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JANUARY 15,2005
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THE WOMEN'S MEMORIAL QUILT
Do yo u like to sew '? Would you like to learn how? Women are invited 10 join Diane at the Carne gie on Tuesday evenings from 6-9 and Thursday mornings from 9- 11:3ll to sew quilts, banners and fabric art. Some of us are working on a Memorial Quilt in remembran ce of all women who have died through violence - physical violence, alcohol and drug addict ion, HIV/AID S, poverty and homelessness. Materials will be suppli ed,just bring yourself and your ideas. There' s also a Mond ay night session for the street-workers at WISH, where I sew alongside a very some very artistic women , one of whom ca lls hersel f " Martha Stewart on crack".
111e Women 's Memorial Quilt Project has evolved into a fabric banner that we plan to carry on the Valentine's Day Memorial March , to display where everyone can read the names , and can be added to over time. It will be a banner like no other in that we all make it, and it represents Q!![ community as we see it, in a giant ribbon, something like the dragon in Chinatown parades. More loving than a stone monument that someone is paid to come in and design, in the way that our grandmothers made quilts and b askets that we use, passed down from one generanon 10 another, e ven after the gran dmothers arc no longer alive. We know when we make something .like this it will outlive us. By creating and teaching quilts, I am challenging the stereo type of "a woman's place" , and a woman 's silence. My involvement with the issues of add iction, abuse and reco very are the basis of my art . I call on a long herstory of craft and spirituality to challenge the oppress ion of women . Please rememb er, it' s not me who is makin g the Banner/Qu ilt, it' s the whole e? mmun,ity. I'm not signing my name or making a VIdeo. I m being like a gardener or a midwi fe wh o facilitates the growth and birth of new life. I don't eve n mind if peopl e forget my name and just call me the quilt lady, although I prefer the crazy quilt lady.
One of the most powerful, unifying sensations I have of the February 14 Memorial March is when hundreds of us j oin hands in a circle at Main and Hastings, and again at the e nd of the March aro und the totem pole in Oppenhe imer Park. Holding hands can mean different things, but the underlying theme is always frie ndship and love . We can 't stop the drug-related deaths (only our own) so we join hands to honour the lives of the women who ha ve died. We join to grieve and to organize. We join our voices to sing, to pass on informati on, and to argue for those so marginalized most people don't believe they have the same rights as every-one else, to ju stice, police protection, adequat e housin g and medical attent ion.
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These women \..e re not nameless, they were not face less, they were not j ust a numb er on a list - they we re human beings deserving empathy, love, support, caring and most of all understand ing. T hese wo men were mothers, daughters, sis ters, aunties, cousins, grandmothers , g irlfriends and frien ds . II is importan t that publ ic press ure remain on public offieia ls to find out who wa s responsib le for inves tigat ing the disappearances of these women, and why the lack of ac tio n so many yea rs prior to Pic kto n's arrest.
Each panel of thc QuiltlBanner is to be 18" x 24" , with the narr ow end at the top , co ntaining the simp le o utline of a woman wi th her anus reach ing Ou l in unity with her sis ters, in prayer , in celebration. She represents whoever you choose to make her, one of our missing/murdered sis ters, a woman yo u 'rc griev ing for that had died from "the W ar on Drugs" as Vandu puts it, or Venus, the Goddess o f love and sex ualitv whose festival was ce leb rated by the Romans on February 14. T here is no strict guidel ine as to the shape of the wom an, j ust so long as her hands arc 5" from the top. She can take on any persona lity or race depend ing on the design, materia ls, co lours and words used . If you don' t wa nt to use a fema le figure , that's OK 100 . Other suggestio ns arc heart s, roses , eagles or feathers . We have patterns for all of these . Each block co uld be madc by an individ ual or a group, and sewn to the one besi de it so the figures join hands , much like a procession of wo men on a Greek vase or an Egyptian tomb. To give it a cohesiveness, eertain co lours predominate, but don't have to be ineluded in each and every piece. Black , white, red and yellow, the colours of the Medicine
Wheel , represent the Four Directions an d the FOlU{ Races . We wear lavend er ribbons on out jackets,;> and we place red and ye llow roses at the locati ons women died or were last seen. Don 't forge t dark colou rs may run into wh ite fa bric in the ra in YO U know how when you put so me-thing red in the was hing mach ine all yo ur und erwear turns pink! As we ll as contri buting 10 the Quilt! Banne r, I invite everyone to join us in the Women's Memor ial March on Va lentines Day. We arc a tra umatized com munity, and this is a powerful way we can grieve and support each o ther and carryon. For further informatio n, or to make a donat ion, please con tac t Marlene Trick at (604) 665-3005 . All donations from $ 10 to $(()O will help in this event . Or do nate in- kind items such as print ing services, tobacco, foo d, flowers, beade d items or medicine bags . Co ntact us for a list of wh at is needed. The meeting dates of the organizing co mmittee for the February 14 Ma rch, to be hcld at II am at the Downto wn Eastside Wom en's Centre, 302 Columbia Stree t, arc as follows : We dnesday January 19, 26, February 2 & 9. Th is eve nt is organized and led by wom en because wo men, es pecially Aborigi na l women, face physical, men tal , emotio na l and spiritual vio lence on a daily basis . I ~ Diane Wood
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&iJTiiiB Lament for the Warrior Women We co me as one this day We gather to mourn her Wc kindred sisters and ge ntle mcn Family and frien ds cryi ng so ftly 10 the win ds To ask Why , why Why thc passin g of another so young? Her spirit sha ttered SPLIT Strewn to difTerent paths by a savage encounter with a nigh t haw k.
We come together this day To make il right To make it whole again To begin the healing.
Gallery turns subjects into artists artscetera
It's the timc of year when you really necd to invest in a new calendar; jotting January appo intments on bits of paper is bound to cnd in disaster, But what to Cedar boughs placed gently We follow the scent of sweetgrass and sage choose ? Monet's lilies? Puppies ? Britney Spears? And the prayers of the Medicine Mother. There is no shortage of calendars from the cloyingly Only sounds of tears breaking through the procession cute to the downright crass. Still, no matter how much we recoil from the saccharin-encrusted collecWe warrior women tions oh-so-cynically peddled from all quart ers, a We sisters of different shades calendar filled with images of the downt own eastWe life-givers side's residents sounds as though the pendulum may We have trudged these paths before have been swung a tad too far. TOO MANY TIMES But wait ! Hope in Shadows is not anot her sentiIn rain and cold, in heated debate mental/exploitative plundering of lives on the marWith politicians and media gins. Instead , it is an empowering art project that WE HAVE HAD ENOUGH allows the Downtown Eastside community a voice in its own rcpresentation . Pivot Legal Society, the Enough beatings non-profit organization that seeks to improv e the Enough stabbin gs lives of the homeless, sex-trade workers, and drug Enough violence addicts through law reform and legal action , first Tortured to inevitable death came up with the calendar idea last year. We march in the streets " It was designed as a fundraiser that would also With placards challenge stereotypes ," explains Pivot ' s executive We shout Wc scream director John Richardson. " People have a lot of dark NO MORE NO MORE NO MORE and negative images of the Downtown Eastside and we wanted to show more positive themes . Not to Barbara Gray pretend that there isn't a dark side to the DTES, but it' s not an aspect of the area that is underexposed; Th roughout history, it has been the inaction of those journalists and photographers are constantly mining who could have acted: the indifferen ce of those who it.., should hav e known better; the s ilence of the voice of To offer a different perspective, Pivot distributed ju st ice when it mattered most; that has made it possidisposable black-and -white cameras among the ble for evil to triump h. community - this year 200 in Vancouver, 20 in To/lai/e Seta....ie ronto. " We had 170 handed back in with 3500 images," says Richardson. That was then narrowed down by a panel of professional photographers to 40: ' The winnin g images were recentl y displayed at the Gallery Gache t (88 E.Cordo va) and what was imnediately strikin g was the amount of humour involved. Stangely appropriate was naming the artists and their subjects , acknowledging active participat ion in the project >- their images not stolen but given, By FIONA MORROW
Here's to your health! A big shiny new hospital with all the bells and whistles within a short walking distance of the corner of Main and Hastings. That's one of the options for St. Paul's Hospital as it prepares to grapple with the health problems of the 21" century. St. Paul's has bought the 18.5 acre vacant site on Station Street in the old railway flats just north of the VIA Rail/bus station on Main, and hopes to move there sometime in the next decade . The final say is up to the provincial government, which pays most of the shot . The deeision probably won't be made for another year yet. The province has told the Providence Health Care Society, which runs St. Paul's, that it has to modernize its century-old operation on Burrard Street. Many care wards in St. Paul's now have two and four-patient rooms but that's not good enough in the age of global epidemics, like SARS. The best care means single-person rooms so that patients with contagious diseases can be isolated. The other major option for St. Paul's is to rebuild on its current site, but Providence officials think that it's not workable to have major construction and patient care going on at the same time. Since St. Paul' s is actually a province-wide resource, they think the Station Street site is more accessible for people coming in from around B.C. IfSt. Paul's moves to Station Street, it will take its emergency department with it. That prospect has alreadv caused concern in the West End, where residents don 't want to lose their vital emergency health
service. For the Downtown Eastside and adjacent neighborhoods like Strathcona and Mount Pleasant , there arc obvious advantages in having a new hospital right close by, but there are some questions marks , too. At 1.9 million square feet, this project would be one of the largest ever built in the area - almost twice the size of the old St. Paul's. It would also include moving the acute care services from Mount St. Joseph 's Hospital , which is run by St. Paul's. All that will bring a lot of traffic through local streets, and very great real estate pressure - new housing for hospital workers , offices and clinics (can yo u say gentrification'!).
There is also the issue of the Trillium park site next door . The community has been fighting to protect it from artificial turf for ten years , so there is an interest in making the two sites compatible. Providence officials have promised to consult with the community as the plan unfolds . They have already held meetings with various groups (including Carnegie) to give them early notice , so maybe they will be more rcsponsi ve than some other pubhc agencies that like to plan megaprojects for our neighborhood. By Bob Sarti
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My Gift to You My gift to you is my empathy and compassion, my ever-ready battery - my listening ear and heart . I'll accept all of you - dark and light, today and tomorrow if you'll just but reveal yourself honestly . My gift to you is my warm arms, my intense gaze upon your soul; my heart singing and crying with yours in this moment now and always . My body with yours - holding, touching, caressing, easing, kneading, working and melting your cares into the lake of Eternity, your tears into the salt ofthc sea , your joys into the light of the sun . My gift to you is my courage and my desire for your feet to takc another stcp. I reach and I'll search and feel forever to find a way for you to reach and touch the stars of a brilliant nighttime sky.
My gift tn you is my loyalty - [ will be there for you alw?ys , though it may not appear that way at times. I vanish now and reappear again . I am at your side [ care for many . I care for you. . . My路 gift to ynu is my dedication and responsibility, I will walk deserts and climb mountains to do what I said - to help you with your efforts , to see you through the black holes, to raise you to the sun . My gift to you is my endurance. I will survive out of a sense of what is right and what the last chapter holds. I will survive out of duty and curiosity. I will survive because I must feel and it is easier than retreating from battle . I hope you can take hope in this. My gift to you is my surrender to truth and willingness to change, to bend, to grow. It is the only way for me to conunue to move upon this Earth. Stillness, static and silence are my death . Burning, burning, never freeze .
My gift to you is my expression and creativityflowing through my veins like water. Words and wisdom, songs and dances of the earth, the sea, the sun, the moon, the rain, the tides, the restless seasons, the planets, the solar system, the galaxy, our universe. Distilling a moment in time and space for a place on your heart's memory. My gift to you is my sexuality. Compassion and passion, creative and wild. There for you, my lover or friend - whoever dares to meet my intensity. Crash after crash of wave on rock. Sail upon sail of sea into sand. My heart in your hand, dancing . I am the universe with you. My gift to you is my vulnerability. Sharing with you my stories, my places of darkness and light - myself naked upon your bed. Eyes open, clouded with tears ; eyes open clear with summer sun and blue-skyed laughter, without expectation, with gratitude for your presence. My gift to you is my wisdom . Insight and intuition of lands and times not known or forgotten . From places and seasons fresh with falling snow, lush with tropical scents. The truth no matter how simple or childish - vibrating still with a life-force effervescent, shining, infatigueable.
My gift to you is my Spirit - longing for freedom from the chains of my control and holding. Rattling the bars of the iron gate . Clasping the poles and shaking them until they melt into molten ash and dry up in the wind. My gift to you is beauty and order - that all of life, every task be cloaked in meaning . That all my surroundings and any of your events sing their songs loud and clear. That colours and tones, touches and scents, flavours intoxicate the body that I and you may know what it is to live. My gift to you is meaning . In alii do, in all [ say my questlo know the deepest, darkest, highest, lightest birds of song and rainbow. Sophia Marina Freigang
News From The Library W e urge our patrons to p Iease not leave coffee cups on top of the Library d isplay case on the 3'¡ floor, We have lost several books because of wa ter damage when drin ks spi ll ove r and seep into it.! !! II . . I.
Some of the new titles recentl y rec eived : Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee by Dec Brown . This heart brea king book is an acco unt of the systematic des truction of Native Ame rica ns during thc seco nd half of the ninetee nth ce ntury. First published in 1970, it allows great chiefs and warri ors to tell us in their own words at wha t awful cos t " the wes t was won". A Vel)' Long Engagement by Seba stien Japrisot. It is a very grippi ng story which was a bestseller in France when lirst released . Themes inel ude love, mystery, corruption and historical fict ion . The Beothuk Saga by Bernard As siniwi. The author is a membe r of the Cree Nation. The book tells the story of the lirst North American Natives encountered by European sailors from thei r beginnings 111 Newfoundland in the time of the Vikings to the capture and lonely death of the young woman who was the last of her people; a truly Canadian Epic. Castles ofSteele by Robert M assie. The title was Winston Churchill's phrase lor the Grand Fleet and its German counterpart. This is a verv readable nar• rative of the Great War at sea .
The Inn er City Moth er Goose by Eve Merril11aJ When s he lirst "Tote this book of poems in 1969, it was to ope n our eyes to the probl ems the poo r faced with cutbacks and poo r-bas hing, but placi ng the traditional uursery rhymes in an inner city con tex t with down-to-earth langu age didn ' t please everybody; in fact this work became abou t " the most ban ned book in the coun try". Merri man 's poems were labeled as "being against the Christian co mmuni ty", denoun ced as "anti-police'Tanti- law & order" and "antigovernment", was removed from all school libraries in Buffalo, inspired a gra nd j ury investigation and a call to have it banned in all publ ic libraries in Boston and eastern Massach usells . This new release, a special edition, sees every original word intact - the truth tha t offended so ma ny! Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown . Our original co pies ' disappeared ' so the new one will be kept beh ind the desk for special, time- limited, non-renewable loan. Runaway by Alice Monroe. A wonderful co llection of short stories by " one of the two or three writ ers or fictio n now alive." Plot Against America by Phil ill Roth . This magnificcnt novcl is both appropriate to today's headlines and timeless for its undermin ing of the blind sentiment that " it ca n' t happen here" , IIOOK t :UIIiS. Ca lling all wo uld-be participants to a I11 cc~ing in the Learning Centre on Tuesday, Jan. IN' at 12 1I00n . Co me and let Debbie & Mary Ann know what we might enjoy read ing togeth er and help plan the Carneg ie Book Club for 2005 . The DTES WOlllen's Gro up is sta rting a book club readi ng abo ut wo men elsewhere. We ' ll be linding out abou t the ro le of women in Afg hanistan as we read Meera, the story of the martyr ed wo ma n who started RAWA . Ca ll Lorrai ne at the Wo men's Centre or Mary Ann at the Carnegie Reading Roo m. Ano ther group wis hes to read " Missing Sarah " in preparation for thc Women's Me moria l Marc h. Author Maggie DeVries w;1I be vi s iting and the group will meet on Wednesdays at the Women's Cen tre. Contact Marlene Trick or Mary Ann at Carnegie. Happy N~' Year and Happy Reading from all the Library Staff!
For everyaction. th ere is an equal andopposite government programm e.
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Land, Freedom and Decolonization Coalition This coalition is a network of groups and individuals in Vancouver . Mcmber groups are: Native Youth Movement ; No One Is Illegal; Native Solidaritv Network ; South Asian Network for Seeularism"and Democracy; Palestine Community Centre; Refugees Against Raeial Profiling; Anti-Poverty Community; International Solidarity Movement; Bus Riders Union; Committee for Solidarity Wilh Colombia ; South Asian Youth Alliance; Friends and Families for Mexican Political Prisoners, and others. The Coalition has been organizing since May 2004 around the front-line strugg les of colonized communities with two demonstrations : one on July I" to celebrate resistance as immigrant/refugee and indigenous commun ities; the seeond being the Con vergance Against Sun Peaks, which took place on Secwepmc Territory on August 29'h 2004 . The Land, Freedom and Dccolonization Coalition is currently working on building an Anti-Olympic s Coalition. The Olympics will unquestionably devastate our communit ies. There will be continued theft of Native land, gentrification in the Downtown Eastside, increasing privatization and corporatization of public services (especially transit) and exploitation of cheap, temporary migrant labour. DERA and the Neighbourhood Helpers Project arc working with the Land, Freedom and Decolon ization Coalition. By Sam Snobel en
Toady's Urgent News: For the past two weeks I've been following the stories of disaster in Asia; there arc also stories of disaster closer to home. As a member of Hope Village Council last spring, IIwe went to City Hall trying to create a tent city for the homel ess in our midst. The bureaucrats there have kept telling us that they have a plan regard ing the homeless.. well, what happen ed? Mayor Campbell, having 'communication problem s' is no excuse. The City is one of the biggest owners of empty buildings, housing only rats and dust. Where arc the priorities when something like our housing cris is happens and the excuses Ily but it' s no-o ne's fault? In March 1955, Canon T. D.Somerville, Rector of St.James Church, wr ote the follow ing words: " When a grown-up man strug gles to keep back tears as he tells of his disappointments and humili ation: when the broken shoes and worn , dirty cloth es tell their stories o f sleeping in BoxCars (streets) and endless walkin g, you can' t refuse to help him. You can only keep on g iving until there is nothing left." As a person living in the downtown eastside I am ashamed of the way we treat ing our homeless population. The SPCA treats animals better. There has to be better solutions thau just letting people die!! Yukon Eric
At last . . . At last there's a government report that doesn't blame the poor for poverty. It's the draft report on homeles sness released by the city of Vanco uver in November, 2004. We can end homelessness . But we have to fix a broken system of social housing and income programs to do it. And , while it is cities, towns, neighb ourhoods and individuals who experience homelessness, most of the social programs that we have to fix are eontrolled by provineial and federal laws, budgets and policies, Yes, there arc some things that municipal ities can do. But taking emergency actions like building more shelters without "fixing the broken systems will only perpetuate homelessness and not reduce or prevent it." That's the gist of the city's report.
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The report paints a picture of 500 to 1200 vulncrable people sleeping outside in Vancou ver every night, depend ing on the season. Many have been sexually abused ; have mental health issues, brain and head inj uries, severe depression, and! or fetal alcohol syndrom e. Yet the report also notes that many arc trying 10 support themse lves by recycling bottles, cans and things they find in the garbag e. Many have a "strong interest in the vi sual and perform ing arts and musi c." Some also have a love of nature and animals . Some are trying to detox themselves "away from the tempta tions of the downto wn core" because they can't get into treatment centres . What is priority number one to redu ce homel essness? "Reduc e barriers 10 accessing welfare by the homeless." That 's what the report says. It uses this astounding statistic, gathere d by city work ers who visit homeless peop le regularly, to show that welfare cuts arc a big ca use of homele ssness : In 200 1 about 15 per cent of homeless people were not on welfare . By the summe r of 2004 , more than 75 per cent of homeless people were not on welfare . The specific welfare change s that cause homelessness by denying welfare 10 those in need were introduced in the Spring of 200 2. They inelude : • A compli cated applica tion process that takes at least 3 weeks ; • The two year time limit which denies welfare to people after two years if they arc considered to be not comply ing with their so-call ed "employment plans." • A rule which requ ires app licants to prove that they have been financially indepen dent for 2 years . In addition to gett ing the province to change these rules, the report recommends that the city of Van couver work with the province on a pilot project to get all homeless people on welfare so they'll have money 10 rent aecomm odal ion. "There arc also concern s," says the report, "that the amount of assistance provide d for support .. . is not enough for an individual or famil y 10 afford appropriate food and other basic necessities ." The report recommends thai the s upport port ion of welfare for a single person increase from $185 to $230.
In all there are 86 recomm endatio ns for action by 3 levels of govern ment in the report. The two other priorities are develop ing 3,200 units of supportive housing in Vancou ver and increasing addi ction and menial health services. The report recomm ends that Vancou ver buy and renovat e one hotel per ye ar for 10 years to help provide support ive housing , and says it would co st $6 to $ 11 milli on a year to provide s upportive housing for Vanco uver's homel ess people. About 125,000 peopl e in Vancou ver are at risk of homelessness because they live in places that "arc not safe, sec ure or affordable," says the report, which argu es for increased minimu m wages and better employment insurance . It also sugges ts that the city look into a living wage policy that would pay decent wage s 10 all people workin g for or contracted by the city . TI,e city report quotes a provincial report saying that it is actua lly cheape r to provide housin g ($28,00 0 a year) than shelters and services ($40K) for homel ess people. A Novem ber 5th editorial in the VanCOl ll'er Sun mor e or less endorse d the c it)' report. Now it's up 10 all of us to pressur e our politicians at all levels of govern ment to fix our broken welfare, housing and social servi ces system s. With municipal, provincial and maybe even federal electi ons hap pening in 200 5, there is no better time to gel to work . Jean Swanso n sw ancam@ vcn.bc.ca
Who Turned on the Lights?
Volunteer T idbi ts - J nnu ary 2005
People are asking : What happened to Milton, Spenser and Shakespeare at night ? Who turned on those lights? They were 3 ofour favourite sights And now they're gone Like Paradise Lost again Please turn the stairwell lights down
.KAIIA.OKE Friday, January 21' t 2005 7pm - IOpm Car negie Theat re Wanna exercise those pipes? Have your voice be heard? Come and join us with Darrell to show us the way.... Refreshments served to the song birds.
Please someone A grie ving poet
VOL.UNTEERS OF THE M ONTH (Jan uary '05) Sue Duggn n Sue has been volunteering for the community for many years. She faithfully works for the Carnegie Volunteer Program and has helped out on many projeets and special events; her diligence along with strong work ethic ensures projects run smooth Iv. Sue's established presence with us is highly v~lued; she is a vital part of the community. Rocky Baptiste joined us in the beginning of 1999 and quickly endeared the community to him with his calming presence & personality. He has recently taken on the task of Vice President for the Pool Room. a position which he takes serio usly and diligently . Thank you Rocky, for helping to keep the wheels turning . Christmas Eve Ponl Room Tou r nament Wi nners: J" Mark Denback , r" Richard , ]'" Henry Borden CONGRA TVl.A T/ONS HA IRCU TS HAIR WITH HEART _ Hair Cuts sty led by our volunteer hair maestro 'Sergio' Sundays I - ~ I)m on t he 3rd Floo r Gallery (... stnrti n~ Ja nua ry 16t h, 2005) First come first served. For sign up / sheet with Colleen in the Volun teer Program (3rd Floor)
As an extended family at Carnegie, we've loved. hated, hugged and fought our way through our 2004 Leap Ycar . There have been many struggles and many victories for all of us. Let's begi n this New Year by rallying around each other with healthy hearts , open minds and acceptance for one another's differences. The future's so bright, we gotta wear shades (well, we can always fake it until we make it) Happy Trails, Colleen
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Would anyone like a C IIIU made by Tyler? It woul d be spicy HOn If you say " Yes" leave me a message with the Newsletter and the chili "ill be made by the end of the month. (Donations we lcome!)
' 路OLI.EI路RAI.L TOlJB1~iIJ."E."AT Sunday,Ja nuary 30t h 2005 6:00p m - registration & warm-up 6:30pm - Ga mes begi n! NEW PL.AYE RS W ELC O M E Chase those blues awar... Come and piaI'
S IJNn.i\" S'"...rrs @( ;.i\. I N Ef';U: Competitive volleyball and basketball can be a lot of fun in a friendly atmosphere. This year Sunday nigh t volleyball has been very friendly and popular at Carneg ie. Everyone is welcome to play rega rdless of menta l health or alcohol/drug issues (as long as I can't smell it). Last year players were asked to sign up and show membership cards. This harmed the "drop-in" idea . For some people it's just too much of a commitment to have to sign up. Some feel they arc being used 'Just a number or a statistic" Some of the tee nagers don't like paperwork and if they have a dollar they have to buy a piece of pizza. I feci it's much better to give everyone a chance to exercise. Carnegie needs some entry level programs for peopl e who don't have a card yet. Because our gym programs arc family-like there is rarely temper or violence problems anymore (I've only had to ask one person to leave this year). Most people who come for a game end up getting involved with other programs and becoming
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volunteers (unfortunately then sometimes they don't have time to play) . Our regular drop-in volleyball games are somewhat competitive - we play to 15 win by two. We try to even the teams with experienced and less practiced players . Seven or eight games are played between 6 and 8pm . Last game is to 21. Some of the regular players have asked for a tournament so we're having a mini-tournament on January 30th at 6:00pm to see how it goes. If there are no arguments maybe we'll have an Eastside Invitational next time. The basketball drop-in from 8 to 10 pm is a younger crowd and more competitive but everyone over 14 years old is still welcome to play. We "shoot-up" for teams at about 8: 15pm. The first four to make a foul shot are team one and so on . Depending on how many teams there are we play to 7, 9 or II. If a team wins 3 times in a row they must "sit for a bit" . Sometimes we get up to five teams but the numbers have dropped in the last few years since we lost the Grizzlies. The sporadic numbers also might depend on the number of dealers by the front steps (mothers don't like that). There are also volleyball and basketball programs on Monday and Wednesday evenings and floor hockey on Tuesdays and Thursdays. My son (the Beanstalk) and I arc in the gym from 6 - 10 pm every Sunday so - Chase those blues away - Come and Play! Leith Harrris (recreation facil itator)
vA)~ CE Due to popular demand, the Dancing Your Edge workshop, facilitated by Carnegie's very 0\\11 Delanye, is going weekly. On Sundays, from 2:30-4:00 the second floor gym will be open as a drop-in for initiates and the curious alike. But don't come to stare! Be prepared 10 move to music from around the world . This is an opportunity to expand personal awareness as we explore the essence of dance: selfexpression. So it is not dance steps we will learn , rather, how to release any bound up energy that we experience as stress. Feeling uptight, lethargic or depressed? Come dance away your blues and reconnect with your primal energy. Wear loose clothing AND DONT BE SHY. Release the dancer within...
A Place To Be Messv? Arc you a person who likes to gather things that need a little repairing or refinishing? Maybe you'd like to explore making ' artsy' things from found wood, metal or other materials but you don't have a place where you can be messy? If you 'd like to have aceess to a place where you can do these things, you are invited to leave your contact information at the Reception Desk , Main Floor of the Carnegie. Address your note to Bobby D,
Dear Twinkie, When you found me you didn't sec How sweet my bitter taste would be Follow me I'll take you away Far from your life of dismay I whisper words into your brain I am the reminder that you're insane I am the poison from every pore. I am the dread you want even more Remember those people you knew? They're traitors they on ly mean l to hurt you Follow me, I'll take you away Far from yo ur life of dismay I am the most important friend And I will be with you until the end Because I will be the end of you. Now vou're mine , you cannot return I am ; disease, your life must bum! I belong in the bottom of your heart And I will surely tear you apart Remember we had that jib deal ? I make all perfect and I can heal I am the painful pleasure that you feel It's you that make me real. Your dreams and hopes are forgollen I twist vour sanity I laugh'as you di~ in vanity Clearlv vou can hear me Now I'-m your reality. Jib
THE GULF OF WAR
Crusade ....And when you claimed The War had ended; it had not ended " (1) When you claimed victory It was not clear . You plowed over Basra For the second time Embedding soldiers and journalists In your Dust. But for the " Desert Rats" Scurrying at your heels It could have been your Wake too Embalmed in Oil; Far from Flanders Fields.
When they torched the Archives And Pages of Sacred Arabic script burnt You handed them Bibles And asked them to turn the other check. But "when you claimed the war had ended; It had not ended" (2) Seeds of resentment germinated and Tentacles of terrorism grew out of the desert.
Mary D. 1 & 2: Prophetic words from "in California During the Gulf War" in "Evening Train" by Denise Levertov.
Your trophy? NOT the sought-aflcr-Saddam Only an effigy; a toppling Statue And a Young Boy without arms. And " Yes!" they danced in the streets of Basra Just as Children in a schoolyard Jump to the Bully Boy's tunc Nol wanting to be the next one chosen. Then you stood by And watched as they did your dirty work Sacking and looting Liberating them from their History .
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Prisoners of War One moment we arc sitting safcly with friends declaring their love for each other. The next instant Satan seeps through our 24-ineh screen And Satan at 21 assumes the form of a smiling young woman with a prisoner; humiliated lying naked at her fect tethered by a leash. Shock and Awe . We become witness to Stress and Distress . We become the Prisoner and the Villainess. and a million confessionals can 't erase the stain of this sin on our colleetive soul : Venal ; Mortal; Corporal; Criminal.
There is no grea ter or lesser evil j ust Evil Incarn ate as we neglect to act in the face of Casual cruelty; Cruel brutality. The face of humanity is masked or decap itated in Basra , Falluja, AI Querib. Mea Cul pa Mary D.
A Rosary for Basra Hai/llfary Let us say a Rosary for Basra As we co unt the bea ds and the decades We will find more than five Sorrowful Mysteries. Let us med itate on The Ago ny in the Garden; The Sco urging at the Pillar ; The crowning wi th thorns; The Carrying of the Cross; We nding always and fina lly in a Cruci fixion .
HO~I' lIfary
In the Ga rden of Basra No flowers grow to create a crown of roses
for Yo u And the Mother s of Basra wear a crown of thorns around th eir hearts As they watch their c hildre n Being sco urged at the Pillar and Cruei fied.
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Hail Mary A little girl lies in the streets of Basra Decapitated except for a bright red scan tied around her neck holdin g her head in place. Let us weep and do harsh penance For Basra and for lIai/lIfary ' Cuba Full of Grace Guatemala. Cuba , Guatemala. The Lord L, with Thee Vietnam, Peru , Cambodia, Grenada . IJ/essed art Thou among Womell Lebanon, Libya, Tran; Iraq . , Ami blessed is th e fruit ofthy womb Jesus. , Panama, Nica ragua. EI Sa lvador ; Iraq . lIaUlIfaT)' North Korea" Mother of God Syria, Yem en, Colombia Pray for us Sinners Iran ; Pakistan ; Lebano n, So malia Noll' and ill th e 1I0ur ofour death III the Philipp ines, Sudan, Cuba. AlIfEN Mary D. (' a partial list of countries bombed bv the U.S. since 1950; some, like Guatemala and Cub~. repeatedly; " possible future U.S. targets)
J ERR Y LcBOVRDA IS _ HE WAS ONE OF A KIND. JeIT)' LeBourd ais, a true Car iboo charac ter and a long-time friend of Carnegie and the Downtown Eastside, died Boxing Day at the age or79 in 100 Mile House, He had been suffering from Parkinson's Disease and had .Iived for six years in a health care fac ility' in town. HIs comrades from the farm visited him nearly every day. JeITY was a visionary whose great dream led to the founding of the CEE DS organic farming commune ncar 100 Mile House back in the early 1970 's. C EEDS (Community Enhancement and Economic Development Society) was well known throughout the Can boo for the quality of their veggies and meat, and for their uncompromising politics . Jerry 's dream was a green revol ution that would see people returning to the land to grow their own foo d and become more sustainable with nature. His mono was "chip in, and share the wealth ." But he didn 't forget the big city either. In fact, he saw the need for an urban-rural connection. For years, JeIT)' and other members of CEEDS have been deliverin g potaloes, carrots and other produce to Carnegie and to Op penheimer Park. In return, lots of Downtown Eastside folks have visited the CEE DS commune and helped bring in the cro p. l first rnet Jerry abo ul 15 yea rs ago. A group of Downtown Eastside Poets were barnstorming through the Inlerior. We visited CEEDS, and Jerry introduced us to the Car iboo potato. Only Jerry could make a major point of princip le out of the lowly spud Seems the Cariboo potato had been banned by the agriculture bureaucrats because its rools were too tough for mechanized harvestingJem"s philosophy: "People should be able to grow anything they can calor smoke." He and CEEDS planted acres of the Cariboos aud distributed them all ove r the province, eve n to Ca rnegie, dari ng the potato police to bust them. He made his point, and they backed off. For a home-spu n kind of guy, Jerry had a wild and wooly past. He was born in Quesnel from a pioneering Cariboo family, and served in the Navy du ring the Second World War. He later moved to Vancouver, and went to work at the Shellbum oil refinery in
Burna by, leadin g a wild cat strike and occu pation that shut the place down for four days.. . In the early 1970's, he move d Wi th his fam ily and a group of their young friends to the Cariboo to begi n communa l farm ing. For years, they squatted on Crown land grew vcggics and rai sed animals, go t involved in 'moonshining and marij uana produ ction, built an associatio n with the local First Nations people a nd helped stree t people in the local towns ligh t for their right s. Nowadays , they run four farm s al Horse La ke, ncar 100 Mile House, and get along very well with the ir neig hbors , regular ly wi nning prizes at the fall fair for their prod uce. Lots of people will miss Jerry . There were more than 100 fans in atte nda nce at his memor ial serv ice at the Lone Butte Community Hall. He was a rea l mentor and inspiration to many
or US~ reminding us
to stick to our princip les and not 10 be afraid 10 speak out. And no matter how serious the subject, not to lose yo ur sense of hum our . . We 'll miss you Jerry. You were one-of-a- kind. a rea l origi nal. But we know that wh at yo u crea ted m the range lands of the Cariboo " i ll carry on, producing goo d food and goo d times for all of us to .enJoy. To learn more about CEEDS, and how 10 VISIt or become part of them, yo u can e- mail them at cecds@beinternel. net,or ea ll (604)253- 47 18. By Bob Sarti
VISITING J ER RY LeBOUR DAIS JUNE96 Found him top end of Horse Lake old homestead, grey logs white plaster and his fields turned over like fresh blankets Here he had his back to the wild country as if he could still escape to the wilderness, meanwhile the G .C.D. (Great Condo Dream) relentlessly inching its way up the lakeside, Yeah they 're coming all right, he laughed pointing down beyond the farm land Young foreign couple visiting him pilgrims of the planet, dewy-eyed at the shrine of green communing with the commune-man living the powerful dream gathering now strength to leave Firm hands, clear eyes let time and illness falter his step, weaker for sure but he wa lks gently wherever he goes and he believes even more in the Ca riboo potato The re 's a fie ld on the way ou l, he said all these dandelions like Ihe sun setting there it's an organic farm too (spar kle of pride in his eyes) watch for it Lornie We seen it too
came round a comer our giant horse shifting In the big trailer The field : just like he promised a mirror of gold the iris of God 's speckled eye and earlier when little Easten and Robin set their oranges on the chopping block to chase a chicken from the shed
Jerry noticed the ha lf-ea ten orange tumb le into the dirt Easten, he said, needs anot her ora nge! like a roya l proclamation he fetched it, handed it to Easten as we were leaving, giving him a brand new sun to hold in his hand Lome Dufour
C:urmunah In the Carmanah vallev the trees are five hundred vears old . and th" silence is older Ihan the trees. In the Carmanah valley the Sitka spruce is at home the small squirrel is at home the traveller is at home there, Carmanah, in its beauty, speaks to us, and lells us who we are and ought to bc. Whose voice is this which comes from suc h a dis lanee thai we can scarcely hear it? How do we know we're lost unless we know thai there's a place we've got to ge t to? What have we forgotten ? Sandy Cameron
Drea m on.. . Cleopatra Everyone comes around and 01T then they do go You cannot be afraid or even permit them to know Or to go 01T on a kilter , to remain as you are To stay on the down-n- om or become a superstar Can I see through you ? Is there a reason for you to trip , falling from grace? You 'd lived a life of wonders, determined, no disgrace Knowing you as a girl I woman I lady, as yo u wish Not firing 01T anger, scattered to bits, hit & miss, Do yo u believe in me ? You like to be courteous, polite, sometimes refined Som e unimpressed women I know of don 't seem to mind A mus ician I know is a riddle to some, not mean, not unki nd, Docs she have silent feelings I can 't see? Am I blind? Do you deceive me? What ' s the usc playing games with the one you may love Why not come out and tell her without help from above Cut to the chase, quick , life ' s too sho rt as you know But you always push to the limit without eb b or flow Do yo u understand me? When did you first become so high and so mighty If I didn't know better I'd swear yo u're fligh ty It's time to fish or cut bait , to throw cards on the table Our intertwined lives are rea l, not a dream , not a fable Is this understood? Robyn Livi ngsto ne WORDS TO LI VE B Y If you' re too open-mi nded, your brain s will fallout. Don 't worry about what people will think; they don', do it very often.
Going to a church doesn' t make )Qu a Christian any mort: than stand ing in a garage makes you a car. Experie nce is a wonderful thing. II enables you to rc..'cognize a mistake "hen you make it again . B)' the lime you ca n mak e the end s meet, they move the ends. Someone who think s logically provid es a nice contrust to the real world.
Who Says Nothing Great Happens In The DTES?
Exem plary C om m unity Volunteer - G RA M Someone who has dem on strated an insp iring co m, m itment to the Downto wn Eastside and to social responsibi lity , without forma l recogni tion, is a wo ma n who simply goes by GRAM . She dedicates much of her time to orga nizations in the area includ. ing the Carnegie Centre and the Firehall T heatre, as well as to many resi denls of the neighbourhood. She also makes significant monetary contributio ns, increasing the positive im pact she has . T HAN K YO U GRAM! Your support and work is hig hly ap preciated and noticed - you have made a dilTerence.
It Came To Me While In The Whirlpool Ir n you don 18k ma peaches Don shake rna tree Holy One T he an nive rsary approacheth The second one, n'est-ce pas? Also the winter Christmas ; and all that other older jazz
o
Cometh the New year (auld lang singe) It's a new Dawn It' s a new Day , but .. . Yeah, cha nge is hard The Magi knew All that flux stuff And the dispensation still real. Now , my new skin sensitive yet: the old one the re on the sand sti ll calls to me; Getting pale & paler in the noonday sun I feci the wannth through my skin And see the Pyramid shimmering in the distance Wilhelmina
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tes .lud:, as She n-
CRIME AND PUNISHMENT Adapted and drected by Jm1es Fagan Tait Music composed anddirected by JoeIysa Pankanea Based on the novel by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
a NeWor1d Theatre creation co-produced with PuSh International Performing Arts Festival in association with Vancower Moving Theatre
Jan. 28 - Feb. 6, 2005 Round house Com munity Ce ntre (paci fic at Davie)
Tuesday to Saturday 7 pm Matinl'Cs Jan. 30 and Feb. 5 and 6 (2 pm) Post-Sh ow Talkbac k February 1 Tickets: Festival Box Office 604-257-0366
. 'IIE E pr.路.路i.. ... .J..n ....ry 27 47 pm. "Crime and Punishment" is the story of a perfect murder planned by Raskolnikov, a destitute and intelligent inner city student who compares himself to a country at war. He justifies murder by a principle that sets himself above society. From thc first moment of its orchestration, the crime takes on a life of its own . Who will get Raskolnikov first - the police or his eonscience? This haunting musical adaptation brings to life FyodorDostoyevsky ' s epic moraljourncy . The 22 member cas t is assisted by 10 of the directors, stage manager, act ors and musicians who parti<:ipated in The Downtown Eastside Community Play including James Fagan Tait , Joelysa Pankanea, ltai Erda l, Doroth y Jenkins, violinist Klisala Harri son and act or/singers Savannah Walling, Kuei -Mi ng Lin Grant Chancey , Stephen Lytto n and EI\\; n Xie.
A highl y co ntro versial hou sing facil ity that will be hom e to 30 people with substance abuse and mental health problems was approved T uesday by Vancouver city council. After several heated debates and meetin gs with residents in the neighbourhood of Fraser Street and 41st Avenue, counci l unanimously decided to approve the project, but agreed to increase staffing, redu ce the number of beds, and improve the con sultation process for similar projects in the future . "This has been a d ifficult deci sion ," said Co un. Annc Roberts, wh o lives in the neig hbourhood . "Peo ple had a lot of real concerns ." The city recei ved petitions containing the names of more than 3,10 0 people stro ngly opposed to the proj ect and one October public meeting attracted about 1,000 resid ents. Roberts said the changes mad e to the orig inal pro posal were a direct result of the resid ents' concerns and should go a fair distance in al leviating those co ncerns. Instead of staffing the fac ility with o nly one person overnight , the proposa l now includes two stafTmembers at all times. Also, inst ead of the or igina l plan to have 39 people in the home, the proposal now ca lls for 30. "We've becn havi ng dialogue with the community since Apri l 2004 and one of the issues we kept hea r-
ing again and again was size,"said Dominic Flanagan, manager of housing with the Vancouver Coastal Hea lth Authority. The authority and the cit y will jointly bui ld an d operate the facilit y, known as the Triage Special Needs Residential Facility. Flanagan told couneil he is committe d to find ing additional fund ing to open more bed s to make up for the loss of the nine spaces at Triage. Also in response to the public's concern s, Roberts asked eouneil to establish a neighbourhood forum "to try to work towards resol ving so me of the issues that are key to the community ." Thes e include co mmunication and handling of compla ints from residents . The project is expec ted to cost abo ut $4 mill io n and \\;11 likel y open with in the next two years.
r
DTES Musicians, broadcast live From the Radio Station Cafe On CFRO 102.7 FM Jan. 30th , 2005 7 - 9 PM With Earl Crowe , MC
First words... I'm verv happy and proud 10 come to the Carnegie Centre I~ work with such a crea tive and com mitted group . The co mbina tion of programs and learning opportunities hcrc reflect a balanced and well though t out response 10 community needs and a dcep belief in the worth and integrity of all people. The chance to contribute to thai response is a grea t opportunity for mc. . Mv experience covers a broad range of services 10 people . I've worked with vulnerable youth in residcntial settin gs . I was a counselor in the inner city for eight vears and mel some incredible peop le along the way. i worked as a counselor in the outer ci ty for a few vcars loo. I was with Family Services of Great~r Vanco uver for 13 years. Whi le I was a senior manager there, I had responsibi lity for a wide range of programs including trauma, addictions, peer support, youth , and counseling programs as well as cornmunitv education and development, The on": lime I worked in the DTES was for a year and a half as the dramaturge at Touchstone Theatre. I've often had one fool in the arts . I think it's a natu ral inclina tion for anyone who loves the resi lience,
uniqueness and passion that peo ple displ ay when they are faced with challenges. Art connects us to each other and to ourselves . Including a focus on art activities in your programming makes a 101 of sense. I ca me to Vancouver from Nova Scotia over half a lifetime ago and I've come to love it. I'd lo ve it even more if the relationship betwee n the larger co mmunity and the DTES grows anq deve lops in a way thai ensures dignity, co nnection and safety for everyone. I ho pe I have a com bination of experience, ski lls and values that will allow me to contribu te to the forward thinking and compassionate vision being developed by this community . I look forward 10 meeting more of the Carnegie staff as well as the resi dents of'thc neighborhood and having an opportunity to get 10 know you and to work alongside of you . Ethel Whitty [Carnegie's new director.[
The only magic trick you' ll ever need! Blow people away. Control her mind Avenge I retaliate I destroy And other hometown drama. T he Universe is 70% dark energy, and 30% dark matter; Shar ks rays and bug-eyed lish . I cigarelte case I classic Shiva I Brand new dagger I weird Orient knife One roughly a Jupiter Mass, the other roughly a Saturn Mass . Talking middle linger torch blues Gun torch lighter I lighter Now with lithium neon New! Mexican marijuana bag EI gran herbe. Red devil rubbe r duckie evi l go th Large piran ha taxi der my Screw the French t-shirt 100% t-shirt . Cast iron devil , Satan satanic match holder, safe . Remote control fart machine, Click to listen! Gena Thompson
DOWNTOWN EASTSIDE YOUTH ACTI VITIES SOCIETY 19 IV.Cordova
NEEDLE EXCHANGE VAN - 3 Routes: 604-685-6561 City - 5:45pm - 1I:45pm _ Overnight - 12:30am - 8:30am Downtown Eastside - 5:30pm - 1:30am
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CaiBellio0 NE W S LET T E R
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1I1l NlWSllTTl R IS A PUBLICATION OF TI lE C\RNlGll COMMUNITY ClNTRE ASSOCIATION Ar1M:h.'S rCPftsenllhc "acws
or indi'tidual
,onlnbuIOfS.nd nUlor the Assoc ialion .
Submission Deadline Friday, Ja nuary
28
2005 DONATIONS Uhby' D.-S40 Barry for Dave McC.-S50 Rolf A.-$-l5 Ma'l:arel D.-S25 Christophcr R.-S50 Mary C-S30 Bruce 1.-S30 V'mista - S20 Heather S.-S25 RayCam -S30 Gram -SIOO Paddy -S30 Glen B.-S50 J ohn S.-S80 Penny G.-S21 Jenn y K-S20 Dara C.-S20 Sandy C.S20 Audrey-S20 Wes K.-S50 Joanne H.-S20 Rockin ~~uys -S20 The E d~e Communily Liaison CII -S200 Wm B-S20 Anonyrnous-Sz
Editor: PaulR Taylor; coverart & layout, DianeWood
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I We acl<nowledge Ihal Carnegie CommuMy Cenlr~, andlhis t Newsletter. are happening on Ihe Squarnish HalJon 5 leailoly. _ I
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