July 1, 2011, carnegie newsletter

carnegie~ camnews@shaw.ca www.camnews.org

NEWSlETTER

camr.ews@>01.bc.ca

.WI Main sueet Vancouver Canada V6A 2T7 (604)S6S.22B9

JULY1,2011 http://camegie.vcn;bc.ca/newsletter htto:/lharvestors.sfu ca/chod • arr

Editorial There was nothing that hit local news, at least not CBC or CTY. The 'why?' is hit hard by the coverwe (people victimised in the Downtown Eastside) cannot expect to get the same interest, concern or even notice as that given to victims from other parts of the city.

Consider that the driver was in a Lexus Sl 350, maybe a $60,000 car. He was described as between 25 & 35 with a female passenger about the same age.

He hit a pedestrian at Jackson & Hastings just a fter 4am on Friday. He got out, looked at her, got back in and drove off. The woman died about 8:30am that d ay Strangely enough a man was the victim of another hit&run on Sunday morning, about 3 blocks west of Jackson, again on Hastings. Only finding out Tuesday afternoon gives credence to my feeling 'unworthy' of consideration by early morning drivers.

It's easy to dismiss this as 'just another tragic coincidence', blame it on the stereotype of people out walking in the early morning hours, but the humane thing to do is stop and give assistance, even call 911 for an ambulance. Hit & run incidents are certainly

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not unique to the DTES ...

But consider how BC Transit has been blocking the addition of mid-block crosswalks on E Hastings, not wanting either these or a reduced speed limit (30km/ hr) on the street, or any other attempts to have dnvers be extra careful in the 'hood.

As this is being written, a group meeti ng at VANDU is going to go to Jackson & ll astings to talk at the newest memorial site, with ideas of papering every pole on the street with large 30 km/hr speed limit posters. commandeering a bus and putting stuff about the traffic in this area a ll over it, even getting facts of drivers almost playing 'gel 'em' as locals cross between stoplights, just ifying such crude, even brutal actions by keeping our 'sub-human' status in mind.

It' s kind of dog matic to think everything that is done thoughtlessly or vindictively or aggressively here is because of the perpetrators being indifferent to the Downtown Eastside as a neighbourhood, a community ... it's just so much easier to treat the space, the services, the buildings, the people, as lower on the scale of '路what counts" in their world- but it is not entirely ludicrous.

All parts of the gentrification championed by those already being 'ahead' in terms of wealth and property are supposed to push low-income people out. The proper questions for the City of Vancouver to be asking would include: I )What is needed to assist the lowincome population to remain in their neig hbourhood?

2) What kind of developments would improve their standards of living? 3)The plans and aspirations of local, low-income residents need to be prioritised & a Local Area Plan driven by these people .. why isn' t it?

By PAULR TAYLOR

HEY!!!TheAugust 15,20 11 editionofthe Carnegie Newsletter will mark this paper's 25m Anniversary.

An event will take place o n Sunday, August 21 ", from 2 - 4pm in Carnegie's Theatre to celebrate & see what's been done and what this publication has meant and contributed to the Downtown Eastside. A s always it's free and everyone is invited. Donations accepted!

SAVE-ON MEATS OPENS

j

It was with great anticipation J walked by Save-On Meats on Tuesday morning. There was a fi lm crew outside- so I go up to them and ask "What's Up? I thought they were going to be opening up today?"

They go '路You're perfect - Can we film you for a documentary we are doing about this store open ing.'' I go "sure". So I had to be interviewed 3 times before we got it right. The first t ime the microphone wasn't turned on!

Anyway, I digress. This is supposed to be a review of some sort. Since opening day I have watched with relish this store come to life. Soon they will have sausages.

The staff are extremely friendly just like in the good o ld days of the old store when you were always greeted with a smi le and joke. They were extremely accommodating, and this new staff totally lives up to the trad ition in that department.

They were more than willing to sell me $2 worth of hamburger, 79 cents worth of parmesan cheese, 81 cents worth of bologna and so on and so on. This is something I miss when I shop at g rocery stores. They make you buy in packages. You know what I mean?

So I say a great big Thank You - for a fantastic new way to shop in our hood.

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By Adrienne Macallum Intrepid Shop. ping Reporter - DTES

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Caitlin Williams with the free phone installed in front of Spartacus Books on E. Hastings Street Tuesday, Photograph by : Jason Payne, PNG T he public pay phone has become an endangered species, especially on the Downtown Eastside where 82 per cent of people live alone and many are home less.

The phones that do exist are "few and far between and are turned off at 9 p.m. so no further calls can be made," notes Caitlin Williams, who works at Spartacus Books. Other area phones will only accept 911.

Now a group of people has banded together to create a '路People's Phone Booth," located outside Spartacus Books at 684 East l lastings.

The phone uses VOIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) which is free, so there will be no charge for local calls day o r night. The phone is wired to a wooden stand and covered by a tarp.

"A g roup of us saw the need for a phone in th is neigh bourhood because people a re constantl y asking to use our phone, and we've never overheard anyth ing really sketchy going down,.. said Williams, 21, who says she is with a loosely-organized group called the People's Phone Booth Collective. " The phone company think s people use a pay phone only to make drug dea ls or for prostitution. There are lots of sex trade workers in this area but they don't ask to use the phone for work, it 's to connect with friends o r family. " One guy comes in every day to call his boss to see if he can get work, another lovely social woman is j ust trying to reach out to her friends."

Williams notes that it's a stereotype to think that the only emergency call anyone might make from the Downtown Eastside (DTES) would be to 9 11.

"So many women went missi ng from this area and it was probably getting harder and harder fo r them to find a phone to keep in touch with family." In fact, the vast majority of women who became victims of serial killer Robert Pickton, who preyed on drugaddicted women in the DTES, were revealed at trial to have kept in touch regularly with at least one family member.

Williams notes that the few area pay phones that do exist are mainly behind locked doors, in the SingleRoom-Occupancy (SRO) hotels or public buildings.

Gentrificatio n sweeping through the eastside has meant more businesses and upscale condos, but most of those new residents are cellphone users. " Businesses wi ll not let someone use the phone who looks marginalized," said Williams. "And people here can't afford cell phones let a lone land lines."

"The DTES s hould have equal access to the tools of communication that other neighbourhoods enjoy," said Willia ms. "We think the People's Phone Booth will be a great asset to the community."

In Mcmori:nn -lllu..-ict Nahancc (Tsibcotl)

Most of British Colu mbia 1935-2007 is unceded "1\ative territory traditionnlly under the jlll."isdiction of Native people's nations. '"Our relationship to the land has ah~ ays been ol the g11:atest Importance to our e:-..istence. The land is a physical representation of our spiritual it) ...

-Union of 11ritish Columbia Indian Chiefs It is difficult to envision

a situation more symbolic of the Native struggle for territorial entitlements than the 2006 land rights protest at Eagleridge Bluffs.

Environmentalist.~ clashed with the provincial government plus big business. which were intent on destroying this pristine area in the name of the 20 I 0 Olympics.

United in their stand against overwhelming forces 11ere Respected Native Elder and Indigenous rights activist llarriet Nahanee (Tsibeotl; Pacheedaht), age 71 and Caucasian social justice activist Betty Krawczyk. age 78.

The) \vere arrested on May 25. :!006 for blockading construction of the 20 I0 Olympics Sea-to-Sky II ighway. llarrict Nahanee received a 14 day prison ~c nten cedespite having filed an appeal 111 the Surrey Pre-Trial Centre described by an esteemed joumalist as "a noted hell-hole lor women in poor health.'.

Upon being released. she died shortly therealter.

Justifiably outraged, many people signed a petition protesting BC Supreme Coun Justice Brenda Brown's handling of llarrict Nahanee's coun case and sentence; the public now demands an investigation into that judicial process.

11etty Krawczyk received ,, I0 month prison sentence ~Vhic h she served.

Upon being. re l c;~-.ed, ~he filed an appeal of her ~entence in order to prevent such harsh sentences from being. handed down 111 the fulllre.

In response. the BC Attorney General argued that Betty 1--rawczyk shoulcl l"t.'u: iw a li(i: \CIIfence

lor her environmc.ntalist '"crimes:¡ This abusive treaunent of these elder women ol two races speaks of racist. misog) ni st. senior-hating rank discrimination that one \\Ould typically expect from a government which is in thrall to big business, is primarily motivated by love of monev. is totally uninterested in equality. • and is therefore anti-democratic.

The aforementioned journalist wrote ¡'What if governmem and big business can operate irrespective of public opinion and "ithout having to obtain legitimacy for their projects. '' hile those 1vho protest go into the slammer?"

Indeed. It stinks of nco-fascism.

Aboriginal Title that is, common law property interest in landwas confi rmed in 1997 by the Supreme Court of Canada.

In BC. however, even today. only a tiny fraction of the land is under treaty.

This is just more evidence that. as could be expected from an) nco-fascist state. racist contempt by its ruling elites is rampant.

Can ordinary British Columbians \eam from the example of Harriet Nahanee and Betty Krawczyk?

How about across all of Canada? 路'ln our culture, you'll find a belief in the sanctity of the natural environment.

This belief can inform and inspire all Canadians . as we struggle to formulate a sustainable economy .. :路 -editorial, The Globe and Mail, June \2,2007, Floyd Favel (Plains Cree-Saulteaux) Rolf Auer

Can White people \eam to cooperate with Native people by, say, electing a provincial govemment which is more fair and responsive to Native people's land claims?

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Defending the DTES by any Legal and Moral means necessary, Part lY

Explosion or Implosion: the making of Peaceful Uprisings or Robertson's Riots (This article will be given to Mayor Gregor Robertson, city council, city manager Penny Bal/en, Premier Christy Clark, Social Housing, Energy & Mines Minister Rich Coleman, Adrian Dix, Police Chief Jim Chu, pm Stephen Harper Jack Layton, Bob Rae and Elizabeth May) I've had visions concerning our unique culturecommunity and land. We are in a pivotal juncture in our history and existence; we face imminent threats locally, provincially and federally. I've been the first to publicly urge extreme caution with the local area plan (LAP), at Council and on these pages. The LAP is a government process to find out our development vision for the community. It is however weighted heavily on the developers, business and government interest's side. It is to be written not by us but by government bureaucrats. It is non-enforceable, and therefore has no teeth. Our viewpoints are only recommendations.

It also imposes on us, the will of people from rich neighbourhoods- the Building community Society and Penny Ballem, the city manager- also the highest paid city employee. Trustworthy characters to be sure.

How trustworthy? Not that long ago, a beloved member of our community at our Town Hall meeting also urged extreme caution with the LAP and also saying "we should have ten of us for every one of them on the LAP committee. Another beloved member of the

community said, "At least."

Mayor Gregor Robertson showed his disdain for our community and is the first imminent threat to it by disregarding our viewpoints and recommendations concerning the Chinatown Heights Review (allowing condos to be built over our objections even before a LAP is completed and effectively taking Chinatown out of the DTES (or making Chinatown the "Rabbit" a '路tap''ahead of us- perhaps a test run for condo development in the rest of the DTES. Robertson showed no interest whatsoever in the majority low-income residents of Chinatown.

The second imminent threat we face comes from the Christy Clark provincial government. In her very short tenure as leader of the BC government, she has shown consistency in her d isdain for the DTES and vulnerable people. One, by not allowing extended funding for the ll. E.A.T. Shelters, and two- following that up with heaping even more disdain and disrespect for our community and our women by notallowing funding to resident Aboriginal and Women's groups in the DTES for the Missing and Murdered Women's Inquiry.

The third imminent threat comes from the hostile Federal government led by Stephen Harper. His hatred for the DTES borders on what can on ly be described as !Iitlerian. The evidence is his irrational and maniacal persecution of In site at the Supreme Court of Canada- a verdict due within months. I have said before, we are a unique culture of Survivors andResisters to all forms of exploitation and abuse. Harriet Nahanee would tell you, it is worth fighting for, it is worth defending and it is worth dying for.

When we bundle together our arrows, our flowers, our rainbows and our dreams-we cannot be broken. Yes, they have chopped Chinatown out of the body of the DTES, and they intend to chop up the rest, but they need our signature and our hand to put the final nail into our coffin. But this community was born on the streets and in the end-we will fight for it in the streets.

In the fall of last year, Police Chief Jim Chu came for a town hall meeting in the DTES. I told him to his face to not bring the ir Barnum and Bailey Circus here as an exercise in public relations but lacking in any substance. And that if he really wanted to begin gaining the trust of the community, he could begin by stop ticketing our vendors.

So starting July 4, I wi ll be sel ling the freshest Vcge-

tables. mostly organic, at cost or below cost(no one wi ll be turned away) at the corner of Main and ll astings. at times at the Pantages theatre and across the street by Insite (and lnsite Garden) and at the Sunday Street market fair at Pigeon Park. I am also asking gardeners if they can donate vegetables and/or fruit not as in a charitable way but as a right, equitable and just thing (I homelessdave@gmail.com).

AII of us deserve socially affordable housing and low cost, best quality nutritious food, especially those in ill health and the most vulnerable. My vegetable outlay will be called , homeless dave's Happy Block or (even better) Happy Planetlmaginariwn Renewable Garden. I will document on these pages, elsewhere and orally everything that happens to me.

And to be clear, I told Mayor Gregor Robertson to his face at the City Hall hearings on the Chinatown Heights Review, if he overrules the will of the People and sides with the developers and business interests, I would call for Radical Non-Violence, Uncivil Disobedience, & Zero tolerance for Economic Violence.

More to come in part 5. Love, homeless dave and Anonymous Zero

7

llome Again no sooner got off the Greyhound some bug invades my pack very first thing Strange warm like a lover's softness drift thru the old rituals see the always welcoming faces, Chinatown like I never left: spent April sleeping under the ass end of a trailer an inner cave cardboard tarps hiding so the police wouldn't hunt down yet another hobo and now dream-like it never really happened the 'go-get-cider game taking up time starving and looking for a home that just wasn't there sometimes a sweet small town where your friends outnumber the strangers and a comfort comes from being near friends you'll always love and never really left behind.

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minute sensual livid gratifying loving kind no longer do I throw my diamonds too the swine, captured the moment and it's plain to see my life has taken a turn ror the best, living for love never giving up ur soul is thirsty for the light of truth no longer do i drag in darkness my ancestors truly walking with me!

Nora Kay Rickman

My Friend Lou Anyone that is a friend of Ludvik Skalicky calls him Lou. That probably applies to all that meet this caring, helpful person.

1 was reading a book called Longhorn Empire while my brain was turning over the events of the day. I came across a paragraph that just seemed to fit the perfect description of my friend Lou, the way he's always assisting others, advising people on the ways to better themselves. The book, starting with chapter one reads as such, "Old John Web didn't know it. but he was looking upon the strengthening current of a flood that was to topple institutions, change history, influence the destiny of a nation and leave its indelible mark upon the habits, characteristics and ambitions of a people."

I thought, now just change John Web to Lou, and that would about best describe this great person that I have had the privilege to have known for the past two years now.

I'm probably not alone wishing him the best life has to offer for he has more than earned it. This is just a small ;ay to thank my friend Lou for all he's done for me in the last couple of years.

You've been the best part of my stay in Vancouver's downtown east side.

Sincerely, Your Friend Kevin Ackroyd, Computer Lab Volunteer

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VOLUNTEERS OF THE MONTH (JUNE) Mike Tessier, Dishwasher Ga ry Donaldson, Oppenheimer Park, Library VOLUNTEER COMMITTEE MEETING Wednesday July 13 at I pm in Classroom II All Volunteers Welcome! Your voice is needed and appreciated.

ANNUAL PICNIC -Volunteer/Seniors (Keenagers) Sasamat Lake : White Pine Beach TUESDAY, July 19'h, 10am-7pm Swimming, building sandcastles, BBQ's (lunch and dinner), hiking, walking, sightseeing, Adventure seeking, cards, Frisbee, singing . ***Reinvention of the 'I lead In The Sand' p1cture ....

Meet at Info desk at 9:30am Sharp!

Please sign up at the.Volunteer Program and Senior Program Office VOLUNTEER DINNER The stafrs chance to serve the volunteers who serve the whole community Wednesday, July 20'h, 4:30 in the Carnegie Theatre VOLUNTEERS BURRITO Dll\TNER-Monday July 25 1\ Spm As there are S weeks between cheques this month; our volunteers receive a Burrito Dinner served on the 2"d floor. Please pick up your burrito dinner ticket from the Volunteer Program Office

COMMUNITY DAY AT THE RACE TRACK CARNEGIE VOLUNTEER PROGRAM FUNDRAISER Sunday, July 31, Noon -S, Hastings Racecourse

"DAY AT THE RACES! " PLEASE JOIN US! Help Support the Carnegie Volunteer Program- Bring your family and friends • Delicious Buffet Lunch • Music • Silent Auction+ Raffle Tickets • An exciting day of Horse Racing A race will be named after Carnegie Community Centre which includes a horse blanket embroidered with our organization's name that representatives from our organization would award the winner of that race. ***NOTE: Everyone Welcome!

Volunteers, please sign up with Colleen or Rika to attend the lunch at this event.

Carnegie Community Action Project (CCAP) Newsletter !Read CCAP reports at: http://ccapvancouver.wordpress.com

July 1, 2011

I

CONDOS BEHIND CARNEGIE? Save Pantages for low-income people's housing!

A coalition of Downtown Eastside (DTES) organizations are coming together to oppose the Pantages Theatre owner's 2011 application to build a massive condo building with token amounts of social housing on the 100 block of East Hastings Street.

The main points of this group will be:

• To call on the Pantages owner to sell the property at its 201 0 assessed value of $3.7 million to the City of Vancouver. • To call on the City to buy the Pantages parcel and designate it for 100% resident controlled social housing with low-income community space on the ground floor.

As the Carnegie newsletter goes to print, the ad hoc coalition is steps away from finializing its community resolution for 100% social housing on the 100-block of East Hastings.

Condos at the Pantages will be a bomb in the heart of the low-income Community vision community, damaging and displacing services for the most oppressed groups of people in the city. On top of the 400 low-income residents of market SRO hotels in the Regent, Balmoral and Brandiz and more in the Ford building , the Washington and Sunrise hotels, gentrification would threaten services on and around the 100-block. The Carnegie Community Centre serves 5000 low-income people and is a hub for food and library services as well as recreational and cultural activities. lnsite ensures access to critical health services for thousands of IV drug users who suffer from discrimination in other spaces. The Downtown Eastside Women's Centre -which is a drop 2

visible on the walls of the Pantages

in and safe-space for thousands of low-income women including Chinese seniors, Indigenous women, single mothers, homeless and low-income women - is on the very edge of the 100-block. So is the Aboriginal Front Door Society, the only centre in the area run by and for Indigenous people who are disproportionately impacted by homelessness and poverty as a result of the legacy of colonialism. Bringing condos to this block could change all of this.

The Pantages development is not in line with the city's planning policy for the DTES which calls for "revitalization without displacement." The coalition will call on the City to stop the Pantages development permit application

because of this contradiction. Members of the group are vowing to do whatever it takes to stop the Pantages development application permit from being heard in late-September.

Pantages is especially important because, on top of being in the symbolic heart of the low-income community, the Pantages parcel is in the Downtown Eastside Oppenheimer District (DEOD), the only zoning area of the DTES that requires 20% social housing in all new developments. This requirement has kept condos out of the DEOD and ensured that the area remains a sanctuary for low-i ncome people. It has also kept land prices lower tha n in other areas, so lots are cheaper for governments to buy for social housing. If the Pantages development brings condos to the DEOD, it will open a flood of other condo developments.

The coalition that has formed, including CCAP, the Downtown Eastside Neighbourhood Council, Downtown Eastside Women's Cetre, Power of Women Group, Aboriginal Front Door Society, VANDU , Gallery Gachet and more joining in coming days, present an opportunity for the city to listen to those who will be most terribly impacted by a condo development on the 100-block are also those who understa nd and ca n plan a 100% social housing proj ect to meet those needs. - Ivan D

Join the campaign :

Pantages for 100째/o social housing 1. Get your DTES group to endorse the DTES community resolution 2. Come to the Pantages for 100% Social Housing coalition meetings, 6pm at Aboriginal Front Door Society office (check with Wendy to make sure: 604-839-0379) 3. Get involved in the Pantages for 100% social housing actions leading up to the owner's development application permit hearing which will likely be in late-September Petition drive in the market hotels on the 100-block of E. Hastings.

Come along for creative deliveries to the owner and developer of the Pantages condo project Help create a campaign logo and slogan Organize a block party to block condos at the Pantages in September Most importantly... stay in touch with CCAP and get ready for a fight for the soul of our community!

3

Can we get over the 'Rocks in the Road' in the city's local area planning process?

This is an update on the city's upcoming Local Area Planning Process (LAPP).

What is a LAPP? And why do CCAP and other groups in the area care about it? Why are we talking about rocks?!?

nessnes hated because office spaces then were like condos are now. We can thank this committee for basic things too like the trees that line our neighbou rhood 's streets.

LAPP's were In 2008, CCAP started in called on the the 1970's in city to start a Vancouver LAPP because as a way for there is no cities to get over-arching , more citizen unifying plan involvement for the area. in developCCAP also wanted the city ing plans for neighbourto agree on hoods. The a vision, goal Downtown and tools to stabilize and Eastside had a LAPP in improve the Condo City: The kind of planning we want to avoid the 70's and lives of lowwhen Jean Swanson of CCAP was at income residents and to have a comDERA, she was on its committee. That mittee made up of majority low-income committee was made up of an elected residents. Plus we want it to slow or group of residents, workers, business stop gentrification. operators, property owners and othIn January 2010, we "sort of' got the ers. They were given a humble budget LAPP approved by the city as a token and made re commendations about how offering when condo towers and gentrito spend that money to improve the fi cation were to be foisted on the comarea. Thi s committee transformed Opmunity through the Historic Area Height penheimer park from a vacant lot with Review. It was called the "DTES Stratweeds into a real park. It also forces egy." But nothing happened for about a convinced the ci ty to rezon e the neighyear. So, as you may remember, as the bourhood residenti al, which the busi4

city council voted to solidify their decision about the towers in March 2011, the city turned this DTES Strategy into an "enhanced and accelerated" LAPP and gave the DTES Neighbourhood Council (DNC) and the Building Community Society (BCS) co-chairs significant powers, according to the city's motion, to influence it. A DTES Strategy with some teeth. An even sweeter pill to offset the bad medicine of guaranteed towers and possible wipe-out of the Chinatown community, sigh. But, committed to the potential that this process could help us implement our vision for the community, we got involved.

process of the LAPP. As Robert said at a CCAP meeting recently, "A few people don't know what you're talking about. How can we talk about LAP and still have what's going on at Pantages?" We hear this, a lot from residents. How can we plan a neighbour-

Since March 2011, CCAP has worked closely with the two groups named by the city as co-chairs to develop some terms of reference or a set of agreements to guild the structure, process and basic points that participants .. ,.._._,--~ ca n agree to. t

... . .

There have been a few good ~: 1 things come out of this. For r; ~ ~. the most part, BCS has ..~ 1 1 come on board to support 路 .. ~' ., 1 most of DNC's goals for the f. 路 LAPP. Like, they supported ;' us on our goal to slow marCan a city planning process fight condo gentrification? ket development during the 5

hood when the cranes are up and the bulldozers are at work pushing us out?

But so far, it looks like the city won't go for this as a condition for the LAPP. It's been tough going on other fronts too. And although sometimes we may feel like throwing "them" and some-

the real estate in the area and at the end of the day, have no obligation to ensure the committee's recommendations are passed on to city council for decision making. In other words, as advisors we could be just "enhancing and accelerating" the city's authority to make this plan by doing a lot of work for the city to ensu re they had the best participation possible with a committee that is really representative, informed and "inclusive". Our work could be used to justify recommendations that we may not agree with.

There are people's lives in those planning maps!

times we feel like banging our heads against them , the biggest "rock in the road" in term s of moving forward with the LAPP is the city staff's insistence that the community committee is just an advisory group. In the City Manger's terms, this is a "big clanger."

DNC wants the community committee to produce the plan, but could settle with being partners to produce the plan . To us, "partners" means the committee and the city staff will need to agree on the plan before it goes to council. Advisory status, on the other hand, means the city is free to consult with whoever they want, including those who just wa nt to make money off 6

So, do you think the rest of the community outside of DNC's LAP committee shares our concerns with what we think are significant issues in the city's terms of reference? We're reaching out to low-income driven groups in the DTES, right now, to find out. We're also having a DNC General Membership meeting on Saturday, July 2nd in the Carnegie Theatre that you are welcome to come to. Be in touch if you want to learn more. If you are a DTES resident, sign up as a member on Saturday, hear the story and vote on what you think we should do next.

-Wendy P (DNC's liaison to the city for the LAPP)

This Is My Community Dear Shelly; I live and work in the DTES. This is my community. The language you use to describe and the remedies you suggest (for the problems you perceive) are offensive to me.

I think your opinion could have been better received (by me) if you had proposed solutions.

I would like to suggest some solutions for your consideration.

Perhaps ending the war on drugs and directing resources to treatment and prevention . The war on drugs is a war on the poor and to continue to criminalize our poorest and most vulnerable citizens is what is criminal.

Good quality, affordable, resident-controlled housing might help.

I would invite you to come and tour the "pigsty" with me as your guide. The solutions to "problems" you perceive in our community are here with the people who live here.

Thank you, Dave Murray

I hope Shelley Fralic regrets the last sentence in her column about the Downtown Eastside, because: 1) Labeling it a "pigsty" dehumanizes everybody in the neig hbourhood, including the thousands of residents who are not dope-dealers.

2) Calling for it to be "swept clean" will be taken as another demand for further gentrification - meaning yet more displacement of people whose only crime is poverty.

Reporters , columnists, and editorialists- stop using carelessly vicious language about the DTES. Rider Cooey 7

The double standard of health and safety: The picture on the left is of a roof construction project in the West End. (Notice the safety precautions) The picture below is of the demolition of the Pantages Theatre in the DTES. (No safety) Both these projects were licensed by the city of Vancouver.

Some websites to look at http:llccapvancouver.wordpress.coml Virtually everything we're up to at CCAP gets posted on this blog. Click on the reports tab to read CCAP's reports. https:llsites.google.comlsiteldteslappl All the documents to do with the DTES Local Area Planning Process. http://dnchome.wordpress.com/ See the DNC website for updates on the shelter closures and, in the right column of the site, a calendar of events, actions, and meetings that you can download month by month.

Van city Support for this project does not necessarily imply Vancity's endorsement of the findings or contents of this newsletter

8

T he Grea t Debate

By Garry Gust Good evening. I am your moderator, Foster llasben.

Our debaters are, William F. Bentley, and Oscar Limpbaugh.

The preamble of tonight's debate is that 50 years ago the White race was 30% of the world's population.

Today in this year of20 II, the White population is 14.97%. By 2060, it will be a mere 9.7% of the world's population.

The question is: What. if anything, should be done about the decline and possible extinction of the White race on Eart h. Mr. Bentley, will you begin?

Mr. Bentley?

In lieu of bloodshed, it might prove wiser for a mass exodus of White people from North America back to Europe. And further, a similar exodus of Colored People from Europe to North America or wherever they originated from.

That's all the time we have. 11wnk you for your insights.

Yes, of course. If one were inclined to be concerned with the diminishment of the White population. then one should encourage the Whites to have more children. However, in light of the fact that the earth can barely sustain its current population, by 2060 it will not much mauer.

Mr. Limpbaugh, will you respond?

Well, any idiot should be able to understand that North America must stop all immigration to People Of Color, in order for the Whites not to be gobbled up by other races. If we don't, then we're toast.

The Asians are breeding machines. While we Whites only pop out one or two, the colored races are doing five or seven. And they want all boys!

Thank you Mr. Limpbaugh. Mr. Bentley, do you have anything to add? )fNorth America should stop all immigration of People Of Color, we would be regarded by the rest of the world as racists ...

So What! Do you want your great-grandchildren to live in a world where there are no White people?

Mr. Limpbaugh, please let Mr. Bentley continue without interruption.

~ A Day Like Any Day

~).

I wake in pain- usually cold The knee again Skip off to the toi let Carefully avoiding the syringes, broken crack-pipes and condoms The "girls" leave the washroom Festooned with trailing white wet paper As I was saying, if North America were so racist and Sometimes stai ned underwear, or al lowing only Whites to marry Whites, and stopping Pepper sprayed clothing eyes.

The screaming goes on and on Colored immigration, we would have to subvert the ~ civil rights of mill ions of dark Ame ricans, which Paramedics arrive would surely lead to more race wars withi n our Waking up the looney tunes borders.

Who interfere and babble endless tapes """"= Slogans from the streets Mr. Limpbaugh?

Men arc unwanted in this too too Well, if comes down to race wars or being wiped our female-ish world. completely, I pick war. It's as simple as that.

Wilhelmina

[Having recently lost a I K emerald on the streets of Vancouver, and a year previously to that a large smokey topaz about 5k, and over at the beach 9 years ago /lost a 112 K diam ond in the sand, plus a earring ofsilver with a small emerald in it, reading this Paul, I thought, yes, that is right, there must be more on the streets to collect to make a living than bottles.} I thought Carnegie readers may be interested in knowing about this miner who does quite well. I am only one person and over the past ten years have lost three things of value in Vancouver, there must be lots more out there needing to be found. Colleen Carroll There's gold in them thar sidewalk cracks!

A Queens man has discovered enough hidden treasure ·· bits of diamonds, rubies, platinum and gold •• on the gritty sidewalks of Midtown's Diamond District to make a living.

"The streets of 47th Street are literally paved with gold," a giddy Ram Stepanian, 43, of Whitestone told The Post last week when a reporter discovered him on all fours ·· armed with tweezers and a butter knife-· digging through cracks in the sidewalk in a drivi ng rainstorm.

'

Daniel Shapiro GOLD DIGGER OF 2011: Using a pair oftweezers, Raffi Stepanian picks a tiny precious stone out of a gutter in the Diamond District.

The freelance diamond setter explained that he was sifting through "very valuable" New York City mud for tiny diamond and ruby chi ps, bits of platinum,

white-gold industrial loops fo r jewelry assembly, and gold earring backs and loops from broken chains, watches, broaches and necklaces ·-all carelessly dropped and now his to mine. ''Material falls off clothes. on the bottom of shoes it drops off jewelry, and it falls in the dirt and sticks' to the gum on the street," he explained.

"The percentage of gold out here on the st reet is greater than the amount of gold you would fi nd in a mine . . . It comes close to a mother lode because in the street, you're picking up gold left by the industry."

With a reporter in tow, Stepanian took his Styrofoam cup of mud to a friend's polishing studio on 47th Street near Sixth Avenue and demonstrated how he "pans" the precious particles like an old-fas hioned prospector ·- by hand, in a small metal basin with water and a strainer.

Over six days, he says, he collected enough gold for two sales totaling $8 19 on 47th Street-- where he fi rst got the idea to mine the sidewalks after find ing gold scraps on the noor of a diamond exchange.

"I f it's on the exchange floor, it's got to be outside as well," he said. "This was trial and error. Once I found one [piece], I thought there has to be many more.

'The stones are already cut and manufactured -· it's a step above a mine," he added. "I'm fi nding them already cut and polished.

"You just have to get down on your knees and get it," he said.

"It's the same principal as collecting cans on the street and redeeming them fo r nickels. It's redemption of reusable gold. This is the gold that has been on this street for 60 years. I know how to look, and I know where to look for it. " Onlookers were amazed at the urban prospector. ''Everyone is always running around, and everyone is always losing something," admitted one diamond dealer, 54, who would give his name only as Rueven.

"Sooner or later, you're going to fi nd a diamond. " Another dealer named Frank, 42, chuckled as Stepanian dug in the dirt on the sidewalk outside his shop, quipping, "Half of it's probably mine. " Added Bernie Candclariam, 2 1, who works nearby, "You see him sweeping the [ground) for jewelry, and it makes you want to get down and do it yourself."

On ly Drowning Men Interface 路~

Jess- boy OJ Jess N time was l was shamed sitting out in the rain on Baker, wished better for my firs t born took it personal, god knows why they all see you as a holy madman l was somehow disappointed you weren't me, ego or what now l sec you dead in the elevator Victoria or some such white capitol dead, how they feed you whole g rains of angel dust PCP poison took you a coupla years to remember your own name Now finally I can say I trul y love my son now your sister acts up drama like it was an exclusive little club being one of my bastards maybe one day they'll all see the love Julie (remember her) poured into her baby left overs from a serious misstep played out too young to eer be corrected Jess N !love you don ' t know if I ever really told you but carry this as our personal joke, dubtoad.

AI Loewen

Only drowning men can see Can see the essential is-ness Can sec the face of our rescuer We ca ll saviour Jesus, Zeus, Prometheus, Shiva Raven - even Coyote Thunderbird Road runners all - Real or Imagined Jesters all Railway children cavor1ing thru the Cosmos Doomed by destiny and dumbness We strive purposely or purposefull y Opposing forces too great Too numerous to mention Honour be damned.

Live long and prosper Stop struggli ng and roiling the waters Sit down, you all be rockin ' da boat An di s boat don carry no strangers dis boat Wilhelmina

To: Prime Minister Stephen Harper I'm gravely about the myriad of serious threats to our belovecl Great Lakes. Rapidly falling water levels due to over-extraction and climate change; devastating levels of pollution; risky shi pments of radioactive materials; storage odf radioactive waste too close to the watershed ; invasive species; wetland loss; commercial bulk water exports ... are just a few examples of the many dangers that could destroy this entire, inval uable ecosystem.

We must change the way we view the Great Lakes now, and manage them even more carefull y than we would a national park. Their waterways and the ecosystems they support embody one of the most beautiful and diverse environments in North America. Not only does the area include lush forests, hundreds of tributaries and thousands of smaller lakes, it's ho me to wildlife species li ke the g rey wolf, Canada lynx, moose and bald eagle, and is the essential source of drinking water for 40 million people.

I join with millions of o ther people in urging you- no, demanding that you show true leadership, provide adequate funding, and work with provincial governments, U.S. national & state governments. As well as Indigenous Peoples and other communities to declare the Great Lakes as part of the Commons, a Public Trust and a Protected Bioregion so that we can forever protect this precious natural area and resource. ' PauiR Taylor

A DISCOURAGING WORD If you like discouraging words come with me, if you like your city medium-rare come with me, if you like streets of glass with fired-up cop cars come with me. if you're a thugitarian pigwannabee come with me, why? because th is New Vancouver is at last a 路'worldclass" type city with so many assholes this is yo ur hometown with or without the pity, like oil painted birds or Dri ve-Thru BoozeBarns & their thirsty herds or thanking your god treason doesn't grow on trees or haven't you heard .. Vancouver is a big baby megacity now, try not to be offended by the following discouraging words starting with 'whai makes you think?' if at all that is if you even know how, li ke a Betty Croak -er gas-l it oven (mask not included) smoke pours out of control as if the next 100 popes have just been chosen, like an aftermath tutor teaching celebratory anarchy I0 I to present & future looters we now have a piece of time forever frozen, let's sec: I dead, 170 injured, millions to fix damage but this world has finally taken notice of a once very cool place to live your life away, anyone under 25 we' re learning to play with fire or just being born with emotional defeat on extended replay; in '82 I was in my teens playing a gig on E Hastings now No Exit was our name when in midsong word came that the canucks had lost game 4, next time I was livi ng it up hooked on ' down' I really don't remember much of '94, they say the third time is the chann as I stick some broken glass into my bracelet of harm, other countries riot because of ethnic cleansing bombs descending to destroy all they have and would have had the music that same old fire alarms; now cop cars on fire go together li ke our winter & August weather do we deserve let alone know how to grow up and down I don ' t know, like a Gentlemen Prefer Lawns landscaping service hell 's doormat is always open like faulty locks & fe nces at a Rabid Zoo near you this city is on a roll, in South America football players who are to blame get shot to death, the Europeans like to remind other club's fans of past tragedies whi le both sides throw dans into the other team 's crowd - this is nothing new, more or less- now what occurred here wi ll not be filed under Yesterday not until the "Hiding behind their cellphones & pictures people" the past is & will be our best teacher, as truth slips out & King Gregor's nonplans include 125,000 drunk-by-noon shithcads

then watch the blood & urine pools why it's a manmade double feature, now 'What makes you think?" as you power-guzzle eleventeen drinks and the world laughs at a city torn apart by a hockey game but we do know how to riot. even the Selfishists got in on this with 169$ jerseys not many passed up the chance to buy it, there arc now over 2 million stories in this semi-cl othed city most like my own mean very little to anyone else again I ask What Makes YouTH INK? Truth be told I don't know this city is not the one I grew up in at all; one last discouraging word up my sleeve to all out there who truly believe this is the best country in the world once you minus the flaws. but add vulture's claws to our sad sack of laws and once aga in one-step-forward & three-steps back and over the waterfalls in a kitchen sin k... once again as you seem to evade the quest ion WI JAT MAKES YOU TH INK!?!

PS: A man I admired for many reasons has passed away and to me he is the definition of dignity -Jack Kevorkian

By ROBERT McGJLLIVRA Y "Tomorrow you're homeless, tonight it's a blast!'' [from Dead Kennedys' RIOT]

...

/

Theatre in the Raw is proudly presenting a new musical at the Vancouver East Cu ltural Centre.

It's written by someone named Bob Sarti (?)and directed b) someone even more obscure calling himsel f Jay Hamburger.

YIPPIES IN LOVE has scenes, songs and spoofs of incidents in 1970 and '71 that actually happened, with the li nes for mem bers of the Establishment word-for-word as said and quoted in papers and even court transcripts.

The Youth International Party (YIP) was not a political party, there was no leader, no hierarchy and certainly no-one i nterested in forming a government anywhere! What YIPpies did was undertake guerrilla actions in the streets. parl..s and bastions of capital ism to rem ove the proverbial finger(s) from the dike(s), letti ng a little reality wash over the illusions of that system.

Examples taken begin w ith an American evadi ng Uncle Sam's call for him to be drafted and go to Vietnam. Young people in Vancouver, appalled at the US invading a small Third World country, got together by the hundreds and invaded the USA- Blaine. Washington to be precise -after going across the border via the Peace Arch crossing.

An organised BE-In became wonderfully unorganised as a few thousand people gathered in Stanley Park. The daily press was calling all the longhairs and such urban savages and other nefarious names, so the next thing was to hold a huge BE-Out at Okalla Prison, tearing down a fence or three. The freeks split when the cops got angry but the excoriation in the press grew by leaps and bounds.

Scenes depicting the Gastown Riot and what happened in terms of police brutality sashayed into a court case where a guy who tri ed to break up a fight on the street got pounded down by the cops and charged w ith some omi nous crimes.

The words of the presiding judge were verbatim, as was his " making an example" of the guy, sentencing him to two and a half years in prison!

-c.---

The acting, the songs and dances, the script and portraya ls without any sub-language to muddy things- all are heartfelt and worth seeing, hearing and feeling.

YrPPIES IN LOVE has irs final show on Sunday, July 3 so if you get this newsletter before then, go!

The C ultch is at Venables & Victoria in East Van and in fo about times and price are at www.thecultch.com or 604-251-1 363 .

PRT

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Publications Policy: #8 No political pamphlets, tracts, advertising or contributions from political parties or people seeking election will be published during an election period. However, politicians are free to utilise th newsletter outside of these periods to indicate what they are doing for our community and readers are free to respond with their views.

The Carnegie Newsletter is a 16-28 page, twice-monthly publication with 1200 copies per issue and a readership of likely twice that. Depending on how much easier stereotypes make your perceptions of this community, contents are "By, For and About the Bad and Dishonest people of the Downtown Eastside." This description is to counter an uninformed declaration that "all that's needed to 'revitalise' that area are good, honest people."

Contents, in the form of articles, writing, poetry, locally-produced art and some graphic input, cover all manne1 of life and living in Canada's poorest postal code. Issues include poverty, housing, homelessness, the drug trade, sex trade, "free" trade, safe injection sites, health and lifestyles possible on welfare, women - murdered, missing, violence against, children- drug mules or forced prostitution, playgro :ds and possib i liti~ in our community, gentrification, treatment re alcoholism, addiction, despair, the de;~ : tutionalization of mental ~ health consumers & and of course much more.

tough love she & I have made it through another day withou t killing ourselves or each other without running away from each other we 've made it through with so little to go on we ' ve made it through without bank accounts or pension plans \ve' ve made it thro ugh \vith nothing to look forward to \ve' ve made it through wi thout really \vanting to we ' ve made it through with despair, fear & confusion we ' ve made it through lvithout mvning anything of value or wanting to we ' ve made it through with a profusion of differences between us we 've made it through withou t television or movies we 've made it through without mee tings to go to we ' ve made it through withou t or ganizations to belong to we ' ve made it through without any c hurch to attend we've made it t hr ough without using computers we 've made it through withou t books telling us how-to we ' ve made it t h r ough with everything we ' ve lost we 've made it through despite the years of trouble we've caused each other we've made it through with o ur str angulated spirits t urn ing blue we 've made it through \vith nowhere to go we ' ve made it through \vith worn-out s hoes \ve' ve made it through lvithout the oblivion of drugs or booze we ' ve made it through with crippling lifelong emotional wounds we ' ve made it through s leeping past noon we ' ve made it through \vithout any good news \ve ' ve made it through lottery ti cket s or bingo \ve ' ve made it through with our families sick & poor & crazy & old we ' ve made it through with even fe1ver illusions we ' ve made it through without being run over by car s or blown- up by pipelines or mutilated by maniacs on city avenues we ' ve made i t through \vith our senses s hr inking & our bodies breaking down & our nerves \vhipped & abused we ' ve made it through with the meaningless lives we're forced to use we ' ve made it through by sending blind prayers into burned-out air we ' ve made it through by listening t o each other we 've made it through by holding on t o each other we've made it through by try ing to care more fo r each other than we do for ourselves & somehow she & I have made it through another goddamned day Bud Osborn

Ca r -n eg1•e FR•e

NEWSLETTER

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"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful commined citizens can change the worM ldar . IgnadreeetdM, eitadi: . the only thing that ever has." "

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