September 1, 1995, carnegie newsletter by Carnegie Newsletter

NEWSLETTER

SEPTEMBER 1,1995 r l

401 Main Street, Vancouver. V6A 2T7 (604) 665-2289

In The Dumpster Dear fellow binners & binnerettes. It is with great sadness that I tell you of the demise of one of Vancouver's best binners.. friend, musician and poet Tom ('Flat Tire') Lewis. As of this writing (August 28) 1 am still in shock. Friday he came to my place and wanted to go drinking. I said no but he finally talked me into it. We went to the Dodson Hotel and he met a lady he knew, so I split about 1Opm. He left his flat tired bike with me. The next day was to be his 59th birthday. I had a bottle of Jim Beam whisky for him, a guitar case, a card and a country music tape. He had reserved an 8-person table at Rosie's on Robson. Me and Joe Anne were all that showed up. I found out later that Dave McConnell showed up but by then we were gone. I believe Tom went that night 'cause around 8:30, when I started to leave, I put the whisky in the guitar case but forgot to zipper it up. I walked 2 flights down the stairs. The bottle didn't fall out 'ti1 I was outside on the cement. It broke into little pieces. I had a funny feeling right then. The next day I went to Tom's place and knocked. No answer, so I put his gifts on the doorknob, thinking he was out binning. Today I went up around 3pm and two policemen told me he was gone. Apparently he was playing his guitar and just fell over on his bed. Tom was my best friend and I will miss him. That's all I can tell you for now.

Mr. McBINNER

She was dark with long black hair; Sicilian blood ran in her veins... She lived life without a care. I'd phone her at lunch She'd invite me down She'd cook Pasta Fazool and I'd eat my lunch while she turned a trick The old-fashioned bed in her bedroom.. I never got there. She said that's where I work and you're certainly not welcome there She owned an Alpha Romeo that was always parked in the garage; Her heart, too, was parked so far away.. and never did my love assuage.

Gentrification a dirty word on city's mean streets BY KERRY GOLD staff writer

o men sit drinking coffee in the Camegie Centre the moming after Welfare Wednesday. The second-floor cafeteria is half-empty. The -pmvious-nighk'sactivitiesmean a lot of the regu, . lars aren,'t up yet..-. . ^ Tom Lewig plays guitar and sings loudly. His friend, who prefers to be called Mr. X, waxes philosophical when asked about their current housing situation. Both men have called a,hotel room "Lome" for several years. "Some think it's hell, eh? Some just don't care. I guess I'm of that mind myself. I don't care where I sleep," he says. "It doesn't matter, quite frankly. Where I sleep is where I'm at and that's all that's important." Asked where they'd go if impending condominium developments closed a few more hotels and pushed them out of their rooms, Lewis, who was once a boat builder, stops playing. "People ain't got the money to buy the damn things anyway," he says. "This whole condominium market is going to fall flat on its face and it will be the same down here as it always was -and worse," he says, laughing hoarsely. Mr. X, who refers to himself as a "bum" and a "cheat" without any hint of sarcasm, takes things in stride. He shrugs his shoulders with a halfsmile, seemingly resigned to whatever situation is thrown his way. "Usually after you've been in a room for a year or two you get habituated to it and you like it. You don't need much space. You find most people who have all this space and they're greedy." As applications for downtown development are submitted to city hall, the pressure is on Vancouver's most impoverished community. In the last two years, 100 hotel rooms have vanished as hotels have closed or been converted into more lucrative accommodation, according to the city. Downtown "single room occupancies," (SROs) as they are called, aren't ideal. In fact, many are so sub-standard they've been described as "mirroring Third World conditions." But the 7,400 remaining privately run hotel units

tel rooms for 30 years or more, and accorYding to housing advocates, there's literally nowhere else to go. "This is exactly what happened in Toronto, San.Francisco, Portland, everywhere," says Downtown Eastside Residents Association (DERA) spokesman Dayle Moseley.

reclaimed and revital- Development touted as 'New ized the downtown areas, York-style lofts' is taking over over spaces, rooming Alexander Street'warehouse space. houses, and because those people The old Central City Mission buildare 'burns' they said, 'let's get rid of ing at 233,Abbott is being developed >them.' Now they're all on the for condominiums. At 8 East Corstreets, and they're coming soon to a dova, digging has begun for a condominium development in a former neighbourhood near you." Concord Pacific development has parking lot. enmached on Granville Street ho- . ! ' . tels, and the aeep of Gastown pmjects and condo conversio,~ like the Woodward's building is rapidly encroaching on the Downtown East Side, Moseley says. In efforts to prep= for the problem, DERA M d a tels, and the Cambie Hotel at Camforum last week to mobilize resi- .bie and Hastings is converting to' a dents to stake claim over. their bed and hvakfast in a Year or so. ''It's f?r economic reasons," says neighbourhood. About 75 people showed up at the Carnegie Centre Cambie-Hotelr n a g e r Mark Peterfor the forum. For them, the issue is 50". 'We're not to upgrade the area for tenants al- at all; we're just using rooms that come available when people move ready there, not condo buyers. "What we can see is that there has out. We have no intention of asking been an accumulation since the mid anyone to leave." '80s of a lot of (development) going But the m g e means one fewer around the community and nobody hotel for a group of people largely has said, 'What is this community misunderstood, Moseley says. "There isn't a lot of knowledge going to look like in 20 years?' " he a

"YS.

iood improvements force . poor . . out about the place of single-room OCcupancy hotels in the housing spectrum, and how there's a feeding chain in the housing market, and (their inhabitants are) at the very end of that feeding chain. They get pushed onto the street if nothing else is left." The city has recognized the plight of SRO residents, and as a result, four planning projects that look at development are underway. TWO pmjects look at areas of heritage value, such as Victory Square on Hasting~,between Carrall and Richards, dnd Gastown. A consulting firm is conducting a study, and the city is developing a plan to identify housing.objectives. ,The'plan is to be ready by May... "For the first time we're looking at the area as a whole and recognizing the interdependence of neighbourhoods," housing planner Jill Davidson says. What we're &ding is that there have been a number of controversial housing development applications and each application generates an incredible amount of controversy and uncertainty, and underneath each project there are some basic. questions that people ask and we don't have the answers to." Davidson says the plan wouldn't come up with any numbers, such as how many more condos would be allowed in the area, or how many hotels should be preserved. Unlike the recent Oakridge policy plan, this one won't be as detailed, citing building heights and densities. Only housing will be pondered, not business development. I

ile Moseley applauds reaction to the ,Concord Pacific development in Downtown ,South, he says it's not reacting fast enough to the @pending crisis in the Downtown East Side. "The problem is with a lot of issues, you look at (policies) such as the draft Cityplan, and a lot of,it is wishes and maybes and 'we hopes.' There's nothing concrete." In the case of the Siesta Hotel, ,the city's

"This east downtown impact study is a year and a half down the road," he says. "What are the land values going to be then? Are we going to be able to effectively deal with a housing crisis then? 'We would all be breathing easier if the city would just say it looks like a problem in the future. Let's put a moratorium on housing while we look at the possible implications." utreach worker June Rose worked in the area for 15 years - "an extended family member" who visits seniors who live in hotels. She's seen a lot of changes over the years, more young people, more drugs, more women moving in.'For seniors living on a small pension, it can be a nightmare even leaving their hotel. !.* Rose says one elderly'man was beaten so badly he didn't leave k5s room for the next 12 years. After three months of coaxing, an outreach worker convinced him to walk down the street for a haircut. But seeing rowdy drunks and junkies littering the street outside his Pigeon Park door, he had his hair cut, returned to his room and never left again. That was three years ago. Another elderly man refused medical help until he was finally hospitalized. He had the "flesh-eating disease," Rose says. He lost half his leg and is recuperating in hospital. Once he gets out, he'll be even more vulnerable as an amputee. The vast majority of the people Rose works with had regular jobs and families until a tragedy occurred, she says. They're not all drunks and drug addicts. Some are mentally ill. Others are simply poor. They're people who need help, but won't receive any if private interests take over the area. "There's going to be a lot of changes and I hope they benefit the community," Rose says. "Sweeping them under the carpet doesn't work We're here and we're not moving. This has been our home for 1218, 20,30 years and people here don't know anything but these streets."

sion in exchange for a commikent to renovate and maintain his SROs. The city is also buying land and building subsidized housing for residents displaced by rising land values. The city bought the old Green Mill Cafe at Nelson and Homer to build 90 units of low-income housing for seniors. Efforts to trade extra density for a commitment to SRO housing is one plan for the Downtown East Side. If an owner agrees to maintain a hotel, the city would allow it extra density to either use or sell, says Davidson. , -Another .plan is to create' more low-income housing. So farIrthecity is slightly 'ahead ih the housing game. While 100 SRO units have been lost, mostly in the Strathcona area, the city has managed to create 366 units. But, as Davidson says, "it's not clear if this trend can continue in the future." , Two conflicting factor; threaten efforts to replace low-income housing: government cutbacks and increased interest in developing the downtown Moseley fears that while the city spends the next year or so studying the problem, land values will soar SO high that land for low-income housing will be out of government's range.

PREJUDICE Definition: 1. an opinion or judgment based on irrelevant considerations or inadequate knowledge; 2. unreasonable hostility towards a person, group, race, nation, etc.; 3. injury or disadvantage resulting fiom another's actions or judgment that ignores one's rights

of listening to another person's point of view. In fact, they don't care about the other person's point of view, as they believe they are superior in some abstract way known only to them. No one can be liked or accepted by everyone; that is a fact. It becomes dangerous, however, when a person spreads his or her prejudices to friends and they listen. Now it is no longer one person but a group of people, As these people in turn spread this same prejudice to their friends, the hatred grows. Everyday there are examples of this in the paper: gay-bashing, sexism, racism, the wealthy bashi

the poor... I could go on and on. he I am wing to lnake is that it cm't go on. w e have to ~ f ourycommunity or we won't have a community, It will be just walls around everything. Prejudice is hard to stop once it gets going, but it can be done. Through educating ourselves, our children, our friends and our community, it can be beaten. CAN WE AFFORD NOT TO TRY? By P. WIGLE

how well-planned m k d - h m n e housing Can anchor a neighbourhood by providing safe stable (Thefollavrng letter was submitted to the Sun but housing for local residents and instill a sense of never printed. Perhaps it, like everything else sent in in pride the local community. response to Hula L lop-stded opinron-piece,was too The last time the poor were threatened with mass clear m showing what apoorjob their editors did) evictions was during Expo '86. It was then that groups representing seniors, the poor and the Editor, Vancouver Sun homeless in the Downtown Eastside came together o o and~pushed for the construction of the Four Sisters your front page article 'LYuppiesin the ~ Co-op(Frances Bula, June 24) brings welcome attention to Critics said it would never work. But it has won the crisis facing the Downtown Eastside of awards and widespread recognition as a model for Vancouver. But I must take exception to your inner city housing. The Four Sisters Co-op works comment that the Four Sisters Housing Co-op was and stands as an example for fwther affordable responsible for the massive private development housing in the area which now threatens the poor in our neighbourThere are alternatives to the wholesale marketing hood. The Four Sisters Co-op is an example of

of the Downtown Eastside. You don't have to gentrifL this neighbourhood to make it safe and stable. Our co-op houses people from a variety of backgrounds and income levels who together have a commitment to the long-term livability of the "hood". Important choices must be made in the Downtown Eastside. Either we adopt models of development that provide secure housing for residents and stability for the neighbourhood or

Trib With The Trib (Tribulations with Ihe tribunal) In the Welfare Olympics, regular is a bronze medal, unemployable is a silver medal and the handicapped pension is a gold medal. I'm going for the gold! See, they've already dia&osed me as a paranoid schizophrenic that's only what I know about. God knows what else they've gotten written up in their files. I figure they already think I'm crazy so I might as well get a few extra bucks out of it. I visited a GP (General Practitioner) to see what he had to say. I thought I could be a professional mental case in a shrink's office for 15 minutes in some scam psychodrama to get a fkw extra bucks, yet 1think I am one of the sanest people I have ever met. I told the doctor so. "You think you're sane? That's a part of your illness," he replied. I went through the legal trajectory of employing an advocate because it seemed h y that here's a guy going for the nut pension and he's got letters from everyone else supporting his claim except a psychiatrist! I have one of the advocates from DERA helping.

we make local residents subject to the vagaries of the marketplace. This part of town represents a huge opportunity for the City and the Province to build on the success the Four Sisters represents. I hope that planners and politicians have the foresight to seize this opportunity before it is too late. The existence of a neighbourhood depends on it. Lore Krill, President, Four Sisters Housing Co-operative

An interview with a psychiatrist at the mental health team of Strathcona revealed that I had "to participate with their complete treatment program." It's time to de-euphemise bureaucratese - that just means pills. They must get a remuneration from those pharmaceutical companies.. they've just got to. "Pills are a lobotomy in chemical form." (I'd rather have a boiile inpont of me than afiontal lobotomy) I'm into holistic medicine. They want submission to a chemical straitjacket. Can't you deal with your patients on an archetypal, intellectual level? Like the Pentagon spends $2,500 on a hammer, the Ministry of Social Services would spend some odd thousand dollars for a tribunal just to see whether someone gets about $155 more a month. The onus is on them to prove that I am not crazy, beyond the benefit of a doubt; I don't have to prove that I am. But isn't it even implicitly tacit that to even apply for the looney pension means that, automatically, one is perhaps a couple of joints short of a lid..a few cans short of a 12-pack.. a few tabs short of a hundred lot???

DEAN KO

Alcoholic..junkie.. yes, he may have been. He was also a human being, born in Alberta in 1960 and grew up in New Westminster. Ben was one of six children, and the only boy. Berend Moltman was his name although his family &led him Ben. He was a loner even when he lived at home quiet and very kind. After 1 was speaking to Ben's upset sisters and niece outside the Geese Hotel on August 18th, they had a glow of relief come over their faces. They spoke of Ben with kind words and their concerns they had when was living down here. They knew that his life style was that of drinking

Dawntown E~tsideResidents Association

GRAND OPENING NElGJtXBOltrRBOOD SAFETY OFFICE 12 E. Hastidgs Street Friday, September 8 at 1230 p.m.

Everyam is wtlcame!!! IDrap by for a visit and ask about ualuotcbring. Refreabments will be served.

' it's the same with street and prescription mugs. and drugs... they'd never expected to get a call this early in his life. T h y said that Ben was trying to clean up to become a member of "today's" society. They believed that the call would come telling them he had overdosed on drugs or died due to alcohol, but that wasn't the case. Ben had been trying to get into his neighbour's room via the outside window. It is uncertain at this time as to why he was doing this. Many of the people living in Hotels are loners, seniors, and are often called transients. It is very rare that they stay in one hotel for any length of time. Sometimes thev are kicked out or just could not take the noise ofother residents, gu&ts, or the noise of pub crawlers. It's not easy to frnd a hotel that has no problems. In most cases the managers are in this for the money, not caring anything for their residents. Our hotels have a lot of people (but not all) who are fighting a disease one which kills them very slowly but painllly. That disease is alcoholism;

A lot of our people living in these hotels have no families and their friends are the people they d& with. People die alone. "We all die by ourselves; it's the living alone that hurts." When an individual ends up on the streets of Vancouver (or any city), it's often because their families and friends have turned their backs on them... due to violence or unacceptable things. Once the booze or drugs get ahold of you, you can be hooked for life. Many say there is a way out but it's hard to say no to the drug of 'choice.' It's well to have hope and any other reason to lessen the pain that brought them out there in the first place. By MARGARET PREVOST

REFLECTIONS Sometimes I find myself deeply searching, In the mirrors of my mind; Yet not knowing what I'm trylng to find. Sometimes I find myself slowly walking Along some deserted beach or park; Feeling at home within the silence and the dark. Sometimes I find myself patiently sitting, For hours that never seem that long; Wondering where, if anyplace, is there where I belong. Sometimes I find myself inward feeling Pity, sorty I was ever born me Instead of someone else, content and happy. Sometimes I find myself softly crying, For reasons I do not know; And wishing for rain so the tears do not show. Sometimes I find myself desperately praying To God, not sure of what to say; Just hoping for inner strength to survive another day.

Thursday, -_---February 15,1917

SPECIAL W e a r e sole agents in Calgary for t h e celebrated

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book a n d let i s explain i t to YOU

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Submitted by Marie

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(The following article is by Sharon Tong, acting as Senior's Cnordinaror at DER4) The specific role of the Senior's Coordinator is to be a representative of area residents, to act as an advocate and to be a community developer. The primary objective is to facilitate the inclusion and participation of Chinese seniors in the entire community. This means that, apart fiom providim or creating: services. DERA'Sfocus c& be on

the outreach with Chinese seniors and on working with existing services which are offered by the Chinese-oriented agencies. With the foundation of over 20 years hard work by the previous coordinator (Anna Wong), the membership bond within the seniors club is firm. As a new person in this position i have organised programs on safety and crime prevention, a health workshop, a potluck lunch, day trips, etc. I've

MEDICAL ALERT A form of tattoo called "Blue Star" is being sold to school children. It is a small piece of paper containing a blue star. They are the size of a pencil eraser and each star is soaked with LSD The drug is absorbed through the skin simply by handling the paper. There are also brightly coloured paper tattoos resembling a postage stamp that have the picture of one of the following: SUPERMAN MICKEY MOUSE BUTTERFLIES CLOWNS BART SIMPSON DISNEY

Each one is wrapped in foil. This is a new way to

taken the first two months as an orientation period, to gain a better understanding of the needs and 9. interests of the seniors in this area. Then, 1'11 be approaching other area agencies to follow an expressed desire to work toward developingjoint initiatives, and share expertise. Personally, I'd like to see more joint ventures. I will be working to ensure that the voices of seniors are heard in determining the course of change in the

fully participate in the life of their neighbourhood. Pictures here are of a joint venture - a day cruise on August 11 with the Vancouver Chinese Elderly Citizens Association and the Strathcona Community Centre. sell acid by appealing to young children. These are laced with drugs. If your children get any of the above, do not handle them. These are known to react quickly and some are laced with strychnine. Symptoms: -hallucinations, severe vomiting uncontrolled laughter, mood changes. This is very serious young lives have already been taken. This is growing faster than we can wan1 parents and professionals.

J. O'DONNEL,, Danbury Hospital Outpatient Chemical Dependency Treatment Service

War In The Downtown Eastside An old fellow on the bus showed me a picture of a very nice farm house. "This is where I'm going when f move out of my hotel on Hastings Street," he said. "I'm leaving Vancouver to live with my brother in Saskatchewan. They're going to drop

the>-bomb here and I don't want to be around when it lands." 'What?' I thought. "It's in Saskatchewan," he said, holding up the picture. "It'll be nicer than that hotel I live in, with all the banging and bugs. And besides I don't want

So to keep the garden growing You must weed out the weeds Remember to replace the weed With a seed of knowledge and love

to be here when war comes to the Downtown Eastside." I could see that the old man was feafil it showed in his eyes. 1 assumed his overactive mind was being stirred by the stress of living in an area hotel under renovation. "There is peace there, in the country," he said. "If I don't leave I'll be blown to bits." "It takes time to fix up an old hotel," I said. "I can't stand it," he said. "There is no security anywhere. The noise is deafening and the bugs are moving away from the banging and into my place. The carpenters will come to my place next and 1'11 have to get out and wander the town for the day.. maybe the next couple of days too." "You can always come to Carnegie," I said. "It's open from 9am to 1 I pm. There is a library, a seniors' lounge, a place to eat cheap and..." He shook his head. "Iexpect the bomb will drop anytime," he said. "I'm leaving." I couldn't soothe his concern. For him the security of his room was gone, and so was his mind.

By DORA SANDERS

use & sales outside the Carnegie. It is very sad that the City will not give funding so security personnel can do a better job. up outside the exit door by the elevator. She left her cup & needle there. Security was busy there job but there is a need for more st&.

I A

J The Fight For The Carnegie Community Centre Part 19

I I

a 1

Friends are where you find them.

, I

The October 1978 edition of the Downtown East carried an article entitled "Carnegie Almost Sunk By Social Credity'. What had happened was that the provincial government had reneged on a commitment to spend $400,000 to renovate the Carnegie, through the Recreation Facilities Assistance Program. This was done in spite of the assurance of senior bureaucrats that the grant would be forthcoming. The article said that the renovations to the Carnegie Centre would still go ahead, however, thanks to City staff who had accepted a construction bid before the $400,000 grant had

11. reneging on staff commitments to the contractor, and facing the possibility of being sued, or allocating the money. It allocated $400,000 from Revenue Surplus for renovations to Carnegie on September 12, 1978. In a memo to Mayor Volritch from Fritz Bowers, the City Manager, dated September 13, 1978. Mr. Bowers admitted that when City staff, by letter, asked the contractor to proceed with work on the Carnegie Library, they were taking a calculated risk. The risk seemed minimal, however, and the cost of delay for the project was high. Mr. Bowers acknowledged that it was a decision that should have been shared with Council, and when the provincial government refused to come through with the promised $400,000, the City was placed in an awkward position. Council could have expressed its displeasure to him and to staff, Mr. Bowers noted, but chose not to do so. He closed his memo by expressing his appreciation of Council's understanding, and assured Council that in future he7and City staff, would not gamble on verbal assurances from officials of senior governments without consulting Council at the earliest opportunity.

By SANDY CAMERON

Carnegie the DTES Oasis on a Rainy Afiemoon Smudging the chalk into an art form

Sheila Baxter

I am really concerned about the future of the Carnegie Centre as we know it. We have a very I rare, "endangered species" type of environment. Cannegie is unique in its volunteers, fiee programs, inexpensive food and a commitment to a 'home'-like atmosphere. We must stand on guard for Carnegie against

actions.. get involved!

Sheila Baxter

ONCE IN A THOUSAND YEARS There is a flower known as the mountain hibiscus. It is the fabled flower of Shangri-La, growing only above certain altitudes on very precariously rocky cliffs. These flowers will bloom on onlv one dav

every thousand years. To be there when it happens is said to be a truly beautific, enlightening experience. I have a friend, N., and she is an inveterate cocanut. A couple of weeks ago I met her on the street and she'd just come off a three-week stint in stir (3 weeks in prison). She was not on cocaine that day at all. N. is an effervescently enchanting creature, and that day was a pleasant surprise because I'd never spent any time with her except when she was all fried out on coke. We went to Sunrise Marker and bought some beans, yellow peppers & avocado, then went to a Japanese deli next door and procured some rice, some kind of seaweed and teriyaki chicken. Then it was off to Oppenheimer Park where we were ensconced under the wide boughs of the surrounding trees as we sat down to pic-nic. N. was really together that day. We laughed, joked, gave each other compliments and even discussed my moving into an apartment with her. This was not so much that I wanted to live with her but that I want to get out of where I'm living now. I was basking in the light of her tremendous aura some more, then she all of a sudden said, "Don't change your mind, cuz I am going to go and get high after dinner." I felt all alone, like sitting on that ridge and

knowing that it is going to be another thousand years.. . She emerged from the washroom a few minutes later with a kind of violent lurching dance in her eyes. I approached her cautiously and I could smell the hot alkaline cocaine sweats emanating fiom her body. She growls, "That's right. You remember what a bad temper I have, honey. You just stay away." Dr. Jekyll and Miss Hyde. I saunter around for a couple of minutes then approach her again. She gives me this look of despair, straight fiom Edward Munsch's painting The Scream, and exclaims in a wail, "Why do you keep doing this to me?!" T& about projection. That's a moral axiom of the universe: If anyone falsely accuses you of doing something, then they are guilty of doing it.. if not physically then psychically because of the phenomenon of projection. So much for the mountain hibiscus. Bv DEAN KO

I would reach up into she sky and pull those stars down right to

1 I

1 w i l l a d m i t my madness As a winning exchange f o r your s a n i t y It a l l o w s dreams and l a n d s c a p e s Such a s r e a l i t y n e v e r knows Only t h e q u i x o t e s o f t h e world can t i l t w i n d m i l l s s o g r a c i o u s l y O r make G u i n i v e r e s o u t o f I . broken-down whores

I have magic t o make M e r l i n wonder o r t o shake t h e lodges w i t h a g h o s t dance

An Autumn Fa1 l i n g Autumn comes down misty b l u e and f ran t LC on Ilastlngs S t . An e l e v a t o r free f a l t i n ~ s still f a l l i n g descent. Past t h e l i m i t s of g r a v i t y and no m a t t e r . Amid d e s p e r a t e l a u g h t e r The pain of f a l l i n g is r e q u i r e d . , She s a i d It was my.... Oh he was b e a u t i f u l b u t I was bad and he was d r i v e n away

........

Now s h e s u f f e r s racked and s p r e a d crucified Beneath t h e n a i l i n g s of t w i s t e d men

.......

oh F a t h e r P l e a s e f o r g i v e me, f o r You k n w n o t what you have done. who a r t i n h e l l our Father F O ~whom I am humble I abase myself F a l l i n g through p a i n w i t h a n g e l i c white lady.

...

(NOWI l a y me dovn t o bed ~n a n x i o u s t o r t u r e d dread TO l i s t e n t o t h e monsters t r e a d Dreaming dreams i n c h i l d h o o d ' s bed)

come f a l l t h i n g s change leaves t u r n every color 1 ' v e s e e n you change Yes i t ' s showin' a c h i l d comes i n n o c e n t l y i n t o t h e world, a n o t h e r l i f e i s gone helpless I f e e l a man I a m f e e l i n ' more h e l p l e s s I a m I s i t on t h e seams of t h e days t h a t are bonded t o g e t h e r they a r e shreadin' t o nothin' I add a l i t t l e p r e s s u r e Snap I' tn' gone The v e r y E a r t h i s f u l l o f l i f e Contained i n i t s d a r k g r a s p ; More a l i v e n e s s Than a l l t h e humans i n t h e world The good E a r t h h a s e a t e n every form of l i f e t h a t e v e r e x i s t e d on t h i s p l a n e t The mere t r i f l i n g of f u s i o n A very n a t u r a l process Is t h e p l a y t h i n g of a demented c h i l d . Mow t h e n w i l l we overcome t h e E a r t h from which w e are made? The n a t u r a l c y c l e L i f e , Death, Decomposition continues regardless We humans a r e no more c o n s e q u e n t i a l t h a n t h e s i n g l e c y c l e of t i d e s .

And i n f a l l i n g , l e t me f a l l T i 1 I am wracked and n a i l e d upon t h e w a l l T i 1 1 have atoned, and paid f o r a l l And found a measured peace; i n t h e q u i e t of t h e p a l l . Oh Lord o u r h e l p in a g e s p a s t With h i s a l l e n f o l d i n g m a n i f e s t o S u p p l i e s demonic Torquemadas (en f l a g g e l a n t d e l e c t o ) S u f f e r t h e l i t t l e whores t o c m e u n t o Ilim.

COUNTRY MUSIC RI.UES

So what you end up with Is lovers just as crazy as, 11's IIOL so cnsy RCIII' n country sinf.csr yourself You have to sit at t(ie bar Ycw I~avc to be C'Y~"' the blues Ilt.;lrl-l,rokc mosl nil 01 the time III order to slnj: tliosc snJ so~~jis d r ~ - e ~ e d ;,;.illk lots of whlskcy And end up goin' home And slwve vith sad-eyed hookers who won't sleep wit11 You SLrnngc substances .up your nose unless you sing romantic songs l'lien too at three or four in the You have to live 6 y n Perfect Dream morning, by which time which is unattrinnhlc He Just like the I'crfecl blom;i~i

you couldn't even get an elevator up never mind your reproductive parts. But once in awhile It comes. out real good And makes a fellow Know he's alive But it pays more and leaves a much better feelin' Than bein' a goddamned fool of a -poet.

I n e v e r g e t mad, I g e t h o s t i l e ; I never f e e l sad, I get'depressed; I f I sew o r k n i t and e n j o y i t a b i t I ' m n o t handy. I ' m merely o b s e s s e d .

. ..

...

I never f e e l r e g r e t . I feel guilty, And i f I s h o u l d vacuum the h a l l ; Wash t h e woodwork and s u c h , and n o t mind i t t o o much Am I t i d y ? Compulsive i s a l l .

I f I c a n ' t choose a h a t , I have c o n f l i c t s With ambivalent f e e l i n g s toward n e t . I never g e t worried o r nervous o r h u r r i e d ; Anxiety, t h a t ' s what I g e t . I f I ' m happy, I must be e u p h o r i c ; I f I go t o t h e S t o r k Club o r t h e R i t z And have a good t i m e making puns o r a rhyme, I ' m a manic, o r maybe a s c h i z . I f I t h i n k t h a t a doorman was n a s t y , I ' m a paranoid, obviously; And i f I t a k e a d r i n k w i t h o u t s t o p p i n g t o t h i n k t h a t ' s s u r e l y me. Alcoholic

I f I t e l l you y o u ' r e r i g h t , 1 ' m s u b m i s s i v e Repressing a g g r e s s i v e n e s s too. And when I d i s a g r e e , I ' m d e f e n s i v e , you s e e and p r o j e c t i n g my symptons on you.

....

1 l o v e you but that:s j u s t transference With Oedipus r e a r i n g h i s head. ily b r e a t h i n g a s t h m a t i c i s psychosomatic, A f e a r of e x c l a i m i n g "drop dead!"

...

I ' m not lonely I ' m s i m p l y dependent. My dog h a s no f l e a s , j u s t a t i c . So i f I seem a c a d , n e v e r mind . . . j u s t be g l a d That I ' m n o t a s t i n k e r . . . I ' m s i c k .

said I can r e a d between t h e l i n e I suggested the p a r a l l e l l i n e s of a railway t r a c k and a weighty tomb On r e i n c a r n a t i o n hen h e c o u l d c o n t e m p l a t e 1 i H i s return 1 While s u r m i s i n g h i s new form

I ! i

A l l a r e on t h e way L i n i n g up f o r Easy t r a v e l t o new p l a n e s I t r i e d t o explain the reading i s done i n c o n t e x t of h i s own knowledge deducing whatever a t will t h e message i f any Is d e l i v e r e d by t h e d e s i r e f o r Self understanding Using words a s a s p r i n g b o a r d t o new p e r s o n a l c o n c e p t s But h i s concept i s open t o empty s p a c e s But h e never m i s i n t e r p r e t s their message H i s mind h a s t h e p u r i t y o f a t r u e vacuum. But h i s concept i s t r u e f o r i n t h e spaces between t h e l i n e s Contain t h e t h o u g h t s I a g o n i z e t o convey Should o n l y unli.ned paper be used?

91)

The r i v e r s of Lhe p a s t Are l i k e s t r e a m s That rise o u t of nowhere Then descend t h r u The broken e a r t h ' s s u r f a c e Hidden i n b a r r e n l a n d s The o a s i s of memory. On l o n e l y n i g h t s 1 r e a c h back Events f i l e d h a p p e n s t a n c e End on end They c a n n o t be r a t i o n a l i z e d O r changed They a r e o n l y What t h e y a r e Of no consequence Just lives.

Take a Good Look Around.., Take a good l o o k around a t t h e burgeoning new Vancouver; everywhere crowds r a i s e t h e i r heads above p r o j e c t s and t h e d u s t of d e m o l i t i o n c o a t s new b u i l d i n g s i n t h e i r f i r s t y e a r of e x i s t e n c e . The p o l i t i c i a n s have p u l l e d tile s t o p s on r e a l estate s p e c u l a t i o n and t h i s new f a l s e economy i s upon US.

Open t h e d o o r s ; l e t i n new peop l e ; widen t h e g a t e s of b u s i n e s s s o t h a t North American s o c i e t y can be a f u s e d whole. I n t h e common market, t h e common people w i l l s h a r e t h e good t h i n g s b u t I hope they s h a l l remember t h a t t h e i r c h i l d r e n ' s c h i l d r e n w i l l be mortgaged b e f o r e t h e y a r e even born.. and i n t h e end everyone w i l l pay f o r t h e s e new good times.

Shared warmth This is a l l there is The sum t o t a l of a l l my l i f c A voyage o f memories From f u t u r e p a s t To f u t u r e n o t h i n g . -- - ---- I remember i n Edmonton A t the small restaurant Run by o l d Angelo 1 : c i ~ ~he gave f l o w e r s To t h e l a d i e s A•’cer S u n d a y brunch b u t Ilc never gave them Dl GET YaJR lDROSU,PE CN4RTED To t h e hookers who were p r e s e n t nw ~usru, l ~ m AND w IT.. It was h i s o l d - f a s h i o n e d way WT RB1IE(BER. MN'T M K DEAR ABBY IXN A W l C E 'CAUSE S I E ' S DlVMCEO And a compliment t o you AM) OBVICUSLY KNQJS NO11IINC. But s u c h d i s s e r v i c e YUJ'D PROBABLY EM) W CIARRIHI To o t h e r humans . Some l o n g h e l d Christian ethic .If a l l t h e w o r l d ' s a s t a g e I SNICI(LRCD Does God u s e a c a s t i n g couch AIL 11ma01 na cmm... NIT And by whose d i s c r e t i o n I F YOlR OU, l N Y ClrrS B O l U I , And i n t e r p r e t a t i o n S I E ' S AlHAYS Of r i g h t and wrong IICLCDIE AT MY PIACC; 'IIMT'S WlMT F R I W ARE FOR. Surely a miracle I Of magnitude To t u r n t h e g e s t u r e s o f a k i n d l y man llosanahed by a n g e l s around t h e t h r o n e To t u r n , t h e b e a u t i o u s g i f t i n g o f a k o s e Tn .--the c a s t i n g o f a s t o n e . ->-

So y o u ' s t a n d Your' b e i n g sensuous Your s t a n c e : w a i t i n g Not i n motion b u t Moving The f l o w o f your body A dance Without music Eyes l i k e t h e Tongue o f a s e r p e n t Testing the air S u r e i n your b e a u t y You a r e a l l t h e s e things And h e r e am I Country Music S i n g e r and poor p o e t But I would l i k e t o W r i t e a poem f o r you And e t c h i t upon your back w i t h my tongue.

There w i l l be a n end t o a l l t h i n g s A s t h e r e w a s a beginning. YC One day h There w i l l no l o n g e r b e your warmth ' To e a s e t h e p a i n , 3 ,- *." o n l y bones; y o u r s and mine Scatterred across the land Whilst f l o w e r s grow Marking no o n e ' s g r a v e Nodding t h e i r heads I n mindless c o n t r i t i o n .

Nor w i l l t h e r e be t h e v e l l u m Of your s k i n Whereon t o e t c h my poems With t h e s t y l u s of my tongue. While your g e n t l e b r e a t h i n g F i l l s t h e q u i e t room I know my m o r t a l i t y . I bequeeth t h e e My ashe s To n u r t u r e The r e d r o s e s i n your garden So t h a t I t o o may nod In silence At your p a s s i n g

Please t o give H i m & I a measure of compassion O r a t l e a s t wait till ' We' re b o t h o l d enough t o turn stone deaf.

W i l l y e nae promise lass To j o i n me i n t h e garden I n how many h o u r s Of a hundred y e a r s Can one h o l d on t o another Though we s l e e p S i d e by si.de hn Shared warmth We a r e c o n t a i n e d I n o u r own dreams Uns hared Unasked unbidden A mere g e s t u r e Masking f e a r s of aloneness So many words To s a y l e a v e We n o t a l o n e

On t h e s e mean s t r e e t s ; Death is c a s u a l Like t h e token g e s t u r e s of o u r s o c i e t y . Our e x i s t e n c e r e i n f o r c e s T h e i r middle c l a s s b e l i e f s L i t t l e t h e y know! A l i f e is a l i f e But why shop h e r e Amongst t h e d e r e l i c t s To make b e l i e v e A l l is well But you can d i e by t h e gun O r be raped a t any time When t h e i r time i s up They might r i s e t o heaven Oh! But p l e a s e g i v e me a b r e a k By keeping s i l e n t Because i f God Should end t h e world It w i l l be That you've Bored H i m t o d e a t h

understand Not you; b u t myself S t i l l I am a I Complete s t r a n g e r Even t o myself Then how can I Know you Unless I f e l l Your ~ a i n Love i s a workingOut of masochism ' Yhereat we grow Away from t h o s e we l o v e To l e a r n t o l i k e Our c l o s e s t f r i e n d s We must s h a r e T h e i r weakness Our g r e a t e s t s t r e n g t h So much s i l e n c e Is t o n o t deny That l i v i n g must condone I have t r i e d t o

our c a r i n g There i s no shame i n weakness Our g r e a t e s t s i n Lies i n the Taking of l o v e TO r e a s s u r e o u r P e r c e p t i o n ~f ego You l o v e d m e once . But t h e n s o d i d Jesus and he fucked o f f t o o But t h e t r u t h i s I copped o u t Long b e f o r e b o t h p f you.

Speech bogus, crude

, s i m p l e , l i t t l e dreams Keeps t h e P a t h w o r t h g o i n g . Through l i g h t h e a r t e d s t r e a m s our lifeblood keeps flowing. There a r e passages I n t h e darkened n i g h t That lead to worlds of joy Filled with perfect light.

I f w e s t o p t o rest on t h e m o u n t a i n s i d e , And w e l o o k back down, F i l l e d w i t h wondrous p r i d e F o r t h e many m i l e s w e ' v e come; A l l o u r l i f e i t seems We've b e e n t r a v ' l i n g o n t h e powel of our Simple. l i t t l e dreams.

Will those pledged contenders for the sub human malaise whose main vocabulary consists of just ghastly, bogus, synthetic and ersatz mumblings of "you're welcomey""have a nice day, evening, morning, me& etc." "no problem" and "fantastic, basicaliyy'and"You know" realise that this is also aping in its crudest sense and a blatant form of terminological assassination? This is probably one reason terrorists previously avoided the American continent and reached for the Rolaids and the inevitable comatose bottle,. The solution might be to gather all these people up and set them loose on a lazy, remote and barren island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean or on an ice floe, either north or south pole. Before disembarking, they should be given a shot in both arms to be on the safe side with a large blunt needle containing a life preservative enabling them to live at least another 5000 years so they can greet each other with "Have a nice day" each and every day. This mandatory repetitious exercise in futurity when, not if rigidly enforced will amend or upend, whatever, our whole planetary lifestyle by alleviating the Remorse Code and contributing to mass homicide and anticipated genocide by born to lose non compos mentis itinerant nomads long on parity and charity but short on mentality. The World Elimination Series, instead of being construed as an abysmal disaster plus, would actually promote more breathing space on this overpopulated piece of real estate instead of standing room only propositions. It is to reap and thank you for foregoing Greyhound.

Submitted by Sekwof

Advocacy Update (from The Spout) Training sessions available this month include one in relation to HIVIAIDS education and the other a I -day Tribunal Training offered by Legal Services. The tribunal training is extremely valuable right now with so many amendments to the GAIN Act and Regulations. An example of this are numerous changes to the way the Ministry will evaluate Crisis Grants. Essentially, the Ministry has stated that different criteria will apply when a Crisis Grant is requested. Some of these changes are in the definition of an "Unexpected Item of Need." What the Ministry is saying is they must be for a purpose or situation you could not

have anticipated and you must have exhausted every other resource possible before you approach the Ministry. This includes spending monies from Child Tax Benefits, GST refunds and any cash on hand or in a bank account. DAWN Canada (DisAbled Women's Network) Advisory Board, which Margaret Prevost has a connection with, will be looking at issues of substance abusefrnisuse among women with disabilities. Researchers for DAWN Canada are attempting to discern what barriers exist for women with disabilities in accessing treatment programs, as well as other issues. An example of this is many treatment facilities will not accept persons on psychiatric medication.

OUR ALPt-IAUH OF IIMF What have we done with all-ouryears?

A Aided, aired and acted B Baked, built, birthed, bandaged, bought C Carried, canned, created, chosen, comforted, cooked, counted, crawled, called, claimed, cancelled, cried D Drained, decorated, drawn, divided, demonstrated, dieted, devoted, donated & dished up 40,000 meals E. Eaten, earned, emptied, erected, erased, endured, enlightened, embroidered, explained & envied F Found, fixed, feared, favoured, flung, flown and flavoured G Given, gathered, gotten, grown H Held, heard, helped, hovered, hearkened and hoped I Imagined, irritated, integrated and intrigued J Jested, joined, joked, juggled and judged K Kept, kidded, kicked, killed, keened and known L Loved, laughed, lingered, longed, learned and left M Made, married, managed, messed up, mended, mentioned, marketed, missed & meant to do my best N Nurtured, nursed and needed 0 Opened, owned and ordered P Played, papered, printed, pushed, piled, planted, paid, plagued, pitied and prayed Q Questioned, quarreled, quieted, quoted and quested R Restored, restrained, rested, ruffled, resolved, recycled and renewed S Saved, seen, sewed, stirred, savoured, seasoned and been sometimes silly T Trusted, twisted, thrown, talked, taken, teased, tom, tied, typed, treasured, tried, toted up and taught U Used, urged, undone, uttered and undertook V Valued, verified, vented and vended W Watched, written, woven, wept, worked, worried, weeded and worshipped X X-ed out the false and ugly hoping to excel in beauty and in wisdom Y Yearned, yelled, yawned and set the Yule log blazing Z Zeroed in on life

DOWNTOWN EASTSIDE YOUTH ACTIVITIES SOCIETY

ST0 CLINIC 219 Main; Monday Friday, 10a.m. 6p.m. NEEDLE EXCHANGE 221 Main; 9a.m. 8p.m. every day Needle Exchange Van on the street every night, 6p.m.-2a.m. (except Mondays, 6p.m.-midnight)

1995 DONATIONS : Paula R.-$20 Cecile C.-$12 Wm. B.-$25 Lillian 11. -$a0 Sonya S.-$200 Etienne S. -$I5 A. Withers -$20 Rositch -$16 Kettle F.S. -$I6 llazel M.-$8 JOY T.-$20 Bca F.-$30

Diane M.-$25 Libby D.-$25 Nancy 11. 16 Lisa E.-$8 Lorne T.-$50 Me1 L.-$12 Sara D.-$16 Colleen E. -$I6 Bruce 5.-$30 Anonymous - $60.75 Bill s.-$2 Ray -$I2 Darlene M.-$20 CEEDS - $50

NEWSLETTER urr&m-,.u~nru-i~ow

THE NEWSLEITER IS A PUBLICATION OF THE CARNEGIE COMMUNITY CENTRE ASSOCtATION

NEED HELP?

A I W ~ Srepresenl L e vlews 01 Indlvldual conlrlbutotr and no1 01 the Assoclatlon.

Submission Deadline for the next issue: 12 September Tuesday

The Downtown Eastside Residents' Association can help you with: J any welfare problem J information on legal rights J disputes with landlords J unsafe living conditions J income tax J UIC problems J finding housing J opening a bank account Come into the Dera office at 9 East Hastings St. or phone us at 682-0931.

DERA HAS BEEN SERVING THE DOWNTOWN EASTSIDE FOR 21 YEARS.

flying octopi

in sky overhead duck in haste if you are a goalie do not waste those precious body fluids so strange duck for your life Vernon Detroit Red Wing watch out for those flying octopi in the NHL sky they may some day

july 4, 1995

republican congress so right wing righteous wants to put 'wire fence' across southern border "land of brave & home of free" home of Jefferson Crockett Bowie Washington so many more who died for democracy

is becoming a lot like one eastern european germ germ germ gemany just before another wall for a similar purpose was duly torn down

.--

angela an bus barbados burns out of each pore in your healthy skin lips like pomegranite near jack nicholson shades failing to hide exuberance streaming fiom eyes you shine of life and bring all opponents of immigration to a post-nuclear post-Reform shame you smile across the aisle as the bus pulls away I feel your kind vibes pulse right now through this very poem

john alan douglas

it was meant for me so I took it home a d ate some; also Sunday and Monday. It was reallllly good. Thank you whoever you are You must be a really good person. I like all people of whatever nationality. I would like to meet you. You shouldn't waste your time and money - you need it yourself. Again, thank you very much. Andrew A. The birds' feeeder..

)

Studio 58 and Headlines Theatre present

BOUNDARIES

Sun.,Sept. 10 3 & 8 pm Sept. 8 & 9 8 p.m. 100 W.49th Ave (basement, main building, Langara) Admission by donation In the past two years there have been numerous incidents involving psychological and physical violence against female post-secondary students in BC, all highlighted extensively by the media. In the past several years there have been many women murdered in the Downtown Eastside. BOUNDARIES are performances about life on campus, investigating issues of sexual harassment and personal safety, and what actions can be taken to reduce violence and establish, recognise and respect personal boundaries in colleges.. maybe on the street. "Maybe" is a hopefhl word part of this event is audience interaction. Headlines Tbeatre and 1 tlLb,T f i i I OR LIVING are responsible for Rainbow of Oesire, ( h p in the lleacl, Irnc~cleT I i ~ ( ~ t rand e Powel Pli~y~;,some of which have been presented in Carnegie.

SNOOKER TOURNAMENT September 30 - October 1 11:OO - 6:OO 1st prize - cue 2nd & 3rd - T.B.A. $5.00 entry fee sign up at Info Desk Carnegie membership required.

KANADA Gestapo Inc. I for one will forever know this humanitarian country as a sneaking hypocrite, a do-gooder for the eyes of the world ... In the meantime, ever since the 17007s,the government has been deliberately screwing the Native Peoples of this country. It will continue until something drastic happens. The only thing they haven't called the people at Gustafson Lake is "traitors to the (Bullshit) Crown." Everyone knows what the RCMP stand for since Batoche in Saskatchewan, since the gestapo in Oka We, the Natives, are "terrorists" but the RCMP are worse than terrorists, since they do what they do in the name of their god, queen or whoever holds the big stick. The eyes of the world are watching - let's see what happens. Al Militant

At a meeting held on August 29th, there were over 40 people (some of whom had been on the front lines) to discuss the situation at 100 Mile House. Defenders of The Land: The Truth Behind the Stand at Gustafson Lake is a video covering the Natives from Sundance to stand-OK It will be shown in the Theatre at Carnegie on Saturday, September Znd, at 2:30. The video is 50 minutes long and there will be a discussion to follow. Please come. Not another Wounded Knee. Another event is Take Back The Night, on Wednesday, September 6, starting at Robson Square. "Indy Out" happened just before this came out but was likely given rave reviews by participants and the cold shoulder by those who enjoy watching metal flash by at 200 miles an hour once every 3 minutes for about 3 hours... hmmmmm...

+atfinarrnntn+ DEFENDERS OF SACRED SHUSWAP SUNDANCE GROUNDS PREPARING FOR RCMP ASSAULT

Defenders of sovereign, unceded Shuswap territory containing sacred Sundance grounds and burial sites, at Gustafson Lake, 35 km. west of 100 Mile House, continue preparations to resist an invasion by the RCMP. Unconfirmed media reports suggest RCMP have plans to remove Natives deemed to be "trespassing" on "private land" owned by the James Cattle Co. On June 13th, 1995, approximately a dozen ranchers in pickup trucks, armed with rifles and led by James Cattle Co.'s owner Lyall James, violently disrupted the traditional Sundance preparations, invaded and desecrated the Council Lodge, photographed sacred sites and violated the purification ritual fast of a Sundancer. A hand-made "Final Eviction Notice" addressed to Shuswap Faithkeeper and Pipe Carrier Percy Rosette, was then stuck on a sacred staff. On June 16th another provocation occurred when a drunken ranch hand on horseback entered the grounds, with threats that ranchers were going to burn the Council Lodge. He also stated that RCMP were planning to raid the camp. The presence of an expanded defenders' security force successfully and peacefully dealt with this incident, and the sacred Sundance ceremonies were completed without further molestation. Any further attempts to forcibly invade the defenders' camp will be met with resistant force. "We're not going anywhere," says defenders' spokesman Splitting The Sky. Almost exactly 5 years ago, Canada sent an armed invasion force against the Mohawk Nation for their defense of sacred lands slated for a golf course. Non-Native governments, society and the RCMP should reconsider the criminal armed enforcement of the 'rights' of a rancher's cattle to eat, trample and defecate on sacred, unceded land of the Secwepemc (Shuswap) People. (You can call the RCMP at (604) 395-2456 ) Secwepemc Law provides that beyond the treaty frontier the traditional government has sovereignty and exclusive jurisdiction. The territory at issue is beyond the treaty frontier, as is most of the province of BC. The defenders at Gustafson Lake are informed by counsel Dr. Bruce Clark, LL.B., M.A., Ph.D. (Law) - a leading authority on International and Constitutional Law - that the paramount non-native law agrees with native law: "The natural International and Constitutional Law is the same throughout the Americas: the jurisdiction of the Native Peoples must be respected until such time as they have surrendered it by voluntary deed of sale. "It is clear and plain that the Rule of Law is not fbnctioning in the Aboriginal rights context." "Since the non-native judges, lawyers and police historically led and presently excuse the illegal invasion of the Indians' yet unsurrendered territories, it is equally clear and plain that the request for access to an independent and impartial tribunal, requested by you and the other indigenous peoples in the petition to the Queen, is crucial. Canada's continuing stonewalling of that access aids and abets the genocide resulting from the aforementioned fraudulent and treasonable invasion. ...as a matter of strict law, you are acting within your existing legal rights by resisting the invasion." Uphold the Law - Defend Indigenous Sovereignty

+Afinnaiht~

Baby White Buffalo An Omen Of Hope ~ u sover t one year ago, on August 20, 1994, a white buffalo was born on a farm in Wisconsin. Actually her coat is grayish beige, but since the odds of her existing at all are unbelievably small, grayish beige is as close to pure white as you can expect. Her name is Miracle, and she is the central figure in a great prophecy. She is an omen to the descendants of First Nations peoples, such as the Sioux, who have lived for centuries throughout the North American Great Plains. Her birth, foretold by holy men, is said to represent the rebirth of their nations, their fieedom fiom oppression, and their hope for the fbture. Thousands of visitors come to see Miracle. Some bring sweetgrass, others bring sage, and still others strands of tobacco ties. Native American dream catchers can be seen tied to the meadow gate. Most Visitors stand silently. When asked why he came, a man who was part Yaqui and part Apache said, "I don't know. You can be reading a story and something will touch you. It's just following what your heart says." According to "Black Elk Sveaks", a book of visions by a Sioux holy man born in the late 19th century, it was the legendary White Buffalo Calf Woman who brought the Sioux the pipe ceremony - one of their most important rituals. Before the Europeans came to North America, thirty to forty million buffdo roamed the prairies. By the year 1900, only a few hundred wild buffalo could be found on the entire continent. Conservation efforts have saved these majestic animals

from extinction, and today about 200,000 of them live on farms throughout the West and Midwest. Only one other white buffalo has been documented in this century - a bull named Big Medicine who died in 1959 at the age of thirty-six. He had a brown spot on his head. Now there is Miracle. George P. Horse Capture is assistant director of cultural resources for the Smithsonian Institute's Museum of the American Indian. He is an Aani, and was raised at Fort Belknap, Montana. Speaking of the baby white buffalo he said, "It's not a miracle...This (birth) is natural, but it appears with great rarity. Because it's very rare... it reminds us of many things - the beliefs of the people, the spirituality. New hope, renewed hope, all of these things. It's a cycle. Everything is reborn... through our animal, the buffdo." (Ellen 0'Brien, The Toronto Star, 2Wf O / W )

By SANDY CAMERON

PETITION STANDING ON GUARD FOR CANADA'S SOCIAL PROGRAMS To the Rt. Hon. JEAN CHRETIEN, Prime Minister, the Hon. LLOYD AXWORTHY, Minister of Human Resources Development, the Hon. PAUL MARTIN, Finance Minister

Whereas I have the right, along with every Canadian, to health care if I am sick, to affordable education if I ',

am training or studying, to a pension if I am a senior, to insurance against joblessness if I am a worker, to assistance if I am poor or homeless, to daycare services if I am a parent working outside the home, and to access to those cultural institutions, like the CBC which bind us together as a nation;

Whereas these social programs form the very fabric of Canada, defining us as a civilized and compassionate nation;

Whereas the struggle to build universal health care, old age security and other valued institutions is a proud part of Canada's heritage;

Whereas deep cuts to social programs will hurt all Canadians and be most hurtful to the four million adults I

and children living below the poverty line, including many who visit food banks or are homeless;

Whereas cuts to social programs are not necessary, since tax breaks and subsidies to wealthy individuals and profitable corporations have caused close to half the debt, while government spending, including social programs has caused a mere six percent;

THEREFORE I JOIN WITH THE PEOPLE OF CANADA in petitioning the Parliament to maintain and enhance the social programs that are our right and heritage. SIGNED

FULL NAME (PLEASE PRINT)

ADDRESS

CITY

PROVINCE

DO NOT DETACH (PLEASE RETURN PETITION TO THE COUNCIL OF CANADIANS)

1 /

/ '

POSTAL CODE

Count me among the majority o f Canadians who believe Canada's social programs must be preserved and improved, not destroyed. I have signed the petition to help remind the government that all Canadians have the right to health care, education, old age security, and other essential programs that make Canada a caring society.

stan On G~ar fW canada3 SO&l ~ro$aj.ltl~

I have enclosed a contribution for the amount indicated below. Please use it to Stand on Guard for Canada3 Social Programs.

n $35

n $50

$75

i1 $100

nce

1.1 Other

n Cheque (payable to the Council of Canadians) 1 Visa

I I Mastercard

Card Number: Expiry Date:

Wednesday, August 30,1995

The Province

Columnist fuels attack on the poor ATHY TAIT'S Aug. 6 column on welfare mothers ("Stuck in the dole hole") does a huge disservice t o those who need social assis.tance and t o the agencies that provide it. Jane Cavanagh suffers from ethical poverty. She says s h e "could probably get a t least 15 of these jobs," while making no apology for taking a monthly $1,175, free medical and free prescriptions. And (shocking when we realize she doesn't work) s h e says: "My kids have been in (free) daycare all their lives." She attacks t h e system a s being t o o easy, but she has taken full advantage of that ease. Where would she, a 21-year-old mother of two, be without that support system? Her attitude offends me deeply. Instead of putting the responsibility where it belongs, on herself, she blames government for providing EICHAR her with this lifestyle. The woman lives in a moral vacuum: Now that Byline she's getting educated (at whose expense?), s h e wants t o make sure that other women and poor people can't get the same perks. Jane Cavanagh's attitude, not public policy, is disgraceful. The accompanying article suggests that employable young people are going t o social assistance in preference t o going t o work. As the Prince George supervisor of the Canada Employment Centre for Students, I vigorously refute that implication. Young people are coming t o our office in droves, only t o find that jobs are scarce. Well over half of our jobs were of less than five days' duration, but students came back over and over saying, "Are there any jobs?" I'm appalled at the misuse of Alberta statistics t o support the anti-poor stance of the article. It attributes the drop to 52,000 from 94,000 people on the welfare rolls to "taking healthy young people off welfare;" this would mean that 42,000 of those on social assistance (44.68 per cent) were under 24, when the B.C. figure is 20 per cent on either unemployment or social assistance. These figures don't jibe, and the journalist who misaligned these figures should be ashamed

. . .or apologetic.

Ageist and antigoor, the article fuelshostility toward gioups The article fuels who a r e hostility towards IOW on the

groups who are low on the economic f oodchain

economic foodchain. ~ t ' s like b l a m i for grass ng being eaten by moose; like blaming Fraser River salmon for being caught by the inland fishery. Most young people and poor people want t o work. Blame industry and technology for unemployment and increased social assistance, not kids who want t o work. My question and challenge to everyone who nodded in agreement with the article's root premise - young people are taking advantage of welfare because they're lazy -is this: "Did you hire a student this summer?" Molly Eichar is the supervisor of the Canada Employment Centre for Students in Prince George.

Ever wonder why being poor is somehow your fault? Ever wonder why the programs and training set up seem to have a hard time working? Ever wonder why any talk of there being a "conspiracy" is laughed at or dismissed as the ravings of a sore

loser at best or a lunatic at worst?? Just to keep looking at events as they unfold is helpful, but you and I get the feeling that there is an entirely different way of looking that is shared by a great many people, a way that is never given the same scope as the way we're supposed to believe things are. At one end are the ultra-rich and the corporate overseers, whom the media rarely talks of except in terms of business decisions. At the other end are the vast majority of humanity - 7/8 of the people on Earth are included - for whom the basic necessities of food, clothing, shelter, medical aid and education are not guaranteed. It is not hit and miss on the changes that have occurred in the last few years. Going back, seeing the prices of things in the 20's and 40's, learning how the poor were treated like animals, how it

used to be a crime to be poor, how it is so easy for the wealthy and their minions to target the poor, the aged, women, people with disabilities, virtually anyone not a member of the ruling class as the individual causes for whatever problems there are. It's become a matter of dividing people, or rather discouraging people from organising and educating themselves. When you see anythmg that rings of poorbashing, sexism, racism, discrimination, classism, ageism, provincialism, and so on, think of how it narrows your worldview, of what it is trying to accomplish, and, most importantly, who will benefit fkom it. I was at a meeting of people establishing an institute to do social & economic research and to

take action on the serious divisions being exploited by the rabid and reactionary right, on the whole Reform Party, the Liberal and Conservative destruction of social programs to benefit the wealthy, the backlash against immigrants, the building of new prisons in anticipation of people turning to crime or to civil disobedience in mass numbers, the privatisation of so much while automation destroys hundreds of thousands of jobs ... it isn't anything new. Looking back over the last 20 or 50 years, these are not new issues at all. This last paragraph could just as well have been written in 1935 or 1975. But, as one professor at this meeting said, "The actions taken by the wealthy are directly meant to smash all gains made in the last 50 years and we've got to do something and do it right now!" The point of this is to say that we're closer now to the actual workings of systems, much more is known about who operates behind the scenes and what their tactics are. The point is to fight back in an organised way, to join with others, to be a part of the struggle to make this better for tomorrow's generation, One way to help is to respond to the following, maybe to fill out the enclosed petition and mail it to Ottawa, to attend the public meetings on Welfare Appeals, Community Housing, Safety, Land Use & Development... to learn as much as possible about what is not said in the standard news of the day.

CANADIAN PUBLIC OPINION POLL on Social Program Cuts Should the Federal Government Cut Health Care, Old Age Pensions, Social Security and Unemployment Insurance? 1. CHILD POVERTY More than 1,400,000 Canadian children live in poverty enough to form the fifth largest province. The government says it's serious about child poverty but research shows that children don't live in poverty unless their parents do. The

pernment has announced massive cuts to welfare and other programs which will affect all poor people young and old alike. The government should reinstateprograms that eliminate poverty among all poor people. - Agree

2 TAXING CORPORATIONS VERSUS SLASHING SOCIAL SPENDING In 1991, there were 62,000 corporations in Canada, with total profits of over $12 billion, who paid no income taxes at all. And, according to Statistics Canada, tax breaks to corporations and wealthy individuals have made up close to half the national deficit, while social spending has made up only 6 percent. The government should insist on afair corporate tax system to help cover the deficit andfund social programs. - Agree Disagree

n If you've filled out these questions, cut out the e&on and this art and send to: Campaign For Fairness National Anti-Poverty Organisation 3 16-256 King Ekiward Avenue, Ottawa Ontario. KIN 7M1

Postage is 45 cents. For those of you interested

3. CJNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE In the United States a hip to the emergency room can cost you $1 0,000 - here in Canada it is still free. However, the government's recent budget could mean new user fees and an end to universal and .freeaccess to health care. Many poor and middle income Canadians may no longer get the care they need. Which sentence below most closely reflects your views? - Canada should preserve universality and ban userfees. - Canada should end universality and allow user fees.

4. POVERTY IN OLD AGE More than 18% of all Canadians over 65 years of age live in poverty. The risk is greater for older women who live alone almost half of them live in poverty. Social programs like pensions, old age security and health care that affect older Canadians should be improved, not cut back. Agree Disagree

*The first is praise. "DERA can be very proud of their advocate, Wayne. He researches his client's case thoroughly and presents it professionally. He makes sure his client's needs are completely expressed, despite interruptions." This was handed in only an hour after hearing someone slagging DERA this person went there and asked for a job, DERA had no job for him and right away DERA was the scum of the Downtown Eastside. * The City of Vancouver is reacting to the community's activity on Woodward's, Gastown, the lack of an area development plan and a comprehensive housing strategy. It involves three efforts: a housing plan, an impact study (on development and megaprojects) and a Gastown land use initiative. Meanwhile these megaprojects and the building of condos and gentrification go ahead full steam. It would be foolish not to meet with this effort, since our outspokenness caused it

to begin. The Gastown land use bit is an example of what the community is up against - GHAPC (Gastown Historic Area Planning Committee) is a body of people appointed by Council. It is exclusive, as is their viewpoint on virtually everythsng. They specifically don't want any more social housing, any more social agencies, and improvement in services and the removal of much that is here now. Readers may have come across a few names in recent issues like Jon Ellis, Jim Lehto, Mike McCoy...the usual phspects. Well boys and girls, who do you think is part of a smaller subcommittee dealing specifically with this land use study? Five people, half of GHAPC, are also half of this new thing and the other five are for the most part being selected for "balance" 8000 residents get one person, all social agencies get one person, etc. but no one is to "represent" anyone leave your hat at the door. Well, the best laid plans and all that - Steve Wynn's casino had similar beginnings.. .

* The Carnegie Action Project has reformed . after a month or so of summer-time. The Downtown Eastside 20120 is a proposal that is now getting underway, and a coordinator will be hired this month. There will be a job description posted next week, seeking a person to hold workshops in SRO hotels, to work with lowincome people in developing a clear picture of what this neighbourhood can or could become in 25 years, to engage, train and support a number of volunteers in doing the work, and to fundraise. * Literacy Day is Friday, September Sth, with events here, outside,, and in Oppenheimer Park. * YOGA / MEDITATION As mentioned about a month ago, a session of classes teaching yoga and tantric meditation will bgin on Saturday morning, Se~tember9th at 10 a.m. There will be 8 classes, each one for about an hour and a half. They will be held in the Association Office on Camegie's 2nd floor. All are welcome and it's free.

PAULR TAYLOR

P.S.: Dean (Trib with the Trib) won his tribunal by a unanimous decision. Kudos to Wayne at DERA!

{"Does Clinton really think 124 million Americans can reinvent themselves every five years t o keep up with a high-tech marketplace? Does Gingrich honestly believe every American can become a freelance entrepreneur, continually hustling contracts?" -JEREMY

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