N E W S L E T T E R' .JULY 1, 1997

401 Main Street, Vancouver V6A 217 (604) 665-2220

An Extremely Important Message From the Editors. ..

Please buy this newsletter!

Just kidding - it's still free!

7 EDITOR,Cirrne~h'~wslclt~r 22,June1997 !

Re: Women's Memorial article of June 15, 1997.

Please be advised that at no time have 1 given permission, in part or whole, for the use of my po- etry in regard to the December 6th Women's hlemor- ial. Neither have I given permission to t h ~ s group to use, in whole or part, excerpts from a particular piece of work which this group Is using in a form- al letter to people of the cornmunity to validate their cause. 'I'his is an infringement of my copy- right. At no time have 1 been approached by this group for the inclusion of my work in their letter.

I realize that Ca~negie and the ( 'atwege New.vlet- Icr have been unwittingly drawn into this contro- versial situation.

To sum up, I do not support the December 6th Women's menlorial, their committee or anything and anyone connected with this project.

At a later date, 1 will be pleased to further explain the histoty of this group, its soliciting of this area for support tbr the~r project and the reasons we find ~t so difficult to be included.

Thank you tbr your attention to this Instter.

Rarhara (irav

Edits to the Lettitor Whole world soul and greetings ... send regrets. All life - it is Spirit flesh as food. . Morally bankrupt, spiritually big jib march strathspey reel air 'Trees grasses weeds molds Roman candle cascade - ch~ysanthemum bouqwt Heaver Valley living desert vanishing prairie newspaper bits buttons photos dolly out truck left head and shoulders The Freeze - close-uu The end of madnesq - nwyhe t h t ' v wh(11 f r w d v [ I ~ P for Gravitation - the force of attraction between all objects of the universe. ?'he amount of the attraction depends on the amount of material in the obiects and thew distance

d

The force varie~ inversely with the square of the distatice Living psychostatic sculpture

'I'aum

NDP = N o w Durnp the Poor

Yes, the NIII' was forced to backtrack on it's latest poor-bashing move - the $96 cutback to the unetnployahle categop. Hut 11 took a major effort by community advocates to oppose it (not to mention the stress on the people ~ n ~ o l v e d ) . plus serious disorganization in the ministry - even welfare officials had to ad~nlt that the wong people (what they think of as the deserving poor) were being caught in the dragnet.

( ' o ~ n ~ n g s o soon atter the attack on employables. it leaves a lot of' people wondering if there's any real t i ~ f f ~ e n c e belwcen thc ND1' and the Brand-X parties Clark & Co. seem so anxious to curry favor with various rednecks and su~ t s that maybe they should join them in another pa~ty, and quit tw~sting the NDP out of shape

L,oyal Writer

Welfare recipients get lashninute reprieve on $96 cut A provincial plan to reduce benefits for thousands of people deemed unemployable is going back to the drawing board.

VICTORIA - Thousands of British Columbians who were to see their wel- fare cheques shrink this week have been given a reprieve.

Human Resources Minister Dennis Streifel confirmed Monday he ordered

in benefits a last-minute halt to plans he a n - nounced three months ago to reduce the "unemployable" benefits paid peo- ple with a physical, emotional or mental disability.

Last March, 27,000 welfare claimants who get a higher welfare rate thari those deemed employable were told they would have to reapply for benefits un- der new criteria. The changes were ex- vected to reduce benefits for about

15,000 people by $96 a month, saving the zovernrnent millions of dollars. " " ART1 WALK - "1;rdered a review of the criteria be- cause I had some concerns that folks were falling through the cracks," Streifel said & an in tebew Monday. i

ANNIEVILLE In March, Stmfel's mLnjstry changed

the rules for welfm benefits so that ev- Pioneering Fishing Village

on the Fraser River eryone getting benefits as "unemploy- able" would have to reapply. Under the new rules, there would be three cate- gories for welfare: Employable, disabd- ity benefits and "special needs" for peo- ~ l e who suffer an illness or injury that is not deemed to be debhtating.

"The way it was breaking out, I was- n't satisfied wc were semng the needs of the folks we started out to serve with t h ~ s category change," Stre~fel sad.

The told everyone get- ting the disability rate to get a medical opinion on whether they are employ- able. But that system wasn't worhng, he said.

"We had some problems with medi- cal practitioners' analysis of the criteria, so we were having folks show up who for all intents and purposes were not employable but were not getting into the right category," Streifel said. "We'll build a criteria that will protect those folks and then we'll go ahead with our reclassification."

Robin Loxton of the B.C. Coalition for the Disabled said he hopes the re.wiew will kill the "mean-spirited" initiative.

"We are relieved the minister has in- tervened. There were thousands of peo- ple facing a $96 cut on Wednesday, people who can't work to supplement their income. However, people aren't off the hook yet," he said.

"A lot of vulnerable people have gone through a lot of stress and are still wor- ried it map happen."

The changes would have reduced benefits to $500 a month for a large por- tion of the 27,000 people who currently get $596 a month as unemployable wel- fare recipients. Streifel could nor say how many people would lose their sup- plement, but Loston said his group was told by the ministry that about 15,000 people would be affected.

Loxton said many of those people al- ready rely on the food bank to supple- ment their income.

Special tour guide!:' Plus - endy Pederseo !: Climbing througl

hails from 1' ! a ravine nnieville! r 1 & along the

'! railroad tracks!

I Thursday, July 10, 1997 Meet at the info desk at 9:30 a.m.

Trashhopper 1 J I ~ P~cLed up the " G ~ e e ~ ~ l a r ~ d Times" the

1,ocal Newspaper and Saw an a r l i~ le about peop uriglrl Fall "Thlouglr the Cracks" cause of ille cutbacks of the h4i11iste1 of Socialist St.1 vices Iletirl~s Streifel This news has caused Trasl~lroppe~ 10 ~nabe a stalernetlt e \en tlloug11 i t screws up tny p~r-vacaliu~l's tacal~ori. Riglit low 1'111 up here in surirly greerrlarrd ell-juyirrg the whales and seals I also li)und oul w11) spaceships won't l a ~ d i n Stadey Pa~h , but that wlll have to wait until I get bach < M a go We'l e Hunting W p e and ~ t ' s my l u ~ 11 to lmie Bye for now.

P.s. Sorry Martir~ 1 lost your Ernail address in some polar bear shit.

Something Old, Something New

Please allow me to introduce you to the two new members of the Carnegie Board. They are Karl Schmidt, an active member of the Carnegie Seniors' Committee; and Sonny Kenick, who has been involved with the Carnegie Community Action Project.

Karl and Sonny were elected at the 1997 annual general meeting of the Carnegie Community Centre Association, held June 5. They replace Margaret Prevost and Bruce Aikins, who retired from the Board. Besides the two new members, the Board was re.

elected as follows: Members: Eva Britt

Leigh Donahue Dan Feeney Eldon Jones Wayne Kelland Mike Rennie Irene Schmidt Paul Taylor

President: Muggs Sigurgeirson Vice-president: Bud Osborn Treasurer: Jeff Sommers Secretary: Lorelei Hawkins Member-at-Large: George Nicholas

The 1996 Board was an effective, hard-working group of volunteers, and the new Board also seems very well-balanced. representing all sectors of Carnegie. We are going to need that kind of representation, because we are facing many challenges in the Centre and in the Community. The .4ssociation is the democratic \loice of

Carnegie and a strong force on behalf of all mem- bers of the community. Everyone is encouraged to take part, and make their opinions known.

We have a series of committees where a lot of the actual discussion and work of the Association takes place. The meetings are open to all. and they are pretty informal, so it's easy to get involved. The committees are Program, Community Rela- tions, Library, Senior, Volunteers, Education, Publications. Oppenheimer Park. Community

.Action Project and Finance., Dates and times of meetings are posted on the

door of the Association office on the second floor, and other places around the building. The Board itself meets the first Thursday of each month, at 7 pm in the Theatre.

1 don't want to conclude this report without saying a special thanks to Margaret Prevost and Bruce Aikins, for their contributions.

Bruce was a conscientious Board member, not afraid to speak his mind. He served a year on the Board and is now devoting himself to his employ- ment. Time permitting. he is going to continue to be active in Carnegie. and we are counting on that.

As for Princess Margaret, what can 1 say? Over the years, she has helped guide the Community Kelations committee into becoming a real factor in defending our community. She is taking a break from the Board, but she plans to remain involved in most things

If 1 know Margaret, we'll still be seeing a lot of her. Now that's something to look forward to!

F U k mto the streets, to whirl, swlrl and tw~rl, yet at the end of each whirl is ai~i~tlthe~ I w g i l l l t l l ~ y

It's not like 1 left you in the dirt. Albeit. 1 left you all to join hands and to continue as there is no ending; life begins w~th a seed

The centre of the Seed opens as the helping hand does I merely pulled away to start another beginning. This is what I am feeling-my life leads to another beginning, Towards another direction wlth the same meaning as 1 had

when the seed was planted in 1989 Most people would say I blossomed into a beautifid bed of roses

and then we have the ones who would disagree - only because they forgot to water the roses.

Over those years I began branching out into the neighbourhood, Jaunted up to city hall on many occasions

a lot of times 1 was here at the root of beginnings each year growing a new leaf.

Karmic quakes reverberate

Through nighttime lullabyes And cosmic beauty rides upon The spangled moonlit skies. Love runs in torrents within My delicate latticed veins,

And peace paints upon my soul Like a water-colour rain.

Today is my God's gift to me In all its poignant glory.

Tomorrow is but a hint of,a dream That relates a different story. -

Faith is the key in this web of life Which unlocks the mystery

I Each moment I live in today

1s tomorrow's history.

Love, Mo xoxoxo

My main goals were met.. and some of those goals turned into disasters as rocks blocked my pathway

My friends are still walking about and some still lurk beyond the trees, wondering what is going to happen next. ?

A true scholar never disbelieves the secret to a successful beginning: "This is not the end.. it is only the beginning."

(Man in Motion) Being homeless, being poor, and being an addict - will come to an end 'if only to be a museum piece'

and even then it's still a beginning. Thanks for your support. May the years ahead bring much success to meeting the needs and aspirations in our community.

Margaret Prevost (Xvice-president of DERA & Carnegie Centre Association)

More and more animals depend on people's aid. Like the bird for bread; like the dog for company and survival; like the cat for our scraps. At the same time more and more people can't have pets. All animals are still trying to survive. 'The bear has less territory as woods get smaller;

deer have less room to roam; the wolf is chased or hunted so it has to avoid people altogether.

Let's help the animals to survive and regain their independence.

By Doris Leslie

siiiiid out!'' Dora Sanders

I have a diamond in my eye I hope But this diamond is ground down And the truth dawns Why am I this evil being why am I not good? A song I think spins through my head I am of you why am I not you? Why am I not you? 1 came to this world I know not how nor can I get out 1 came to this world I know not how nor can I get out Am 1 not worthy of your gifts? Bitter enmity between friends and dire enemies I wish to better my situation but I know not how now I say I ask again how can I get out but the area is gray like the gray matter in my head I cannot get out this way

Elizabeth 7lorpe

Slashers Reading Room Roundup

Removed to solitary confinement Cement door slams closed Wounds no longer exposed The eye of the camera is on her Mute screams Bouncing off the bars in her head Make her claustrophobic Drive her pain to madness They have a psych ward for them A place for human guinea pigs Pump them full of drugs No longer women in pain They are wards of the state If she is lucky She will not be sent there Rut if she invites death to her cell Too many times more She will be lost She is already lost

The women's prison A farm for abused girls Bibles provide the only hope Television gives them all the dope Of a world for whrch they were mrstit Some are safer In than out Just a changrng ofthe guard One sentence for another Don't have to tbck for tobacco Won't get beaten over a tnck Oh go hungry waiting for a welfare cheque

They call them slashers 111 June yo:: ssw a fsmi!isr f x e in t!:e !ibraq

Her blood spills ti-ee agsin.. . Joyce, w!:o :etw:ed fro::: :: trsnsfer Po

From the visible gashes Chmpldn Brmc!:. We!cs:::e bsck Joyce!

Carpets her cell We watt to t!:iwk Jssn fsr so cspab!y fi !!kg

Ruby ribbons of anxiety Joyce's shoes fcr t ! ~ !%st rnmths and La.iie fer

Not a whimper coming from the Centrsl Library to he!p us o::t

Not a scream during this time. We'll miss you, Lsurie!

It is a visceral stream Before she !eft, Laaxie asked me k include the

Of relief followir,g message in the Ne:vsletter:

"Hello. I have been working in the Reading Against her will she lives Room for just over four months, on a temporary

transfer from the Central Library. These months have passed far too quickly. I have enjoyed my time here more than I can ever say. 1 wish to send heartfelt thanks to all who make Carnegie such a special place and who made my time here my best VPL memory. To Eleanor and everyone in the Reading Room: to Dan and eveIyone in the Centre; and to all the patrons - you're the best!!!"

And while I'm at i t might dust as well mention the geat work that all our staff does, here in the Reading Room. to make books. magazines and newspapers available to all of you. Come in and see us soon. We have just added

some adventure (Mark Bolen, etc.), true crime and occult to our collection.

Eleanor

No matter they lock you In at n~ght It 19 just a psychrc detarl '1 hese women know they are locked Into lrte Wrth lrttle more than a peep hole 'l'he pnson has burlt a revolvmg door No permanent cures rnside Just another 11nk In the cham of mrsery Kunnlng on bureaucracy It is a compound tor lost souls W~th no hope to be found

Pete Schwertzer

7 A C A R N E G I E C E N T R E P R O D U C T I O N

Come join us on the sidewalks of Carnegie in a celebration of the Downtown East Side Spread some colour in the heart of the city. Drar. big. Speak your mind. Share your experience oli 401 MAIN STREET our neighbourhood with sidewalk chalk drawimj stories & poetry.

The Cat

the cat is two incredibly big round black and green eyes in a s~nall round black head dainty little black paws black

a slowly dying man was taken to hospital the cat was left be- hind ended up at my house 'ts bin a week now he isn't adjusting well stays under the bed or on the bed under the blankets goes berserk when "exposed goes absolutely nuts i can't touch him have scratches on my hand

* * * he didn't shit for four days I think its 'cause the litter box is "exposed" on the floor beside the dresser

* * * the dying man's neighbour lady on the street told me the man chased the cat beat him with a stick

Shitty hall

We're takin' it down to shitty hall,gonna show 'ern! Come 'y'all. B r i n ~ yer mucklucks muckrake too. mugwumping is da thing to do. Bring yer boots yer moccasins too. yer flute & dnun yer much and few. Winter's gone summer's here. We won't take it another year.

We're takin' it down to shitty hall, hastings east is not a mall. Drugs and pimps they gotta go knives and guns are not for show. Boys and girls are not for sale. Throw those perverts in da jail. East end justice means just us, now we're gonna make a fuss.

Mr. tncbinner

Newsletter of the Carnegie

Community Act ion Project

July 1, 1997

Want to pet involved ! Call 689-0397 o r come see us at C a r n e ~ i e (2nd flr.1

1 ,?r\l~Ufi

T he Dominion Hotel, Waterfront, Grand Trunk, 347 W. Pender, Cambie Hotel, Regal Place Hotel, Welcome Inn. What do all these hotels have in common ? The owners have all decided to donate their buildings to the

community ! No. They will all be renovating, adding bathrooms to the rooms and charging less than 32Ymth forever ! No. They can all make more money evicting monthly renters, rent to tourists during the summer months or backpackers by stuffing two to four beds in a room. Right ! (continued on centre page, left)

by Shawn Millar

O n Thursday June 12th CCAP learned that the Vancouver/Richrnond Health Board had served notice of closure to the owner and tenants of the Roosevelt Hotel at 166 E Hastings St. Responding to complaints, including a letter from CCAP to the owner on June 9th and faxed to the various inspectors, the health board began investigating the hotel at the beginning of June. After finding conditions there unacceptable the health inspector made several visits throughout the following week, serving the hotels owner, Mr. Fat Lee with a list of recommendations each time. Mr. Lee failed to respond to any of the inspectors requisitions, and on Monday June 16th the Roosevelt was cleared by police and boarded up.

Although Mr. Lee claimed to have just eight vacancies in the fourty-five room hotel , there seemed to be only a dozen or so residents making their homes there. The residents CCAP visited during the time between the notice and the actual closure had nice rooms, comparatively large and bright, with big windows. Unfortunately a closer look revealed that none of the toilets where working, and water pressure to the fixtures was a mere trickle. The smell of human waste filled the building, as it was on

the floor in places, and garbage was littered throughout. Un-occupied rooms where badly vandalized with sinks smashed up, and doors and wall panels kicked in. Where there was not rotting carpet the floor itself was rotten and decayed.

Despite extensive damage and neglect, the original quality with which the Roosevelt was built hints at the potential for a really nice hotel. Added to the sense of wasted housing was the hardship of sudden displacement for the residents. Fat Lee's irresponsibility in managing and maintaining his property over the last twenty years has resulted in what is essentially a sad tragedy for the community, but all at CCAP. are keeping our fingers crossed that the Roosevelt may yet be vitalized, and that its story may continue on with a more positive tone.

Note: You may have noticed that Mr. Lee i s trying to sell the Roosevelt. He 's asking $1,280,000. 00 ?! lfyou divide thar by the total number ofrooms, 45, it equals to $28,4 45.00 per room. A room with no door and a rotten.floor, good deal !

Give It Back 1

ras

ing 3 ns,

North Shore commuters on their way into Vancouver get a message that Fama Holdings' occupation of the Woodwards building is not welcome in the Downtown Eastside. Fama Holdings Ltd. is a West Vancouver-based development company.

Some n o t e s f r o m H a w Ysrk C l t v

The following is an excerpt from the New York Times editorial, Nov. 1 1 , 199 1

Hide the Homeless ? Last ,June, police in riot gear tore

down a shantytown in New York S Tompkins Square Park and evicted the homeless. Then they swept through nearby vacant lots to tear down a new shantytown and evict the homeless again. Can't the city do better than chase the homeless from one block to another ? The answer is yes, given common sense

7he homeless on New York City's chilly streets bear witness to dramatic failures of social policy afecting the mentally ill and abusers of drugs and alcohol. They constitute two of every three homeless people.

Failure one: Patients were dischargedfiom upstate hospitals but given no community treatment. Failure two: The extensive destruction of single-room- occupancy hotels demolished their primary source of lodging. Failure three: Public officials neglected the need for social services generated by the crack epidemic.

Failure # two is one failure we can avoid in Vancouver and all the reason why an anti- conversion and anti-demolition by-law is needed.

Note: Rehveen 19 75 and 1983, New York ('ity lost 160 residential hotels - 61 % of total stock. Since 1983 the number of hotels has shrunk even further.

1 Bid to evict A Resident's Stow :

by Shawn Millar

Although this account concludes on a relatively good note, it does illustrate the underhanded disregard for people that some hotel owners converting from residential to tourist hotelhack-packers hostel are showing.

Brad Martin is mildly disabled. He moved into the Dominion Hotel at the start of November '96, paying $385. for an 8x12 room. The cost of the room was $525 per month for guests, but as a permanent resident he received a discount of $140. In March '97 the hotel came under the new ownership of Yeong Kang, and troubles becoming all too familiar to downtown residents began for Brad.

The new owners began attempting to enter Brads highly secure room in his absence, and his cable TV was reduced. The pre-discount cost of the room was raised $100 without notice. This did not effect Brad's rent, but was an illegal attempt to remove him from the protection of the R.T.A.. Then at the end of May, Brad received a five day eviction notice, claiming he was a guest and not a resident.

Throughout the following week Brad received numerous eviction notices, one fraudulently dated March 3 1 st, (the management implied he simply hadn't noticed it laying under his door for three

1 hotel tenants 1 ruled illegal

months.). His guests where made to leave their S.I.N.'s at the front desk. One eviction notice claimed rent in arrears, that his administered government shelter allowance had not been received, but this story changed when official confirmation was requested by social services.

CCAP learned about the goings-on, and luckily for Brad, a referral to D.E.R.A. advocates quickly addressed his problems. The Dominion's management was taken to arbitration by DERA and soundly defeated on all points. In the wake of his victory Brad was verbally harassed by the hotel management and accused of fraud, forgery, and extortion, but then he was treated with a visit by the lawyer representing the hotel. When the visit was over, Brad had a nicer, larger room, $100 consolation cash, restored cable, and a two month lease providing him adequate time to find a new home. Needless to say, Brad is quite thankful for DERA.

Note: Apartfrom a handful of remaining residents, the Dominion har converted. Some of the building is now B.C. Rainbow Hostel, where a bunk bed in a small room full ofbackpackers cost $ I 7per night. There is some association with the American Backpackers Hostel in Seattle, Washington. The rest of the building is simply the Dominion Hotel, where rooms range from $76.05 to $128.65 per night.

Pleasant dreams from Mr. Kang.

(continued from front page ) In fact, a quick hike down to the trainhus station at Terminal and Main and you'll notice in the brochure rack most of these hotels advertising and some even have direct line set up. Just call free of charge and reserve your bed, the Grand Trunk will even come and pick you up ! CCAP called the Grand Trunk the other week to check out how business was going. All booked up, no bed available for at least two days, we're told. Some of you may have remembered the Grand Trunk, next the Dug Out, as 25 room rooming house that at one time accommodated long term and temporary residents on a monthly basis.

In the last CCAP newsletter it was reported that San Francisco's anti-conversion law had during the 1980s substantially reduced the loss of residential hotels. According to San Francisco's city planners, only 109 units were lost to conversion compared to 5,000 units between 1975 and 1980. It was too late for any sort of anti-conversion law in New York City, the city had lost over 60% of its residential hotel stock by 1983. In fact, the loss was so great and the consequential increase in hornelessness that in- 199 1 Mayor David Dinkins proposed spending $80 million to add 1,100 SRO rooms.

CCAP recently contacted David Greenberg, an advocate with New York's Coalition for the Homeless, who was'surprised to hear that Vancouver still had such a substantial stock of residential hotel and rooming house units. Mr. Greenberg mentioned that Vancouver's stock was much greater than New York's stock, he encouraged us to not follow his

city's example of conversion and demolition if we wanted to reduce the growth of homelessness. He also mentioned that the current policy regarding New York's homelessness is not too provide new forms of housing, but to disperse the homeless outside of Manhattan island. In other words, Dispersion (i.e. spread the homeless and especially get them out of tourist areas and the hip neighbourhoods of New York). is the policy of the day. In fact, the current Mayor of New York, Rudy Guiliani, admitted that dispersion "is not an unspoken part of our strategy ... That is our strategy." (Village Voice, May 9, 1995).

Dispersion is an act of failure. Creating an anti-conversion, anti-demolition by-law for Vancouver is an act of foresight. Increasing homelessness is to no ones advantage, protecting the current stock of residential hotel and rooming house units allows time for upgrading and new supplies of housing to come on stream.

Next issue: a sampling of arguments in favour of an anti-conversion~demolition to take to city hall. \

Woodwards' Development Permit Hearing has been set !

Chuck Brooks Development Planning, on behave of Fama Holdings Ltd., has submitted an application to the city's planning department for a development permit, which if approved would allow them to go ahead with their all condo development at Woodwards. The date is September 3rd' 3pm at Cityhall.

You can rest assured that CCAP and other organizations from the Downtown Eastside and all over Vancouver will be there to express our absolute condemnation of Fama's project. Stay tuned.

Other news related to Woodwards

Demonstration at Fama On June 25, CCAP, DERA, PRG and EYA (Environmental Youth Alliance) held a protest outside of Fama's office in West Vancouver. The purpose of the demo. was to remind Fama Holdings that the Downtown Eastside hasn't forgotten about their betrayal to this community or that the current plans for an all market condo project is completely unacceptable.

The demo went on for a few hours in the early morning. Fama locked its office doors, so we decided to tape our message of discontent on the door.

Vigil at Woodwards on Canada

The Political Response Group (PRG) has planned a 24 hour vigil at Woodwards starting at 5pm, Monday, June 30 and going until 5pm on Canada Day. Visits and support would be greatly appreciated. Help PRG echo the message that Woodwards belongs to the community, not Fama Holdings.

What up with Abbott Mansion 3

There have been reports that volunteers on the incentive program are running the front desk and doing janitorial work reaching up to 100 hours per month. That works out to $ 1 per hour. On the incentive program a volunteer is only required to work a minimum of 10 hours (= $ I Olhr). It is not meant to be used as a substitute for paying people decent wages.

Abbot Mansion was recently purchased by the Central City Mission Foundation. Their plans are to renovate the building and run it as a non-profit rooming house.

And you thought the West End was dense !

Here are some city figures on the projected population and densities of areas in the downtown if all goes according to plan. Of interest is the fact that what is called Triangle West (the area bounded by Georgia, Pender and Bute St, near Stanley Park) is expected to be more than double the density of the West End. Check out the figures.

Area Acres (Land)

Triangle West 3 6

Southeast False Creek 5 0

North Shore False Creek (Concord) 166

Bayshore Gardens 16

Marathon 4 1

Downtown South 128

Thorton Park 75

Granville Slopes 25

West End

False Creek South

For Comparison: The Downtown Eastside including Gastown, Chinatown and Strathcona has a total area of 1,664 acres and an approximate density of 10 people per acre. Of course, it is rather dense along the Hastings St. corridor, but the lower density of Strathcona brings the total density down.

Projected Population People per Acre

195

8 5

87

112

85

86

5 0

120

79

5 1

B+S - a running sto[v

how much his own use would come to. Usually he thought ahead. He felt a little stupid.

Sandv had made enough to get a couple of points a c b - I of heroin. She thought of gabbin? somethin.? to

4' 1 eat b~lt couldn't eet the euv <he staved with lact " ..--.-- - ..... a=... " d night out of her mind. He was gentle.. not the usu- al type of jerk she slept with for a little warmth.

I She met him while oi her way to her tiny hotel I room She'd decided to make a buv first hut nnt - - - - - - - -

having a regular dealer. settled for whoever she ran into first. Last night it was Barry.

Barry finally managed to scrape up enough mon- -

%_ c/ ey tn make that all-important score. He had to sell

The moon was hap-looking thig evening and there was a mist in the air. Sandy felt a little somber Her clodhoppers were tight: she had found them on a bench at a bus-stop earlier in the day and. if she'd seen this outcome. would have kent her running shoes on.

The fear she felt was not unusual. Neither was the self-consciousness. To look at her. standing on a street corner. you wouldn't know that she was onlv sixteen. She had learned to applv the makeup with some professionalism. It hid a lot. Especiallv the fact that she had to use a rig to give herself enough enemy to get out of bed. It had also saved her from withdrawals.. she'd been using that long.

The one thing Sandy did try to do on a regular basis was eat. but when you are hooked on heroin it can be very difficult. The ~ u n k suppresses your appetite. She managed as well as she could. relieved that at least she wasn't a bonewrack.

Barry thought that he was going to make enough for another score earlv in the day. but he hadn't: He knew whv. too. and couldn't blame anvbodv but himself. He'd needed companv last night and had to oav for it bv giving her some down. It wasn't disaooointment at this: he'd not calculated

the CD Player he'd bought recently, though in the hack of his mind he seemed to know he wouldn't have it long. He'd just wanted to know that he could posess something that normal people did. Normal people had steady jobs. With savings accounts. Noma! people.

Sandy wasn't sure if she wnuld find Bany at the same place.. but she thnught she wnuld give it a shot and see if he was there. She got to the corner where he was the other night but he wasn't around. She felt a bit disappointed. As she turned to leave Sandy saw one of her- wvrhnates. 'Lissa, in the alley across the street 'Lissa was working hard on trying io find a vein and getting frustrated at the amount of time it was taking. Sandy was sure Barry was close by. maybe just around the corner.

Bany was happy. He had just made a sale and things were looking up - the next sales would be profit. He was still thinking about the CD Player and quickly pushed it out of his mind. It was a shtpid, nuisance thought. He was twning the comer when all of a sudden Sandy andhe were face to face. He felt a little jolt as he remembered the night before.

They stared at each other for a few seconds and, before they realised it, were on their way to Sandy's room for the night. Barry was thinking to himself that at least if he messes up tonight, he has the TV he can pawn tomorrow ...

QUALITY CONTROL Gar ry Gust s t u d y and e n l i g h t e n m e n t i n t h e many

Are you a p e r f e c t i o n i s t ? 1 t h i n k most l i f e t i m e s o u r s o u l p e r s o n a l i t i e s people are i f a l lowed t h e time and t o o l s spend on t h e e a r t h p l a n e . t o work on t h e i r t a s k s , u n d i s t u r b e d by d e a d l i n e s o r someone b r e a t h i n g o v e r t h e i r s h o u l d e r .

I n t h e n e a r f u t u r e , as m a n u f a c t u r e r s r e p l a c e worker s w i t h r o b o t i c s , a mass o f people w i l l have e x t r a time on t h e i r hands t o do w i t h as t h e y w i l l .

Middle aged peop le who have worked e i g h t h o u r s a day f o r most o f t h e i r a d u l t l i v e s w i l l f i n d t h e m s e l v e s bored t o c r a z i n e s s u n l e s s t h e y f i n d c e r t a i n p r o j e c t s t o m a i n t a i n a s e n s e o f accom- p l i shment .

Gardening, drawing, woodwork and o t h e r h o b b i e s w i l l f i l l t h e g a p s f o r many p e o p l e , b u t f o r some, t h e s e a r c h f o r f u l f i l l m e n t may be a h a r d e r q u e s t .

It is f o r t h o s e , who a r e n ' t handy w i t h t h e i r hands o r m e c h a n i c a l l y i n c l i n e d , t h a t t h e s p i r i t u a l realm w i l l p rove t o be a n enhancing mistress, o r master, de- pending on t h e d e p t h o f . s tudy.

The l o g i c a l p l a c e t o s t a r t would be w i t h t h e s t u d y o f stars and p l a n e t s , and t h e impac t o f t h e i r movement on l i v i n g t h i n g s -Astronomy and A s t r o l o g y , r e s p e c t i v e l y .

The n e x t s t e p i n t h e s e a r c h would be t o t r y and f i n d a copy o f H . G . W e l l s l "The O u t l i n e O f H i s t o r y " i n o r d e r t o g e t a b a s i c g r a s p o f how w e p h y s i c a l l y g o t h e r e .

A f i n a l , and pe rhaps a more comple te s t e p , would be t o s t u d y t h e a n c i e n t Laws of t h e u n i v e r s e found i n t h e R o s i c r u c i a n O r d e r ' s monographs, which r e s o l v e t h e m y s t e r i e s o f l i f e more t h a n s a t i s f a c t o r - i l y .

E v o l u t i o n i s t h e timeless j o u r n e y toward t h e p e r f e c t i o n f rom whence w e came.

The journey h a s s e c u r e s h o r t c u t s f o r t h o s e who s e e k t h e p a t h o f s p i r i t u a l

Good h u n t i n g .

An Open letter To Glen Clark And Jenny K w n

It is a shameful fact that the Ibwn- town Eastside, a provincial NDP riding, has lost such needed services as &ox btres, has lost f u n m for housing Relocaters, and has lost the pre- election confidence that gambling would not be expanded under an NDP governrrwt.

There is a great suffering tha t continues t o grown in this ccmrmnity due t o the lack of drug treatment and recov- ery f ac i l i t i e s .

A s well, long time residents l ive i n constant fear of losing thei r hcmes because of gentrification .

?his canbination of hopelessness and despair has caused an acute increase in criolinal behavior that greatly af fec ts and spreads in to surroundmg carmunities i n the rim.

If these services are not restored in short order, you can be assured that the bwntown Eastside w i l l not be an NDP riding a f t e r the next election.

G.C,ust

Human Rights and the DERA Co-op Mural

"One Hundred Years Of Struggle" - that's the name of the DERA Co-op mural that illustrates events from the working class history of the Downtown Eastside. The mural is five stories high, and is painted on the walls of an air well inside the DERA Housing Do-op at 638 Alexander Street.

Russ Hunter, Dan Keeton and I went to see the mural recently, and Russ and Dan talked about its history. The mural was painted in 1985, the year the DERA Co-op opened, and the artists were Nikki Kozakiewicz and Stephen Hinton. The project was funded by the Vancouver Secondary Teachers' Association and the Vancouver Elementary Teachers' Association. The faces of citizens associated with the

Downtown Eastside show up in the mural. Anna Wong, Kathy Schultz, Mr. Lee, Jean Swanson, Bruce Eriksen, Harry Rankin, Geny Tellier and Tony Williams are some of the faces we recognized. The history of the Downtown Eastside truly is a

history of the struggle for human rights. Working men and women fought for the eight hour day and the right for form trade unions here. The Vancouver and District Labour Council stared in 1889. in 1'903 Frank Rogers was picketing for the striking United Brotherhood of Railway En&' rlneers when he was shot and killed by a C.P.R. hired gun at the foot of Gore Street. In 19 18 Canada's first General Strike took place in Vancouver to protest the murder of Ginger Goodwin, a labour organizer from Cumberland, BC. In 19 19 there was a General Strike in sympathy with the Winnipeg General Strike.

During the Great Depression of the 1930s, unemployed men in the Downtown Eastside fought for the right to food, shelter, and "work and wages." Soon after the occupation of the Carnegie in May, 1935, the men of the Relief Camp Workers' Union began the On-To-Ottawa Trek.

In June, 1935, one thousand longshoremen were attacked by police near Ballantyne Pier as a result of a lockout and strike. Longshoremen had been fighting for their own union since the 1890s. By 1944 they had a strong union that won important gains for its members.

In the 1970s citizens of the Downtown Eastside won the Carnegie Community Centre for the neighbourhood. Later they won Crab Park and took back Oppenheimer Park from the drug dealers. In 1985 they started the Strathcona Community Gardens which empowered the community through the creative act of planting seeds. Japantown (Powell Street), Chinatown, and First

Nations communities have fought for human rights over the years. Canadians of Japanese background won "redress" (compensation) for their unjust internment during World War Two. Chinatown is now a busy commercial centre with a strong position in the tourist trade. First Nations communities have never ceased to fight for justice. and their enduring struggle is an inspiration to other Canadians. Today the Downtown Eastside faces the market-

driven threat of gentrification, and it is a community under siege. We can take pride in our long history of human rights. Memory is the mother of community.

Sandy Cameron

Cheery welfare claims hide shameful By MIKE BELL . . . . . , . . . . . . . , . . . . . . . . . , . . . . . . . , . . , . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . S:a>Y w f k r

; \ I ] independent organization has i d provincial governnient cl,iims i t is getting people off uelfare.

The Social Planning and Research Council (SPARC) of R.C. sa\ \ provincial government claims its B.C. Rc:~i':'it~ program is thc impetus be- hind shrinking welfare rolls are false and further slammed premier Glen Clark's New Democratic Party for failing to meet the basic costs of liv- ing with low welfare rates.

fluman resources minister Dennis

:Streifel credited the government's 13.C. Benefits package for moving il.000 off welfare since June 1995. 'the biggest drop in 20 years." In .March 19 1.000 people in B.C. collect- cd welfare, down from about 222,000 two years ago. But SPARC research 8.lirector Michael Goldberg said the province is playing a smoke and mir- iors game.

"One of the reasons we were seeing the caseloads going down is that the economy was improving, and that started before they brought in B.C. Benefits," Goldberg said, criticizing the NDP for reducing welfare rates to make them almost unlivable. His 2h- page booklet Widening the Gap out- lines the drop in welfare rates since the NDP began its most recent fid- dling with the $1.5 billion program .~nd asks the government to increase uelfare rates. The welfare caseload climbed rapidly irnnlediately after the New Democrats came to power in 1901.

SPARC income security committee <.hair Jane Pulkingham says "things .ire getting much worse for the

truth, say critics Monthly welfare rates according to SPARC (not idoding shelter allowance)

Single adult $1 75. Single parenvone child $359. Two adulWno children $291. Single parenvtwo children $359. Two adults/two children $383.

Average monthly costs according to SPARC (not inciuding sheller allowance)

Single adult $516. Single parenVone child $793. Two adultsho children $930. Single parenvtwo children $1 233. Two adults/two children $1445.

province's poorest citizens," and called current welfare levels "destitu- tion pure and simple." Goldberg says rates have dipped so low, "right now they're getting roughly half of what they need."

"Singles and couples are especially having a very tough time," Goldberg told The Echo last week. "They've fallen far behind everyone else. For a single person the amount of coverage went down from 1993, when they got 57 per cent of thoir costs and which still wasn't enough, to I997 where they are getting -18 per cent of their costs covered. That's a huge drop."

Basic welfare rates allow $175 a month plus a shelter allowance of up to 5325 for a single recipient, but Grrldberg said that isn't enough for anyone to survive.

"How did they come to $175? How did they set these rates? From what I've heard it's on our ability to pay, but how do you say that so much rnoneq roes into welfare and so mucii , goes into Forest Renewal or whatev- er?"

He said many have to dip into their food budget to get proper shelter. a situation Goldberg figures will more likely keep the cycle of poverty going than slow it.

"You're not getting proper nutrition let alone getting a bus pass to go to w rk, getting a haircut and making sure your clothes are clean so you can look presentable in a job interview."

He said in any given month "there's a tremendous flow on. and off wel- fare." In March there were 11,000 new cases, but welfare rolls went down because 11,400 cases were re- moved from welfare at the end of February.

"It's an improved economy that gets people off welfare, not lowering rates," he said. "This may make them more desperate and it may even make i t more difficult for them to get off welfare. but i t won't help them get off

L

" Human Rights" or "Policy

4 ' ' Objectives"?

The statistics of poverty in Canada are Enough so to prompt the U.N.

Committee on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights to reccomend that the Canadian judiciary be provided training courses on Canada's international obligations, after a 1993 review of the international covenant Canada ratified in 1976 to recognize the right of every Canadian to an adequate standard of living [or himself and his fmily, including adequate food, clothing, and housing, and to the continuous improvement of living conditions. The recommendation that Canada should receive guidance in it's international comtnimnents stems fiotn the fact that domestically Canada is completely at odds with international laws concerning the rights of the poor. For example, one year after consolodating Canada's corninitlement internationally to honour the rights of the poor with the signing of the Word Swnmit on Social Development's " Plan of Action" in 1995, legal imperitive at home to ensure these same rights was eliminated along with the Canada Assistance Plan in 1996. In fact, the rights of the poor are not even tnentiond in the Canadian Charter of Rights.

In 1989 the House of Commons made a unanimous motion to end child poverty in Canada by the year 2000, but as things stand eight years later, by the year 2000 it will have doubled. Workfare programs like the new B.C. benifits Program are a flagrant violation of the right to freely choose work. Canada is blatently lying to the global community with any profession of integrity regarding its obligations to the poor. What an embarassrnent for us citizens!

Canada clearly seem to be following the "American Way " as outlined in the 1948 U.S. State Department's Policy Planning Study #23 whch dictates; ..:'we should cease to talk about vague and unreal objectives such as human rights, the raising of living standards, and democratization. The day is not far off when we

are going to have to deal with straight power concepts. The less we are hampered by idealistic slogans, the better." Indeed, the public outcry on the homefiont coupled with the rest of the world's baffling procurement of only more political tapp- dancing, confirms our political/economic leadership's "war on the poor".

The "war on the poor" is ultimately made easy for the agressors by the lassitude with which the poor themselves receive the injustices heaped upon them. Apart tyorn a relative handfull of poor reactionaries, a lot of poor Canadians actually subscribe to the rhetoric of poor-bashing. Could it be too much television'? Whatever the case may be, the obsevations of Fredrick Douglas in 1857 apply succinctly to our situation today. "Power concedes nothing without demand. Find out just what people will submit to, and you will have found out the amount of in-justice and wrong that will be heaped upon them." It is unfortunate that Canada's poor seem to have so much endurace when it comes to being humiliated, durogated, and descriminated agains i .

Squeegee girl Squeegeeity waler Me, I'm a poet Squeegeeiag words You wash windows 1 wax verse They say we're a nuisance You and me Squeegeeing below the poverty line netter left unseen

Squeegee girl Wipe your screen Shoe shine boy lick your feet Ruskers and poets 1,ivin' lean One hig glohal economy C'omin- on outta that North American dream

.- - - -- -

But she spurts trorn the scene She's outta here A squeegee giri's memory In her rearview mirror

S q ! ! p y ~ p gir! Wipp yn!(r Q r w P v

Shoe shine boy Lick your feet Buskers and poets Livin' lean One big global economy Comin' on outta that North American dream

Squeegee girl Where's your friend One who got arrested For panhandling Got thrown in a cell 'I'here was no one to tell How she stood there naked And scared Pants around her ankles Cop took her from behind Drove her into the darkest corners Of her mind She woke up in a pool of weeping The honor too great to think abou I imagine my handkerchief To her face Scratched and bruised And soiled with shame But squeegee girl took her Into your ar-ms Gathered the broken selves From h a m You helped her leave the worst Of the pain Back in the cell Where she was raped Got to survive

Squeegee girl Wipe your screen Shoe shine boy Lick your feet

Buskers and poets Livin' lean One big glohal economy Comin' on outta that North American dream

Squeegee girl On a bed of cement The morning is early and grey Your dog licks your face And gives you the love To get through another day Sometimes I envy Your squeegee family The courage to be so free You can sleep under bridges Or squat together In solidarity 1 walk alone I walk with a poem Don't work to earn my keep Return to my rootn And often weep I For the lives of those 1 cannot claim

'4 In a poem "Z Yet here I am Borrowing your story Squeegee girl 1 absorb it thoroughly Now let me give it back to you So you can go on living

Squeegee girl Wipe your screen Shoe shine boy Lick your feet Buskers and poets Livin' lean One big global economy Comin' on outta that North American dream

Pete Schweitzer

Greystone Properties' proposed Portside Place trade Br convention developnwnt N ill cause dlsplacernent and evictions. The Downtown Eastside cannot afford the loss of existing, low- income housing in the waterfront area. .4 by-law proposal from the City of Vancouver's

housing department (to regulate the detnolition or conversion of SRO's (single rootn occupancy) seems to apply only to hotels. It has not been finalized or passed but some area hotels have already converted to attract higher income renters and tourists The Cambie and Dominion hotels are two examples.

We can not afford or allow the loss of local use of Crab/Portside Park. Part of Greystone's plan is a major walkway from its 10,000 person Trade & Convention Centre to the fragde local community park Empty but explosive hazardous material railcars

are being moved from the Seabus Terminal area to Main Street in the CPRail shunting yard. Children play a mere 100 feet from these railcars Both the Downtown Eastside and potential customers at a Pottside Place megaproject are at risk

Loyal Reader

Unless this cycle of drug abuse ends soon, Vanc- ouver will have bunied out its welfare budget, services budget. social budget.. arid allowed numerous young people to die needlessly.

As an example: fiom my hotel window on Jack- son St. last night I witnessed a coroner's wagon taking away a body of an overdose victim; a pol- ice paddy wagon taking away an illegal inimigrant from El Salvador for selling crack; an undercover officer arresting a prostitute for soliciting johns in the middle of the street; then an ambulance taking away another wornan who had overdosed on heroin in the alley. This was followed a little later by a fire truck showing up and two of its crew hying to revive a person who overdosed on coc- aine - they kept the person alive arid eventually surrendered her to the ambulance paramedics. There wer-e a total of 7 City Service Veliicles liere for this one overdose \,icti~n. who will probabl}, go on with her life atid OD in the near future ...

This enonnous cost is born by the working people of Vancouver and affects tlie working and Iiatidicapped poor. due to the loss of money for legili~nate services. I hate two \,ears ~~ti i \ .ers i t~ ' niatli anti 1 have no trouble figuring out tlie financial loss. \\liy can't the hla\.orr.'

Shookurn .lini

SOCIETY 1997 UUP.'ATIOEiS Paula R.-$30 ltm. B . -$?O

C, r) L i l l i a n 11.-$25 C1 r( Joy T. -$20 Cf,

I Frances -$25

Rocking Guys-$30 Diane M.-$15 Lorne T . -$20 Ye1 L.-$20 - . *.. S a r a u.-$20 T I E NEWSLEllEn IS A PUOLICATION OF TtIE CEEDS - $ l o CARNEOIE COMMIJNIIY CENTRE ASSOClAllON

Charley B.-$15 Susan S.-$30 Libby D. -$40 DEYAS -$75 Guy , 4 . - $ 1 ~ B r i g i d It. - $ l o 'I'oin U . - $ I 0 Amy E . - $ l o Ikne 1:. -$30 Kay F . - $ 5 Sari1 It . - $2 0 Nei l N.-$10 Kick Y . -$63 Sharon J-$50 BCClJ -$SO llolderl l lo te l -$5 Sonya So~nlners -$ lo0 Census E~nployees -$200

Joan D. Mike M. Bill G. Ray-Cam

P?

Submisslo11 Deadline for Ihe next Issue: n -

4 5 July 10 I

The Downtown Eastside Resid can help you with:

any welfare problem 'information on legal rights 'disputes with landlords *unsafe living conditions 'income tax 'UIC problems 'finding housing

entsQ Association

*opening a bank account Come Into the Dera office at 425 Carrall St. or phone us at 682-0931.

DERA HAS BEEN SERVING I THE DOWNTOWN EASTSIDE

I FOR 24 YEARS.

I I COULDN'T Gin OFF THE BUS

a shiny Sunday, we'd had so much rain I was tired and tried to keep myself free but couldn't resist meeting a friend at the Strathcona Community Garden, I asked the driver if she went to Prior but by the time we got there I couldn't get off so she called it out and looked at me in the rearview mirror, I was sitting at the back and nodded, but still she wouldn't move until I walked up to her and said I wasn't sure I wanted Prior and I must have seemed pretty miserable because she said "you had your car towed, right? you want the towing company at the foot of Knight Street," "no," I said, I didn't even have a car, I just really wanted to stay on the bus to go round the city and back to where I came from and was that alright? which seemed fine by her so down 1 sat beside the window that was smeared in coca cola or maybe it was blood, but it was my favourite seat and looked out a bit, but couldn't take much light so mostly I stared at my hands a t my newly found spots fading freckle or probably emerging liver, and tried playing with Prior as in convictions, Prioress as in Chaucer and Priorities, which left me totally stumped and bounced back and forth between depression, which I'd brought on with me and guilt, which was newly acquired (this batch anyhow) for not meeting my friend and fmally got to reading a book I'd been hauling around. poetry by Audre Lorde, and I sat there quietly crying over parts of pain, then I helped a group of tourists, who couldn't figure out that the bus stops only at the bus stops here and when they got off they giggled and waved and I giggled and waved back, and when it was time for me to get off, it had been three hours, 1 went to thank the driver for the grea ride and told her I'd finished my book and she said happily, "oh excellent, anytime"

Renee Rodro

and salt-, Ta, o,,books- ,