MAR~.2019
401 Main Street Vancouver Canada V6A 2T7 (604) 665-2289 Email: carnnews@shaw.ca
Website/Catalogue:
carnegienewsletter.org
Italian filmmaker Ruggero Romano has called Vancouver home since 2016 a n d witnessing the struggle of homelessness, poverty and addiction in his adopted city, was moved to make a film about the inhabitants of postal code V6A: the area commonly known as the Downtown Eastside. DesigQed to challenge expectations and inspire locals to think about their fellow citizens in a new light, V6A is also an unexpected celebration of the resilience and beauty of the human spirit. In the search for truth and authenticity, the film explores human nature in its fight against the toughest, often man-made odds by questioning the definition of "Home".
3
That 01 Dark Night of the Soul That dark night - when one feels so alone where even in the spiritual zone one feels alone. Where is the voice I long to hear? , confirming that which is in my heart is real but still, my eyes and ears cannot see nor hear anything. Now i see the sun coming up over the mountains hard rock mountains reaching for the sky\ as like me? asking why? Leading me to take a walk through the park along the beach
so as to experience the sea of life and hear the wild birds call ... of freedom. Back to nature ... back to creation where I'm once again part of it all. now I am no longer alone for my heart's love is within it all naturally. Giving thoughts that mother nature should be more respected emotionally, intellectually and spiritually for it is a living, breathing medicine of its' own for our soul wherein love's messages overflow within all of creation. Inga g
Despite Promises, Province's ID Changes Hurting Homeless and Marginalized By Andrew MacLeod (The Tyee) A change to provincial government identification policy last year wasn't supposed to make life harder for marginalized people, but it did, says Rev. Carmen Lansdowne of the First United Church Community Ministry Society. In May 2018 the province changed its enrolment process for Health Insurance BC and stopped automatically reissuing Non-Photo Services Cards that advocates had been able to request for the people they work with. As a result, some marginalized people are facing huge bills because they can't prove they're eligible for health care and other services. "When we first started to see folks come out of St. Paul's [hospital] with a bill for tens of thousands of dollars, and start getting bills for the ambulance response and things like that, we called the ministry and said, 'we were told there was going to be no impact on people, ", said Lansdowne, the executive director of the Hastings Street organization that provides emergency shelter, housing and other services to people living in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside. The government's response has frustrated service providers. "There's this months-long back and forth about them just insisting it's just not happening, and meanwhile we've got collection agents calling our homeless folks because the hospital and B.C. ambulance services just process it like any other outstanding debt," Lansdowne said. "It's all a little bit ludicrous," she said. "It's just not a very effective use of anybody's time, aside from the fact it just creates more uncertainty and stress for people who are already uncertain and stressed about so many parts oftheir lives." The May 2018 change required people to have a BC Services Card or other photo ID to access medical and other services. But identification cards are frequently lost or stolen in the Downtown Eastside and it's difficult for many people to keep them, Lansdowne said. Without identification people can be barred not only from coverage for health services, but also from accessing employment insurance or applying for ajob, housing, food banks and other services. The government doesn't allow service prsviders like First United to attest to people's identity or provide an address that people without a home can use to apply for replacement identification. "People use us as their permanent address," she said. "They won't allow a non-residential agency to be the address they use for their ID, so if you're homeless, you can't actually get ID anymore." An ICBC spokesperson said people need both a primary and a secondary identification to apply for provincial identification that includes a photo such as a driver's licence or services card. The government does allow attestation instead of secondary identification in some situations, but not as primary identification. Various changes are under consideration, including allowing people to use an address other than a residence, she said. .• Changes coming The provincial government is aware the policy creates problems for vulnerable people who may have no identification documents. B.c.'s latest budget mentioned funding for people on income and disability assistance "helping them get a piece of ID that they might need to secure ajob or find a place to live." Finance Minister Carole James, whose constituency office has for many years helped people apply for or replace government identification, told The Tyee she understands that recent government policy has made the problem worse by requiring photo ID to access medical services. The government is not ready to share details of the intended fixes, said James. "You'll have to wait for the Ministry of [Social Development and] Poverty Reduction to come forward with a comprehensive plan, but we know it's an issue," she said, adding identification is a critical need for many people. "They can't get a bank account, they can't get their income assistance cheques, they can't get a place to live unless they have ID, so it's part of the comprehensive look at how we address the poverty issues and minister [of social development and poverty reduction Shane] Simpson will be coming out in the next couple weeks."
Simpson said lack of identification is a big issue. "We don't want people to be missing services simply be- 5 cause they don't have the card with their name and their picture on it," he said. "We're working on that now. It's a big challenge. People lose their ID, and we know without identification there's a whole array ofthings people just can't get, so we're looking at how we best support that moving forward." The government is looking at how to make identification more accessible while also ensuring that the replacement cost isn't prohibitive and will have more to say soon, he said. Desired fixes Lansdowne said she's glad the government has said it intends to fix the problem. "Any step is a good step," she said. But it would have been better to avoid the issue in the first place, she added. "What we're learning through our experience is that the government, when they make plans that affect the most marginalized in society, they sort of plan for the majority of the population and don't necessarily think through what the consequences are going to be for folks who are homeless or folks who might need a lot of support and advocacy to navigate bureaucratic processes." Even once service providers identify a problem, it can be hard to get the government to fix it, Lansdowne said. Service providers have three main fixes in mind, she said. "Our view is there should be some kind of attestation process where we can say, 'Yeah, they use our address but they also access our services and they're a real person and this is the best we can do in terms of saying what their home is.'" First United and others would also like the Non-Photo Services Card reinstated, she said. "We believe it's going to solve 50 to 75 per cent of secondary ID problems." Finally, the residential requirements should be changed so that homeless people can use a non-residential address like First United or the Carnegie Centre when they apply for identification, she said. A spokesperson for ICBC said that lCBC and government ministries have heard feedback from the non-profit community and are working on changes to the attestation process for secondary identification. "Program enhancements being explored," she said in an emailed statement, include "adjusting minimum attestor requirements to better adjust to the transitory nature of these population groups and expanding residential address options to better include homeless/'fluidly-homed' citizens." Currently B.C. law requires that the address a person provides be for a rt!sidence, though it can be for a friend, family member or other person's address. "This should be a trusted person to receive correspondence and pass it on to them," the spokesperson said. Lansdowne said the different government departments need to talk with each other before making a change and to check with organizations like First United that work with people living on the margins. "We can usually anticipate what the challenges are going to be," she said.
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Security? Guards If you live anywhere in the Downtown Eastside, from Gastown to Chinatown, you may have seen them. They sport white short-sleeve shirts, black boots and slacks, crew cuts and walkie talkies. Some, who ride bicycles and wear yellow jackets, strangely resemble police officers on bike patrol. These do-gooders patrol our streets fighting crime in all its shapes and disguises. Finally, there is help for our woefully understaffed Vancouver police force. But how much do these rent-a-cops do to help with innercity crime? These upstanding young men work very hard at ridding the neighbourhood of the criminal elements that hitherto have made our streets unsafe to walk. Are they arresting the multitude of drug dealers, pimps and johns who prey on underage street workers? Not exactly. They are, however, dealing with much more insidious criminals: the people who may not 'look right', people who ask for spare change and those who stand in one place a little too long. These hardened criminals and villains are bullied away from the streets. "Move along" or, more correctly, MOVE OUT is the call of the day for the "ne' r -do-wells'' of Gastown. Most, ifnot all, of the targets ofthe security guards are people who live in this area. Yes, they are the very residents of the Downtown Eastside. The people who call this place home are not permitted to walk the streets of their own neighbourhood without harassment. Vagrancy, loitering and panhandling are not illegal, yet all of these acts are treated as crimes. You might assume that these upholders of the law have extraordinary powers at their disposal, that they can detain people; well, again, not exactly. You could make a citizen's arrest if you saw someone committing a crime. (Most of us just dial 911.) These guards may only do the same. In reality, they have no more power than you or 1. If, however, someone was on private property like a restaurant or store and causing a disturbance, guards could ask that person to leave. Security guards are not allowed to touch the person -unless he or she refuses to leave or attacks them. Guards are only to use reasonable force when removing someone from the premises. What exactly is reasonable force? Well, this is a bit of a gray area. Inflicting injury on someone is not reasonable force. Basically, unless a security guard is going to make a citizen's arrest for a crime you have committed, they can't physically touch you. No arrest, no touch. " • These guards are hired by local business associations and operate solely on local residents' ignorance of the law. But in this case what you don't know can hurt you. Recently on a Water Street sidewalk two security guards were seen kneeling on a handcuffed man. The man, whose face was bleeding, was crying out in agony. This sort of behaviour is unlawful. In fact, it's called assault. Security guards are not permitted to carry or use handcuffs, firearms or batons (clubs). Pepper spray is not to be used either. It is strictly for use in defense of an attacking dog, not people. Gastown business owners are treating Gastown like it's their business when in fact it's a neighbourhood, our neighbourhoods Sidewalks are public property. Security guards are only permitted to operate on private property. A security guard must show you their security employee license and identification card with their employee number on it when it is demanded. If they ask you to leave an area of the sidewalk or to move on, tell them that you are on public property and are committing no crime. If they persist, inform them that they are harassing you and that you will file a complaint with the Ministry of the Attorney General. When you send a complaint to the Ministry of the Attorney-General, try to get a witness to give their name and phone number to include in the letter whenever possible. Under the Ministry of the AttorneyGeneral, there is a form to fill out. This is the link: for complaints about Licensed Security Workers and businesses https:llwww2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content?id=2A 789290C49B431EAOl1499546492E15 People need to realize that panhandling is a symptom of a much larger problem, one that cannot be solved by pushing it out of sight. The "not in my back yard" (nimhy) approach doesn't work, because the DTES is our backyard. By TODD KELLER
CARNEGIE COMMUi'-J1TY ACTION PROJECT FEBRUARY
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2019
GGAP's Erica Grant and EIIi Taylor speaking at International Women's Day rally outside the Vancouver Art Gallery on Friday, March 8,2019. Women in the Downtown Eastside are powerful and they are organizing; they are resilient, resourceful, and have created their own safe spaces. Women in the DTES will not give up in the fight for equality!
International Women's Day and Solidarity
Regardless of their challenges, I don't want to give the impression that women are disempowered in the DTES. One can look at the many female activists throughout time such as Beatrice Starr. Beatrice was
Elli Taylor from CCAP attended a Social Justice
known for her activism against violence against
Teacher's Conference in Surrey on March 2nd, 2019.
women in the DTES. When there were 9 rapes at the
As well as learning about various issues that others
First United Church by a Reverend, she stated: "The
are working on internationally, Elli was invited to
First United Church Shelter must ensure that there
speak at a protest in front of the Vancouver Art Gallery on International Women's Day.
are more women-only beds and a larger women-only section. They should have also had more female
The day of the protest was exciting and it was appar- staff and ensured safety for women who use the shelter as a high priority." She was, among many ent that it would be a unique experience. Inspiring others, a part of getting women-only safe spaces in speakers and music went on until 8pm. Elli invited Erica Grant, CCAP's Mental Health Worker, to speak the DTES. Many more have worked and are working on these issues. as well. It was a powerful speech as the two stood together. There was quite a reaction from the people
Women are powerful and they organizing; they are
and media in attendance.
resilient, resourceful, and they have created their
Here is Elli's speech outline from that day:
own safe spaces.
Women all over the world are still fighting for equity
Women in the; DTES are POWERFUL INTELLIGENT
in the Downtown Eastside. We see the effect of this
and ORGANIZED. And we will not give up in the
inequity every day. Finding a shelter which doesn't
fight for equity"!
trigger or cause our trauma, accessing services without the fear that a dangerous person may be there, and feeling safe is a challenge for many DTES women. Also, women are often the victims of crime. In the DTES, women, especially younger Indigenous women, are going missing at a break-neck speed. We are mothers, sisters, and cousins! Women are often put in dangerous situations such as with sex work, which is forced into secrecy, and therefore women are assaulted or murdered or go missing. Sex work is work! We shouldn't have to jump into
.~.
cars with people we don't know, to go missing or be
WOMU~'SOAY
murdered! Make it legal, take away the shame.
.
.
"
. ,.
overnight guests and they have the right to throw out your stuff due to hoarding etc. They said they are not covered by RTA. There was a 2018 BC Supreme Court ruling about Portland Hotel Society saying they were not exempt from RTA and there was no reason why tenants in below-market housing should have less legal rights than those who are paying market rates. Answer: "They are all managed by different service providers - e.g. PHS, Atira, Community Builders - they all deliver them a little bit differently/ [I] can go back and check into it, in terms of court cases. There is lots of low On Friday, February 8, CCAP members got to meet with BC's Minister of Social Development and Poverty Reduc- barrier housing; modular housing is most important thing tion. We asked him about the upcoming provincial budget, we've done." the Poverty Reduction Strategy, and other issues impactQuestion: Half of Vancouver renters are living in ing low income people in BC. housing they can't afford. 7 out of 10 living in homes that are not maintained. In fact landlords are allowed Legislation passed in fall 2018 stated that the government to charge for repairs. Why we should expect them to must release its first poverty reduction strategy by March perform maintenance and repairs in the first place 31,2019. Minister Simpson stated: "[We] started the discussion back in 2017 - he was opposition critic at the time when provincial legislation doesn't require them to? - to legislate poverty reduction. We have now passed that Answer: "SROS' standards of maintenance sucks. The city has tools to oblige them to do so, but so does the legislation in November; it lays out how we are transparprovince have tools. They want the province to play a role ent and how we are to be accountable." - have a conversation with new mayor, Jean [Swanson] and Christine [Boyle]. What do we do with these units, like But how accountable are they being? CCAP members the SROs, that people need?" posed some hard questions.
Saved by the Bell! CCAP meets with Minister of Social Development and Poverty Reduction Shane Simpson
Question: If the town of Tofino with population of 1,800 was hit by tsunami and everyone lost their housing, would a State of Emergency be declared? Answer: "Yes" Question: So why not declare state of emergency when 2,100 in Vancouver are homeless? There are an average of 45 tents in Oppenheimer Park in December, January, February Answer: "What ideas do you have?" Question: Are you advocating for vacancy control? CCAP members suggested electricity, stopping police Answer: "I'm going to see what the Minister of Housing from harassing campers, allowing propane, hygiene, says. It's still a conversation - how to get at that and make water, providing blankets and cots. changes and what has to be legislated. She hasn't Answer: "We don't want to entrench a tent city." finalized that." Question: The Renters' Task Force recommended that there shouldn't be vacancy control. But how can rent be affordable without vacancy control? Answer: "Rent is a big piece of the problem - it's not the only problem. No question it's huge. Solving it is not easy. It's going to be a challenge. There's the cost of housing. speculator tax, vacancy home tax."
Question: Is supportive housing and modular housing covered or not covered by the RTA? I signed up for modular housing, and was told we can't have
Question: What about vacancy control? At this point, the fire alarm went off! Saved by the bell!
Oppenheimer Park update CAP has been busy fighting for safety, warmth, ld the well-being of people sleeping in Oppenheier Park. Hurdle after hurdle, we are steadfastly 'ganizing at every level. We have asked the City, rovince, local MLAs and others for help and we sep coming across taller fences, and seemingly ibreakable walls. A motion was sent to city hall and the Parks Board, which will finally be heard this onth.
'e asked "rough sleepers" in Oppenheimer Park hat they need, and here is what they said:
We also asked people why they preferred to sleep in tents, rather than accessing a shelter or warming centre. Here are some of the answers: •
"Every time you disappear ... so does your stuff'
•
"It's stressful, a younger crowd"
•
"If you go, your stuff goes"
•
"Crowded. Later at night, like 2-3 am, it's not as bad."
•
Lack of privacy, dignity
Housing
•
Hard chairs, no where to sleep
24-hour washrooms
•
Can't leave their things because city staff will take them if they aren't around at 9 am
I
Peer support workers
We are aware and grateful that several people have Facilities like the Gathering Room open all the started to deliver and/or prepare foods on site. We time, not just sometimes, and run by peers also hear of people dropping off warm weather • Having something to access 9 pm-7 am clothes and blankets, and making donations of items such as hand and body warmers. There is now More compassion and support for harm health and harm reduction outreach in the park. reduction. A camper reported that he saw someone shooting up and told police, and they said, "let him die".
Nighttime staff to support tenters
City officials and staff and the ones with power have made it exceptionally clear they do not like tents. However, we are also aware that there is a true housing crisis and if people cannot access warmth through a warm weather tent, then their options are further limited. Campers may be more prone to pneumonia and other health conditions, and are a vulnerable population who need care and attention.
Setting a precedence for the years to come because it's only going to continue
Let us not forget those who have suffered from capitalism and it's disease.
More compassion from police and authorities. When a camper was beaten up, the police didn't come, although he was yelling. Nutrition, community kitchen
BC Liberal leader Andrew Wilkinson says renting is a "wacky time of life" But is the "Lesser Evil Party", i.e. the NDP, any better? How is the NDP helping renters? It's $2,000 for a 1-bedroom in Vancouver.
•
Shelters - Pros and Cons By EIIi Taylor
•
These same no barrier shelters may include people with mental health issues who are bul-
Having been homeless with a 100-pound pit bull, I
lied and/or assaulted because people do not understand that they are self-talking or talking
have experienced being shut out of the shelter
to themselves. There is a lot of misunderstan
system and there have also been times I have chosen
ings and assaults that occur because some
not to use the shelter system. Shelters may be a
people cannot or do not tolerate the mentally i
dream for some, but for others they are a nightmare! As you can see, shelter life is not for everyone, and i The pros to staying in shelters may include: •
Shelters offer a warm and dry place to sleep
•
•
Shelters often have housing workers visit them, helping clients to find homes Shelters often have donations and/or resources
•
people can access Shelters offer people a place to be social, a
has its ups and downs.
JSO Anchor of Hope
Shelter
community so to speak
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homeless people will be evicted from the winter shelters on March 31st Cordova Shelter
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•
Shelters can provide short term relief off the streets
• •
Homby
Street Shelter
Shelters can be no-barrier, allowing every person a chance to be warm First Avenue Shelter
The cons of shelter life may include:
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catholic Charities Shelter
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24 people
Sister Space Shelter
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-40peopfe
•
Shelters often split up couples and/or families
•
Shelters are often drafty and or substandard
•
witb mould issues Shelter housing workers may be there only briefly and may play "favourites"
•
Donations may be unsanitary and/or defunct
•
The same community feel offered by shelters
Gathering Place Shelter
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Directions Winter Shelter
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youth
40 people
STOP THE EVICTIONS!
HOUSE THE HOMELESS!
Every year, two weeks after the homeless count t~e government silen~y orchestrates a mass closure of shelters. This year, 2.50 people in Vancouver will be evicted from the temporary winter shelters with nowhere 10 go.
may be overwhelming for some, and people may have issues with other clients and/or staff
•
Short-term housing solutions are all over the DTES. We need LONG-TERM PERMANENT housing
CCAP poster from 2017. The BC government announced
last week that they will invest $3.1
million to keep 8 shelters with a total of 240 beds open year-round
until March 31, 2020.
The Carnegie Community Action Project is a project of the board of the Carnegie Community Centre Association. CCAP works mostly on housing, income, and land use issues in the Downtown Eastside (DTES), so that the area can remain a low income friendly community.
Join the
CCAP works with English-speaking and Chinese-speaking DTES residents in speaking out on their own behalf for the changes they would like to see in their neighbourhood. Join us on Fridays 11: 15 am in classroom 2 on the third floor of the Carnegie Centre for our weekly volunteer
Carnegie Community Action Project
meetings! Downtown Eastside residents who want to work on getting better housing and incomes and stop gentrification are welcome to attend. Lunch is provided .
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CONCERN GROUP
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CONTACT US: Office: 2nd floor of the Carnegie, 401 Main Street, Vancouver Phone: 604-665-2105 Email: info@carnegieaction.org Website: www.carnegieaction.org
Thank you to Vancity for supporting CCAP's work. Support for this project does not necessarily imply that funders endorse the findings or contents of this report.
From the LibrarY Hi! My name is Daniel and I am a libra:ian with the Va~couver Public Library. I have been working at the Carnegie a couple of days a week for the last few months, so you. may have seen me around. As our bra~ch head, .Ran~y, IS. away for the week, I was asked to fill m and write this edition .. As we are continuously adding books to our collection, I thought I would feature a few books we have very recently added to the shelves. Although it was originally published in I?88, ,;e've ac-. quired a new paperback copy ?fPeter Ro~mson sA Dedicated Man, which is part of his long-running Inspector Banks series. Peter Robinson is a Canadian-English mystery writer whose gritty novels are set in the fictional Yorkshire town ofEastvale. The Inspector Banks series is recommended for fans of writers like lan Banks and Reginald Hill. The Story Behind: The Extraordinary History Behind Ordinary Objects by Emily Prokop provides short, and surprisingly interesting, accounts of seemingly mundane ob-
IMuriel's Journey Poetry Prizel
jects. The book covers ~verythi~g from. office . supplies to revolvers. It s more interesting than It sounds, I promise! Finally, considering the crosswords are a very popular attraction in the library, we have added The Million Word Crossword Dictionary to our New Arrivals shelf. It claims to be "The largest, most up-to-date, and most useful crossword dictionary available" and contains more than 1 300,000 answers. So, come on in and pick up a c;ossword and, perhaps, The Million Word Crossword Dictionary too! Also, please join us in the theatre on Mon?ay, . March 18th for our screening, in partnership WIth Cultural Sharing, of Birth of a Family, a feature -length documentary about four ado~ted Indigenous siblings who meet for the first time. Thanks for reading! Daniel
Jenny Kwan MP Vancouver
1st Prize: $100 2nd Prize: $50 other prizes awarded by select judges
Write and submit up to 5 lively poems by . April 1..Any subject. Be outspoken. See the Rules online.https :lltillyurl.com/y5jbpkkt or search Facebook for: Muriel's Journey Poetry Prize all submissions must be by email, Read rules first. live or involved in the Dowtown Eastside? Add "DTES" in vour submission email to apply to the separate Do~ntown Eastside 1st Prize $100 . •
Immigration,
East NDP Refugee
and Citizenship Critic 2572 E Hastings St Vancouver,
BC V5K IZ3
T: 604-775-5800 F: 604-775-5811 Jenny.Kwan@parl.gc.ca
A poem for Norma Gowen
Science 101 Science 101 is a free 3 month, non-credit, barrier free, introductory course offered to adults who are interested in learning more about the world around them. Learn from UBC professors and graduate students about fascinating and fun topics in science!
Location and times Lectures: Tuesdays & Thursdays from 6:00 to 8:30pm on UBC campus. "Optional weekly tutorials and a variety of fieldtrips.
Course dates May 6th to August 8th, 2019
Information sessions March 6th at 6-7 pm at Camegie Community Centre, Classroom IT (401 Main St) March 15th at 3-4:30 pm at the UBC Learning Exchange (612 Main St) March 20th at 6-7 pm at Camegie Community Centre, Classroom IT (401 Main St) March 22nd at 10:30 am - 12:30 pm at Oppenheimer Park March 29th at 3-4:30 pm at the UBC Leaming Exchange (612 Main St)
Contact us at: 604-345-0348
or
sciencelOl@science.ubc.ca www.science.ubc.ca/lOl
IUBe
FACULTY OF SCIENCE
~
THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUt'1BIA
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black noir negro mourning blanche white eggshell knights my mind thoughts feelings soaring my naked eyes of perception seeing the sights obliged, obliterated, obligatory discerned deciphered derived no new story my thoughts subside ... Drew
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Norma, Norma, it came way too soon, The pain is no longer beneath the moon. Just below, with the stars, and the sun, Nobody could stop, what you have done. It shouldn't have turned out this way, But, nobody else, could help, but sayIn people's eyes, their tears are still falling, But, in their hearts, your name their calling. If they knew the secrets that you've kept, So beneath the rug, you've had it swept:. And, those who you knew you very well, They all have stories that they want to tell. They feel the pain that you've had, It still makes them feel so very sad. So hard to keep the tears from falling, Your name is what your family's calling. Still suffering and grieving to this very day, If only a powerful force could erase it away. Some never knew you all that well, So this poem is what we need to tell. Because those of us who didn't know, The sadness didn't want to let you go. It's such a delicate story for one to tell, Kept you safely hidden behind a prison cell. People still drowning with such sorrow, Notstrong enough to face tomorrow. With Jesus watching all your pain, It's so impossible to keep us sane. Angels were there, and were watching you, If only there were something we could do. We all, must look up, and see the skies, So our hearts, must not, tell us, any lies. Our true Heaven has always been there, First, we all need to show that we care. We must look around behind the scenes, To whatever it says, or whatever it means. God hears our prayers and what we say, Especially, as we suffer along the way. ŠDJ. Bruce
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Carnegie Theatre Workshop ... Spring classes ...
Add the dates to your calendar! 4 sessions Wed April 3, 10, 24 - 7pm Sat April 27 - 2pm In the Carnegle Theatre
- More details to come -
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No experience necessary Free, everyone welcome! For more iufo: 604-255-9401
thirteenofheartstibhotmait.com
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Down But Not Out at Main and Hastings How easy for mean-spirited, thick-skinned insensitives to turn away from misery on the street. Easy to shut the eyes, walk away, turn up the music. In my 0'..\/11 life I often duck and dodge, skim and skip, turn away. But I know I'll pay ... remorse, guilt and shame ...at the shallowness of my beliefs, education, convictions. No easy task to hold fast with an open and generous heart in an unforgiving world. Sam Roddan
Do it 4 YOU When you begin to like your own company, life becomes a beautiful thing. You are free to spend time with whoever you want to because you like spending time with yourself. If am am going to spend time with someone else, I want to feel better or = to how I feel during my me-time. If I don't, I just walk away and move on to someone or something else. Once I started treating myself better, everybody else did too. It's funny how that works. I was always looking to be coddled and looked after which I now realize was a complete waste of time. No one can look after me better than myself if I know what my needs are. And I suppose this is what the hard part of life is. Knowing ourselves enough so we can identity what want out of life. Often our own needs get confused with the needs of those we relate to. The closer the relationship, the greater the confusion if you don't know how to draw boundaries and look after yourself. I'll be first to admit, I am a very gullible person, but I catch on quickly. I just don't understand why people lie, because I generally don't. I am self aware and who I am on the inside = who I am on the outside. Sometimes I fall into old patterns and destructive behaviors because I am human. But remaining open to seeing the truth and being honest with myself about the things I see opens the door to change. It also opens the door to a very magical life. Connecting with who you are is so satisfying. It beats any consumption or external high. The path of healing from addiction had nothing to do with taking the right medicine (although cannabis\uD83C\uDF40heJps). Nor does it have anything to do with finding the right recovery group. The only thing you need to do to recover is find a way to be with yourself. For that, all you need is yourself. How do I know? I did it myself. I did it by myself and for myself. For the first fucking time in my life, I have my life back. The only way to heal your life is to do it for you. Not for your kids. Not for your parents. Not for your lover. Not for your dog. Do it for you. And I know for sure that you won't regret it. By Jennifer Elizabeth Creator of risingwithgrace.com Sadha'na
POWER Within the cell within the seed To nature's power we must accede F or life and death are there consigned Another way we cannot find Hut lOon high man found a way Through expertise for death to stay A revocation of the time that man may reach his sad decline Yet man in his incessant greed The yearn for power bound to feed Employ the slavery of his might And birth and death become his right. Velma Oemerson
The pain will not set in It will be revealed as having always been there Thoughts put off - not thought about at all; 1ust the first Iine or so dismissed as bootIess speculation Yet the universe moves as independent from wishes/dreams/fantasies and the feeling is that the Perfect Ideology is hiding for a time .. in the shadows .. Time to start for home. Start with the first step and have faith What else is there in a world gone crazy? With people quite happy to cut out your tongue and make you eat it. paulr taylor
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We acknowledge that Carnegie Community Centre, and this Newsletter, are occurring on Coast Salish Territory.
THIS NEWSLETIER IS A PUBLICATION OF THE CARNEGIE COMMUNITY CENTRE ASSOCIATION Articles represent the views of individual contributors and not of the Association. WANTED Artwork for the Carnegie Newsletter -Small illustrations to accompany articles and poetry. -Cover art - Max size: 17cm(6 %")wide x 15cm(6")high. -Subject matter pertaining to issues relevant to the Downtown Eastside, but all work considered. -Black & White printing only. -Size restrictions apply (i .e. if your piece is too large, it will be reduced and/or cropped to fit). -All artists will receive credit for their work. -Originals will be returned to the artist after being copied for publication. -Remuneration: Carnegie Volunteer Tickets Please make submissions to Paul Taylor, Editor. The editor can edit for clarity, forrnat & brevity, but not at the expense of the writer's message.
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WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION • •
AIDS POVERTY
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HOMELESSNESS
•
VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN
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TOTALITARIAN CAPITALISM
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IGNORANCE and SUSTAINED FEAR
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