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carnnews@vcn.bc.ca
401 Maln Street Vancouver Canada V6A 2T7 (604) 665~2289 Email: carnnews@shaw.ca
Website/Catalogue: carnegienewsletter.org
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29th ANNUAL WOMEN'S MEMORIAL MARCH
The February 14th Women's emorial March is an opportunity to grieve the loss of our beloved sisters in the DTES and to commit to justice. This event is organized and led by women because women, especially Indigenous, face physical, mental, emotional & spiritual violence on a daily basis. All welcome. Artwork: Christiane Bordier
The first women's memorial march was held in 1992 in response to the murder of a woman on Powell Street in Vancouver. Out of this sense of hopelessness and anger came an annual march on Valentine's Day to express compassion, community, and caring for all women in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside, Unceded Coast Salish Territories. . The women's memorial march continues to honour the lives of missing and murdered women and all women's lives lost in the Downtown Eastside. Increasing deaths of many vulnerable women from the DTES still leaves family, friends, loved ones, and community members with an overwhelming sense of grief and loss. Indigenous women disproportionately continue to go missing or be murdered with minimal to no action to address these tragedies or the systemic nature of gendered violence, poverty, racism, or colonialism. This event is organized and led by women in the DTES because women - especially Indigenous women - face physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual violence on a daily basis. The February 14th Women's Memorial March is an opportunity to come together to grieve the loss of our beloved sisters, remember the women who are still missing, and to dedicate ourselves to justice. •
SUPPORT THE WOMEN'S MEMORIAL MARCH
• There are many ways to support the Feb 14th Women's Memorial March: 1) ATTEND: Spread the word and join us (all genders welcome) to the Feb 14th march. We respectfully ask that you please do not bring your agency or group banners, flags, or leaflets as the Women's Memorial March carries five banners only to honour the women. Signs honouring women's lives are welcome. 2) KNOW THE PROTOCOL: In a good way, we want to inform everyone about the protocol for the march that has been in place for 28 years: *At 10:30 am there will a family and community remembrance in the Camegie Theatre. This is not open to media or the broader public. *The media and broader public begin gathering at approximately 11:30 in front of Main and Hastings where territorial elders welcome us. At noon the elders and family members exit from the Camegie Theatre and everyone is asked to make a circle at Main and Hastings for the prayer. The march proceeds at noon only when elders and family members have exited the Theatre and after the prayer circle. *The March is organized and led by women. Women elders carrying medicines are at the front, followed by all women elders and family members and women drummers. The quilt made by loved ones in the DTES community is carried behind the family members and drummers. Everyone is invited to follow. The march makes a number of stops along the way for ceremony to honour where women were last seen or found. There is no photography of the ceremonies. At approximately 2 pm we stop again at Main and Hastings for speeches by community activists, followed by a healing circle and drummers at Oppenheimer Park around 3 pm, and finally a community feast at the Japanese Language Hall. 3) VOLUNTEER. Please volunteer to support the march with setup, cleanup and more. We need approximately 50 volunteers. Volunteers can sign up at http://signup.com/go/OowVVSf 4) DONATE: Please donate. The February 14th Women's Memorial March is made possible by organizations and individuals like you. Please make cheques payable to the Downtown Eastside Women's Centre, and include Feb 14th Women's Memorial March on the memo line. Mail cheques to the Downtown Eastside Women's Centre, 302 Columbia St. Vancouver, BC V6A 4J1. All donations over $10 will be gratefully acknowledged with a tax deductible receipt. Thank you all for your support and commitment, Feb 14th Women's Memorial March Committee
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Muriel Marjorie is Dying Muriel Marjorie is dying She was the poet who first started saying Meg-witch * at the beginning or end of her poetry presentations and interrupting people's polite way of thinking Muriel is dying? Why don't X, Y and other jerks I know - start dying but Muriel? When a friend of mine started emailing me this message I ignored it because I thot it must be a mistake - fake news a prank, some bad humour Or even a dark poem written by the poet her self that would make us think of death She is not the sort of poet you think will ever die And now, drinking out of the first of my two white cup and saucers for the second time, I see the point - she is not meant to be believed when she says she is dying She was a light here in the Downtown Eastside, but we later found out: that is not the only place she lived: She went up north to see her people there She went east, to see and live with people there She lived in the forest She came back You never knew where she was And now, drinking my second cup of tea this evening, out of the second cup of Chinese china I wonder what the world will come to without the suggestion of the wandering soul the window of her realization the commotion of symptoms and "truths" not my own *megwitch: an Ojibwe/ Algonquin First Nations word meaning "thank-you"
Hello poets! We'd like to announce this year's Muriel's Journey Poetry Prize. Details are below. You will also find a link to the Facebook page; if you're on Facebook, please like and invite others! Also MURIEL'S JOURNEY POETRY PRIZE A first prize of $100 for the poem judged to be the best Another first prize of$100 for the poem by a DTES contributor judged to be the best A second prize of $50 A prize of$35 for a randomly selected poem among a longlist of poems
Š2019 RudolfPenner CRITERIA: Content: Should meet one or more of these criteria:
THE COMMITTEE Outspoken, risk taking, not easy to digest, looking at a Isabella Mori, Kyle Hawke, Glenn Mori topic in an unexpected way. It would be nice if it had a good potential for being performed. Why these criteria? Because that's Muriel. She was not only a poet but a fabu HOW THIS PRIZE CAME ABOUT lous performer and had no problems tackling things from At Muriel's first memorial in November of2018, a an unusual, makes-you-wake-up-and-listen point of view. text was read about Muriel's last day when she had expressed that while she was leaving, she was still continuing her journey. The text was accompanied Other criteria: by a picture of the sunrise on the day she died. IsaOpen to Canadians or people living in Canada beJla was moved by this to do her part in Muriel' s Length of the poem: 5 lines or more Up to 5 poems, with an overall length for all poems continued journey, and she decided to donate a poetry prize she had just won to a new poetry prize in together not to exceed 100 lines Please send the poems in the body of the email. Sta Muriel's honour. the email with your name and the title(s) of your poem(s). Everyone liked Muriel. She was a poet, an actor, DO NOT MENTION YOUR NAME ANYWHERE and so much more. Muriel was a vivacious, generELSE so that we can judge your poems blindly. There is no monetary entry fee; instead, please let us ous woman who'd often say things that would literally wake you up. She encouraged everyone to conknow how you contribute to your community tinue on their path of creativity and social justice. Email address:murielsjourney@gmail.com The poem cannot be previously published, online or She had a lot of presence with a lively, almost fizzy energy about her that gave vitality to everyone anywhere else around her. She was a Indigenous woman - matriIf you submit your poem elsewhere and it gets aclineally Gitxsan-Owl Clan - and traveled all over cepted, it is important that you let us know right away. BC and Alberta. Like everyone else, she had her Format: Times Roman, 12 point Please do not attach any images. If an image is abso own struggles; one of the ways she faced them was with a deep and joyous belief in a God. lutely necessary for your poem, tell us in your email and we will arrange for safe transmittal of the image. If you are part of or closely related to the committee We want to honour Muriel by helping other poets continue !.heirjourney. or the judges, you are ineligible If you won a first prize in 2019, you are ineligible FACEBOOK PAGE: https:llwww.facebook.coml murielsjourneyl DEADLINE: March 31", 2020 WINNERS The winners' announcement is currently planned for May 31, 2020, to be eld at a location in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver, where Muriellived. RIGHTS By submitting, you give Muriel's Journey Poetry Prize th non-exclusive right to publish winners' and runners ups' poems in print and electronic media, so long as a share of profits is paid to authors and the publication is produced within a year of the winners being announced. You also grant the Muriel's Journey Poetry Prize the non-exclusive right to recite winning poems for broadcast or performance to promote the contest and related publications or events within a year of the winners being announced. Apart from these considerations, you, the author, retain the full right to your poem(s).
5
Racism Didn't Do That
Racism didn't create the world. Racism didn't bring the first man or woman into existence. Racism didn't teach us how to love, feel, or take care of one another. Racism didn't provide for us. It didn't put food on the table, Drape our bodies with clothes, Or shelter us from the environment and its natural elements. Racism enveloped us in a cloud of chaos and confusion to promote hate and bigotry, to hurt each and everyone of us. Racism didn't give us life, health, or happiness. Racism removed smiles from deep within its victims, Clenched guts. Threatening life as we know it. And sometimes took a life. Racism didn't create us. It destroys. It has led people to war, bloodshed, ignorance, loss, and pain. People sickened. People lost. There is no magic potion to remove racism. Instead, we live with the effects every day. And we say to ourselves, Racism didn't do that. In shame. Geeta D. Shinde Dear DTES Community Members,
Life is a Circle just as the world is a circle. So if one is thinking of ending it all I'd say: 'wait one more day' for they'll be a change and it would have to be up, for when one is at the lowest life's circular cycle will inevitably lift us up! ingag.
Please keep in mind that February is BLACK HISTORY MONTH. Check out local area events. I hope that all who can will join us for the Women's Memorial March on February 14. The Walk is a ceremony on its own, to commemorate women who are missing or were murdered. It takes place on Valentine's Day. Please take care of yourself: bring water and fuel up with a healthy snack. Remember you are loved and hug someone next to you. Love is in the air The air we breathe is from the Spirit of ancient forests Water is cleansing to the body Fire gives us light to warm our soul Earth nurtures our mind, body & spirit. Priscillia Tait Gitxsan-Wetsuwet'en
WRITE A LETTER TO SLOW RENT INCREASES
7
Are you an SRO resident? Have you had requests for repairs ignored by your landlord? Have you experienced a wrongful eviction just so your landlord could charge more rent for the next tenant? We are asking SRO tenants to write letters about their experiences as low income renters, in a city that is constantly becoming more expensive to live in. The Provincial Minister of Municipal Affairs & Housing needs to hear about your firsthand stories of trying to hang on to the few affordable units still available. Several SRO tenants have already written to her. See the example of one tenant's letter that was sent to the ministry below. To see the letter of support from the Mayor of Vancouver, plus Councillor Swanson's article about this issue in the Georgia Straight, and to get the email addresses of Ministers and City Councillors look on our website: www.dtescollaborative.org. BCC us, so we know how many have been sent: bryan.sro.collab@gmail.com; SAMPLE LETTER: Dear Housing Minister Selina Robinson: My name is Tom de Grey. I'm writing this letter to express my views on the proposal for Vacancy Control for dwellings under the SRA Bylaw recently unanimously passed by the City of Vancouver Council. Tying rent control to the unit instead of the tenant in Single Room Occupancy Hotels (SROs) would help a great deal making me and my neighbours to feel more secure in our homes. I understand that you received a letter from the Mayor of Vancouver (attached) and I want to underscore my support for everything he said. I am an active volunteer with the SRO Collaborative, and I sit on it's board of directors in the role of Vice President. Also I was a member of the City of Vancouver SRO Task Force Committee in 2016 and 2017 which recommended vacancy control in the SROs. The purpose of this letter is to provide a more personal perspective of how Va, cancy Control in SROs will reduce the inflows into homelessness. I would like to talk about my felt experience in this situation, which is shared with my neighbours. The story of my home is significant to this issue. I live in old Strathcona, in Keefer Cabins with 12 units that - rents at approximately $384 per month. I am on income assistance and I'll soon have myoid age pension. A "cabin" was historically a common type of simple rooming house for very low income people in Vancouver. It is 118 years old and it is, to my knowledge, the last remaining example of it's kind. Slightly more than 15 years ago, the owner received a federal RRAP grant - money - to do much needed renovation to the structure I by agreeing to keep the rent at welfare rate for 15 years. That agreement ran out this July and the renovations made my place more valuable on the market. Since then, my SRO has started to be aggressively converted to market priced rentals. This situation is not just bad for me and my neighbours - it is catastrophic. People that live in SRO hotels are predominantly retired or disabled and live almost exclusively on fixed incomes. The building has been well maintained in spite of my almost uniquely low rents. I am a licensed contractor and a certified carpenter a d, as such, I am qualified to give professional testimony in the Supreme Court. I think it is an urban myth that SROs can't be kept up to legal maintenance standards with the current rents. My tenure at Keefer Cabin has not been happy. My neighbours and I have been harassed and threatened frequently and illegal evictions are common. Since the expiration of the agreement there is a strong profit motive for removing us - the older tenants. This tendency has accelerated. The agreement expired in July and already 3 long term tenants have been removed, all by very dubious means involving harassment, intimidation and out -right lying. These dwellings received a quick cosmetic renovation and were rented out at 2 or 3 times the previous rent. This is massive increase is not affordable to any of us. Practically none of us have anywhere else to go and all of us are very stressed as we anticipate future attempts to drive us out. Bryan Jacobs Tenant Organizer & Repair Advocate dtescollaborative.org
TO A MAKESHIFT WOODEN COOKHOUSE The members of the Woodwards' squat Were throw out onto the street A community of tents; it then sprang up Occupying many square feet. Two people collected some old wood And made me into a little shed For three months I played a role In keeping the group well fed. The squat it was well organized A spokesman sat at a desk. Collecting donations of money and food And warm clothing for all the rest. Two sentries prowled the block at night While the others slept into their beds. I stored food and made simple meals In keeping the group well fed. October went into November Night temperatures were getting low Despite the tents and blankets too Squatters' resistance was getting slow Even so, one man donated a great big cake And put into me shed. Each squatter received a piece of it In this way the group was well fed. By early December, the City Hall Said the tents city would have to go The nights they were now very cold And the winds began to blow. The city worked with B.C Housing To give each squatter a new warm bed. There would no be new arrangements To ensure that the group was fed. Since the city is now dismantled My useful life will be no more I'm glad the folks have good shelter Where the rain it will not pour Perhaps the people will think of me As they snuggle in their new beds. About how I kept food fresh and cool And kept the group well fed. -Vaughan Evans
A careless person threw me out I now lie on the street Unwanted and unloved Oh, how I wish I could meet A person who would pick me up And take me to his dorm And in return, I'd do my part In keeping him nice and warm. Vancouver has a homeless count Of two thousand people or more They lie in tents and on sidewalks. Where the rain will often pour Some day a person will pick me up And take me to his dorm Perhaps a person from Oppenheimer Park I will keep him nice and warm. One day a man did pick me up He took me to his suite And then to the dry cleaners Which was just across the street And then to the First United Church On a day of cold and storm. He said to the staff, "This blanket Could keep a man nice and swarm. A homeless man came to this church Hehad just pitched a tent Even so, it was very cold The weather, it would not relent A staff member said, "Here's a blanket That would let you survive the storm This handsome blanket of grey wool Will keep you nice and warm The homeless at Oppenheimer Park have a very difficult time Harassed by drug gangs and neighbours, too Who would not give them a dime. Even so, I lie contented In my new master's makeshift dorm I take pride in what I do In keeping him nice and warm. -Vaughan Evans
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Looking for part-time, flexible work opportunities? Come to Eastside Works to find out more about jobs in the community that are hiring NOW.
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Warming tent now open; Day 2 of cultural fast to maintain warmth and safety Despite record low temperature and driving snow this week, Vancouver ire and Rescue Services (VFRS) and the City of Vancouver continue to deny life-saving warming tents in Oppenheimer Park. In a letter, city staff stated: "Heating tents or other temporary structures, whether in Oppenheimer Park or elsewhere, poses significant fire and other safety hazards, thus making it very difficult to maintain an acceptable level of safety." Both Vancouver Park Board operated events the Festival of Lights at Van Dusen Botanical Garden and the Polar Bear Swim had public warming tents. VFRS and Park Board were also provided with information about city-sanctioned warming tents in Maple Ridge and
Kelowna as well as facilities such as Brock House and Hart House which operate rented heated tents for weddings and other events. Gusting winds, snow and rain and below freezing temperatures cause significant vulnerability and injury to homeless people and tent city residents. In response, a warming tent has now opened in Oppenheimer Park.
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From the Library First off, on behalf of all of us at the library, we hope that everyone had an enjoyable Lunar New Year. We sincerely wish that everyone has a healthy and prosperous (in all of its forms) Year of the Rat! The New Year usually means that we receive fewer new books, but they are still trickling in. Here are three recent additions to our collection. For those who like poetry, we just received Beyond Remembering: The Collected Poems of Al Purdy, Considered by m'\{lYto be Canada's greatest poet, Collected Poems contains all ofPurdy's poetic writings. This even includes a number of never-beforepublished work from his early and late days as a poet. Anyone who works in the Carnegie Reading Room knows how popular horror movies are to many of our patrons. So, for the horror fans, we have Essential Horror Movies: Matinee Monsters to Cult Classics by Michael Mallory. The book is structured chronologically based on era, starting with "Silent Horror" and ending with "Creatures, Demons and Evil Spirits." Most ofthe iconic horror movies are profiled here, with a great selection of stills that capture the essences of these movies. Finally, we have recently received The Great Pre-
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tender by Susannah Cahalan, which is a piece of investigative journalism about a doctor, and eight healthy people, w.hovoluntarily committed themselves to mental hospitals as an experiment to see how they could "prove" themselves to be sane in order to be released. All of the participants were given alarming diagnoses and severe forms of treatment. This study changed the field of psychiatry and led to the closing of mental health institutions all over North America. This book is recommended to anyone curious about how we got to the current state of mental health treatment. Happy Reading, Daniel
Carnegie Centre and the Carnegie Association In the last issue I wrote an article on how this building came to be a community centre. The building itself is well over a hundred years old, with an addition in the late 70s and renovations periodically as funds and need matched. We are celebrating 40 years throughout this year. Carnegie Centre is run by the City of Vancouver with over 65 paid staff keeping things running in programs, the kitchen/concession, seniors activities, music, tech cafes/computers, a learning centre with Capilano University, a Public Library branch, pool room, security and activity attendants for access and wellbeing, and much more. Interwoven amongst all that is available and ongoing are volunteers. There are 2 staff coordinators who help organise and plan with over 600 people registered and at least 150 individuals per week for various jobs in the above areas of interest. ' The Association is made up of all people who purchase a membership card - the price is $1 a calendar year. There are no charges for any programs, though a membership card does grant access to the computer room, using the free phone, going on out trips, concerts, movie nights, floor hockey, art classes, bingo and volunteer opportunities. The Association is also a registered non-profit society. Once a year there are elections for a Board ofDirectors. The members who become directors are also volunteers who give input and advice in a reciprocal relationship with staff, each committing to being part of the work of the various committees: Volunteer, EducationlLibrary, Seniors, Community Relations, Oppenheimer Park, Program and Finance. Each board member commits to being on 3 of these bodies as well as the once-a-month Board meetings. All well and good. The Board is a necessary and valuable part of the Association, and its committed members strive to give advice and make decisions that reflect the best interest of the community centre and Downtown Eastside residents. This is not easy; it can be difficult to balance the interests of the minority with those of the majority In Oppenheimer Park there are people living in tents, with few resources. There's a fieldhouse there, a fairly recent construction that was closed in July 2019 Reasons for this seemed to boil down to the staff being unsafe, of patrons and participants in the many programs offered not coming because of threats
or intimidation. The decision to close the facility didn't shut down the park, far from it, and the heated debate on providing decent housing for the poorest and most vulnerable is at the core of finding a way forward. The Carnegie Community Action Project is a project of the Carnegie Community Centre Association. It's mandated to lobby for housing, to work on gentrification and to find ways to maintain the Downtown Eastside as a low-income friendly area. This is also not easy. There are no miracle solutions to any issue, and without a proper context, blaming local groups or organisations is a real disservice; What is disheartening and sad is when volunteers are treated like the "bad guys" and small things get blown out of proportion for some political agenda. Changes are coming. ByPAULR TAYLOR
The LiStening 'POSt You're invited to join us in a warm, peaceful space for tea and company every weekday, from 12 - 4:00 at 382 Main Street. We also have seating for more privacy if you desire l-on-I conversation.
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We acknowledge that Carnegie Community Centre, and this News/etter, are occurring on Coast Salish Territory.
THIS NEWSLETTER IS A PUBLICATION OF THE CARNEGIE COMMUNITY CENTRE ASSOCIATION Articles represent the views of individual contributors and not of the Association. WANTED Artwork for the Carnegie Newsletter -Small illustrations to accompany articles and poetry. -Cover art - Max size: 17cm(6 %")wide x 15cm(6")high. -Subject matter pertaining to issues relevant to the Downtown Eastside, but all work considered. -Black & White printing only. -Size restrictions apply (i.e. if your piece is too large, it will be reduced and/or cropped to fit). -All artists will receive credit for their work. -Originals will be returned to the artist after being copied for publication. -Remuneration: Carnegie Volunteer Tickets Please make submissions to Paul Taylor, Editor. The editor can edit for clarity, format & brevity, but not at the expense of the writer's rnessage.
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WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION •
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VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN
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