CaLrnegieC NEW S L ETT E R
401 Main Street Vancouver Canada V6A 2T7
MARCH 1, 2017
carnnews@vcnbC.Ga (604) 665-2289
Rally for a Poverty Free BC March 4, 2017 noon
* library square * vancouver •
350 W Georgia St, Vancouver
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event details: povertyfreebc.ca working at Floralia Plant Growers Ltd. in Abbotsford, BC achieved an important victory. The B.C. Labour Relations Board ruled that Floralia broke labour laws Vancouver Public Library, Robson side by impeding the ability of migrant workers known to be union supporters to return to the farm in 2016. This is our chance to raise our voices together and . This was a panel presentation and discussion on issues . show candidates in the provincial election that we'll about human trafficking, Farm Workers and Migrant be voting for politicians that commit to a strong, comWorker in BC. prehensive poverty reduction plan. Aaron Ekman, BC Federation of Labour There will be a week of action leading up to the rally Brett Matthews, Counsel for UFCW (Feb. 25 - Mar. 3) with each day of the week lined Felix Martinez, UFCW up with an essential pillar of an effective poverty reAbby Leung, UFCW Local 1518 duction plan. There will be film screenings, panel disNatalie Drolet, West Coast Domestic Workers' Assoc. cussions, webinars and more. Karen McRae, Act Alberta The BCTF Antipoverty Social Justice Action Group • BC Erie Maestro, Mlgrante have assembled activities/resources for each day. By Angelina Canada, Curly Tail Pictures the time the Newsletter is published on March 1st the first 4 days of activities will have happened. So far: Brought to you by UFCW 1518, West Coast Domestic Workers Association, and Migrante BC. February 25: The Fight for $15 and good jobs Good Jobs, Good Wages for BC, Feb. 25, ,1:30-3:30pm February 27: Health Digital Action for Health; Feb 27 . Room 1400-1500:Segill Building, 500 Granville Street, Van This was a panel presentation & discussion. Panelists, On Monday February 27, health care advocates helped discussed issues and so utions including the Fight for raise awareness about how health care can reduce poverty. Those directly and indirectly involved with 15 campaign, the rise of precarious work, the erosion health overwhelmingly attest to the disparity that povof BC's employment standards laws, and the need for better apprenticeship programs and green jobs. erty brings to the well-being of low-income individuBrought to you by the BC Federation of Labour als and their families. As the Provincial government continues to ignore growing poverty, refusing to imFebruary 26: ~ Hidden Struggles of Migrant Workers, Feb. 26, 2-4:30pm plement any kind of comprehensive poverty reduction UFCW Hall, 350 Columbia St, New Westminster plan, thousands are often left with the choice between Film screening: . paying rent and getting medical aid. HIDDEN IN PLAIN SIGHT: Brought to you by the Hospital Employees' Union, Labour Trafficking, Farm Workers & Migrant WorkBC Health Coalition & th Health Sciences Association February 28: Education ers in Canada. This is a short documentary produced BC Teachers' Federation Hungry to Learn Webinar on Povby the West Coast Domestic Workers' Association. erty & Education in BC, Feb 28 3:30-4:30 pm On January 20th, migrant agricultural workers in the BCTF Building, 100 - 550 West 6th Ave, Vancouver Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program (SAWP)
Rally for a Poverty Free BC Saturday, March 4th 2017, 12-2pm
BCTF President Glen Hansman facilitated a panel discuss ion on the effects' of poverty on our students & the need for poverty reduction plan in British Columbia BC teachers and antipoverty action group members Annie Ohana and Sue Spalding talked about challenges faced by their students who are experiencing poverty in Surrey and Terrace. Megan Hooft, Deputy Director of Canada Without Poverty, addressed how poverty reduction plans in other Canadian provinces have begun to effectively address these issues. Brouqht.to you by the British Columbia Teachers' Federation March 1: Child care $10aDay Child Care Plan Key to Reducing Poverty An Interactive Webinar, March 1 6:30-8:00 pm Go to povertyfreebc.ca to register. The $1 OaOay Child Care Plan is one the quickest ways government can help BC families and their children move out of poverty. That's why it is a central pil!~rof an effective BC Poverty Reduction Strategy.
Admission by donation, suggested $20 for people with a reasonable income, no one turned away for lack of funds. Tickets available at the box office on the night. Raise the Rates, with others, is pleased to have a prerelease showing of Ken Loach's new film I, Daniel Blake. This is a hard-hitting look at the reality of the British welfare system. After the film, there will be a panel discussion on comparisons with BC's experience. Brought to you by Raise the Rates March 3: Housing Renters Unite - End the Housing Crisis Now, March 3, 121:30 pm . Burnaby Residential Tenancy Branch - 5021 Kingsway #400, Burnaby, BC V5H 4A5 ACORN members are calling on Renters all across the Lower Mainland to come stand in solidarity to demand justice. Stand against the erosion of tenants' rights, which is making getting justice unattainable for most. Housing is becoming completely unaffordable. The wait for Social housing is years long. Landlords On March 1, join anti-poverty activists and $ 10aD ay are able to pull dirty tricks to evict, and displace peo. supporters from across BC to learn about what you pIe from their communities and their homes. Worst of can do to help strengthen connections between these all, cities are allowing for the destruction of perfectly two powerful movements in your community. good rental housing so that rich developers can make The $lOaDay Child Care Plan will make child care af- , a quick buck. Low and moderate income people are fordable for all- with no fees for families earning unbeing left out in the cold. BC ACORN is calling on der $40,000 a year. This will move many families out the next government of BC to: of poverty and keep others from becoming poor. And *Build 10,000 units of Social Housing per year until the Plan will provide the women who care for children the deficit in housing accessibility is closed; a living wage. *End the Fixed Term Lease Loophole; On the webinar, Sharon Gregson from the Coalition of *lmplement Real Rent Control to manage the skyChild Care Advocates, Trish Gamer from the BC Povrocketing cost of housing. erty Reduction Coalition and others will share information about the $1 OaDay Plan, a BC Poverty Reduc*Empower Municipalities in BC to implement lnclution Strategy and how we can work together to make I. sionary Zoning clauses to force new development to them happen. include rental housing; Brought to you by the Coalition of Child Care *Open the Residential Tenancy Act for a full review. Advocates of BC March 2: Welfare and Disability Rise Up to End Poverty & Deprivation of BC's Disabled & Poor, March 2, 12-2pm BC Legislature, 501 Belleville St, Victoria We can't afford government making life easier for the rich and powerful and harder for the rest of us. Brought to you by the BC Disability Caucus Pre-release showing of I, Daniel Blake March 2, Doors open 7 pm and starts at 7:30 The Cultch,1895 Venables St
3
All this is to raise awareness and inspire us to be involved in the struggle to upset the current government. Clark & cronies havemade callous disregard for real suffering a hallmark of their administration. Such vicious stupidity is hidden between the lines of gov't reports. The budget just announced is a prime example. Crowing about a surplus belies the realities of where money has not been spent, as in making welfare z pension incomes livable with rent controls & raising rates, as in funding construction of social housing, as in working with 3 levels of gov'tto make both poverty
& homelessness history. A member just reported hearing the number 4,000 as defining the number of homeless people in the lower mainland. The actual Count* is supposed to happen on a day in the 2nd week of March, yet this figure is already being bandied about as fuel for the blame game. It was Mayor Robertson saying senior levels of government are at fault; Clark says it's up to municipalities and the Federal gov't to solve the housing crisis & Ottawa just relies on "the market" to sort things out. The hard work and strategic efforts to create workable solutions is a major portion of the lives of thousands of people who work for a pittance or, more of. ten, freely put energy into possibilities & alliances. It is the hope from hopelessness. [The week's activities and descriptions in this article came from www.povertyfreebc.ca; the commentary is from the undersigned. Where it says 'Brought to you by' the names underlined can & should be googled (especially Raise the Rates).] ByPAULR TAYLOR * Wednesday, March 8 is the annual Homeless Count. As .
usual, we will have two shifts of volunteers come to Carnegie to conduct a count between 9 - 11am & 6 - 8:00 pm The volunteers will spend time throughout the building and conduct brief anonymous surveys with those people who are interested in doing so. The survey is totally voluntary and no one will be pressed to participate. Homeless Counts have taken place in Vancouver in 2002, 2005, 2008, and annually since 2010. The counts provide critical information on the number and characteristics of our city's homeless population. Sharon Belli, Director
You are invi ed
In August of last year, we brought the text-only version of the work. Now, we offer the first marriage of music to words. We will present seven singers, pianist, conductor, the librettist and composer, and we would like you to join us. 'Missing' is written by the distinguished First Nations playwright Marie Clements. Set in Vancouver and along the Highway of Tears, Marie tells a story everybody knows - about a woman no one remembers. It is touching, and tragic, and necessary. "Missing' is being set to music by the Juno Awardwinning composer Brian Current. Now at the piano~ vocal stage, Brian has captured the hopes and conflicts of our characters in a brilliant and moving manner. Aided by native speaker Vince Gogag, certain of the Highway of Tears sequences will be sung in Gitxsan. After the piano-vocal version of the music achieved to date, we will open the floor to comments and discussion. Librettist Marie Clements & composer Brian Current will be in attendance. They want to hear what you have to say about their work, and what we might do to make it stronger. It is a road test and beta test of a brand-new opera, and your comments are essential
MISSING: Work-in-progress Workshop Excerpts from new chamber opera. Followed by discussion w / composer Brian Current & librettist Marie Clements (Metis). Discussion led by Rosemary Georgeson (Coast Salish/Dene).
1 March 2017 Wednesday, 2-Spm Carnegie Theatre Co-presented by City Opera Vancouver, Vancouver Moving Theatre/ DTES Heart of the City Festival and Pacific Opera Victoria.
s Do you have a story to tell? Come by the classroom on Wednesday March 8th (4pm - 5:30pm) for a workshop called "Guided Autobiography" with instructor Wendy Bancroft. There is no writing experience required, simply be open to the activities that Wendy will lead you through, and be willing to share. A reminder that your Library Card entitles you to make 50 requests for any library material (with the exception of magazines and Central's musical instruments) to come to Carnegie, from any branch in our system per year. This includes new formats like Wii Games,Blurays, Xbox 360 Games, Playstation 2 & 3. It also means you can request a "Vancouver Inspiration Pass." These passes are good for two weeks, and you get to explore all kinds of museums, galleries, and events for free! There is a long waitlist, but it's worth it. Do ask us more about this opportunity. Here are some titles for writing memoirs: The Art of Memoir (2015) by Mary Karr. Writing a memoir can be cathartic, and this book reveals the main literary elements to produce a great one. It's both a pleasure to read, and informative. Depression: a public feeling (2013) by Ann Cvetkovich. This is an unusual book where the author reveals her own creative anxiety and political hopelessness, combining memoir a~d critical essay. Her solution is writing and activism. The Faraway Nearby (2013) by Rebecca Solnit. A discussion about creating empathy and connection with others by sharing anecdotes and using our imagination. Solnit draws upon the experiences of both historical figures and members of her own family. Telling your story: preserve your history through storytelling (2016) by Jerold Apps. Practical advice on how to select your memories, how to journal & share your history both in writing and orally. Your librarian, atalie
Two actors needed for a docudrama called "Jude". This is a story of a Downtown Eastside man spiraling downward into a pit of despair. He survives a suicide attempt and his life is transformed by the intervention of a few helping hands. ROLES TO BE FILLED: "GALE" - female, mid-20s, Jude's fiancee, officE!worker "CRUTHERS" - male, mid-40s/50s, Jude's boss, business man "PHYSIOTHERAPIST"- female, mid-20s/30s "MOTHER&CHILD"- child, 4-7 A non-Union, no budget project, directed and produced by DTES resident Nicholas Sherry. Participation is on a voluntary basis. To view the film synopsis and some video clips, visit: www.judefilm.com. If interested, email short biography and headshot photo (selfies are fine) to - nicholas_b9@yahoo.ca. Deadline March 15, 2017. If selected you will be contacted by March 18.
CARN£.6I£ 6ALL£RY PRESENTS
"4D "Exhibition ARTIST: Eileen Clabbum
OLD SCHOOL
When:
A CLOSE CALL Years ago 1was walking down the street and I met this stranger who asked me if I liked to drink. I said, "I like to drink whiskey; we could drink it in my friend's room." "\t'" We went to the Washington Hotel and he gave my friend some money to go to the liquor store. That was when the Liquor Stg're was across the street from the Empress, where Garland Drugs is now. When my friend left, the stranger asked me to have sex with him and I said no! So then he threw me on the bed and started to choke me. I tried to take his hands off my neck but he was too strong. Everything went black and 1knew I was going to die. Just then the door opened. My friend came back and I could breathe again. The stranger got off me quick and ran out the door with my friend after him, to beat him up, but he was too fast and got away. My friend saved my life. So beware of who you drink with. , By MARLENE WUTTUNEE
401 Main St. Vancouver, BC V6A 2T7 Phone: 604-665-2220 Open every dav. 9 am to 11 pm
3rd Floor Gallery,
March 1-30,2017
A unique opportunity
February is Black History Month: to reflect on the past, the present and the future of our communities
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Carnegie African Descent Group (CADG) spent the preceding two months, planning activities for the celebration of February as Black History Month in the neighborhood. Three activities were organized: 1) Tuesday, January 31, CADG launched the Jambo African/Black Community Lunch. In collaboration with the Downtown East Side Neighborhood House - DTESNH. We agreed to host a weekly social event, where CADG members meet, cook, eat and talk. It's a one of a kind opportunity for folks to hang out and get to know each other. The Neighborhood House is an inclusive and friendly place that offers a variety of multicultural programs; with families to meet and share a meal, Chinese seniors meet, cook and socialize. Now People of African Descent who live or work in the DTEShave a place they can meet and talk. The program has provisions to invite guest speakers who will address a variety of issues members have identified as priorities; housing, employment opportunities and training, gentrification, tenants' rights, mental health, police relations, social justice, etc. 2) Wednesday, February is". We organized a discussion on Rwanda Today, reflecting on post genocide reconstruction and reconciliation within the context of Black History Month. We screened a Rwandan feature documentary called Intore. The film illustrates the transformation of Rwanda from a failed state to a model state. How Rwandans managed to rise from the abyss of 1994, when 1 million minority Tutsi and Hutu moderates were slaughtered, as the international community turned a blind eye. Today, the country known as the Land of a Thousand Hills has emerged to become a model for others to emulate. The screening and discussion offered a fresh perspective of Rwand today. Most often, residents of DTESare not exposed to this type of conversation. A few people intimated to us that the documentary film had a positive impact on them. We are grateful to Vancouver Public Library, Carnegie Branch for working with Building Bridges with Rwanda to host the event. We also thank our friend Herb Valley for being part of the discussion and performing the territorial acknowledgement and the closing protocol, honoring lost lives in the DTESand Rwanda. 3) Wednesday, February 22nd, CADG collaborated with UBC Learning Exchange to host a discussion on the past, present and future of Hogan's Alley. We convened a panel of community experts, made up of members of the Hogan's Alley Working Group to facilitate a discussion with the audience in understand the history of Hogan's Alley, the challenges and opportunities
that lay ahead as we await for the removal of the viaducts.
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In organizing this event, we targeted the reading break to allow university students, academia and community members to participate in this learning exchange exercise. In 1972, Hogan's Alley was destroyed by the City of Vancouver to build the Georgia and, Dunsmuir viaducts. In 2015, the City of Vancouver began to engage in a planning process for the potential removal of the viaducts. The Hogan's Alley Working Group is planning several similar community outreach activities to engage a variety of stakeholders, to learn and endorse our vision for the future of Hogan's Alley. Social housing, a Black Cultural Centre and a Black Owned Business Centre. The Black community feels that a wrong was done to the people, the City of Vancouver and senior levels of government must repair this damage. When the community was destroyed, Blacks lost the only place they call home. The community engagement event at UBC Learning Exchange was well received. In the planning process, we imagine a small 40 people session as a platform for people to reflect on the history and envision Hogan's Alley post viaducts. Thanks to social media and word-of-month advertising, more than 90 people turned out to participant in this public dialogue session. We apologize for those who were turned away. In the future; please refrain from using African Time Š
Carnegie Community Action Project
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NEWSLETTER March 2017 I 2017 ~2F.J
CCAP Releases New Report on Retail Gentrification in Downtown Eastside
Erica Cynthia Grant says she feels criminalized in gentrifying businesses in Chinatown and the DTES,having been followed in London Drugs and refused business at a pub.
In an area where over 13,000 people live in poverty having to survive on social assistance, gentrifying businesses are selling $138 mink eyelashes and $11 bottles of juice. Those are some of the findings of the Carnegie Community Action Project's new retail gentrification report. On Wednesday, February 22, (CCAP) released The Retail Gentrification Mapping Report the result of a year-long project in which low-income residents surveyed over 450 retail stores in the neighbourhood. The report found that 20 new gentrifyingl zone of exclusion businesses have opened since the Summer of2015. In total, there
are now 156 gentrifying retail zones of exclusion businesses in the neighbourhood, which the report defines as retail stores that seek to attract and cater to higher income residents or visitors and exclude lowincome community members. CCAP and the Chinatown Concern Group held a press conference on Wednesday afternoon outside one of the new gentrifying businesses, Dalina, an upscale grocery and cafe in the heart of Chinatown. "What we found through the study was that there is no such thing as low income retail:' said Maria Wallstam, Coordinator at CCAP.
"If you are on social assistance, you're too poor to afford anything at market rates:' Erica Cynthia Grant, a member of the DTES community who suffers from lupus says she is no longer able to afford anything in the rapidly changing neighbourhood. She receives $800 in disability assistance with most of it going towards her $S70-a-month rent leaving very little for anything else. Without cooking facilities in SRO's (Single Room Occupancy Units), she is unable to cook and relies on whatever food lineups are available and whatever food she can afford. "When I don't eat right, it really affects my daily living:' said Grant. "We won't be able to afford a cup of coffee close to home let alone clothing or medical supplies:' CCAP's report says zones of exclusion are sites marked by increased surveillance and policing where only those with status, privilege, and wealth are welcome while others are criminalized. "When we eorne to anyone of these restaurants or shops - security guards follow us like we are going to steal. We are not down here trying to steal stuff, we are just trying to get what we need:' said Grant. Mrs. Luu, a resident of Chinatown for over 30 years, also spoke about retail gentrification in Chinatown at the press conference. "Over these past few decades,
I've seen all the changes. One after another, all these shops are closing:' said Mrs. Luu, through translator and Chinatown Concern Group Coordinator, Beverly Ho. "A lot of the Chinese shops like Lee Loy BBQ meats have moved. Where will we buy groceries in a few years if this keeps happening?" The Retail Gentrification Mapping report includes several recommendations such as addressing the root causes of poverty, implementing measures to stop new zones of exclusion, reversing the loss of shops that cater to low-income residents, stopping the criminalization of poverty and all survival work, expanding and supporting nonmarket food services in the DTES, and ensuring jobs for low income-residents. "We need higher welfare rates. We need housing:' said Wallstam. "How are you supposed to get a job if you're staying in a shelter?" "Most of the city's community economic development strategy is focused on bringing market retail into the DTES:' continued Wallstam. "But what we know down here, is that market retail doesn't help low-income people. These new shops are not welcoming to low income people and they are displacing the shops that serve the low-income community. Retail gentrification is also increasing land values, pushing up rents in SRO Hotels and forcing low-income people onto the streets:'
"Weare too poor to afford anything"
Chinatown resident, Mrs. Luu says many ofthe shops that are crucial to Chinese culture in Vancouver's Chinatown are being replaced by expensive businesses she can't afford to go to. The initial goal of the project was to identify retail that caters to the low-income community. However, we quickly realized while doing the survey that even the businesses that are more affordable and welcoming 0 low-income people do not really meet the needs of people on social assistance. The answer to the question "Do you afford anything in this shop?" was 9 out of 10 times: "no, only on cheque day" The BC government provides $610 a month in welfare to a single person, without a recognized disability, who is expected to look for work. It has been at this level since
April 2007. Once rent and other essentials are paid for, a person on welfare has $76 left to spend on food for a whole month. This means that a person on welfare has only $18 (at most) to spend on food each week. This also means that even if a shop is relatively affordable (and also welcoming to low-income residents), a person on welfare can hardly afford to buy anything at market rates. Instead, people on welfare and disability have to rely on non-market or free sources for food, such as food line-ups, Union Gospel Mission, the Evelyn Sellar and the Carnegie.
Gentrification produces Zones of Exclusion
Street art in Chinatown by unknown artist (2017)
Gentrification not only forces people out of the neighborhood through increasing land value and higher rents, it also produces a kind of internal displacement for lowincome residents by creating zones of exclusion. Zones of exclusion are spaces where people are unable to enter because they lack the necessary economic means for participation. As wealthier people move into the ne,ighborhood, more spaces are devoted to offering amenities that cater to them. Grocery stores, banks, coffee shops, restaurants, salons, various retail stores, night clubs, stylish pubs, etc. begin to appear throughout the neighborhood, and are priced beyond what people on fixed income can afford. These sites become zones of exclusion.
Zones of exclusion also become sites marked by increased surveillance and policing. Strategies of control and punishment are implemented at these sites in order to protect them from the presence of unwanted people and from potential disruption. Only those with status, privilege and wealth can enter; all others are watched, interrogated, and criminalized. There is another sense in which such places are zones of exclusion. Whenever land is used to build condos or develop businesses for wealthier people, it is removed or excluded from use by the community; it not longer becomes a place where a local community-based vision can be implemented. In this sense, gentrification excludes possibilities.
Sample of prices on a gentrified block of West Hastings Street $11 for a 160zjuice bottle at Nectar Juice, 102 W Hastings.
$138 for real mink eye lashes at Posh Lash Beautique, 104 W Hastings
$5 for a coffee at Drink Fuel Refuge, 140 W Hastings.
At Scanteak Furniture, 126 W Hastings, prices start at $3,000.
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Summary offindings
Places we lost Top King BBQ Meats Lee Loy BBQ meats BC Royal Cafe Keefer Bakery Golden Wheat Bakery The Ferry Market Fu Wah Chinese Restaurant New Food King Produce Red Star Vegetable Fruit Co Ng Fung Enterprises Pender Seafoods Phen Phen Filipino Hong Chong Fresh Fish Market Mylite Soya Foods / Superior Tofu Man Cheong Save on Meats and Cafe Little Spot Restaurant Park Cafe Uncle Ice's Burgers The Only Seafood Cafe United We Can Bottle Depot Bike Worts (United We Can) Flowers Cafe Blue Eagle Cafe Uncle Henry's Sunrise pub American pub Peter's Buy & Sell Spartacus Books Pacific Pub
Number
Type of Business Zones of exclusion Non-Gentrifying Non-market
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Vacant store fronts
New Shops Below is a list of the 20 newest shops that opened in the DTES. All of these shops opened within a year of when the survey was done (summer 2016) and every single one is a gentrifying shop / zone of exclusion (loE).
Name
Address
Roost
789 GORE AV
loE
luke Fried Chicken
182 KEEFER ST
loE
Virtuous
583 MAIN ST
loE
227 UNION ST
loE
Drink Fuel Refuge
130 W HASTINGS ST
loE
Posh Lash
104 W HASTINGS ST
loE
Dish and Du/ER
118 W HASTINGS ST
loE
Kissa Tanto
263 E PENDER ST
loE
Half Fool
18 E PENDER ST
loE
The Dub
138 E PENDER ST
loE
Fluffy Kittens
611 GORE AV
loE
The Tuck Shoppe
237 UNION ST
loE
Fat Mao Noodles
217 E GEORGIA ST
loE
Selectors
8 E PENDER ST
loE
SaiWoo
158 E PENDER ST
loE
Giant Ant
683 GORE AV
loE
Black Medicine Tattoo
441 GORE AV
loE
Juniper Restaurant
185 KEEFER ST
ZoE
Starbucks
587 MAIN ST
loE
The Mackenzie Room
415 POWELL ST
loE
Pie
Hunter & Hare
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Thank you toVancity for supporting CCAP's work. Support for this project does not necessarily imply that funders endorse the findings or contents of this report.
Political Will Dedicated to Jean Swanson Political will sends our best and bravest to die in Afghanistan Keeping the drug lords in power Against the "Telly Bann" That bad old "Telly Ban" Thanks to them on 9-11 No poppy crop put Wall Street In Fear Trading had no drug money Things were about to collapse within the Year. No drug money to drive the Yankee Machine. The future for America was looking mighty mean. Political will to the rescue First the Yanks invade to put the drug lords in power, Planting poppies then experiences its finest hour. Canadians then come in, Yanks say thanks with a grin Now while you keep the poppies growing Canooks We'll go to Iraq to swell American contractor's pocket books. To make the Oil Companies nice and rich, ~ Canadians need believe Afghani's are a son ofa bitch. Cuz they killed the poppy crops year after year. But that is not what the public is made to hear.
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~ The story they tell with righteous deplore, It's women's rights we are in Afghanistan for. Yet on the home front things are not what they seem. With Rights of the likes of Alison Bodean. For the likes of her freedom is but a myth. Because she protested the war Our Government is all in a tiff. The only political willed Is for the likes of her To have her voice killed. \
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Ah Political Will Sees Tens of Thousands across our nation Li ving in the streets In a homeless situation.
While at the trough Corporate Pigs do swell Political will is there to see they eat well. For the rich and powerful political will is always employed. Yet, for the masses it has seldom been enjoyed. Only when we come \0 our bitter end. Do those in power hear the message we send. Then the political will appears. Only when the powerful have fears.
We'll know democracy in our day. When those we elect have political will and attention they pay. Looking after the masses. Not just the upper classes. Earth's bounty will then serve all well. When the Political Will is there To tell the greedy to go to hell! \ A Downtown Eastside poet. ...
Budget surpluses over-flow government coffers. So to the rich a tax break they offer.
No political will to provide affordable housing across this nation. ;, However support for convention centre overruns, now that's a different situation. Double and then some budgets of the rich. There is always political will to dig them out of their ditch. Political Will has cutbacks for medical care, infrastructure and education. We are asked to pay more taxes and tighten our belts all across this nation.
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You shouldn't sleep out in Toronto It's too cold to sleep out in Moose Jaw It's unwise to sleep out in Prince Albert Tuktoyuktuk or Chibougamau. So Vancouver's the place we all comes to At least you can sleep in the day Folks think we're all druggies and bums, too But most of us just lost our way
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I rented a room in a hell-hole $400 a month and quite small My neighbours were noisy and violent And the bathroom was way down the hall As housing, it just wasn't funny With crack-heads and bedbugs all day But what else can you get for the money That welfare allows you to pay?
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I soon lost my job and my housing So we stayed in a shelter all day We constantly needed delousing Then they took my poor babies away. My stay at the shelter was over I'd nothing but anguish and woe ':;0 I upped and came out to Vancouver I didn't know where else to go.
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I found me a young handsome lover With two rooms and cash to his name It didn't take rong to discover He wanted me out on the game So I went to a place on Cordova With a black eye, all tearful and meek. They said, 'We're full up, supper's over. Go elsewhere, and come back next week.
CHORUS The shelters are full, or they're useless And if you get a foot in the door Some watery soup and a sandwich And a mattress from midnight to four. You might think this song is depressing You might think it's all rather strange But instead of just sitting there stressing Let's all work together for change I
Gian Ward
Lives Lived - RIP Mr 512 By Debra McNaught I live in one of the more notorious SRO's in the DTES and the living conditions in this hotel are far beyond disgusting. Some of the people who live here are pretty disgusting too, but overall they probably represent an average cross section of those of us forced to live in these shitty hotels, but our lot is not helped by the owners, also notorious. I don't think Mr 512 was notorious; he smiled a lot when we passed in the halls and now he's dead and I never even knew his name. We had a fire back in November that put everyone out on the sidewalk, where we were forced to mill around for hours in the rain wondering whether or not our rooms had disappeared into a pile of smoking ash. I spot him holding a squalling and very pissed off cat in his arms, and the meow was tediously familiar because I'd been hearing it crying in the hallways of late, and I'd formed a low opinion of its obviously irresponsible owner. Oh is that your cat, says me. No, he says, I just saw it in the hallway and scooped him up. Nice guy rescues abandoned cat. Turns out he didn't know who the cat belonged to, either. I reflected on that act of kindness later, and wondered about the guy himself because he looked as though he might have a sweet nature. The next time I see him is during all that snow we had and he was navigating a slushy sidewalk on crutches. I wanted to say Please be careful, to ask what happened, but didn't know him well enough to sound like his mom or be that nosey, so I just smiled back at him. And then last Sunday, late afternoon and the hotel is relatively quiet. No fights in the hallway, no inconsiderate squatters partying loudly in the stairwells, no fire alarms going off, nobody had let fly with any pepper spray for hours and hours, no "security" (read: hired Slumota goons) patrolling the halls and beating up random tenants. I'm curled up with a novel when the air is cut by an appalling scream of the kind that somebody makes when they've just been hit by some very seriously bad news. Like Dead People bad. "OMG somebody call an ambulance! Oh Jesus help him! Somebody call 911 !!" and then a woman wailing, crying, and feet begin to pound in the halls and calls for a phone and is it an OD? Who's got Narcan? And someone runs by my door: "I got Narcan!" and you can hear doors opening as people step out to offer help if they can because notorious or not we look after
one another down here. I sit still and listen until I hear, "He's cold ... I'm sorry but he's gone, honey." I get off the bed and open the door. The woman is now sobbing in earnest, and somebody is patting her arm in horrified sympathy. "I was bringing him food! Because he can't walk so good." She'd last seen him two days ago. The ambulance was on its way; little knots of people gathered in the hall, talking quietly, comparing notes, exchanging rumours. Who was it? 512. Who was that - that young native kid? You mean the one on crutches? Oh fuck, it's the smiling guy that rescued the cat. Dave says He was a crackhead, he wasn't a doper, and Dave would certainly know. So, not an OD. And then the guy who'd gone running with the Narcan reappears and said he'd spiked the guy twice. And I'm thinking that other guy didn't seem to have a problem realizing he was dead; what, you didn't notice he was cold? Narcanning somebody beyond recall twice is a terrible waste of $50, but yes I guess - true enough you do have to try. Thinking about the guy since, saddened by a lif~ cut short and wondering what he could have been had he continued living. Sure, life as a crackhead doesn't hold a lot pf promise, but not everyone remains in the grip of a drug habit forever, and there are plenty of tales of redemption here in the DTES. In one of Bud Osborn's poems he wrote about a man who told him he had come down to the DTES to die because he'd heard this was a good place to do it, except once he'd been embraced by the community he turned his life around and found all the right reasons he needed to keep living. I might be a white broad but I know how important it is for the indigenous community to have their own heroes. How their family connections hold stronger bonds than any I've ever experienced, and having one of their own define a successful life on their terms is critical, not only for the individual but the community as a whole. What could Mr 512 have become? Could he have got off the shit and led a productive life, married and had children that themselves went on to be success stories, gone to university, learned a trade, written a game-changing book, become a spaceman, a cowboy, a rocket scientist, a politician that could make a solid contribution to indigenous rights, a lawyer that could kick Whitey's ass and reverse all the evils of Colonialism? The saddest codicil of all though is probably going to come from the corner's office;' the autopsy will be
brief and not terribly thorough because "hey it's only another drug using native kid" ... and we've got so many of those he won't be missed." Just like all the other sad, questionable indigenous deaths; just like all the murdered and missing. I wonder about his friends, his family, about who will miss him and that engaging smile, and whose life will be the sadder because he wasn't there to enjoy the future and share it with them. E-est in peace, Nir 512.
Dear Carnegie, We spent yesterday in Victoria "locked up" with over one hundred other organizations and journalists, to pore over the provincial government's budget before it was released to the public. Within minutes of being released, our analysis was posted on PolicyNote.ca, and we did a whirlwind round of media in{e. . ~l(.e terviews (including panel discussions on CBC Radio <t oY'JohnL'\).a.~ and Global News). Bring your Voices! Once again, the government neglected to tackle a Bring your Instruments! number of pressing issues facing BC - such as the Bring your Songs! affordability crisis in housing and child care, high Friday, March 3, 17,31 poverty rates, the dire shortage of home and community care for seniors ... not to mention urgently-needed Classroom 11,1 - 2:30 pm climate change initiatives like substantial investments in transit. Instead, the biggest ticket item in the budget was tax cuts. The largest of these was a 50% reduction in MSP premiums (for households making under $120,000 per year). We're glad to see a reduction in this extremely unfair tax. But yesterday's announcement really just reversed the MSP hikes brought in by the government over the Iast 15 years. A much better solution would be to eliminate the MSP altogether and replace the revenues with more fair taxes (as Iglika roposed back in July). But not only did the government fail to eliminate the MSP, it chose to simply forego the revenues. Our budget analysis also looks at corporate tax cuts, child protection, infrastructure, health, education, climate, housing and more. You can also check out some 'I helpful background pieces from the past couple of I, weeks - showing how BC's tax system become much : Repertoire will include a wide variety of music: less fair over the last 16 years, and unpacking the proBroadway, the classics, marches, ballads, jazz vincial government's obsession with "debt". and movie themes ... You can also learn more about yesterday's BC Budget Come and enjoy the big band sound! (Go to ccpa.ca or google Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives) Wednesday, March 15, 7:30 - 8:30 PM Iglika Ivanova and Alex Hemingway in Carnegie Theatre
~etro~litan Concert BoIJct
VOLUNTEERS Volunteers of the month- February 2017
Pat McSherry, Board Member Nick Volsany, Ping Pong Congratulations!! Volunteer Committee Meeting Wednesday, March 8th @ 3:30pm, Classroom 2 Volunteer Dinner Wednesday, March 15th @ 4:30pm, Theatre (12 hours minimum to attend)
THANK YOU - VOLUNTEERS!!!! Think of the different volunteer roles as puzzle pieces. Individually, it may seem small and insignificant but when connected with another piece, a picture begins to form, That completed picture is what happens when individuals come together and contribute here at Carnegie. Our volunteers complete the picture of our community. They give us the gift of all gifts; their time and commitment. We are filled with gratitude and never forget how much of our success is owed to our amazing volunteers. No us; without you! If you're interested in giving back please join our Volunteer Orientations which are offered every Monday and Saturday @2:30pm, at the 3rd Floor Volunteer Program Office. No experience needed!! Just the willingness to help others
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~sec=~~~:~:!~~e':~~:i~~~~N~~~ . with options not coming out of the woodwork I joined & helped form one of three bands that made massive sounds which we termed Demolition Rock. The top band was Sudden Impact, then SISU which became Slow&the band. I was in Bad Attitude which we all lived up to & more but again drugs destroyed bandrooms other bands refusing to play with us because thousands of dollars in damage & stolen&destroyed equipment somehow gave us a bad name but the thousands of dollars we owed other bands for things like all the instruments that got burnt in houses that somehow went up in flames we even had to change our names from time to time Oh the price of anti-fame ... Then things got bad. I am being as candid as I can cuz I & my best friend Mink who san for Sudden Impact would have made it but so much heroin let alone everything else in the pharmacy was happening then November the 9th of 1984 I&other addicts scored a lot of junk & brought it back to the terrible house of sickness & when Mink was hit up he fell back onto my bed. What does an idiot like me do? I said the truth that he had done that before so we all turned our attention to our respective spoons until someoneshouted "Mink's turning blue!" Of course we didn't know what to do though we tried
•• everything. The cops came before the ambulance left, while they were taking Mink out on a stretcher. A cop shoved ~I 'away pushed me into my room & began to threaten me with Involuntary Manslaughter while I was screaming "You're talking about charging me while my best friend is dying!" On November 13th his brother phoned to let me know they had just taken Brian Anton Majetic (Mink) off life support (which I didn't even know he was on) -in short I basically killed my best friend. Sudden Impact went from top to bottom we moved up into the second slot & Slow& were the main band now. They would go on to release a single & then an EP. We recorded a 4-track EP but that singer left a month later so Bad Attitude ended with one of the tracks on a compilation cassette called Undergrowth 2. That was our recorded output. Insane times! More stories that are absolute truth! Every word! Another chapter will be happening I hope sooner than later more incidents to come before this part of my life starts to erode like a Hooters franchise in Saudi Arabia. Enjoy & be patient & thanx. By ROBERT McGILLIVRA Y
"Grief is the price we pay for love." Queen Elizabeth 11
CARNEGIE'S STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS This is the President of the Camegie Board speaking. munity centre on Jan. 20th and is continuing strong.
Camegie
celebrated
(A Little Late)
its 37th anniversary
as a com-
A new Executive Director has just been hired by the City to replace Ethel Whitty, who has retired. That new person who has big shoes to fill is Sharon Belli, whom many of you know as the former Assistant Director. (I hope I have that title right. Never could twist my head around them). You may not know that the Camegie has a reputation that goes far beyond the boundaries of the DTES. At a homelessness conference presentation in London, Ontario in November of2016, people were asked ifthey'd heard about the Carnegie. A lot of them put up their hands saying, "Yes!" They were told about the steps our community centre takes to include the input of those who have been homeless or are lowincome. They said that what Carnegie does is useful for them to apply to their own organizations. We are on hiring committees here, and we give input tu [he City's Executive Director. Some things we do here happen nowhere else in the country. Some people are amazed that there is a community centre that caters to the low-income and homeless community. Other towns and cities have nothing like our Centre. There is nowhere for low-income and homeless people to go, to hang out, do recreation or do upgrading, or get decent, low-cost food. People aren't taken on out trips or on camping trips to Quadra Island or Cultus Lake. There is no van for taking people out of the 'hood. And best of all, staff here have an open door policy so that we can talk directly to City employees. Not all community centres have that. Our CarnegieCommunity Action Project (CCAP) is also unique. It is a project of the Carnegie Board and has been going for over 10 years. It advocates and educates for higher welfare rates, more decent social housing and against gentrification. The fact that CCAP exists gives hope to other activists around the country that are involved in their own struggles. Some of the work CCAP has done has become part of university courses in Canada and the US, especially the "Community Vision for Change" report that surveyed 1200 DTES people and asked what we wanted. And our Centre would not be what it is without the patrons, those who use the centre. Our library has a line-up every morning, and we are one of the most visited branches in Vancouver. Over two thousand people visit the Centre every day. We wouldn't have a Carnegie if it wasn't for you! Cheers, Phoenix Winter, President,
CCCA.
ConStItuency OffIce now open 2572 E. Hastings Street Vancouver BC V5K 1Z3 rei: 604-775-5800 Fax: 604-775-5811 Email:Jenny.Kwan@parl.gc.ca Jenny Kwan MP Vancouver East NDP Immigration, Refugee and Citizenship Ctiti~
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"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." -Margaret Meade
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WANTED Artwork for the Carriegie Newsletter
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THIS NEWSLETTER IS A PUBLICATION OF THE CARNEGIE COMMUNITY CENTRE ASSOCIATION Articles represent the views of individual contributors and not of the Association.
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We acknowledge that Carnegie Community Centre, and this News/etter, are occurring on Coast Salish Territory.
Small illustrations to accompany articles and poetry. Cover art - Max size: 17cm(6 'If.o')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. Rernuneration: Carnegie Volunteer Tickets Please make submissions to Paul Taylor, Editor. The editor can edit for clarity, fonnat & brevity, but not at the expense of the writer's message.
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WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION • • •
MONDAY, MARCH 13TH •
AIDS POVERTY HOMELESSNESS VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN ABORIGINAL GENOCIDE TOT ALlT ARIAN CAPITALISM IGNORANCE and SUSTAINED FEAR
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