March 1, 2005, carnegie newsletter by Carnegie Newsletter

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MARCH 1, 2005

War Against the Poor "Our lives have to continue . That is the rule by which I live. That is my reality and my future. No maller how hard the living is, no matter if you are half alive or not, you have to go on. Even if they make you so nervous, even if the anguish kills you, you have to survive . You have to fight. Always." Dunja Metikos (I) War is an act of violence against other people . Sometimes it involves guns. Sometimes it involves words . Sometimes it involves government legislation. When the Government of Canada abolished the Canada Assistance Plan on April I, 1996, it eliminated two important human rights for low income people: (a) the right to income when in need; (b) the right to adequate income . When thes.e nghts were eliminated in Canadian law, the provincial governments were free to slash income assistance and refuse welfare to people in need. The way was open to third world poverty in Canada . This was an act of violence. It was war. We can sec the results on the streets of Vancouver today. Provincial governments have cut welfare rates, have refused assistance to people in need, have increased the barriers to welfare , have undermined the minimum wage, and have conducted, with the help of the media, poor-bashing campaigns against .poor, unemployed people, in order to justify such violence (2).

It was war. At least seventy-two women in the Downtown Eastside have disappeared, and thirtythrcc of them arc known to have been murdered . These arc the figures of war, as arc the figures concerning at least thrcc thousand people who have died from drug overdoses in the Vancouver area over the past decade . The first casualtv in war is truth, and so it is in the war against poor People. The poor arc blamed for their poverty . The unemployed arc blamed for their unemployment, The homeless are blamed for their homelessness. The truth is that government legislation fosters the growing gap between rich and poor. The truth is that our society docs not create enough decent jobs for everyone who wants to work. Nelson Mandela spoke the truth when he said at a rally in London, England , "Like slavery and apartheid, poverty is not natural It is man-made, and can he overcome and eradicated by the actions ofhuman beings." (3) War dehumanizes the people it wants to destroy, and so it is in the war against poor people. In a violent society of winners and losers, poor people arc depicted as inferior to wealthy people, in spite of many religious teachings to the contrary. When people are described as lazy and dishonest, it makes it easier to pay them low wages, throw them in j ail for being hungry on the streets , or deny them income assistance. War stereotypes and isolates the enemy . There can be no face to face contact. A soldier who can sec the humanity of an enemy soldier makes an ineffective killer, and so it is in the war against poor people. A government worker who can sec the humanity of

poor , homeless people makes an ineffective bureaucrat under the de humanizing regu lations for inco me assistance drafted by the Gordon Campbell govern-

how many of the 56,218 millionaires living in B.C.. who acco unted for we ll over one-third of all personal wealth in the province in 1999 (4) arc ca pable of dialogue. I think that the corporate-owned and profit-driven med ia in BC is more co ncerned with wealth and power than with dialogue. British Columbia is an extremely di vided province. Somehow the people who live here must find a wa y of talking to eac h other and expressi ng the vision held by millions of people after World War Two - a vision embodied in the Universal Declarati on of Human Rights. One positive ste p wo uld be to make sure the issue of poverty is on the age nda for the provincial election in May, 2005 . Ending poverty is not simply one issue among many issues in politics. Ending poverty is a foundatio n stone of democracy.

ment This is one reason why morale is so low in government service today. Large administra tive sys tems, like the Ministry of Human Resources or the Military , distance people from each other. In the first Gulf War, American pilots compared their attacks on fleeing Iraqi soldiers to playing computer games. In British Columbia , senio r government officials have beco me so removed from the reality of poor and unemployed people that they have ceased to see them as human beings. They don't see m to be aware of the sufferi ng, anguish and anger thei r cut-backs to income assistance, and their overwhelming barriers to obtaining income assistance, arc causing . They tend to see the people they're supposed to be helping as stereotypes, and therefore non-hum an, as we sec the enemy in

By SANDY CAMERON (I ) "N umb," by Dunja Metikos; written when she was 15 years old; from "The Suilca.fe,路 Refugee Voices/rom Bosnia and (,.oalia," University of California Press. 1997. (2) "Poor-Hash ing - The Politics ofEx clusion." by Jean Swanson. Between-the Lines, 200 I. (3) "Mandela liken. poverty to apartheid: by Calriona

war, and in falling into their official roles, these bureaucrats become non-human themselves. Only

human beings can enter into dialogue and assu me responsibility for each other. Ratio nality and effi ciency, taken to their logical conclusion, lead to Auschwitz and the Gulag. I doubt that the ideologically-driven Gordon Campbell government is capa ble of dialog ue. I don' t know

Davies. Vallcollver SlIlI, Feb. 4. 2OOS. (4) "B.C', Bountiful Crop of Millionaire'." by Steve Kerstetter, Canadian Cen tre for Policy Alternatives. Behind the NumbersSeriees, August 13.2001.

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Government uses literacy barriers to cut costs On one hand, the BC government says it wants BC to "become recognized as the most literate location in North America in 20 I0." On the other hand, the government is "using literacy barriers to cut costs or prevent the use of services and programs by low literacy, low-income community members."

That's what Lucy Alderson, the Capilano Co llege l.iteracv Instructor at the award winning Carnegie Learning Centre and WISH Learning Centre, says in a short report sent to the Premier's Advisory Panel on Literacy last December. The Premier's Advisory Panel on Literacy asked a number of people involved in literac y what they believe is the "one thing you would do to significantly improve literacy development and learning" for various categories of learners . In her response to the Panel, gleaned from discussions with learners and tutors at Carnegie, Oppenheimer Park and the WISH drop in centre for womcn who work on the street, and hcr OWl1 experience, Alderson pointed out that "literacy intersects with poverty in the most extreme ways ."

In the Downtown Eastside, "many essential government and citizenship issues are being downloaded onto community literacy and non-profit organizations," says Alderson, who gives co mpelling examples of what she sees in her daily work. "[T [hc Ministry of Human Resources sends peop le to the Carnegie Learning Centre to get assis tance with their web orientation to welfare. This means that our volunteer tutors are explaining the legal and financial obligations of social assistance to new app licants . Some people with low literacy skills need all fourteen screens of information read to them and then explained." And it's not just gelling information about welfare that is a problem . "Many critical sources of information are only available on-line or thro ugh a complicated telephone menu system . Our tutors and staff are over their heads and worried about giving incorrect information about crucial issues such as: refugee application forms, disability forms , pension information, victim statements, etc." The situation is so bad , says Alderson, that the basic human rights of people with low literacy skills are

being reduced because people can't get the infonnation they need. She reco mmends that ministry offices or non profit groups be funded to provide critical information on issues like welfare pensions legal rights , and chi ld and family issues. , Alderson notes that the provincial government has just announced a Ready, Set Learn! program for 3 year olds, recognizi ng that this is a crucial time for literacy deve lopment in children . But provincial welfare roles force parents on we lfare to return to work when their chil d is 3 or lose $ 100 a month from we lfare cheques that arc already way be low the poverty line. For elementary and high school students vo uth at risk and adul ts with low literacy levels, Alderson says welfa re cha nges have created "enormous pressures on families and individuals with low literacy/low English skills ." The Ministry of Human Resources employment plans for people with low literacy levels often involve shuffling them into short term, low wage hospitality training programs which will not provide an adequate inco me for families , she says . In add ition, the elimination of the welfare earnings exemption makes it harder for peop le to make the transition from welfare to work. Add something here about welfare policy that discriminates against volunteers Alderson also points out that many immigrants cannot afford fees for ESL and literacy programs. As a result, new Canadians are forced into deadendjobs. Alderson is also concerned about cuts to services in public schools. She says more funding is needed for

community liaison workers, redu ced class size for ESL children, and family literacy programs, hot mea ls, and com mun ity awareness opportu nities The 3 levels of governmen t must also build more non-profit, co-op and soc ial housing to provi de stability for low-income peop le and prevent homel essness, says Alderson. "Many fami lies spend far too muc h of their income on housing or live in unsafe conditions that put custody of their chi ldren at risk. Not [having] enough to ea t, constant movi ng, inabi lity to study at horne, theft of books from hotel rooms and anxiety are all factors that contribute to adults and children not being able to concentrate on learning because of poor housing ." By JEAN SWANSON IAn apotogy here to Jean fo r not including the list of ref erences at the end ofher article in the last issue.) Yo u r Mi nd This is where philos ophies of East and West live at par - where the

discoveries of the science of well ness wo u ld find most of thei r proo fs in everyday life. This is wh ere the my thologies of re mote cu ltu res gai n thei r non aca dem ic persp ecti ve; thereby, help ing us. two W est erners. live full er lives . Conve rsi ng w ith yo u. I find. makes a high though t no less utilita rian than a pa ring knife in you r kitc he n drawe r. Your mind is where I sec yo u travel - away fro m the everyday world of se ma ntics and away from the discourses For the preservation o f all the ills of modern ity . You take only sensitive and gentle. Like-minded people along for the trip - so I note - and my being one of them is no less than a royal feeling . You travel in thought. daily. in sea rch of spontaneity, where the seeds of freedom s prout.

BETWEEN THE LINES

Author speaks out on Canada's social work crisis

Ben C a r niol, author of CASE CRJ1 1CA L: Social Service.• and Social Justice in Canada Ben Carniol is a social critic and social activist. He is also the author of one of Cana da's leading book s on progressive social work, now in its 5th edi tion . Ben will be speaking in Vancouver on the crisis of con tinuing social service cuts to vulne rable popu lations in Canada. He makes a case for social wo rk as "liberation practice" to dismantle oppressive social condi tions . Whcrc : The Vancouver Public Library 350 West Georgia A.-en ue Whcn: T ues day M arch 8 at 7:30 II.m . Join us for a discussion. All welcome, Free. Ben Carniol has foc used on social j ust icc, social change, and soci al services for over forty yea rs. Hc is Professor Emerit us, School of Soc ial Wo rk, Ryerson University, where he co -ordinates the deli very of soc ial work education to off-campus Aboriginal students in partnership with First Nati ons Tec hnical Institute. He will speak on: • why governmen ts attack vulnera ble popul ations • why soc ial wo rkers are being pre vent ed from doing their jobs • ways to resist and challenge curren t trends • how we ca n suppo rt progressive soc ial change for the be nefit of all of us

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~ "When I feed the poor, they call me a sa int. When I ask why the poor a re hu ngry. they call me a communist to

- Dom Helder Camara, Archbishop of Recife, Ilrazil By Richard

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Libera ls' Free Marke t Ideelog y Freeze s Homel ess By Rolf Auer Starting January 2 of this year, a cold snap hit Vancouver. On January 2 and 3, many emerge ncy shelters for the homeless remained closed. On January 4 and after, when the severity of the cold snap was realized by those in charge of the shelters, most of them opened . At first the closure was blamed on authorities who were absent due to New Year's holidays. Then, it came out that the shelters weren 't suppos ed to open until the temperature fcll below -4 e. That policy was in effect directly due 10 thc provincial Liberals ' funding cutbacks to social services, includi ng shelters for the homeless. That the Liberals are beholden to free market ideology has caused no small amoun t of grief for those dependent on social services. The Liberals think free market solutions are the answer to everything. It is estimated there are 200 homeless people in Abbotsford, Chilliwack, Mission, and Hope, and less than 30 beds available (when shelters are open), according to The Province , Jan . 5. " It's hideous, it's horrible what's happen ing," said Annette Welsh , an Abbotsford residen t. Ms . Welsh thinks homeless ness in Abbots ford has grown 200 percent in the past two years (no doubt due to Liberal social policy) . In 2003-04, 4,320 people were turned away from shelters in Greater Vancouver. I've heard of at least one study that shows it is cheaper to provide low-inc ome housing than construct emerge ncy shelters for the homeless That w.1I never happen as long as the Liberals are in power, and their mantra of " punish the poor" continu es to sway govern ment policy .

raur Wiucocks , a V(mCOII\ 'er Sun columnist, made the point on Jan. 8 that while tsunami victims arc seen as "worthy," our homele ss are not. He "Tote, "TIle Sun's Amy O'Bria n has reported on the painful failings of our respons e as night temper atures have fallen into the danger zone for those without homes. Read the stories, and the only conelns ion is that we really don 't care very much about what happens to those people." I think people care; it's just the governmen tthat doesn't eare. Vancou ver's chiefm cdical officer, Dr. John Blatherwick , says shelters are risking the lives of the homele ss by waiting to open until the temper ature falls so low . (Vancouver Sun , Jan . 5.) "There 's no scientific reason why it should be -4 e. , absolut ely not .. . Tell them to change it." A quote from my favourite author, Margaret Atwood, clarifies things. From Two Solicitudes, p. 112: "Marke t forces are not a god. but an idol. Whenever political authorities start killing people or letting them die in the name a/mark et forces, they're sacrificing to an idol." The provincial Liberals arc concern ed about sacrific e, as long as it's somebo dy else who 's being sacrific ed. Don't worry, their day of reckoni ng will come. Wonde rs ofTal8 tion I am a recipien t of the Canada Pension Plan 's disability benefits, topped up by provincial disability benefits. We all know how fair these benefits are . The surpris e I got when filing my yearly Income Tax return : I owe thcm S20 even though I'm way under the recogni zed poverty level in Canada . I wonder how many others arc in the same boat?

Thc war on the poor just gets harder to fight as the years go by. All govern ments vic for my approval at election time , then shaft me where the sun doesn 't

ever shine.

What a differen ce 4 years have made in Be. Over the last 4 years the poor ' ve been made much poorer but now the same Govern ment says we have money to burn . To a poor person time goes on and the screwing we get gels more blatant allthc time . When a poor person compla ins he gets all kinds of unsavo ury names attache d to him . When will this poor-ba shing by our politicos ever stop? Even if I or anyone is poor, we can be and often are right about many issues . Yukon Eric

Bread and Roses

As we come marching, marching, in the beauty of the day, A million darkened kitchen s, a thousand mill lofts gra y, Are touched with a ll the radiance tha t a sudden sun discloses, F (X" the peop le hear us singing. " Bread and roses! "read and roses!" As we come marching, marching, we battle 100 for men, Our brothers in the str ugg le, and together we will win. Our lives sha ll not be sweated from birth unt il life closes; Heart s sta rve as well as bodies; give us bread, bUI give us roses! As we come marchin g, march ing, unnumbered women dead Go crying through our singing their ancient cry for bread. Small art and love and beauty their dr udging spirits knew , Yes, it is bread we fight for - but we fight for roses, too! As we come march ing, march ing, we bring the grea ter days. For the rising of the women rai ses up the hu man race. No mo re the d rudge and idler - ten that toil where one repo ses, But a sharing oflifc's glories : Bread and roses! Br ead and roses!

Internati onal W omen's Day , Tuesday March K

These words u\.'re inspired by picket signs car ried by strikers in Ihe 1912 IWW lawrence, Mussuchuseus Mill Strik e.

Burnaby. Be - On March 81h, female voic es will rule the airwaves.

CJS F Radio will be broadcasting a full day of progr amming foc using on wom en and featuring o nlywom en's voices, 7am until 2am, Tuesday, March 8th. Some of the spoken word lopies planned arc : wom en's health & sexuality; women & justic e; a radio play (depic ting Joan of Arc as a rea l woman ); discussion of women's issues and multiple short pieces and disc ussio ns from 3 variety of contributors (incl uding SF U Women' s Ce ntre, the Scarlet Tide Brigad e, and various individuals.) Special program ming will also be featured in Spanish , Bangladeshi , Russian (a nd possibly Portuguese .) Music co ntent will include : the history of wom en in music, women in hip hop, and women singers/so ngwri ters . CJSF Rad io (911. 1 FM ( is a non -commercial ca mpus community statio n that broadcasts from SFU. Featuri ng a wide ran ge of non -mainstream music, unique spoken word programs. and a variety of third langua ge programming. CJSF has been in existence for oyer thirty years ,

For more information please contact: Mike Anderson Public Relations Coordinator CJSF Radio 90.1 FM T: 604 291 59411 E: eisfprrG' sfu.ea F: 604 29 1 3695

International Women's Day is March 8 Th is yearly eve nt was sta rted to commemora te the da ngero us work ing cond itions most wo men endure, after a fire in a Manhatta n factory clai med 146 victims in 19 1 I, mostly wo men and gi rls. The fire esca pe door had been locked 10 keep wor kers at their machines, O w ners were found not guilt y of ma nsla ugh ter when it couldn't be proven that they had ordered the door s locked . A civil suit found them negli gent and they paid $ 75 to each family w ho had lost a woman in the fire ,

FOR WOMEN ONLYI Come Celebrate International Women's Day March Slh in the Art Gallery 2-4.30 pm Lively enterta inment being planned, plus some thoughts from a group of International Women amongst us. Watch out for posters or speak to Marlene or Mary Ann.

Their Spirits Live Within Us

Monday , February 14'" dawned bright and crisp . I can't remember such sunny, blue skies on a Vancou ver Valentine's morni ng in the 15 years I've been ,n otic ing. I rushed to Iinish the last'rew chap ters or Mi....ing Sarah by Maggie de Vries . Since the previous Friday when I started reading it, at a ga theri ng with the author at the Women's Centre, I'd had a hard time putting the book down . Maggie courageously and generously gi ves a so ul-sea rching and cxtrcme lv honest acco unt of the lire and death or her siste r . Sarah, whose DNA was round on that horrilie farm . The book co ntains beautiful poetry, leIters and journal entries written by Sarah . I cried but 1 understood much more about the power or addiction, the e ven greater power or the suffering leading 10 the add iction and the rear of the pain or quittin g. Maggie also offers a well-researched history or the drug war in my neighbourhood during the pasI 20 years and a 101 or factual information about the Missing Women investigations. I wanled to Iinish the book so I woul d be more prepared to understand the speeehes at the courthouse. At II am I crossed the bridge 10 C RAB Park for the annual CRA B/ Water for Lire ceremony for the Women who have died in the Downtown Eastside . A circle or song s, drumm ing and prayers surround ed The Heart has it's Own Memories sacred rock : In honour of the people murdered in the Downtown Eas tside. Many were women and many were Native Aboriginal women. Many ofthe cases remain unresolved. The circle and the environs tingled with spiritualit y, calming ye t energizing. Aline LaFlamme from the Aborig ina l Front Door led mv favouri te First Nations song in which the peopl e all tum 10 the four direc tions with their hands extended and sing together. Arter the ceremony, we were red the most delicious chic ken soup and salmon buns prepared by

local go urmet che fs Brenda Arranee and Brend a Norris . The yo ung man bes ide me told me or the death or his fiance and his difficulties getting oIT drugs. He said he co uldn't get past the first two weeks but the words or the ciders that dav had inspired him and he was goi ng to try again. With the help or Don Larson. the Brend as ga ve out more so up and sa lmon buns from the back or their "a n in the alley betwee n the Carnegie and the co ntact ce nter befo re the Marcil. I felt so fortun ate and grateful to be incl uded in that circle. The March itself was the smoo thest I've kno wn. I didn 't hear a cross word spoken between anv or the participants. Seei ng women 1 knew in the ,'~lI ow jackets directi ng the walkers was a welcome relief It was kind or that neigh bourh ood sec urity age ncy to volunteer last year but some D owntown Eastsidcrs take oITe,nee at being lai d where to stand by people they don I know. And I'm so happy men arc no longer told to walk at the end or the March. Indeed there were men hold ing links in the new banner/quilt cham proudly n appin g in the breeze. There must have been over 100 works or art in that moving feast for the eyes and heart . Sewing my I H" X 24" panel durin g the past week was so therapeutic. 1co ncentrated on the goo d times I had with my friends before ;:; they died ... playing baseball, dancin g: laughin g... "1 I was awed by how brave ly the relatives or the Missing Women spoke. Particularly touching was the speec h by my neighbour Marie Lands about her murdered, older sister, the abuse they had suffered growing up and how her sister had always taken ca re or her. Marie shared the story or her own healin g at Round Lake. I was remind ed o r other people I know who have learned to deal with their addictions at the

Round Lake treatment center. Hopefully that model will be followed in the new treatment centers that must open soon . At the courthouse two lovely young women spoke eloquently of losing their mother. Their words were heartbreaking yet they both glowed with depth and health . That mother would be so proud if she was listening. Maybe it was just the sunshine but all along the way people seemed exceptionally pleasant and respectful. Drivers in passing cars smiled and waved but didn't honk. Residents leaning from their windows quietly called encouraging words. The foot police stayed back; I didn't sec them bother anyone and the motorbike brigade didn't rev their engines nearly as much as usual. Evcn the construction workers in Gastown were cheerful in a supportive way. After laying candles at the totem pole in Oppenheimer Park, the marchers trudged to the Japanese Language Centre . The huge hall, set up like a cafeteria, was full of tired, cold folks but within 10 minutes of when the food was served by gracious young people everyone was feasting on hot chili, salad and bannock. As often occurs in the Downtown Eastside, I was struck by how gentle and tender people were to cach other. 11,e late Sarah de Vries WTotC a poem about life on the street and how you must always watch your back because people are desperate. She concludes: BI/t ifYOI/'re friends, YOI/ 're friends for life Ant/fight side by side to prove YOI/'re right In this business YOI/ lose lots offriends And that's ....here the terror begins

Although I tried to push it out because 1 knew it was judgmental, a question has lurked in the back of my mind : Knowing the torturous dangers in standing on a DTES street comer, why do women keep doing it'! In her journals, Sarah described the horrors of detoxing alone . Other people have told me how sick methadone makes them . This year I began to understand just how hard it is to get off drugs and how expensive it is to support habits . We need sensitive, painless treatment centers now. Many other questions remain . Recently the news has been full of reports on prescription drugs being pulled from the shelves because they're found to have deadly or suic idal side effects . Yet consumers beg to be allowed to continue buying their pain relievers and anti-depressants regardless of the dangers . What's the difference'! Economics'! What happened to counseling - getting to the root of problems'! What about the Vancouver Agreement's Prevention Pillar'! How many more young people will be forced into crime and addictions because of education and social service cutbacks'! February 14th is a sad but healing and hopeful day in the Downtown Eastside . We need to remember Their Spirits Live Within Us to make it through another year . Leith Harris

SEREENA She liked to be called Riviera The first time I met her th doctors had shaved her head To sew it back together afte r a date beat her And ch en on my \yay home there she was

working Hastings and Campbell With her stitched together head and split apart mouth I stopped to (I donno \\ hat") warn hcr'? Show some concern ?

She shrugged " yeah. yeah so worldly wise I was sur prised \\ hen I found out how young she reall y was

I wondered \\ ho as I continued home Would find pleasure in making love to so meone as injured as that Th strccrchurch pastor sa id she could tell Scrccnad had a hard lifc Wcll vca hl It was written all 0 ' cr her face Take a G OO D look at us At all th scars WE sec every time w e look inna mirror

Everyone worth a 1000 word s How many times in hcr Iifc Must a woman go thru th horrific rea lizat ion Tha t th man on top of her I in front of hcr I Bsidc hcr Is going to kill her?

For me, it was once And at that point in time I didn' t care Hc wou ld have "put me out of my misery' But. I didn't die I just carry th memory Of that day in my body Whcn rill touched a certain wav For Sereena and other strcctworkcrs It wa s \\ ay more than once I remember Kelly, Big Kcll, ' telling me " It' s scariest \\ hen they don't say any thing"

• I read she was "missing" But I still Xpcctcd her to show up With her bounc v swagg er. Her husky voice and laff Intimating " Bin thcre done that" T\\ icc in 2 da vs I think lvc see n her 4 a split second in anothcr woman ' s walk 2 da vs ofa week end waiting 2 hear \\ ho they found on that farm and \\ hcn I hear her name I fccl like I' m gonna Xplodc vomit or cry Angry that thr ee-quarters of a page in th newspaper Apo logi zes for th murderer Under th headline .. , "a vcry good guy"! And a quarter pagc is left to all th lives and families hcs (allegedly) destroyed He was cha rged with murder 3 or ..J years ago What's so "good" a bout that ' I balance my a nger at thesc lives and deaths Generating a media circus

By askin mvsclf " Isn't that wh at w e' ve been asking for" Deman din g " ! Breaking th silence over' For years and years?" So sec it as a victory \\ hen I waun a scream

WHY DID THEY WAIT SO LONG'!"' Fallen women disposable women Invisiblc as individuals insidc th confines of th stereotype Hooker I Addict" to th media But not to US We clench our teeth We exchange knowing smiles and we find a safe place to let th tears come.

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wa s loo ked upon with loving kindness, cherished and made to feel wan ted on this earth and in my home. To this day I can not remember whe n that feeli ng o f being loved len me. I just know that o ne day I was no longer precious. Those who ha d initia lly loved me well turn ed away. The absence o f their recognition and regard pierced my heart and len me wit h a feeling of brokenh eartedness so pro found I was spellbou nd.

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Grie f and sa dness overw helmed me. I did not know .. what I had done wr ong and nothin g I tried made it right. No other co nnec tion hea led the hurt o f thai first abandonment , thai first bani shm ent from love's paradise. For years l lived life suspe nded, trapped by the past, unabl e to mo ve into the futur e. Like every wounded child I j ust want ed to tum ba ck time and be in thai par adise again in that mom en t where I felt lo ved , w here I felt a sense o f be longi ng . We ca n nev er go bac k. I know thai now.We ca n go forw ard. We can find that love our hearts long for , but not until we let go of grie f about the love we lost long ago, when we were little and had no voice to spe ak the heart's longin g. All the years o f my life I though I I was searc hing for love , I found, retros peclively, to be yea rs where I was simply tryi ng to reco ver w hal had been lost, to return 10 the first hom e, to get back the rapt ure of firs t lo ve. I was not reall y ready to lo ve or be loved in the present . I wa s still mourni ng - elinging to the broken heart of gi rlhood, to bro ken co nnect ions. Whe n that mourn ing ce ased I was abl e 10 love aga in. By bell hoo ks

nla..· nla..· Sk,. The zen of the crow Fhes to the treetop with an imp ossibl e b un but hip hops dO\\1! to a branch blows me away as he ca ts - smart bird black crow in a blue blue sky I ask Go d to let me die

there in the sunshine in Oppen heimer Park the ze n of crows

the long days of waiting.. . remembering never though t I'd Iivc long enough to question my own children and defend myse lf against the yo ung so its the ze n of crows in the blue blue sky living this lo ng wondering why ? R.Loc we n

Humanities 101

Free Public Lecture

"Law or Just-Us?: The Elite Meet the Street." A discussion with lawyer Lisa Helps. Faci litato r, Keenan Macd on ald

All about l ove When I was a child, it was elear to me that life was not worth living if we did not know love, I w ish I could lestify thai I ca me to this awareness because of the love I felt in my life. b ut it was love's abse uee that let me now how much love mattered . I was father's first daugh ter , At the mo me nt of my birth: I

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FRIDA Y. M AR Cil 18" 1• '! PM Carnegie Centre Coffee and Cookies I Book Draw Humani ties 101: 604.822.0028 hum 10l @in l erch aQ~c..lIbk&iI

terms of confidence to finish a book: The Heart of the Community: The Bes' of the Carnegie Newsletter eonlaining work of almost 100 contributors over the first 15 years ofthc paper. It was pu blish ed by New Star

WE'LL MISS MARY ANN The Carnegie Reading Room has attracted some fine librarians over its 25 year (current) incarnation but Mary Ann Cantillon is extraordi nary in both her commitment to making it invitingly accessib le and mak ing individual patrons feel special . I have been the volunteer editor of the Carnegie Newsletter, publishe d by the Cen tre's (Charity-stat us) Association twice-month ly, since shortly after its inception in 1986. The paper ge nerally ru ns 20-24 pages (a low of 12 in the begi nni ng to a one-time high of 44) and, exce pt for the ac tua l printing, is do ne entirely by vo lunteers . Art icles, poetry, grap hic art and more have addressed a myriad of iss ues concerning poverty, housing, safely, the sex trade, 'free' trade, drugs, alcohol, women's lives and lack thereof in the disappearance a nd murder of many, food, events, activism and much more . The Reading Room began keeping an archive of each issue available as reference for people looking for stuff in old editions to studenls doing research for courses to authors hoping to publish. Maryann reorganised this archive when she first arrived, making it more available, and began searching for funding or even a student on a practieum of some kind to do the work of indexing it; she assisted would-be authors in finding anything they were looking for in terms of reference mal erial (not often) and providing How To books for those aspiring (more often) to providing hope and support 10 myself in

in 2003 and Mary Ann did much extra work in comm unicating its existence to VPL (Vancouver Public Lib rary) and gelling copies in ma ny bra nches. She was instrumental in gelling Downtown Eastside authors featured at the International Writers Festival on Granville Island, where the "Heart" book was an integral part, then sci up a 2nd launch at VPL Central in December of 2003 . Her continued support has greatly helped me personally in that I have had chronic depression for a number of years. Mary Ann, upon learning this from me, began searching for and acquiring material on depression as a form of literal)' therapy. She would even get new books on depression to me directly 10 make sure I had them as soon as they were in circulation . Her ongoing support has also taken a social form, when she has invited me 10 her home and rnv wife and Ito a gathering of many of her friends and fam ily. Even when I had to leave this gathering early 10 go to an Emergency Ward at a hos pital for a suspected cracked rib, Mary Ann gave me taxi fare . She is a friend , a kind of mother-figu re in fussing, a nd committed to social justice . Whatever can be done in her honour should be magnified by at lcast J . She will be fond ly re me mbered and sadly missed, bu t the ge nera l feeling here is that Mary Ann , with all her interests an d commitments, is re tiring because she just has no more lime for a job. PaulR Taylor

News from the library For the Musicians amongst us!

The Complete Blu eGrass Banlo MethOll.by Fred So kolow

Make Monev with vour Stu dio;.Sel/ing up an operating a successful recording studio by' Tom Vo linchak

Contemporary Singing Techniquesbv Bob Rose (Wome n's Edition)

Ctmtemporan'Singing Techniquesbv Bob Rose (Me n's Edition)

and for the genera l rcadcrship.. Cu Ilure Jam: The uncooling of America By Kalle Lasn (fou nder of Vanco uver based A DBUSTE RS Magazine.) The Winnipeg General Strike: A n illustrated /li.tor)' The Intent to Li.'e:.A chieving your potential as a;' Actor by Larr~' 1\01 0 '5 Sm all /s land.by Andrea Levy A tcrrifie read! Explores England when the cou ntry began to changc from the eye of a Jamaican immigrant. Winner of the prest igious Orange Prize for fiction 2004 Many Mouthed Birds: contemporary writing by Chinese Canadians . Climate of Fear: th e Questfor dign ity in a dehuman ized World by Wole Soyinka (Nobel laureate) Ea." Van.by C h r is Walte r . It's local , it's fun and was brought to our attention by Oppenheimer Park outreach worker as a great book for here . How to spo t H idden alcoholics: Using B ehavioral . Clue.â&#x20AC;˘ to Recognize Addiction in its early .â&#x20AC;˘tages by Doug T horh u r n "Canad a Rea ds" , is on . Our frie nd Mairuth Sarsfield is one of the authors. If interes ted joi n us in Learning Ce ntre at noon on T uesdays . Tunc in to CBC 10 follow the eve nt.

Welcome to Creative Writing Share you r Poem Write yo ur Story -lnner th oughts

-humour ..., wh atever .... Every Wednesday' with Sheila Buter I pm-tpm, C8rne~ie's J nI no or.

Ben responds to Creative Writingsuggestions: First happy memory: Mother-in-law's funeral. What docs Carnegie mean to yo u? Free umbrellas and rain coa ls. Humour: Lord I'm coming home! bl/II'II be a little late - stuck in traffic. Wha tever you want to write about: but don '1 want to sign. Share yo ur though ts and ge t fee dback from the kitchen : Don't gotta spe ll don 'I ga lla smell. Fine day Yesterd ay.. what a fine day for once wasn 't singin ' the blues go t high in the park o n j ust a s ingle j oint ro lled down A lex ande r and ran into a co p I was wri tin' on the wall he told me to stop Yesterday I wasn 't si ngin' the blues I was walkin ' growlin' a di fferent tune j ust got hig h on 8 si ngle little joint was John Wayne wa lkin' into the sunset didn't take much yesterday to was h away them 01' blues

Personally I'm always ready to learn. although I do not always like being taught. WillSlon Chu rchill The real purpo se of books is to trap the mind into Christopher Morley doing its own thinkin g.

Yes terday was a good day did n' t take much to fee l good and thankful j ust to roll in the grass in the sweet 01' suns hine hafta remember.. . Alistair Sarson

(A~Nf6if

VOLV~TffR5

A~f iH~ HthR1 Of ,~t (OMMV ~tTY Volunteer Program Committee Mc'Cting Wednes day, Ma rc h 09 . 2005 Class roo m 2. 3rd Floor @ 2:00 pm

OUR CARNEGIEVOLUNTEERS GIVE SO MUCH TIle spirit of volunteer ism is a passion of mine mos tlv bceause of the peopl e that e mbody a spirit \\ hieh co mpe ls them to do service for the good o f others . Because of yo u. I get to be around what moves me the most almos t e very day. I am o ften hum bled by the goodness I sec in so many o f yo u. If I were a fairy god mo ther I would wave my magic wand and mak e everyt hing good for you. but I am not, so all I can do is tell yo u how much I appree iatc yo u and hope tha t my sincerity reac hes yo ur hearts . Remember, those who brin g sunshi ne to the lives of others cannot keep it from the msel ves. Colleen. Co-Ordinator Volunteer Progr am Vol unteer of T he Month (Fe h r uan') Paul Tuvlor Kitchen Volunteer Pauljoincd 'us July 2003 . Th ere is rarely a day yo u ca nnot find him labouring in the Kitchen or as a Server at our wildl v busv Co ncess ion. Wc have all watc hed his confid~nec gro w and arc upl ifted by his steady pleasant dem eanor . Wc thank you Paul. for vour reliab le service and ded ication. Brian Coffey, Lcami ng Ce ntre , Kitchen Prep , Co mputc r Lab Monitor I think in ca me to wor k and did not sec Brian volunteering in onc of his man y pos itio ns I would think I was in the wr ong bui ld ing. Brian is perpet ually eager to help whe rever and wh enever the need arises and who treats others w ith rcspeet and kindness.

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Mix anti Friends - with Co d)' Friday, March -tth, 2005 7pm-lOpm in the Ca mcgic T heatre

GFTDOWN AND Gl T HJNK} ' EVE RYONE W ELCOM E ES PEC IA LLY YO U! Refreshm ents served to the thirsty. Vo lunteer Dinner ST. PATRICK'S DA Y T HE ME FUNNY PA NT CONT EST !!!!! Wed nesd3\', March 16, 2(H14 4:30pm T heat re Th is is a dinner for all Vol unteers with a minimu m o f 16 ho urs servi ce for the month of March . T his dinner is one wa y we sho w our appreci ation to all of yo u for all that you do for the community. Thanks. There will be a prize for the funni est pan ts e ve r, at the di nncr. No cheating , you have to wear them all day lo ng. Do n't worry; I'll be right beside you .

Doctor G's ADVICE COLUMN. Now that Dear Abby and Ann Land ers (kno wn favouri te advi se gi vers, moth er figures a nd co nfidant es) have gone on to e ternal sy ndication, wh o is there to a nswer all o f o ur quest ions? Don 't despair. If yo u necd help don't as k Hel oise or bc so rud e as to both er M iss Manners , and yo u don 't need to sec k the advice of the Play boy Advisor. From now on. yon have yo ur very own Doc tor G . C lea rly, readers arc still looking for sens ible, crca tive an swers to their C VC!)' day (or not so C\CI)' day) probl em s. and Doc to r G is here to lend a hand. Ju st submit yo ur que sti ons to Paul Tay lor, the Carnegie Newsletter Edito r, a nd wait for the next ed itio n. These submissions can be anon ym ous or oihcrw isc. Yo u will know wh o you arc.

DOWNTOWN EASTSIDE YOUTH ACTIVITIES SOCIETY 49 W.Coniova

NEEDLE EXCHANGE VAN - 3 Routes: 604-685-6561 City - 5:45pm - 11 :45pm _ Overnight - 12:30am - 8:30am Downtown Eastside - 5:30pm - 1:30am

604-251-3310

C.ii'eSd iu0. NEW SL ETT E R

Ifi ll .... SI •••1 VI"'."""

"' ..... In 116I1"'·U"

2005 DONATION S Lihhy D.-S40 Barry for Dave McC.-S50 Rolf A .-$45 Margaret D.-S25 Christopher R -S50 Mary C-S) OBru ce J.-S)O U'mista - S20 Heather S.-S25 RayCam -S)O G ra m -SIOO Paddy -S)O Glen B.-S50 John S.-S80 Penn y G.-S21 J enn y K.-S20 Dara C.-S20 Sandy C.S20 AUdrey-S20 Wes K.-S50 Joanne 1I.-S20 Rockin~guys -S20 The E d~ Community Liaison CII -S20(} Wm B-S20 Anonymous-Sj

r ue NEwsu:n ER IS A PUBLICATION OFmE CA RNEGIE COM M!INITl' CENTRE ASSOCIATION Ar1klcs rer- C'SCRI lhc viewsof individual conlribulon.ntI not or lhe As!ocialion.

Submission Deadline for next issue: T hursd ay, Ma rc h 10

Editor: PaulR Taylor; coverart & layout, Diane Wood

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We ad<nowledge thai C<megie Communiy Cenlrll, lnIlhls , News/eUer. are happening on the Squamish Nalion'sleniloly.

DO YOU HAVE A LEGAL PRO ULEM?

Come to our FREE CLINIC

On Carnegie's 3rd floor , UUC Law Students' Legal Advice Program

Contact Jenny Wal Chlng Kwan MLA

Tuesdays. 7pm - 9pm.

Tbe Dowotown Eastside Residents AS5oclation DERA belps w1tb:

Working for You 1070-1641 Commen:ial Dr. V5L 3Y3 Phone: 775-0790 Fax: 775-0881

Phone &: S.fe M.i1bons Welfare problems; Landlord disputes; Housing problems VlWlfe living conditions

At 12 E.lSt H.lStings St. or C8li 604-6si-0931

reduction " was coined by those knowing that, practically, the entire drug problem wasn 't goin g to be solved or even recogni zably alleviated by Just one way of looking at it or dea ling with it. . One of these models involved making heroin free Regarding " Project Nao mi sends the wron g message for registered addicts. This was import ed to England to addicts" by Alizia Kamani in the current issue , It (or maybe exported from there) where It won the is apparent that the writer has never been addicted to critica l aeelaim of the country ' s pollee. Property . a narcotic or eve n had much co ntact with any of the crime did fall by over 50%, the addicts' usc of publ ic "90000+ users" in Canada. One meth od/model is health care did decline and , most importantly (as coU:plete abstinence and most long-est ablish ed or attested to by the addicts themselv es), the stability in church/government funded rehabilitation programs the ir individual lives provided by not having to require exactly that: Complete abstinence by anyone spend alm ost every waking hour in the throe s of asking for admissio n to treatment, usuall y for a ' how to get enough money for and where to get the minimum of 72 hours and so metimes for as much as next fix' . This alone was so critica l in their lives that 30 days prior to being granted a bed or placem ent. the relief after so me month s on the free heroin alFor the vast majority of narcotic users ClI m addicts lowed other facets of life - long dormant/given up on this is co mpletely absurd intellectually, and virtually - to aga in be possible and eve n already engage d in. impossible both physically and emoti onally. Th is It' s like the sun breaking through an interminable was the hard-learned truth that came through tried or cloud -cover wh en yo u're an addict but can work tested programmes in Germany, England, Austra lia again, can go to schoo l again, make frie nds with nonand Switzerland. Using Frankfurt, Germany as an users and sec other things in life - most lives - that example, it began more than 10 years ago with a . . . aren 't predica ted on being w ired. large city park, right across the street from the main I look at Nao mi as anoth er way of helpin g addicts. financial district. The park saw hundreds of addicts The strictures for admittanee will likely be so mewhat on a 24-hour basis using , buying & sellin g, fighting, formidable until results can be objectively verified. selling stolen good s and miserably flaunting their It's the same with the up-and-running safe fixin g site hab its to all non-using c itizens passing by in the in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside. The author of downtown area of a large city. The Enforcement opthe '路wron g message" article would be right at.home tion was at a loss, with a virtual army of police offiwith those who ranted for months on how sctung up cers required on a 24/7 basis just to contain or keep such a site would only encourage narcotic abuse. the users/addicts /dealers in the park. The facts - that over 3000 addicts arc using it reguThe police, hcalthcarc professionals, business peolarly, that no-one has OD 'd there, that few er peopl e ple and local community activists jo ined with have to shoot up in an alley with no one watching spokespeople from the using community to crca tc a their back (and maybe using a dirty needle and water working plan. Rather than a) arrest everybody until from a puddle on the pa vement) give e1ear signs that ' it' stops"; b) put everybody in an isolated treatment it's as good a project as thos e who fought for It for centre - Iikc an island - where they'll stay until over 5 years had hoped. . , cured, clean, normal (whatever that is) again; c) have Blaming a gove rnment with quasi-rhetori cal argua continuous army of you ng/b right/perky students ment s is ju st a student using their new ly-found dISflogging (both in print and verba lly) educatio nal macovel)' that the world is unjust to get-space In pnnt . teria l; d) flying squads of religionists clI m dogmati c I know this because that' s where I started, almost 20 fanatics to repeat ad nauseum how bad narcotics are years ago. I' m the volunteer editor of the Carnegie and the only way out is .. . these people cam e up with News letter, which is done by local residents on a more than a dozen model s of treatmen t. Abstinence, completely volunteer basis and is by, for and abo ut using only a certain number of times a day, treat ment the bad , dishonest people of the Dow ntown Eastside. that had a long and complex set of entry criteria to Respeetfully submitted, simple tents where so meone wanting to chill for a PAULR TAYLOR few hours co uld come, and more. The term " harm

(Ine fo llowing letter was written and sent in response to an article in the latest issue (Feb. JB-Mar.3) ofThe Gleaner, a student ami/or campus publication out of l.angara College in Voncoul'er. J

VANCOUVER OPERA

"The Night Before the Opera" A free premier featuring a live opera performance, Singers will perform excerpts from Cos; Fan Tufte Co me to th e Ca rnel:ie Theatre on Wedn esdll)', l\I11rch 9, 2(H15 a t 7:(HI pm . The first 75 people will receive tickets to the dress rehea rsal of this opera for Thursday, Mareh 10. - Presented by Vancouver Opera & UB.C.'s Learning Exchange in coIlabora~on with the Carnegie Centre.

Karaoke with Duke Darrell

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Friday, March 11 ,2005 7prn - IOpm in the Carneg ie Thea tre Come, show y our hidden talent and

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SING YOUR HEART OUT Refreshments served 10 wei yo ur whis tle or your pipes !

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Skid Road art raising funds VANCOUVER Sa le of painlings ben efits Down-

town Eastside TI,e late Sam Roddan didn't start painting until he was almost HO years old. But he made up for lost time: Roddan completed hundreds of paintings before he died in June 2002 at the age of H7. Many of his paintings were done to illustrate stories he wrote for the Carnegie Centre newsletter. Others were recollections of street scenes from his youth growing up on Vancouver's Skid Row. where his father Andrew was a minister during the Great Depression. Roddan painted for the love of it and was extremely pleased when anyone liked his paintings. "When they were pul up at the Carnegie Centre, someone stole one," recalls his widow, Huddy. "He was delighted . He said 'Oh, this is great! Somebody likes my work! ' Evidently , a lot of people like it. Huddy has mounted a couple of shows of Sam's art as fundraisers for non-profit groups in the Downtown Eastside, and sales have been brisk. About 30 paintings were sold at a Bowen Island gallery last year, and anot her 30 have been sold in a show that wr aps up today at the Interurban Gallery at Carro ll and Hastings . There are about 140 paintings in the Interurban show, priced from $ 100 to $300 . They 're all qnite small (most arc 20 by 25 cent imetres) and feature Roddan's distinctive nco-primitive style, which is naive folk art 10 the max. One features a big sig n reading Liquor Store, with a busker , a man wa lking his dog and a bunch of people going in 10 get their booze, Another pictures the old Empress Theatre at Gore and Hastings, complete with 1930s politica l graffiti reading "Work and Wages, We Love Tim Buck." (Buck was the leader of the Canadian Communist party during the Depression.) The focus in his paintings and his stories is always people . He considered himself a storyteller -- he had numerous stories published in The Vancouver Sun -and fell his paintings were an extension of his writing. "I like to write about the lost, the alienated, the loser," he explained in a 1995 interview . "Guys who got knocked down in the lo th but got up in the 11th" Fighting for the downtrodden was a family trait. His father was renowned for his fiery sermons and battles for the unemploy ed during the Depression while minister at Firsl United Church at Gore and Hastings.

Andrew Roddan wr ote a legendary book, (;otl in the Jung les, aboul the hobo j ungles of the early 1930s. It has jus t been repub lished as Vancou ver's Hobos (Subway Books) . Andrew Roddan also painted . and that fascinated young Sam as a kid. But it rook him decades to gel around to doing it himself "His dad was an oil painter, and he wouldn't let am' of his kids touch his brushes " says Huddv "Sam . used to talk about this. He al~"ay~ wanled io do it. So when he had time . he started painting." And how. Sam painted by the fireplace . he painted on the dining-room table. he painted in bed. "He had a bypas s when he was 75," savs Huddv. "I think that's what charged him on to paint . I think he thought 'Well. I'm lucky 10 be alive , I'd better gel painting before I go.' " Sales of his paintings at the Interurban will benefit the First United Church mission . the Carnegie Centre and the Portland Hotel Society. By JOH N MACKIE jmack ic~' pllg.~IJIWCSI .COIl1 ~

The Vancouver Sun 200S

[This piece is reprinted with nothing changed. Both thc title and the in-text reference to Skid Rowarc offensive . Over the years the I'an coul'er Sun (and The Province) keep using the tcnns Skid Road or Row in almost any piece wriucn about our community. At least rive or six responses arc immediately sent to thc Editor telling him to wake up, that that stereotype is a source of endless contempt for 10C31residents. As BOice Eriksen said, "People who live herecall it the Downtown Eastside" orjust Down Here. One excuse we frequently get is that the ' Headline Guyts) make it upas thearticle is laid out . The reporter has no say..;" BuUshit. Mackie was described as au old punk from the East Endwho should knowbetter. Seems that the mass media can'I do anything decent for or about li S unless it sells papers - so it has to be sleazy or slimy or sexy orjust plain gross. The whole hierarchy is just too lazy or wrapped in their pre-existing mindsct to go beyond these easy. cheap shOIS. I hope someone there reads this . and I hope others will. again. lambaste the editors for being so shallow and ' superior' . Ed路1

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if home is where the heart is where you're welcome drunk or stoned, too late at night whether happy or uptight a shelter with music in the wee hours of the day then it' s Mac' s on Broadway for me don hayat always home on Sunday morn ings if home is where you 're free to have a cup and maybe a toke stoke up a good 01'joint and the money ain' t the point it' s Mac"s on Broad way for me so this poem' s for the man doing a little j ob in a big big wa y it's Mac' s at 3:43 Sunday A. Sarson

UNIDENTIFIED FL YING OBJECTS & MISCELLANEOUS PHOTOGRAPHS SEE THIS PHOTOGRAPHIC ART DlSPLA Y BY BHARBARA GUDMUNDSON IN CARNEGIE'S ART GALLERY FOR MANY YEARS NOW I HAVE HAD A LOT OF INTEREST IN PHOTOGRAPHING A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT THINGS. I ENJ OY TAKING PICTURES OF THE SKY WHEN THERE IS A NICE RAINBOW, INTERESTING AND COLORFUL SUNSETS , SUNRISES AND BIRDS. UNTIL 2003 I DID NOT PUT ANY FOCUS ON MY PICTURES TO SEE IF THERE WERE ANY UNIDENTIFIABLE OBJECTS BUT IN 2003 I BEGAN TO SEE OBJECTS IN MY PICTURES THAT I COULD NOT EXPLAIN. WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE NIGHT SHOTS I NEVER SAW ANY OF THESE OBJECTS WHILE TAKING THEIR PICTURES. ALL OF THESE PICTURES WERE TAKEN FROM MYBALCONY AND ALMOST ALL WERE TAKEN USING MY KODAK 2.0 MEGA PIXEL DIGITAL CAMERA.

Missing at Mission So we went to sec the wizardl yfamous Cathedral @ Mission my mid-aged friend & partner we both in beige Berm udas you know the kind with all the Vclco pockets for your Swiss Army knife , compass, etc. A Beautiful day, a Beautiful gras sy hill Looking down gently to the va lley of the mighty Fraser At the Door to the sanctified edifice a small bearded man in black robes turned me away My partner, clad samel y, he admitted MY gar b unseemly for womanhood (and I was no blossoming youngster) My shorts showing too much evil female flesh - I guess! Quiet horror! Resentm ent , nay, puzzl ement lingers 15 years ago.

Anyhoo, I wandered lonel y as a da ffy down dilly The green hill Alon e. Listening to bird song , smelling the sce nt of newly-mown hay, Feeling the Sun warm my face The Beauty of the Land. Wilh elm ina M.M.

IIrahm8 + IICf~'h.n路.~n Concert at Carnegie Centre

Theatre - 1 :OOpm Monday, March 7 Free Admission The Program will consistof the Sonata in F for cello and piano by Johannes Brahms and the Tno In B路flat fordannet, cello and piano byLUdwig van Beethoven. The performers are Zoltan Rozsnyai, Monica PIau, and Johanna Hauser.

/ From The Rain Review ojBooks. J/F/M 1005/

Being True to Ourselves: Downtown East路 side Poems of Resistance By Sandy Cameron Published by S...ancam, Vancouver, 201M Words that come to mind whil e reading Sandy Cameron's poetry include people's poet, witness, people's historian and visio nary. His latest collection is an illustration of his own integri ty and resistance to inj ustice and in Lest We Forget' he makes it clear that "we have a duty to work for peace and justice." We have this duty, in part, because "veterans fou ght for a decent life for all our citize ns, not for the corpora te oligarchy we have now ." Throughout almost 17 years of volunteer work on the Carnegie Newslette r Sandy has helped many other writers witness and record their own histories. True to form in the pocm "We Need a New Map" he encourages everyone to "Sing your song friend, tell yo ur story." The co llection is dedicated to the mem o

ory o f Bruce Erikse n, a com munity activis t who had the integrity to put his life on the line in defense of the Downtown Eastside co mmunity that he loved . Reading Camero n's work yo u get the impression that he would do the same for the co mmunity. The poems are intended to remind us of the importance of preserving the history anchoring the Down town Eastside. Forge tting that co mmunity's soc ial j ustice roots will endanger its s urvival becau se "Memo ry is the mother of community." Knowing, rememb erin g and ce lebra ting that co mmon historv keeps citize ns co nnected to each other and to location. The Downtown Eas tside co mmunity will need the mem ory o f an elephant and the roots of an oak to resist toda y's pressing tide of ge ntrifica tion with sub. sequent waves of excl usion and displ acemen t. Past and present history of the Downt own Eastside is recorded and comme mora ted in these poem s. War veterans and Victo ry Squa re arc given thei r due. as arc the "ce ntres or resistance agai nst injustice" Chinatown and Ja pantown , We meelthe labour hero Ginger Go dwin, murd ered in 191 9, and learn that the Ca rnegie Cen tre was oce upied by the Relief Ca mp workers in 1935. The community's recen t history is equally importa nt to rem emb er: the Valentine 's Day march in hon our of the missing women , a thousand crosses in Oppenheimer Park mem oriali zing those lost to the war on dru gs, and a lotem pole comme morating the fight for land claims settlement and Ihe symbol of First Nations c ultural survival. The richness of this history arises from the variety of people who com e together in the Downt own Eastside and one of the most profound images of hope is seen in "the inten sity of the love that reaches out from the unendurable lonel iness of our se paratio n". As a visional)' Ca meron sees men and women prepar ing for a future journ ey into a plaee "where no one is excl uded" but for now we wa it "like sa lmon for a change in the tide." Loca l and glo bal j ustice movements are trying to draw up "a new map" because the old one leads to "pepper spray gulags death camps and the end of the world ". Wh ile Cameron admits that he doesn't have a vision of the new ma p, he waits with the rest of us for it to materiali ze. In the mean time he'll continue to writ e stories that "draw lines dig holes and above all, reme mber. " Marsha Drake

To Capture a Wis h

Do protests bore yo u? Sick of that hey hey, ho ho chant? Get out your porn poms and get involved

1 with thc SFU Radical Cheerleaders, who wrote the following chant -

I remember whcn oncc upon a silent, calming, placid time When Ihe moon was quite awesome yet refused 10glimmer or shine The days seemed darkened and dank and I felt sad. all askew, Whence this feeling came, do not cry, it was from me, not you You mentioned once, or was it twice, why.. oh why did you Slay'! Through trying times, though there were smiles, we didn't stray Wc always walked hand-in-hand, all the way 10whatever land Time raged by, lick tock, tick lock, but who was watch ing clocks'! Our icc cream melted in the seething sun but we only laughed ; we had such fun. The clouds would linger in the sky as we gazed upon the evening's tide When summer passed you disappeared; a visit homearch I surmised. but then .. . No. NOI likely.. I did not fear When Fall fell hard you materialized and I didn't question, I trusted and realized you were vague about where you went (I didn 't mind) and the precious time you'd spent When one believes in someone like you, whatever you say I know is true Everyone I tell will surely understand because this is my dream and it cannot ever be planned. Did I ever tell you of my childhood wish'! It doesn 't matter now as I have already accomplished it. You've known the answer, haven't you, all along. and you lind it humourous andyou're practically never wrong

So what 's the use in keeping little secrets - you're always in the know SO it's hopeless trying 10be discreet, yes'! If ever the will comes 10break this deal. it will not come from me Because when it's about you, I suppose I am just too soft.. Robyn Livingstone

Yay Vancouver

I ! I STRA LE N Yay Vancouver in 20 I 0 How many homeless will you have by then ? Social housing - there's no need, Here's this empty tcnt city! Campbell 's games, paid by cuts, Whcn will BC reali ze he's nuts ? The 2-year limit's alread y set Wile Vancouver falls to debt . Fuck Campbell and fuck the Garnes, Up with the people who feci the same! Fuck Campbell and fuck the Games, Up with the people who feel the samc! For more information , email sfuradicalchccrleadcrs@hotmail .com

> BY OIRK VAN STRAlEN

Malfe 110 mis/tlke- A",enc(1 will hoi be r' ~"ef unfil euery C,' f,'len ,',r Uh-J...... {. IF' If .. Z1IJour sUl'r~ ;II(J,,(e/ r

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JOB POSTING : PROMOTIONS DIRECTOR (part-time)

(iallery Gachet is see king a motivated individual who will assist the Gallery in marketing, outreach, member's services, and sales. Work includes marketing our public programs (exhibitions, workshops, residencies, rentals) to Vancouver's cultural sector mental health sector, the local neighbourhood, and' our database of frien ds and contac ts City-wide. Gallery Gaehet is a Vancouver-based artist-run centre gallery and collective, formed in 1993 . The go al of Gallery Gaehet is to support a we ll-community by enabling the artistic production of artists who are concerned with me ntal health issues and/or survivors of sexual abuse. A dynamic year-round exhibition program in our two galleries is supported by production studios (woodworking, pottery, painting), a new media lab (c1cetronie design, digital photography and video), and space for public wor kshops and meetings. Readers of the Westender, rcecntly voted Gallery Gaehet the #2 art ga llery in Vancouver for 2005 . The Promotions Director will be req uired to : - Working closely with the Gallery's 30-member Collective, and Promotion Committee, develop overall goals and strategies for marketing & sales; - Develop, design, print , and distrib ute marketing materials for the Gallery's programs (including display ads , invitations, media releases, promotiona l packages, artis ts sta temen ts) ; - Mentor, empower, and de lega te tasks to Co llective members and vol untee rs; - Maintain mailing/email contact lists , as well as inhouse events schedule; - Increase the profile of the Gallery and its member artists through targeted promotion and liaison with the media, organizational partners, general public, art buyers and patrons, etc . - Conduct outreach in the cultural sec tor to create more discourse aro und mem ber s' art ' - Collaborate wit h Co llec tive and General Man ager on special proj ec ts an d initiatives; - Share in some rou tine office tasks; Required Skills : - Demonstrated marketing skills and experience worki ng within the visual arts comm unity (possibly art ist-run centre or community arts co ntext); - Know ledge of "mental health cons umer" and/or "survivor" issues an asset;

- Mus t be ab le to wo rk foc used and indepe nde ntly in a so metimes- hec tic envi ronme nt, as we ll as working co llaborativc ly with member artists and Ge neral Manager. - M ust rep rese nt the Ga llery in a professional and conscientious manner; - Must have very strong co mmun icat ion, wri ting, organization , and sa les ski lls . - M ust have stro ng computer skills with a variety of softwa re (Wo rd, Acrobat, Photoshop , Illustrator , Eudora , InDesign , and/or ot he rs) . Remuneration: $18 per hour, based on l -l-ho ur wo rkweek ($13,000 per annum). Ho urs and wage subject to increase depen dent on funding. Application Proced ure : By Sunday, Marc h 6, 2005 , 6pm . Position.commences late March . Submit resume ill person, by fax or email to: Human Resources Committee, Gallery Gac hct, 88 East Cordova St., Vancouver, BC V6A IK2; fax: 604687- 1196; ema il: gallery@ gachct.or g (in subject list "Pro motions Director position," Word or PDF attac hments only).

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ab solut theat re co. in association with G a llery G ache l presenls

tlie 9rf)fSl(S 'WE 'WE)f~ TIlC Masks We We", Project incl udes innovati ve, com munity build ing mask-making workshops. This show is performance art, to be held on Friday & Sat urday, Marc h 4,5; 11, 12; 18,19. TI,e opening will be Friday , March 4'" with recep tio n starting at 7pm and the show commencing at 8pm.

Ad mission is $2-$10 sliding scale. Gallery Gachct, 88 E.Cordova, Van. 263-1859 www .whoareyoucallingcrazy .com

LOCAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY DTES/S tra thco na Looking for a part-lime co-ordinator for a community small gran ts program sponsored jointly by the Carnegie, Raycarn and Strathco na Associa tions. This contract position will start in ea rly April and run to the endof the year (200 5.) The success fu l appli cant needs to be very fam iliar with the area, ca pable of working on his! her own. have good communica tions skills and the ability to mot ivate and engage community residents. Good orga nizational skills and some repo rt writing are also required . The Neighbou r hood Small Grants program . funded by the Vancouver Found ation . will provide up to $500 pcr proje ct to local residents to do things of interest to their immed iate area or 10 the community as a whole . The co-ordi nator " ill work with a commun ity-based residents' committee 10 identify and a pprove proj ects for funding, and ass ist with eva luali ng the program and organizing a final, wrap up eelebration.

Contact Donal da Greenwell-Baker, Coordinator at Strathcona Community Centre .11 604-713- 184 1 by phone; or at donalds greenwell -b., ker@vancouver.ca bye-ma il or drop off aleller/resume al 60 I Keefer Stree t, Vancouver. V6A 3V8 (Strathcona CC) . For add itional information, you ca n review the job nolice that " i ll be posted in ear ly March at the above community centres and aro und the neighbourhood.

Sh e began, rather timidl y ... ..W ould you te ll me p lea se, whi ch way I o u g ht to go from he re?" "T hat depe nds a good d ea l o n wh e re yo u wanl to gel to ," sa id th e Cal. " I don't mu ch care wh ere - "sa id Alice . "Then it doesn't mail er whi ch wa y you go," 'sa id the Ca l. - , so long as I get some where," Alice added as an exp la na tio n, "Oh, you' re sure to do that ," sa id the Cat, "if yo u o n ly wa lk lon g e no ug h," Alice felt thi s cou ld not be d enied, so s he tried an other qu est ion. " W h at sort o f pe o p le live about her e?"

" In tha t di rection,' th e Ca t said , wav ing its right paw ro u nd , " lives a Halte r: a nd in that direction," wav ing the o ther paw, " lives a M arch H a re . V is it e ithe r you like : the y 're both mad ." " But I don' t wa nt to go among mad people," Al ice remarked. "Oh, yo u ca n ' I help th at ," said th e Ca t: " we' re all mad here , I'm m ad . You 're mad." " How do yo u kn o w I' m m ad ?" sa id Alice . "You mu sl be," sa id the Cat, "or you wo uldn 't have come he re ." Alice d idn't thi nk that proved it at all: howeve r she we nt o n: "And ho w do you kn o w that you ' re mad ? " "To begi n with," sa id the Ca t, "a do g ' s not mad . Yo u grant that?" " I su ppose so ," said A lice. " Well then," the Cat w e nt on, "you see a dog growls w he n it's a ngry , and wags its tai l w he n it' s p leased . No w I grow l wh en I'm pl eased, and wag m y lail wh e n I'm a ng ry . Therefore I'm mad ." Alice in Wonderland Le w is Ca rro ll " . .. we go lta go a nd ne ver stop goi ng till we ge t the re ." "W here we going, man?" " I d on't kn ow but we goua go ."

On the Road J ack Ke ro uac

The Downtown Eastside CRA~r

POETftY READ,NG AND MAD TEA PARTY

~A 1lJrtI>A" "Y At '1:00 lC' or:to

MArtell sTt{

fn the Car ne!jie Theatre f ree admission Free tea (and coffee)