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On Bud.
by Libby Davies MP (Vancouver East)
It is with a he a vy heart that I w ri te about the death of Bud Osborn. He was a true hero to a community we know as the Downtown E astside, but far beyond that, he inspired and gave hope to our city, and many people across the country. I knew Bud for many years and he was a dear, close friend. Whe n times were dark and people felt hopeJess; he gave us hope. When people felt they had no voice, his poetry raised many voices and gave people courage. When people yearned for belonging and community, he led by example and united people in a common cause for human dignity and respect. Bud was such a key part in the struggle for the rights of drug users and the need for IN SITE. I have no doubt, that none of the incredible changes we have seen, would have taken place had Bud not lead the way forward. I saw the times he was exhausted, overwhelmed, and deeply concerned about Jackof action by governments - but he never wavered and he never rested. How many times did he speak to us at rallies, gatherings, and events - often with a specially composed poemso that WE could gain understanding and strength to speak out and act together. I remember the times that people would fall silent as they listened intently to each and every word he spoke as like a prayer -and it was as though he spoke to each of us personally and deeply. Such is the impact this man had. I le influenced and persuaded, in the most honourable way, elected representatives, academics, bureaucrats, journalists, and business people to stop the madness of the so-called "wiu on drugs". He spoke the truthalways- and without equivocation. Most of all though, his greatest impact was his life's work for and with those without voice. He led by example and showed p~ople that they could speak out, be heard and change the course of history. To the many who were marginalized, criminalized and hopeless - he changed their lives with friendship , compassion and love. Bud's extraordinary work in founding groups like V ANDU, is significant and lasting. I saw Bud only a few days before he died as he prepared to leave the hospital. lt amazed me that his
great sense of humour was always present- even in d ifficult times . He was laugh ing softly about his e;...perience in the hospital. We all thought he was heading home to get better. But this was not to be. As we grieve it is Bud's wo rds that give us comfort: "When eagles circle oppenheimer park we see them feel awe feel joy feel hope soar in our hearts the eagles are symbols for the courage in our spir its for the fierce and piercing vision for justice in our souls"
Bud Osborn reads at lnsite's celebration of 10 years of struggle. Murray Bush - FLUX Photo.
[fhis is from Signs of the Times, poetry by Bud Osborn and prints by Richard Tetrault. (2005; Anvil Press)]
La VlileV\,tCIHoV\, for tV!e DowV\,towV\, 6aststvie she who was a child beloved of life has now become a slave who screams at night she raves during the day and among all her men there is none to comfort her all her friends have betrayed her they have become like enemies and after this affliction and harsh servitude in the Downtown Eastside she is going into exile she is being driven out and will find no resting place all those who greedily pursue her have overtaken her in the midst of her suffering and no one comes to celebrate life with her all her streets are cruel her representatives fight among themselves her advocates grieve and she is in bitter anguish her real enemies have become her masters her real enemies are taking it easy her children have been stolen from her her beauty has been corrupted her dreams of life are like eagles that find no nests in weariness they have flown away but in these days of her affliction and drunkenness she remembers the hours of joy and moments of peace that were hers in the past before she and her people fell into enemy hands and there was no one to help her her enemies now look at her and laugh at her destruction she herself commits crimes she herself makes choices that bring death instead of more life but she has been brutalized she has been stripped naked and thrown into the streets
where she is mocked and dishonoured as one diseased and unwanted she herself groans and turns her face from the mirror she did not take this day seriously enough her destruction is astounding her destruction is an abomination and there is no one to comfort her "look at me! see my face!' she pleads for help but the enemy has triumphed the enemy is laying hands on her heart and her soul and her flesh she sees predators of all kinds enter her streets all her people groan as they search for bread they barter their lives for what they need to relieve their suffering to keep themselves alive she says "look at me and please consider me for I am despised and forsaken and abandoned" she who was a child beloved of life has now become a prostitute for her enemies and she says â&#x20AC;˘ ¡am I nothing to you, you who pass by? Is my suffering any less deserving of relief than others?" this¡suffering that a cold inhuman system has inflicted upon me allows epidemics of death in my blood it has made me think of suicide day and night it has kept hope far from me and this is why I act desperately this is why my eyes burn with fear and my eyes are dark and disturbing with anger and my eyes are crushed with despair and my eyes pour down painful tears for there is no one near to comfort me no one is here to restore my life and my children are becoming destitute with me because the enemy has prevailed and the Downtown Eastside stretches out her hands
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but there is no one to comfort her the Downtown Eastside has become an object of loathing and derision to her neighbours and to those who would rescue her and what is worse to herself the visions of politicians are self-seeking and destructive to us their words are worthless their meetings are humiliating the advice they give and the questions they ask their seeming concern are deceitful and hypocritical and they laugh at us they pass through the Downtown Eastside and shake their heads but were we not once children born beloved of life and now become no better than objects to be kicked and manipulated? social failures to be whipped by this cruel system? And our good friends our enemies they say 'we are swallowing up the Downtown Eastside we will drive the low-life out this is the day we wait for to make our city a city for tourists and corporations this is the day we work for when we drive out the bad poor and drive out their ~gencies except for the good poor who will live quietly and intimidated in enclaves of social housing' and our enemies gloat over how easy it is to destroy our comm\unity how easy it is to divide our community how easy it is the hearts of the people of the Downtown Eastside cry out oh hard-pressed homes of the economically poor and politically powerless let your tears taillike November rains
day and night give yourself no distraction or sedation give your eyes no rest arise' come alive' resisl' Cry out in the night as the pressure on our lives increases pour out your heart like hail so that all will hear and feel and see let us life up our lives for the lives of all of us who walk hungry and oppressed at every street corner look oh city of Vancouver look oh politicians and planners and bankers and developers whom have you ever treated like this? would you tear your children away from their mothers' breasts would you deny life to them as you do to the Downtown Eastside? people all over have heard my suffering cries but there is no one to comfort me no one to comfort the community of the poor in the Downtown Eastside all my enemies have heard my pleas and anguish but they are satisfied at what they are bringing about so may they experience what is happening to me may their lies and greed and politics and manipulations and their hardness of heart and their abandonment of the Downtown Eastside come back to haunt them come back to tear their 'communities' apart come back to drive them to acts of desperation come back to make them objects of scorn come back upon them to destroy their lives with no one to comfort them no one to help them for my pain is immense and my heart is racing and my heart is weary
This poem was written in 1997 when the situation in the Downtown Eastside was literally as horrific as described. As a director on the Vancouver/Richmond Health Board, I was able, in 1997, against bureaucratic opposition, to have a motion passed declaring Vancouver's first-ever public health emergency, because of the pandemics and overdose deaths besieging the Downtown Eastside. Since then, residents of the Downtown Eastside and people in Vancouver and elsewhere have indeed responded to inhuman suffering with concrete initiatives intended to relieve it. Though many battles are yet to be fought, the preservation and
nequiem On the corner of Main & Hastings as you walk by each day they call out his name ... forever the windmills don't stand a chance Stephen Belkin
Bud Osborn -A Lifetime Tenacious, fantastic crusading warrior for the poor, the destitute, the downtrodden, the put-upon, the homeless, the hungry .. the list of people's unjust situations was endless. Bud was go-getting, never quitting, never ever giving up. His numerous campaigns, his explosive poetic readings of prose, writings and oratory .. He knew deep inside of himself our pains our sufferings. He understood our trials & tribulations, predicaments' & persistent problems better than anybody else. I re¡d lived through or with most of them. Not just for friends and neighbours were his concerns- they were in fact world-wide, universal. He was a wordsmith who performed before microphones on stage, with the kinetic electricity of a charismatic, all-encompassing rockstar! Nobody but nobody had the delivery of Bud speaking his truths, deep feelings & convictions, connecting within earshot to friends and foes alike, hitting nerves of everyone in his sightline ... and that is exactly why he was bestowed the high of poet laureate of the Downtown Eastside. His work will never be surpassed 'cause he never competed. Bud was too humble to acknowledge the many honours bestowed on him, each hard-earned on the front-
strengthening of an immensely important community of economically impoverished, brutally afflicted and extraordinarily creative and committed human beings, is much closer to enduring than it appeared 8 years ago.[in 2005]. While the poem specifically names the Downtown Eastside, the circumstances expressed prevail throughout the world, and will intensify unless neo-liberal socio-economic ideology and its institutions, so ruinous of all that is human and natural, is turned upside-down to fully respond to the needless suffering and destruction of authentic community this system produces. -Bud
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There won't be more like him not here, not for a very long time celebrate the fact he gave poet a new job definition, actual fact in being he was and is and will always be the Downtown Eastside Poet Laureate drop yer hat in prayer and then RAISE SHIT forever for Bud Osborn AI lines, in protestsâ&#x20AC;˘ 'n blockades 'n boycotts .. Whatever his causes., he often simply preferred to blend in with all the rest of like mind - brothers- & sisters-in-arms. He'd always politely oblige calls for him to read from his many books and writings such as Raise Shit, Hundred /Jlock Rock and Keys to Kingdoms. Bud seemed tireless, giving & sharing with anyone in dire need or otherwise who asked or begged for his time, small change, a cigarette or a hand up. I le was known for just sitting with someone and lending an ear, carefully listening, giving what he could. Just as often the one or more being heard would feel much, much better.. strengthened & inspired by his always encouraging words. With his untimely loss at the age of 66, I felt that he was older and wiser than most would be at!er two lifetimes. I also feel that his heart & spirit will extend from ancient to future ages, standing the test of time. In closing, thanks for everything, Bud. May you rest in peace, you who are our friend, our neighbour and our brother. ROBYN LIVINGSTONE.
Tiny Feet is my writing. Below is my poem as well as a brief history on foot binding. From the writing in the group, I have learned the meaning of the word "sexuali ty''. To me, sexuality includes acceptance. patience, and love. 路'Express Your Voice路路 at the Roundhouse Community Arts & Recreation Centre is free. If you have a chance to join, I hope you'll enjoy the c lass as much as I did.
Come and sing
with the CARNEGIE CHOIRI Thursdays & Saturdays 6:30- 9:30PM May 8 to June 28 Classroom 2 (3rd Floor)
EVERYONE WELCOME! "Express Your Voice" at the Roundho use Comm uni ty Arts & Recreation Centre When I was a child, I wanted to join a choir. In the 1960's, in schoo l in Hong Kong, we had to audition. I was not chosen. To fulfil my dream, I signed up for "Express Your Voice" at the Roundhouse Community A tis & Recreation Centre in January 20 14. I have been impressed by the program wou ld li ke to share with yo u what did. At the beginning, we spent time lying o n a mat to practise our b reathing. W ith emphasis on the vowels, we practised s inging in a gro up as well as individually. For some sessions, the s inging class turned into a writing class. We were put in a meditative state, and were asked to write on the topic of"sexuality". We worked together to transform each story into a poem. The titles of the poems were: All in My Now,
Jv!argaret 's Kitchen, Tiny Feet, Inside the Jade Palace The Medicine Shop, No Shame, just openness, and Oh:' How the World Comes Back into Itself The teacher composed music for All in My Now and Margaret's Kitc he n. We sang in Mandarin at the Sound ofDragon Mus ic Festival on May 10 20 14. We also will perform on June 7 Senio r's week at the Roundhouse Community A rts & Recreation Centre.
HISTORY OF FOOT BINDING T here are several legends on the origin of foot binding in China. O ne of the legends says th at, in the 7th century, an em peror adored the tiny feet of a dancer. To him, her tir1y fee t were erotic. T hereafter, the love for foot binding grew in the palace and gradual ly spread to the cities and vi llages. Foot binding was mostly a practice of the midd le and up per c lasses. Child ren of these traditional Chinese families were not encouraged to do chores. This was because parents had servants, and they wanted the hands of the ir daughters to remain smooth and beautiful like the skin of a young child. Mothers of the lower classes would only bind the feet of their oldest daughters in the hope that they would be able to marry up. Most likely, the younger siblings in the lower class families had to do the chores. Foot binding was a long and painful procedure. Mothers wrapped the feet of their daughters as you ng as four. Four toes were folded to suspend growth, resulting in a triangu lar s hape three inches wide and seven inches long. Unable to walk fast, footbound 'vVOmen stayed at home more and depended on men. Because of influence from the west, foot binding was eventually banned in the early 20th century.
PRAYERS
Tiny Feet Royal emperor on his throne smoothes his beard mumbles tiny feet, tiny feet. Exquisite dancer swings her body teases her skirt.
Hello My Name Is God God is a child who believes what is told We are the temptation More mirrors welcomed.
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t-IUMBUNG YOURSELF MY OLD MAN FRIEND FROM BROOKS TAUGHT ME HOW' TO PRAY EAT DIRT TAKE THE EARTH SWALLOW THAT OF WHICH YOU ARE REME MBER YOUR HEART BEATS OUT THE SAME ENERGY AS OUR HOME THIS PLANET 路W E ALL VIBRATE THE SAME IN DREAMS
Stephen Belkin Emperor giggles drools in his cups Thankfu l for my own resurrection sees her underwear, little feet 1 - - - - - - - - - - - --lcan't say I know erotic erotic PEOPLE BECOMING MACHINE who to thank or blame I can. see myself (send a card to, email, eh?) ' headphones chain so many people just th irteen each day I wake up as they stride by barely seeing the awkward now I know exactly Sun Moon Cloud Ali-gallery in Sky blooming what it's like to be glad I'm alive embarrassed by my feet they hear no wind, no birdsong at all AI So to say "hello" or "good morning" big feet. Or "good day" is now obsolete How I wish for tiny feet a heinous "wrong"; we are thus a Tips for Tuesday wrapped in lotus leav,es FatFoodFastFood race be becoming Reciprocate- give back to those who give adore me Machines cold dead rpachines; lap be grateful - always give 'm more'n admire me laptops, tv's, cel!Phones, i-plods, Try to understand ..you know ... think walk a few blocks in my moccs Too old to bind my feet (Bradbury, Asimov saw it all coming) show you shit you never wanted to know too young to love. 'ears once wed to real life even so, be brave; don't be afraid How I wish for tiny feet to Nature's healthy daily strife like those of little girls. be now imprisoned by cellI tell ya dotta fore'n I go be tough but tender Debbie Woon Le phone chatter- 'facebook' trivia - - - - - - - - - - +!vJetallically obscene, thus friends, be brave so you always know We are becoming a ratRace Life is good :feefings, of Machines!!! love's what brought you here How does one tell love'll show you the door To feel, care or share John Alan Douglas say you tried harder Open your heart you try some more Wall of Sea Spray Laughter is the best medicine Crying or yelling by the water see I figure It cleanses your body & soul Winds whip up wall of spray ! life on earth is a blessing Share your emotions with someone from energetic, energized for men & monkeys It hurts to bottle them up polluted waters off Stanley Park 路 Learn your lessons S Turtl It will make you miserable this healthy liquid slap in face amsa e, & you WI路11 hate rejoins me with the human race Love oneself. Other vivid animal species grand l Go on your healingjqurney and the loving of this land With the help of our Creator John Alan Douglas All my relations Bonnie E Stevens
Frotn the Library The results are in! Voters at the Carnegie Library declared the Black-capped Chickadee as the clear wi1mer. Thanks to all of you who came into the library to vote for your favourite Vancouver City Bird, and to admire the Bird Week poster. No book reviews this week- instead, I'd like to take this opportunity to say Goodbye to all the staff, volunteers and patrons of the Carnegie Centre. I' ll soon be moving to a new position as Coordinator of Outreach Services for the library system, and I'll no longer be based at Carnegie. I have learned and benefitted so much from working in this incredibly supportive environment, filled with creative and thoughtful people. Thank you all for he lping make it an awesome experience. I will carry it with me in both work and life. And now, WELCOME to Erin Rickbeil who will be acting branch head of the Carnegie library until the position is permanently filled. Erin begins May 20. Cheerio ... Stephanie (Carnegie Librarian)
CoN Master Impressionab le minds And vulnerable youth No-one really knows The god-awful truth So young so innocent You think it's only a game But once you are hooked It will drive you insane For the guilt, it will hold you T he pride it will bring The hunger you feel Oh it's the sweetest th ing You feel so proud (a moment of fame) Then back to g uilt It's part of the game Some kind of trend for people to play The sickness The laughter, sorrow and pain They destroy all that's left In wishes to be sane No one sees that it's a self-destructive disaster We all pretebnd to be fine Just the perfect con master Diane Neufeld
Humanities 10 I & Carnegie Community Centre presents
Monthly Speaker Series Join us every fourth Wednesday of the month for stimulating presentations and discussions by guest speakers. The talk for May will be:
"Is an architect professionally obliged to work in challenging the status quo?" by architect Arthur Allen 15 year teacher with the Humanities 101 Community Programme (Hum)
This talk will be followed by a walking tour of downtown Vancouver on Sunday June 1st. Meet at Victory Square, Hastings and Cambie, at 11:00 a.m., rain or shine.
Wednesday, May 28, 7 - 9 PM Carnegie Theatre Everyone is welcome!
路Jaywalking One night years ago J was having a party at my place, 111 then at 25 & Fraser. I had wine but no cigarettes. I always used to jaywalk, outrunning those cars. I saw the stop signal and then ran, making it across the street to the store. 1 bought a carton and went back outside; now to get home .. . I ran fast but the car was faster. I got hit! I flew up in the air and landed on my face, still holding my cigs. Another car almost hit me too but stopped. I picked myself up &nd walked home. I was very lucky and learnt a lesson in life: Never JAYWALK! You might not be so lucky. A while ago my friend Roberta Jaywalked and got hit by a car. She died. Marlene Wuttunee
Carnegie Community Action Project (CCAP) Newsletter Read CCAP reports:
http://ccapvancouver.wordpress.com
RENOVICTIONSI IT'S TI ME FOR ACT ION
Victoria Crow Eagle in 2006 when she I Vas evicted from the Burns Block
When 60-year old Victoria Crow Eagle was evicted from the Burns Block Hotel in 2006 due to a fi rc code violation. she was told to go to an emergency shelter. She had been paying $375 for her room. Instead of fixing up the hotel for its low-income tenants. the owner sold it for around $2.5 mi llion to real estate corporation Reliance ~roperties. Reliance Properties renovated the rooms and marketed them as "microlofts." Last week, an online ad for the Burns Block building on Craigslist listed its rooms at $1,160. Is this the future of the DTES? Landlords getting rid of low-income tenants, making upgrades to the rooms and then renting them at much higher rents is now so common that there's a word for it: "rcnovictions." Not all new buildings look quite as fancy as the Burns Block. but all have something in common: Fewer tenants on welfare. pensions or disability: and more students, artists and others who can afford to pay a little bit more.
A roo111 in the Burns Block today
From Bums Block to the Y0rk Room<; to the ThornlOll Park. n:novictHJns are sweeping through the neighbourhood faster that you can say the word ··gentrification." Many people have ask.cd why these rcnovictions aren 't illegal. The short answer is that the laws arcn 't strong enough. The "Residential Tenancy Act" is the provincial legal document that
De:a s
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fSRA) bylaw SROs have to get the city\ permtssion to convert or demolish low-income rooms. The problem is that .. minor'' renovations to ··upgrade.. room~ arcn ·r covered by the bylaw. With no rent control and no bylaw that controls minor renovations or rent increases in SROs. all that building owners have to do is find some legal way to get
'vValk Score
$1,160 OBH/18!1 StLdio 0 3ec. 1 3ath Fu Terrr _ease 0% e-s~ thar median of rea rby 0 BR eases (;:; I · 60 vs. s·l.380) Hastirgs At 2arrall Va"lcouver 82 C/\ (Gastown/Do·wnto•,.,.r /Chinatowr/~ast Van) Has pies. but rot shown here fer now Dead A "Padmappcr" ad for a gentrified dowlltown SRO showing re11!S ar $1,160 for a room .
lists what rights tenants have. It allows landlords to evict tenants in order to renovate suites if they ''have all the necessary permits and approvals required by law to repair the rental unit in a manner that requires the unit to be vacant.'' Sometimes landlords say rhcy have the necessary permits to ev ict when they don't. They are then allowed to increase rents by as much as they want. The City has a special set of rules for SROs under the Single Room Accommodation 2
rid of low-income tenants. This can be as easy as evicting a tenant because they were a 1ittle short on rent three months ago or charging them $100 (that they can 't pay) to replace a FOB. Ju st last week, someone was almost evicted from a building owned by Stephen Lippman because welfare made a mistake and left them S I0 short on rent . Sometimes landlords are sloppy about the rules with their eviction notices and several tenants have fought them and won with help from the advocate at First United Church.
PIVOT Legal has ~aiel that tenants have reported bemg ottered sums of money to leave buildings where renovictions arc happening. You can imagine that some people must feel that they'll be evicted sooner or lat~ r any\.va)S, and they might as well take the money. The problem is that rents in private SROs arc steadily increasing, and not enough social housing is being built. The extra money won't last long when someone is paying twice as much in rent.
Landlords and developer-; sometimes say that they are ··saving'· old buildings that are falling apart. It's true that the maintenance and pest issues in SROs make life miserable for thousand<; of low-income residents. 8 ut the sol uti on is to ti \ the buildings, not evict the tenants. Landlords and developers also often say that property values arc so high that they can't make enough profit to make repairs by charging tenants welfare rate rents. With gentrification pushing up property values and incredibly low welfare shelter rates. this actually might be true in some cases. In these cases, it is the role of government to make sure that these buildings are made livable, but are kept as low·-i ncome housing until new, better social housing is built. The real estate market has.proven to us that it won't do this when left to its own devices. It's clear that rcnovictions have fast become the wheels driving th~ gentrification train forward. CCAP is organizing a forum on renovictions so that we can all learn more about what 's happening and take action together. We hope to sec you all there on June lith at 7 pm!
On the left i.\ tile York Rooms be_/(Jre Stei'C:n Lippman s "Living Balance·· company bought it. On rhe righ1 shows tlze building with "CuchilLo ". the upscale restaurant that is IWW on tfze mai11 floor. t.1any hotels wich possible upscale retail space on the hottom floor are targctsfor renO\ 'ictiow.
ln the meantime, if you get an e-viction notice because the landlord is renovating your building. be sure to contact CCAP at 604 729 2380 or come to the CCAP office on the second floor or Carnegie. - TH
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A forum on gentrification, ren ovictions and homelessness
WITH 0 OJ l.alti•, PlyPT legal Satiety 0 WeHy PederSOII, Com•u•itJ Ol"gMizs 0 Jean SWUsa•, Canegie (a~Wn•nity Adi011
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0 Hetti Vuley, Laral Area Pla.i~~g
Proems l.ow-l~e
(a•a/far.er SIO rmide.t ••. Md mare!
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On May 6 2014, the DTES lost poet laureate Bud Osborn. Here's an excerpt from "raise shit: downtown eastside poem of resistance." 路路 the myliJ of the front1er IS an nvenlton l'ooi rallonol!zes re vtolence of genlr!flcallo'l and dtsplacemenl" neil smith 1996 'these o1oneers n the gradual gen l nftco'ton of the dowl""'lown easls1de say lhetr hopes foro m id dleclass lifestyle are undermined by the tenderloin scene down the street" doug word 1997 "promtn enl amid the aspects of lh1s story wh1ch have cough! the 1mag1no t 10n ore the massacres of innocent peoples. th e o trocil1es commllled aga1nst them and, among other hornf1c excesses the ways 1n wh1ch towns. provtnces. and whole kingdoms hove been enl1rel y c leared of tne r no路tve 1nhab1tants' barlo lome de Ia casas 1542 there'S o planetary res stan ce ogo1nst co'ISequences of globollzatton agamst podr people bemg dr1ven from land !hey have occLoied 1n common and in communlly fo r many years O'ld while res1starce to and rap1dlly of g lobal gentr f col1on d ffers accord1ng to spec1f1c local condtttons we n the downtown eastside
GtNTK\fi DISPLACES LO\aJ-INCOMt RESiDEN
in 1 he poorest a~d most disabled and 111 commun ty tn Canada are oart of I he res1slance wh1ch tnc ludes the zopat stos 1n chtapas mex1co the ogon lr1be 1n ntger1o and the res1slance efforts on behalf of and wl!h the lovolos 1n Had1 the m1n1ung 1n korea the dolls 1n '1d1a ;he zobaleen in Egl_dpt the JOhalsu 1n 1apon and I hese ore no Mes for I ;~e floor the abandoned the out costs the garbage people the homeless poor ana morg ncltzed peop le
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The Last LAP: ATown Hall eetine Report On April 17th, C'CAP and the Low-Income Caucus held a wrap-up Town Hall Meeting to debrief on the passing of the Local Area Plan (LAP) and the bylaw amendments.
,\lleeting co-chair Karen Ward Karen Ward co-chaired the meeting and explained \Vhat the LAP means for the low-income community. She described the City Council meeting on the LAP as "one of most amazing thing I've ever seen. Over 3 days, 6 hours each day, we had 80 speakers kicking butt, sayi ng their minds, speaking from their hearts, and saying our community was not for sale. It was powerful and moving and beautiful." Speakers at the Town Hall talked about what the LAP means for low-income housing in the DTES. CCAP's King-mong Chan expla ined that 60% of new housing in the Oppenheimer District must be social housing and 40% market rentals. This sounds good, but the definition of social housing means that only 1/3 of
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social housing actually has to be available to people who can only pay the welfare shelter rate of $375. Meanwhile, as Jean Swanson explained, the LAP docs nothing to stop the gentrification of ~ ROs. Ian McRae talked about "microsuites."' The LAP reduced the minimum unit size from 320 square feet to 250 square feet so that developers can still profit when they build social housing. People were shocked to hear Ian say that the new bylaw specifies that kitchens shou ld include room for two people to sit or stand side-by-side. ''This is wonderful news," said Ian . "Now here's the kicker. How much? Rents must be below average market rents. And that's it."' With the LAP process behind us, people • were eager to share exciting ideas about what to do next. Leslie Darnell, for example, talked about tenants' unions in Europe. ·'Instead of us all being individuals" she said, "we could build unions." Brody said that the '·City·s not listening to us" and urged people to think outside the box to stop condo developments. .. Every person who is displaced weakens our community'', said Karen towards the end of the meeting. "Every singk person matters, and every single person displaced from our community displaces all of us. We've had a powerful meeting, and have lots of good ideas."' - TH
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Car eg·e Corrnnunity Aet1
Raise the Rate' held a "71wnk You" el'el1f ~·.:ith cake and cr~ffee on May 6th. 2014.
Vancity Support for this project does not necessarily imply Vancity's endorsement of the findings or contents of this newsletter
8
The Komagata Maru Incident Yet another brilliant, fun-filled evening with the eclectic Carnegie Theatre players. The troope, with only one run-through of the play, gamely delivered a riveting performance. It was an almost 2-hour production of this tragic event in a play by Sharon Pollack. lt has a terrific message and moral of a dark period of Canadian history that shall, hopefully, never be repeated. The incident occurred in the summer of 1914, just before the outbreak of World War I. One century ago the Japanese ship Komagata Maru, carrying mostly Punjabi & Sikh would-be-immigrants, was heartlessly and sometimes violently turned away from landing in Vancouver. The air was hanging with rage and hatred. The ship was anchored in Burrard Inlet for : three tense months, while embroiled in a bureaucratic ¡ red tape legalised mess, finally culminating in a rigged (foregone -conclusioned) court case. The Punjabi & Sikh people throughout the world did not give up on this country and have migrated to Canada in the millions. They have added mightily & contributed wonderfully to this big land, to become part of the multicultural fabric. The cast of this play, led by the incomparable, patient \ knowledgeable director &acting instructor Teresa Vandertuin, have considerably added to the legend with this brilliant piece of work. â&#x20AC;˘ Cheers everyone! Extremely well done!!
So Sometime Back There in England We separated the Church and the State It being necessary - so they say So much power all in one bedroom Runnymede may have achieved its purpose However hard it was to pry the two apart Now they have crept back - opposites attracting Elementary my dear, the positive & the negative Are attracted That young naive teen looks for a cowboy just like her Daddy used to be, Sparks fly, butter melts, insanity rules Lilacs, Irises, Forget-me nots So mu8ch beauty, too much cruelty Diamonds on her naked flesh Strawberries in the wine -blood on her lips Poetry book by the bed, balaclava on the pillow Power and Will-back together for a time. Wilhelmina Miles
By ROBYN LIVINGSTONE ' a
Time Again & again, we lose our special people Thoughts of never seeing them, again or in time It is not so We are going to find them at pearly gates where the waters flow and grass grows We will cross that beautiful river '---'===---.;;...,-We will be together again - -- - - _ . So, my friends: believe \ ----All my relations, Bon Bon
the general surgeon The better half of a bitter life leaves memories best served down the drain as the national anthem of a country once loved plays again and again where is PierreEliotTrudeau when you need him? His consistency for confrontation was part of his precarious charm how can so many be right when so many were proved wrong allegations of sou 1 butchery becan1e our decline yet not a sin, unbeknownst to this world of ours we had outgrown last-minute executions were only the beginning if only any one of us would and should have known instead of opening the floodgates opening season on "the cursed" could have been prevented, like throwing the world against the wall & those with strings attached would stick the rest would fall (oh how we fell) yet we did create a new Fabreeze smell and there is a Ben&Jerry icecream flavor DTES -scented and almost a Starbuck brand (how American of you) but that thankfully was never invented, like a 2000-year scholar who knows he thinks at all -every question answered gives birth to more questions like if there is some guy named God and Jesus that exist: do' our problems give him indigestion or maybe a slurred eyeview, not what is so wrong with me and you let us not forget the general surgeon who in forty years will be warning the populist that brain tumour (cellular) phones are very bad for you, well !'will always !emember when cigarettes were good for you, IHu(mood rings the colour of my near-death skin on the promising scale rating a swell or bringin' marshmallows to the latest holocaust I truly wonder if you will notice any difference when you enter hell We are there and it is here you've been soaking in it and you never even knew, like importing landlords or your very own slave th is is the land of misopportunity guzzle your booze learn to say " don't speak English" and be like being voted best-less-dressed survivor by the natives on Cannibal Island where your ship got wrecked or watching the future leaders of a severely screwed up world who have already lost most of their minds, future assassinations could become an hourly occurance 12 pints of blood per human enough to dampen every single inch of ground say hello to the past, present & future of all Earth's land, I needn't have to remind you the general's time and our own are not on our side yet the general tells you to discard your trans-joke transfer cuz he will give you a ride like picking up a stranger near a prison or
mental institution that good deed for the day could be your last, now if you could know the last morning you'd ever wake up 'n shower, shave & have a smoke the routine that shall end and so so much more- one day that won't be fiction now this is no bloody joke if a small collective can make a much louder noise raise that voice before the last waking up comes to pass, no endings good or bad in sight as another day at the abandoned refrigerator playground Control says everything is alright like a silent partner returning to the scene of a mime this is not even our fucking land, in this corruption of constructive cataclysms time sinks its fangs into every pore of your skin by adding toxic coats of paint with pierced nipples and breasts that can do more than our soon-to-be-dead Black Sea such a waste the present is destroying the future then again it's also the other way around we have built a house made of fire do not worry I'm sure there will be plenty of fans By ROBERT McGILLIVRAY
Q: "Stability bears an awkward presence encompassing all 'til every word is nonsense."-Saint Minus PS: A real cool guy I played gigs with and worked with has passed away. David Gregg I shall remember whether it be supporting D.O.A .. the band he was in, and talking music talk at Canasco (Canadian Fishing Company). Don't wreck every party: Rock On!!! Robert (CHUNK from NO EXIT) McGillivray
Crea-tive Movemen-t Workshop For Seniors and Elders Inviting Seniors & Elders with all levels of ability No experience necessary. Discover the joy of movement! Contribute to a collective creation with your dances, your songs, your stories and ideas!
Thursday, May 29 2:30-4:30pm Carnegie Centre in Theatre
Facilitated by KJ Dane_e For Info, Contact MARY ELLEN: 604-665-3003
Your Diet Can Change The World Suppose you're the very conservative Conrad Black. nulti-millionaire, former newspaper publisher. former :onvict, and now a t.v. star on the show 'Zoomer'. Well you don't believe in climate change. Climate change, Black said recently "is a fadd ish, ;ultural Ponzi scheme". Here, Black, who writes a weekly column for the very conservative 'National 0 ost' paper is wrong. Climate change is happening md it threatens many people around the world. So what can we do about climate change? One way is to become a vegetarian, or even a vegan as it's ::ailed. If you give up eating meat. chicken, eggs, and ::heese, and stop drinking milk, you'll help yourself. But yo u'll also help the planet, and make a very small dent in the climate change threat. Climate change, so the scientists tell us. is produced by three gases, namely carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide. and methane. One fifth of all these gases floating around in the air from our emissions, co~e fron:t producing eggs, meat, chicken, cheese and milk. So when you personally stop asking for these food s. you're helping the planet. "I don't eat cat food." one man told me when he found out I was a vegan. "I eat real meat." "Cats have nine lives," I replied . Veganism has other pluses. If you become a vegan you're helping the poor of this planet. Millions of kilograms of soy beans and other valuable food are fed to cattle every year. All of this food could feed 8.5 billion people. There are 7 bi llion peQple on earth rioht now and at least 700 million of them go to bed 0 hungry every night. If al l the people in the rich part ofthe globe became vegans, hunger would vanish. Again that would be marvellous. Also killing animals is wrong and if people become vegans a lot of cruelty to an imals would end . After a ll, what's more cruel than killing animals lor food? Then, too, massive amounts of land is now used to breed cattle. This land if freed from this task, could be used for better purposes, such as recreation and growing healthy foods. Then there's cancer. Skyrocketing rates or colon, breast and prostate cancer, have slowed down in recent years. Still, nearly all these cancers occur in rich western countries. What do all these countries have in common? Their citizens eat meat nearly every day.
1fall people in these countrie<; became vegans. I'd bet cancer rates would plummet. "Correlation isn't causation," one scientist warned me \.v hen I told him my theory on meat eating. In other words, just because most people in the rich world eat meat, where cancer rates are higher than in poor places. doesn't prove that eating meat or chicken. and drinking milk causes cancer. Okay I may be wrong on this issue. Yet linally if you give up eating food that comes from animals, yo ur body wi ll shrink and your weight will fall. The best diet is a meat-free one. In any case, unlike Conrad Black, I believe that climate change is happening. I want to slow it down and one of the ways to do this is to become a vegan. As they used to say way back in the 1960's, "change yourself and change the world." That's one reason I became a vegan. I hope others will too. By Dave Jaffe
Syirits are always with me
My greatest joy is knowing ancestors are looking over my shoulder I feel the warmth of the sun I see the light in the dark My sweet Mr Moon I believe we were put on this earth To appreciate every living ani mal & human So I hope we all come together In peace, harmony & love. All my relations, Bonnie E Stevens
CARNEGIE BOARD ELECTIONS THURSDAY, JUNE 5TH Carnegie Theatre at 5:30pm Nominations were completed at the May board meeting. Bona fides have been checked and all nominees may stand for election at the AGM. All people attending this meeting must have a membership card with them purchased no later than May 21 , 2014 to be eligible to vote.
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& thomas beddoes'loving phantoms of natural reality dancing with death poisoning himselfwith curare c ...c & thomas chatleron·s transmigration into a medieval poet against the industrial :./)~ .=: ..o revolution poisoning himself in a London s lum at 18 g_ ..g & william cowper's spirit split off from wildlife & threatened with work gone .g .5 crazy and self-mutilated £; ~ & john clare's ancient communa l fields enclosed by greed spending his time ~ ~ ~ wandering & remembering in poems each disappeared leaf & bird -5 o o nfit for the agricultural revolution a locked-up mental case for 40 years ·~ =g i;o & william blake impoverished & arrested for prophetic treason writing poems of ·:: E ·;; life's holi ness dictated by his dead brother ;g «i ;;; .«i . ti & gerard de nerval's apocalyptic eccentricities & life of charity in a political 5 ~0 "'2 E prison & hanged himself in a skid row alley ~ J§ g & frederich holderin's warnings against the horrors of hubris & self-centeredness ~ c ~ wandering in rags a visionary like john on patmos losing his own identity .~ ~n <2 completely when jailed for protesting assaults on the spirit ...c 5 :.:: & edgar allan poe's prayers to the "heart divine'' against "the demon of the engine" § ">-. ~ ~ -~ using the soul's stark terror & hoax ing the public to jolt them awake poe .: ·~ .g ~0 "' dying penniless in a gutter-delirium ..c "' c t<l ·;:: & vachellindsay's thousands of vagabond miles proclaiming with poems the gospel ~ Q.E E ~ E ~ <- Q) · of beauty his hopes smashed & dr iven mad he drank lysol ;,;ouC/l "' ..... "' c ..... & em ile nel ligan's musical visio ns of sacred communities free of material sorcery ~ ~ ~ ~ ·~ de mol ished in the streets of bus iness & silenced for 4 decades in an asylum in quebec ~ ~ ti ~ ..2 & dino campana the italian tramp who pilgrimages to the old monastery of st. francis ·~ E writing orphic songs with no way to live them locked up in a nuthouse forever ~ ·i: .~ & hart crane's call against monstrous science his poems a spiritua l-primitive-br idge g_ -5 a'd pronounced a failure who jumped ship disappearing into the blue depths of the gulf of mexico & geo rg trak l a medic in the first world war overwhelmed by ev il meta~ & mass mu rder hiding himse lf in the woods and overdos ing on morphine & ivar gurney who fo ught in the trenches attacked by di abolical electrical rays begging the police for a g un to shoot himse lf locked-up for crazy for years & vladimir mayakovski's communist-futurist-a lienated spirit crushed by contrad ictions of poetry becoming propaganda killed himself playing russian roulette & anton in artaud's hiroshima prophecies & plague predictions & poetic revelations of a theatre of blood electro-shocked & locked-up in france & !orca the spanish folk poet was shot by span ish fascists & roque da lton the salvadorean rebel poet was shot by jealous Salvadorean leftists &james agee like isaiah in alabama revering the living of white slaves trashed by the machine his ep ic poem ignored exploding his own heart in the backseat of a taxicab in new york & weldon kees' autotrampingjazz poet reviling the new abstracted reality vanished offthe golden gate bridge & cesar vallejo a hungry indian dying in the rain in paris locked-up in a peruvian jail on suspicion of arson with his poems of "armed s uffering" & daily bread & cesar pavese's poems of a spiritual meaning in the earth & in outcast people was jai led & exiled for anti-fascist activities killing himself in a roominghouse in 1950 & jean-joseph rabearivelo a black madagascar dream poet colonized & swallowing cyan ide & santoka a sake zen beggar with a suic ide fami ly walking to all the shrines of compassion in japan in & out of drunken jails & nervous breakdowns with his poems of love for each wild-growing weed &joe hill a wobbly joan of arc sing ing revolutionary poems kil led by a firing squad in utah & louis riel a mystical metis poet leading an armed revolution on horseback in north america- hanged v
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& the crazy-dogs-wishing-to-die crow indians of montana preferrin g to li ve with ancestral spirits than in a desacralized world sang poemsongs & died attacking their enemies
violent reactions violent feelings violent death wild attempts to escape to break free to make a difference wandering to the ends of an earth ended by the machine living on nothing trapped in a horror show leading to today's mo lecular psychology's mathematical elimination of feeling behaviour's already modified to keep up morale & prevent feeling as deeply an these poets who recognized evil & opposed it with their blood & breath & poems & prayers & visions & songs & curses of love & hate & now the machine's created the psychotic poets- the poets who change peoples' lives the lone assass ins & serial killers who write poems of revenge with anyone's blood like carl panzram & son of sam & john hinkley junior but today just to live another day is to make with poisoned blood & breath a poem for life & today
in the birthplace of the machine england's prime minister equates accumulating wealth with the principles of christianity & in north america a benign new-age nazi epidemic is out of control never before have poets had to endure so much shame so much misery & extermination or been so ignored & mocked
Never before have poets had so much blood on their own hands this piece of paper is laced with dyoxin & symbolizes deforestation & a poetJy reading is made possible only because of techniquds of destruction a building- the laws & bylaws & politicians & construction companies & kickbacks & pollutions & electricity & food businesses & refrigeration & coffee & styrofoam cups of chlorofluorocarbons killing the ozone & the tables & chairs & paint & microphones & recording equipment & transportation systems & the pamphlets & ink & posters & coffee creamers & white sugar conspiracies & advertising companies & all the money & banks to finance it all & the typewriters & word processors & carbon pencils & sweatshop clothing manufacturers & plumbing & welfare & news media & food banks & arts councils & publishing industries & housing & tobacco & andrew carnegie & the stolen lands & the police & the military & security keeping out disruptive people & the meetings & how much of all this is made in foreign countries by slaves & skilled workers & unions & non-unions & agencies of all kinds & the universities & educational systems & the creation of the city itself & the transnationals organizing all this production - the production of a poetry reading & the poets who have no answers & must face such personal hopelessness because no poet can live outside this system & no poet is not of the system & created by the system of all of the techniques of all of the people in the massive effort & obedience & conformity that goes into producing a poem on a printed page or a poet reading his poems aloud in a building in a citythe poets participating in a process that renders poetry meaningless entertainment or academic scared bullshit & the poets since the machine can only bear witness to the ever-increasing crimes that they have to answer for simply picking up a pen BudOsbom
ope in Shadows First prize $500 cash! Cash prizes for 40 winning photos What:
3-day photo contest, free to enter. cameras provided. No photo experience necessary.
When:
~ , ... r,.. '-'Y _; u ~ 1, 0:.., .. n Pick- up an official con test camera (200 available) at our block party. First come. first-served.
Where:
Pivot Legal Society. 12'! Y~atle; (between Powell and Alexander. Close to Strathcona welfare off ice & Triage)
Who:
Op..!n to DTES community members living on low fixed incomes (on welfare, â&#x20AC;˘ disability, fixed pension or earning $1.847 per month or less. In other words. you st ruggle to meet your daily needs.) The event will be accessible for people with mobilit y issues.
Contest theme:
--~e Cv
nnunity w~
hav~ ~uil
Hope in Shadows is looking for photos that
express the contest theme. What people, places. ac tivities. contributions make up our community?
Each contestant will get a free single-use camera. Enter your photos by returning your camera to Pivot Legal Society (121 Heatley) on Tuesday June 10. Contestants get $5 cash when they return their camera+ copies of their photos.
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Want more info? Come to a free info sessi on at Carnegie on Monday, May 26th 1:30pm to 2:30pm, call 604-255-9701 or visit 121 Heatley Avenue or HopeinShadows.com
25 the carnegie newsletter has helped save my life I fled toronto for the downtown eastside as though all the furies in my life were chasing me and I began living here in 1986 not long after Paul Taylor published the first issue and Paul was the first person I met who not only encouraged my writing but inspired and befriended me and allowed me to work on the newsletter and since I'd never known real community or home the newsletter and all the knowledgeable writers and contributors who entered the newsletter office taught me about community about our unique and amazing shared history of resistance our fierce committed activists the brilliant satirical and imaginative artists and the truth-talking words of our many poets and it was through this incredible activity I discovered and was welcomed into a precious community and Paul Taylor, Sandy Cameron and others I met possessed and exemplified the vital and wondrous qualities of our community while the newsletter has insured the communication of information so important to us all for 25 years an accomplishment of fortitude courage and dedication I can scarcely imagine Paul is and has been my friend in so many ways ever since I first entered the carnegie centre and I have been glad when Paul and Lisa attended readings I've done and performances with bands in public venues to speak of the newsletter as the most important publication I know of and Paul Taylor the most extraordinary editor and fearless defender of our community with his writing I was at my last gasp when I arrived here and the newsletter introduced me to a life &place & friends never previously conceived or believed possible I could not be more grateful
Bud Osborn
It looks to be self-serving to put 25 on the same page as words to say how Bud was a friend. Mental health is shaded with deep depression; not feeling anything is normal but unnatural. Many times it was true that we had 'conversations' but never longer than 1-2 minutes. When I learned Bud was dead this hit home Reflection gave Iight to the fact that all my conversations with most anyone have been under a minute, maybe two, rare to be three, for the last 40 years. A testament to the value of our friendship -Bud never 路 pressed for more from me, maybe savouring a bond that didn't necessitate ongoing verbiage. Go well. PRT
'·Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it ts the only thing that ever h(ls.'' -Margaret Meade
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THIS NEWSLETIER IS A PUBLICATION OF THE CARNEGIE COMMUNITY CENTRE ASSOCIATION Articles represent the views of individual contributors and not of the Association. WANTED Artwork for the Carnegie Newsletter
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We acknowledge that Carnegie Community Centre, and this Newsletter, are occurring on Coast Salish Territory.
Next issue: SUBMISSION DEADLINE
WEDNESDAY, MAY 28TH
Small illustrations to accompany articles and poetry . Cover art- Max size: 17cm(6 :Y.")wide x 15cm(6')high . Subject matter pertaining to issues relevant to the Downtown Eastside, but all work considered . Black & White printing only . Size restrictions apply (i.e. if your piece is too large, it will be reduced and/or cropped to fit). All artists will receive credit for their work . Originals will be returned to the artist after being copied for publication. Remuneration: Carnegie Volunteer Tickets
Jenny Wai Ching Kwan MLA Working for You 1070 - 1641 Commercial Dr, VSL 3Y3 Phone: 604-775-0790
Please make submissions to Paul Taylor, Editor.
WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTIOI\ COMPUTER ADVICE Vancouver Community Network Cost-effective computer & IT support for non-profits VCN Tech Team http:/ltechteam.vcn.bc.ca Call 778-724-0826 ext2. 705-333 Terminal Ave, Van
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AIDS POVERTY HOMELESS NESS VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN TOTALITARIAN CAPITALISM IGNORANCE and SUSTAINED FEAR