandertuin, Strathcona resident

"I have been following the CCAP-led process both from general interest and in my role as a spokesperson for a .. .. network of community groups. I attended the Town Hall (Continued on page 7)

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(Continued on page 6) consultation at the Carnegie Centre last December ... the meeting was well attended by a diverse group of area residents. The discussion was informative, nuanced and respectful. Suggestions on how the wording could be clarified and strengthened were documented by the facilitators ... and have been incorporated in this final document ... . Assets to Action: Community Vision for Change in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside is an essential document. The issues raised and conclusions reached should serve as a sobering but not unhopeful lens to help citizens and elected representatives face up to our individual and collective responsibilities. I urge groups and/or individuals to consider giving it their endorsement.'"

--Ned Jacobs, resident of Riley Park

Just finished reading the Vision for Change and of course, PACE Society unconditionally endorses it.

--Kerry Porth, Executive Director of PACE

I endorse wholeheartedly the visioning process and urge the city to adopt this community vision and the actions it calls for. l did not personally partake in the visioning because I don't represent the majority of residents in this community but I DO endorse the vision because it is a vision that l share for this neighbourhood - to be a healthy, low-income neighbourhood in Vancouver.

--Mike Wartman, Intern Architect and Victory Square condo owner

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City hall, according to Nadine ...

It's a good idea for DTES residents to go to City Hall to stand up on important issues such as the conditions they are

forced to live in when their income is 30% below the poverty line. That's what Nadine Anderson said after her first experience speaking at City Council on June 24th. Nadine, one of the Carnegie Community Action Project volunteers, was at City Hall to support a resolution calling on the City to support a poverty reduction strategy with targets and timelines. The resolution also called on the City to forward the motion to the Union ofBC Municipalities that meets at the end of September. Council must have agreed with what Nadine and the other speakers said, because they voted unanimously to support the resolution put forth by COPE Councilor Ellen W oodsworth and seconded by Vision Councilor Heather Deal.

"It felt good to let them know what it's really like to live in such difficult circumstances, to be sick and living in poverty," said Nadine. Nadine's speech was printed in the last Carnegie Newsletter. "I'm ill or I would be working," she told Council. She also said it was impossible to afford healthy organic food when you depend on a disability pension. "This alone is evil," Nadine says.

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What did Nadine learn from her experience at City Hall? "Never get there on time," she said, laughing. "They show a lack of respect for other people's time. I was told by the secretary I spoke to on the phone to come at about 2 but I probably wouldn' t be able to speak until 5. We actually didn't get to speak until six. Bring your knitting," she said.

Nadine likes the idea of removing the Georgia Viaduct, a topic Council discussed while she was there. "But not for towers. And she wants a tribute to the Black neighbourhood, Hogan's Alley, that used to be there. Several developers were at Council supporting the idea of getting rid of the viaduct. Nadine is afraid that the "little amount of green space the city might put in place of the viaduct won't be enough for a bird to sit on."

If DTES residents don't go to City Hall with our perspectives, then the only ones who will be heard are "people who own million dollar lots in Strathcona and Dunbar. Incidentally, those are the people who were there," said Nadine.- js

Vancity Support for this project does not

necessarily imply Vancity's endorsement of the findings or contents of this report."

'

/ --S -./

i am going to bring attention to the elder abuse and oil and gas corruption that plagues my nation here in alberta .... .i will be holding a press confer­ence soon with our elected officials for answers and will not move until we get some answers .... alberta has a lot of natural resources that runs through my territory and are exploited with dis­dain for us .... my new cell number here in alberta is 403 307 7775 .... i have been working for our housing department these past 3 months and i have witnessed so many housing fractures that i cannot be involved in ..... elders are getting used and abused and this is my territory ..... it was set up as a territory but quickly changed when oil and gas were discovered .... only through peaceful dialogue and negotiations can we ever achieve acceptance of what others have going on in your territories .... my late grandparents set up that ter­ritory and i am here to demand dialogue with the oil cartels and restore peace and unity with all band members .... your support and advice is well needed here this summer .... i have support from the elders and the community but it is divided as like others .... .i will not rest until unity is restored on my territory .... jason fleury

A Suggestion to Work On ... ! There is some money to be had here for an earth sav­

ing event in Vancouver in October. This could be part of the Heart of the City Festival because of the timing. I would like to suggest we tap this money by putting together a booklet on how the poor (the home­less to be exact, are easier on the environment and global warming than the rich. Now this would have to be put together differently in the proposal of course. However such a booklet would do a great deal to-

, wards ending a lot of poor bashing and give a better profile of our homeless individuals.

I envision requesting $1 ,500 be put towards a booklet on how homeless people work towards elimination of global warming with tips on how they do it. We could have a contest for the best tips, and prizes, as well as a study on what can be DONE by people of all income levels to live with a lower profile.

Suggestions could go something like this: -Homeless people recycle cans and bottles and other unwanted items. Saving them from the land fills. -Homeless people eat together as a community, one large pot o f soup heated up on one stove feeds many people. -Homeless people keep good resources from ending up in the land fill and from going to waste. They eat day old bread, wear used cloths, cut imperfections from fruits and vegetables and cook up what is edible. -Homeless people don't as individuals consume many products, therefor many of the resources used to make many of the products today are saved from extraction from nature. One te levision is watched by fi fty peo­ple in a community centre, where in some homes a TV in every room is watched by one person.

I think you get the idea of what I am trying to say we can do here. I would like the Carnegie Community Centre to ask for this grant money. Advertise in the news letter for suggestions to do this pamphlet up and to have it presented to the city, and put out there for all to read. Homeless people should be recognized for their contribution on earth day for what they do very well, and that is save on resources and walk lighter on the earth. Thus when one sees a homeless person one could better look on them with greater re­spect and gratitude.

Bv Colleen Carroll

1ST ANNUAl FCSTIVAL OF URBAN OfGITAL CULTURE

A DTES arts highlight for summer 201 0! Urban art and digital culture fuse in four summer exhibitions plus live music nights at W2 Storyeum.

At the core of W2's inaugural Surge Fest1val program are four media art and painting exhibitions which are free and open to the public. Surge also features electronic art performances, film screenings, wori<shops, and youth programs.

Street art and graffiti have found their way into institutions, advertising, and art galleries throughout the wor1d. This 'mainstreaming' also results in urban and street art becom1ng a bigger phenomenom worldWide while it continues to challenge private property rights and struggles for public space. Resisting power struc­tures, urban artists can create transfonnative cultural experiences for communities and people of all ages. Street art has helped build a creative core in Vancouver's inner-city that influences the cultural land­scape and heartbeat of the city.

The Surge Festival takes place in one of Vancouver's best exhibition and festival venues, W2 Storyeum at 151 W Cordova, which W2 has been operating since April 2010. This is just steps north of W2's future media centre location in the Woodward's heritage building. The art show's viewing hours are Wednesday to Sunday, 12-6pm. For updates, new screenings and workshop announcements check the web www.creativetechnology.org

W2 Summer Nights are weekly fundraising electronic music performances. Summer Nights feature some of Vancouver's best urban DJs and VJs, with all proceeds supporting the development of W2's inner-city com­munity media programs.

W2 operates W2 Storyeum as a festival, conference and exhibition venue for the benefit of the DTES and citizens of Vancouver. The former tourist attraction site (owned by the City) 31,000 sq ft complex features a large exhibition space, Community Media Lab, W2 Cafe catering, Sound Lab, Woodward's Heritage Letter­press, W2 and community offices, and W2 storage. W2 Storyeum is at 151 West Cordova, Vancouver.

Later this year (and after 7 years in planning), W2 will open W2 Woodward's community media centre. We are preparing to occupy 8,800 sq ft of space for 'W2 Cafe' employing DTES residents, a community radio and TV station, community meeting rooms, Open Web Lab, Creative Technology Incubator, Woodward's Heritage Letterpress Studio, and a community lounge. W2 Woodward's, 100- 111 W Hastings, Vancouver BC, V6B 1H4.

W2 is people-powered! Join our online community at www.creativetechnology.org, follow us on Twitter: @W2Woodwards or join our W2 Facebook group. To volunteer or apply for internships: http://www.creativetechnology.org/page/volunteer-intem. drop by W2 Storyeum, 151 West Cordova, phone 604-689-9896, or email volunteer@creativetechnology.org.

W? Community Media Arts

You are invited to the Opening Reception of the StoryBox Exhibition. Friday, August 6 at W2 Storyeum. 151 W Cordova St. (at Abbott). 7pm til late. Free! Enjoy fabulous food and refreshments by W2 Cafe, greetings from Councillor Heather Deal, exclusive viewing of the exhibition, chat time with artists and DTES contributors, live dance music by Pepe Danza, and an open mic for poetry, spoken word, and other riffing.

Please check these websites for special events scheduled at the StoryBox exhibition throughout the month of August. www.urbanink.ca www.creativetechnology.com

FEST VAL JULY 30TH TO AUGUST 28TH 2010

1ST ANNUAl FESTIVAL OF URBAN DIGITAL CULTURE

The StoryBox Reception: Friday, August 6, 7-10pm. Free. Catering by W2 Cafe. Runs August 6 to 28, Wednesday-Sunday, 12-6pm.

Five video and sound installations are the result of a collaborative process involving ten media artists and over eighty members of DTES community-based writing groups. urban ink, an Interdisciplinary theatre company connected art­ists with residents to develop their individual stories utilizing per­sonal artifacts as inspiration and illustration. The manifold stories held common threads bound to universal themes. StoryBox presents five such themes as representative of the powerfully spoken words by the most demo-<liverse voices.

Artists Frederick Brummer, Shawn Chappelle , Su-an Ng, Sepi­deh Saii, Justin Sekiguchi. Rupinder Sidhu. Lenke Sifko, Cease Wyss, Krista Lomax and Sammy Chien. DTES participants directly contributing to the exhibition: Julia Aleynikova, Samuel Beaudry, Colin Be1ers, Hendrick Beune, Afuwa Granger, Lenore Herb, Jezebel S. Jones, Quest Kabuki , Bill Lim, Joan Morelli and Antonette Rea. Community Group Animators/Facilitators: Hari Alluri, Lesley Ewen, Mutya Macatumpag, Omari Newton, Irwin Oostindie, Quelemia Sparrow and Naomi Steinberg.

Exhibition Viewing Surge Festival: August 6-28. Wednesday to Sunday, 12-6pm. New Forms Festival: September 10-18. Free admission.

The StoryBox Exhibition is curated by urban ink and W2, with financial assistance of the City of Vancouver, and produced in association with: Vancouver Society of Storytelling, Raycam Community Centre. Interurban. W2's Fearless City Mobile, Mus­queam Nation Writer's Group, DTES Women's Centre Writing Group, Carnegie Centre's Thursday Writing Collective, Life Skills Centre, Native Court Workers' Saturday Family Storytelling, Ug­nayaan Filipino Canadian Youth Alliance, Surrey Urban Youth Project, Gathering Place Megaphone project, Association of Chi­nese Canadians for Equality and Solidarity Society (ACCESS).

Q urban ink

This is made up of panel speakers and musicians in collaboration with

W 2 MULTI MEDIA LAB, CJSF, and COOP RADIO @ 151 W Cordova St ., Vancouver on August 21'1

Opening Conducted by M usqueam/Sto:Lo Elder ROSE POINT

11a.m. talp.m. TRUTH AND RECONCILITAION

2:30 to4:30 FIRST NATIONS BROADCASTER PANEL

FACILITATED BY GUNARGIE O'SULLIVAN

SUZZETIE AMAYA/Think NON

and Aboriginal Peoples Choice Winner

JANET ROGERS /Native Waves

LARRY PORTANLANCE/ CIVL

BILLLIGHTBOWN/CO OP Radio

C.J RICE/CKGI

JOSEPH LAVALLEY /CJSF (via SKPE)

ISABEL O'KANESE www.CJSR.COM 88.5 FM

IRKAR BEUAAR/CKUT

LISA ABELCHUO Native Caucus leader

MUSCIANS REMY DEVRIES musical director

OSTwelve/ MUSIC video shoot

DALLAS ARCAND cd release CURT YOUNG cd release

RUSSELL WALLACE

BRANDl

KIERA DAWN KOLSON tba

HAUN ANDERSON

GITZAN SINGERS

BJTIERLY DEVINE

LARRY HANSON

Plus Art tor raffle

ROSESPAHAN

GERRY WHITEHEAD

JIM EDENSHAW

KEN LOU

Tickets: $10 food & beverages available for purchase

Thank you for your consideration.

Gunargie O'Sullivan

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Life is Like a Roller Coaster

Having an acceptance of how things are Stronger and smarter rather than a painful waste of time

Short and sweet Others can try to guide you, give you advice, but you are usually

the one who decides what path you are going to take We keep all our money and change in our jacket pockets, so whe1 we would be speeding along little hills, up and down, our$ woulc

jump right out-never stopped us as we would be back in the line-u At the end of the ride you appreciate all the up's and down's, but

happy to be back on steady ground Full of up's and down's, curves, hills and obstacles, from

beginning to end I resist change and do become a repeated offender of my own

insanity Love life's ride, for that is the way it will be, up and down for

eternity There are its up's and down's, sometimes scary, sometimes fun,

sometimes thrilling, sometimes breathtaking It goes up and down and around and around Life is a lways going to be a learning lesson

You have to decide how slow or fast you want to go along Ali i know is that when I let go, all fear disappears, and I am free

Make sure your wear your seatbelt On and on the same stupid thing, day in , day out

You never know which way you are going, or how fast or slow you're coming down

Life is quite the adventure, there are so many doors opening and closing

Beginning to the end ...

Written by PEERS Group; Teresa, Marie, Esther, Nellie, Dar1ene, Lynnette, Darci, Nora, Melissa, Bonnie

l I

Selfishists say ... We're years ahead ya hear we're years ahead dear

World War World our daily bread, very industrious not very illustrious now who's counting on & down the Doomsday Timeclock that barks tic-toe inside your head, are you on the take? Jt's the little mistakes larger than life coffins while you wait & earth shivers & quakes no bakesale today but wait.. aforementioned coffins in huge demand as the heat boils a school of dolphins there they lay on Dead Dolphin Island like the Starship Lollipop they shouted the ir demands (MIAMI we have a problem) now don't get me wrong I hate to be right, but dampen my entourage of black clouds & I'll have you screaming into the night, time for relevance no takers on site, brains soaked in sun­shine/moonshine & 92* heat with no end in sight; they say more murders happen at that temp (truth) than any other .. just making eye contact will get you the royal baseball bat treat beat even I know tricks are not treats, like a rainforest dance trying to peer through radioactive rainbows can't see the small good behind the brick wall of bad. St.Minus says we've been had this is no fad Bad is Bad but Selfishists say ... all of a sudden my ear is unpluggin drinking or drugging then all of a sudden nothing as this rock's axis begins to seize up & skip what I'm sure4 is just the beginning of a mini-series of our miseries like playing musical electric chairs when elevators become obsolete hey those 43 floors of stairs aren 't going anywhere (re-

---===-&Jl:i .B··· ~--~ minds me of someone like ME) potential ability for instant despair! Once in a while I steal a smile comb my face try again to join this "human" race, I think of truly amazing but soon to be waste octopi with tentacles of ink: a moth & her silk .. cows & their lovely milk .. mink with their bloody fur .. those spiders true architects buiding their own condos they know the meaning of space we could learn so much but we ' re born to destroy anything within reach is it that hard to keep our stupidity to ourselves like a sidearm girl scout badge beside the Hesitation marks award they' re calling all Selfishists aboard enough war measurement acting like having your own Chernobyl in your backyard if it were the size of the Grand Canyon any & all living are now abandoning their everything like the child being asked what he would want to be one word "Living." Sorry. Earth who has seen 75 billion souls walk; I'm a rela­tive newcomer to this tiny universe, I'm learning to screw possessions no matter the outcome I'm in Hell are you sure that the best that can be done is worse? I don't know should I burnout or burst if time travel invents itself "To my expiry date Jeeves." being last could be a new first like being reminded I'm still alive pain in or out will always survive like watching friends die unable to cry believe me I try please step aside time to catch the eternal busride next stop . .... the All Alone Zone leave all emotions & humilia­tions on your bipolar Route 666 with complimentary setbacks, more anx iety attacks firmly held back, there is no wonder, no order, No Exit nor future but hey hey hey a pair of cufflinks with CIA-approved recorders. Selfishists say it's over right after their self-incrimina­tion .. kind of like driving with crash test dummies the only ones surviving, survey says, the splattered ones are not surviving the Selfishists say it's over ... our. .. dead ... bodies. Selfishist says goodbye - not j ust yet! A rant before you leave!! No wonder to much disgust & disease, they said life wasn' t fair but compared to Aushwitz this insanitized craziness is a sumptuous breeze until Polar says bye. I enjoy what I view as this generation 's cruel & strictly unusual punishment down the road (no such thing as) luck be with you.

By ROBERT McGILLIYRA Y

August 2010 at Rhizome Cafe * Arts Venue * Community Space

317 East Broadway, Vancouver, Coast Salish Territories

In our Meeting Room: Discussion on the Economic Crisis Wednesday, August 4, 7:00pm Join the international Socialists for a discussion on the economic crisis and what can be done about it. The goods and services that went unproduced during the economic crisis amount to $4 trillion -enough to provide basic edu­cation, healthcare, sanitation and nutrition to all those on the planet currently denied them for 30 years. However, governments around the world are demanding we accept cuts to our wages and social programs. Emai l for sug­gested readings in preparation for this discussion <Vancouver.Socialists@gmail.com>. Free Songtree CD Release Concert Saturday, August 7, 7:00pm Earle Peach and Barbara Jackson have created a CD after 25 years of singing together! This work is rooted in a commitment to building community, solidarity and justice through music. Come celebrate with them, hear per­formances by Earle, Barbara and special guests, and pick up a copy of the CD. 0-$20 sliding scale. $20 gets a copy of the CD.

Faith, Fencing & Fate: Artist Talk by Juanita Sundberg Thursday, August 12, 7:00pm Crossing the Mexico/US border without authorization is now a life-threatening journey. As undocu-mented mi­grants travel north, they transform the landscape in small, yet significant ways through the things they leave behind, from shelters and shrines to quotidian objects. Join us for an artist talk by Juanita Sundberg, a human geographer at UBC, who teamed up with social documentary photographer Michael Hyatt to record these cultural landscapes of migration in Arizona's Altar Valley. Through images of artifacts left behind, Sundberg will challenge rhetoric link­ing migration and environmental degradation and discuss humanitarian resistance efforts in the borderlands. Free In our Meeting Room: Ribbon, Reading and Discussion Friday, August 13, 11 :30am Patricia Darbasie, award winning playwright, will do a reading of her play Ribbon, which tells the story of Al­berta's turn-of-the-century black history through the lives and stories of two women. Stay after for lunch and a Q and A with the playwright. Presented by the Playwrights Guild of Canada and the Canadian Committee on Women's History. Free, donations welcome .

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THIS NEWSLETTER IS A PUBUCATION OF THE CARNEGIE COMMUNITY CENTRE ASSOCIATION

Articles represent the views of individual contributors and not of the Association.

WANTBJ Artwork for the Carnegie newsletter

Small illustrations to accomp<r~y articles and poetr)'. CoYer art- Max size: 17cm(6 Y:)wide x 15cm(6')hi!11. Subject matter pertaining to issues relevant to the Downtown Eastside, but all work considered. BI<D & White printing ooly. Size resbictions apply (i.e. if your piece is too lage, it wift be reduced and/or cropped to fit). AI artisls will receive credit for their worit Olijnals wUI be returned to the artist alter being ~lor publicalioo. Remuneration: Carnegie VOO!lteer TICkets

Please make submissions to Paul Tay\or, Editor.

GET CLEAN! Shower up at the LOrd's Rain

327 Carra II Street Oust off Pigeon Park) HOT SHOWERS

(towels, soap, shampoo, the works! & coffee) Monday llam-3pm; Tuesday 7-8:30am;

Tuesday 1-4pm and LADIES Only! Friday llam-3pm; Saturday 7-lOam

lei on parle Francais Hablamos &panol

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

102.1 FM Co-op Radio Next Issue is Monday, AugiJst 16th!

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THURSDAY, AUGUS'r 121A.

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

- ; . . ;.-";_ ~ '·-.: ·.- , ., - 7··.-·-= .. '. :.

Editor: PaulR Taylor; Coibrtion & distribution crew: Bill, Uu Lin, Harold, Ada. Vldeha, Mary Ann, Miriam, Kelly, Usa, Robyn, Nid.

2010 DONATIONS: Ubby D.-$50, Rolf A.-$50, Margaret D.-$4,. Jenny K.-$25, Sue K.-$30, Michael C,-$50, Jaya B.-$100, Christopher R..-$180, Barbara & Met L.-$50,l.eslie 5 .-$50, Sheila B.-$25, Wilhelmina U.-$10, CEEDS -$60, Laurie R.-$6( Vancouver Moving Theatre -$100, Sarah E.-$46 The Edge -$200 ·

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· ·j have the audacity to believe that people everywhere can have three meals a day for their bodies, education and culture for their minds, dignity, equality and justice for their spirits. I believe that what self-centred men have tom down, other-centred men can build up.'

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

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