car ne ie t .-.---- . g -· . NEWSLETTER
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401 Main St, Vancouver BC V6A 2T7 604-665-2289
SEPTEMBER11 2013 camnews@shaw.ca www.carnnews.org
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Attn: Editor of the Carnegie Newsletter This letter is to inform you that the DNC [Roland Clarke] is extremely offended by several statements, attributed to Paul R. Taylor, in the August 15th, 20 13 edition of the Carn egie Newsletter made about the people of the Downtown Eastside and the Downtown Eastside Neighbourhood Co uncil (DNC). A se lection of these highly offensive, hateful, rac ist, discriminatory, and libell ous remarks arc summarized below: I) " when with morals and righteousness of a s hithouse rat" appears in paragraph 8 of your editorial (27 years!.) This statement equates [Roland Clarke] residents of the Downtown Eastside with rodents covered in feces. We believe that this represents hate speech directed toward our neighbourhood and we demand a formal retraction. The res idents o f the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver are industrious, hardworking people that regularly encounter brutal racism and discriminatory treatment at the hands of service providers and law enforcement. They are much in need of essential health se rvices such as accessible public bathrooms, public showers, replacement prescription therapy for drug addiction, and many other low barrier services. To think that the Carnegie Centre wou ld condone & support such racist and discriminatory language toward the good people of the Downtown Eastside is quite fi路ankl y unfathomable & unacceptable to our [my] organ ization. 2) "hence the disgust at the smell emanating" another refe rence from the same article clearly maligning the hygiene of [Roland C larke] the residents of the Downtown Eastside. The residents are in need of peer directed health services, not more hate speech spewed by the Carnegie Centre. 3) " The small cartel fat the DNCj takes decisions diametrically opposed to the founding co nstitution !of the DNCJ". Again, this is a specific charge that is unsubstantiated in your article. Please provide [me] us with any specific instances where you believe that the DNC has v iolated its Constitution, a nd these will be addressed in the appropriate manner [behind closed doors with no general members present] by our board. Barring this, we would ask for a specific retraction of this li belous statement. The DNC is a democratic, grass roots residents association that represents the people of the Downtown Eastside. We are further offended and di stressed that an employee of the Carnegie Centre wou ld choose to malign this entire neighbourhood through this unsubstantiated libelous statement. Please let us [me] know when a retraction of these racist, discriminatory, and libellous attacks on the people ofthe Downtown Eastside will be made ava ilable to the public. Sincere ly, Ro land Clarke Secretary of the DNC
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Roland is very good at being self-rig hteous. He claims to have a PhD ... 'clai ms' because it's obvious he can't read fo r shit, unless he's so sold on his own fantasy that he purposely thinks any outing of him is automatically a n attack on res idents of the DE. Undoubtedly this indignity be claims to have unearthed at the behest of all res idents ofthe Downtown Easts ide bas hit too close to home because it was directed at " those directly responsible for the Gastown Gazette puke" ... and that's a very s mall puddle of piss. Clarke makes no apologies for denigrating, slandering and libelling honest, hard-working citizens. Being a toady oftbe deve lopers hell-bent on gentrifying our neighbourhood and kick ing every low-incom e person to the street is what' s best for Roland C larke. And, by the way, Pau iR Taylor has never been an e mployee of the Carneg ie Comm unity Centre or the CCC Association. He's been a vo lunteer s ince 1982. And the Carnegie Centre is in no way responsible for the content of the News letter. Roland, you can indulge in as over-the-top a n intellectual extravaganza as you want, but suc h degenerates- as yours does- almost immediately into tall talk. Hold a public meeti ng o f the Downtown Neig hbourhood Cou nc il where anyone can at tend a nd you can't get away with weasel words or snide misdirection. See how long you last! {Editor's note: T wrote to a few trusted people to get an objective take on my response} 路' I love you and you r blunt a nd direct honest journalism at moments li ke this even more than usual. It is as incredible that Dr. Clarke, a newcomer to the DTES, sees a criticism of his actions directly to be an attack on all DTES residents, as that he dares put his neighbourhood cred against and ahead of yours! What an ass. Thanks for your work and steady course Paul." " I would recommend holding off publishing your response, or at least coming back to it w ith a cooler head. It's gooc to respond point by point to his accusations, especially if his accusations a re public, but there is one sentence in the re that is too strong in my opinion: " ... unless he's too perfect to be outed for the manipula tive son-of-a-bitc h he is ." It's up to you but l would hate to be held responsible for that statement. It stoops to Roland's level."
---WI/" ')5 S4JJPBoX IS IT AN'IWA'I ? )\fv\)Jtvl M' @ 2 0\3
DTES picketers win bus service back for community by Esther Hsieh Starting Labour Day the #4 and #7 buses will once again be running along Powell and Cordova Streets through the Oppenheimer District. Both buses were rerouted to Hastings east of Main St. earlier this summer due to the construction of an overpass on Powell St., leaving the neighbourhood with the highest density of seniors and residents with mobility restrictions in Vancouver (and most of them low income), blocks away from public transit. This came to the attention of the "DTES Picketers", community members who are protesting the displacement of vulnerably-housed residents caused by upscale development and businesses like Pidgin and Cuchillo restaurants. "Merv spearheaded the campaign," explains picketer Wendy. Merv is a longtime resident of the DTES. He used to volunteer for DERA and more recently in+for the Carnegie Centre. A disabled senior, he lives in a nearby hotel at Powell and Gore and depends on the bus that stops a block away to get to the hospital for his daily treatments. He is just one of many residents in the Oppenheimer District who depend critically on
proximate access to bus service. The westbound #4 and #7 buses were rerouted to Hasting St. at Jere;t five blocks more than necessary, in his estimation. And these five blocks are critical, explains picketer Beatriz, " It houses a high density of older people and people with issues of mobility. Also with winter coming and short daylight hours it's a safety issue for women." Merv's concerns went unanswered at the City's Open House for the Powell Street Overpass Project, so he enlisted the help of his neighbour Wendy. Fellow picketers and Karen (Executive Director of Lookout Emergency Aid Society and Chairperson of the Urban Core Workers) were also eager to lend a hand. initially, they too were brushed off by the City Engineering Services. "They told me to take it up with TransLink and gave me their customer service number," explains Wendy, who's also a vocal advocate for much needed housing in the DTES and wasn't surprised to get the brush off from the City of Vancouver once again. After several cycles of the run-around, they realized they needed a different approach and asked Green City Councillor Adriane Carr to help out. Immediate
ly she arranged a meeting with reps from the City Engineering Services and TransLink, and that's really when the ball started rolling. Merv and other seniors living nearby, with the help of picketers, made it known that they were ready to mobilize with petitions and demonstrations if negotiations with Engineering and TransLink failed. In the last week of August, Katherine McCune, I Manager of Service Planning for TransLink, told the group that the# 4 and #7 bus will return to Cordova St. and Powell St. west of Heatley Ave. Starting Labour Day.
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Community reaction to the return of bus service in the Oppenheimer District:
"Reinstating it is an answer to a seniors prayer. The chances of a bad fall were so much more likely if this continued for an entire year. Especially in the winter. As well the increased costs in taxis are more than I can manage on a limited budget. Seniors in this area are so grateful for reversing this bad decision and restores our faith a bit," Says Heidi Morgan, who's elderly mother who lives on Alexander St. "I'm so proud of everyone who helped get transit back, and grateful. !fit had stayed for winter I would have had to turn down a position for work. I just could not have walked to Hastings from Alex ander 2-Jtimes a day," says Dianne Tobin "Thank you very much for your great efforts with those great guys to win the battle. Yes for sure I will tell the story to our seniors in the building, " says Willy, Shiloh Social Housing Manager on Powell St.
CUCH ILLO a)UCHEZ LOW PIDGIN P!GPEN
Full Moon Shucks sister this here most po-lite parta down 'course step outta line then you playin' another tune coming here took 4 people brave enough to grant me a light darn sister I'm an old man don't matter I move like a panther that's just high maintenance is all spent 12 hrs today at the airport 12 hrs for 20 minutes a deal in my books - I love her more than the moon, my dotta I'd run just to take a bullet Allan Loewen
A Bed No Less Don't•dish
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what you can't take When it's slappin' you in the face this morning I'm strolling up this corridor of pain wearing a Tshirt decorated my own bad self said in big black letters White Trash Party man, I'm just plain' y'alll know me well the brothers just sm ile but the truckers, muthafuckas they just bristle up at that they always so busy runnin' everyone else down come their turn, can't hand le it at all as they sleep cozy in a BED at UGM man, I slept out a free man, out of doors till the rain pushed me indoors always the first one cry in' the blues, shit! Bobby Brown
We could learn a lot from crayons: some are sharp, some are pretty, some are dull, some have weird names, and all are different colours... but they all exist very nicely in the same box.
From the LibrarY Hello! Here are descriptions of some interesting books we've recently added. I' ve also added lots (I forget how many) of other true crime books, both for the paperback racks and for the regu lar shelves. lf true crime books are your thing, come have a look!
-- Stephanie, Carnegie librarian (with help from Marcus)
For King and Kanata: Canadian Indians and the First World War By Timothy C. Wingard At the start of the First World War, First Nations men were barred from military service but, as the war dragged on, casualties mounted .. enlistment waned. Aboriginal men were sought out and recruited. And join they did! But even though willing to enlist and fight in a European war, these same participants still did not gain anything like equality at home, not even Canad ian citizenship. This sympathetic narrative is expettly and closely researched, mostly based on Imperial and Canadian archives; it is well organized and a straightforward read. The author is a Canadian Forces and British Army veteran, and teaches in the Western Ontario.
I'm Your Man
By Sylvie Simmons In spite of some serious ups and downs, both personal and professional, and being an inveterate smoker, at 78 Leonard Cohen is still going stro ng, and performing as much, if not more than ever. Sylvie Simmons has written the definitive biography, covering in telling and colourful detail Cohen's long and remarkable road, replete with skid marks: law-suits and countersuits; his invo lvement with Buddhism; his controver- 路 sial concert in Tel Aviv; his philanthropy; and some nasty collisions, not least having nearly al l his earnings stolen by his longtime manager. This biography brilliantly fleshes out Cohen as a person, characterized as at times uncompromising, hurtful, yet deeply compassionate (even to his embezzling ex-manager)! The Slave Across the Street
By Thersa Flores Flores fatalistically declares, ''I chose my fa mily. As a result, I endured sexual slavery." In the end, s he believes God salved her pain. From a middle-class,
Detroit family, the author recounts her harrowing story. She was raped at age fifteen. Soon after, photographs s urfaced. Making an ill-fated decision to avoid having her family see the photos, she was in turn blackmailed and entrapped in human trafficking as a sex slave. This is a truly disturbing, and cautionary tale. Included is a practical Parent & Professional section on common signs to be aware of should you think someone you know is being sexually abused, as wel l as useful websites.
Simply the Bible
By Nick Page A concise, accessible, and attractively illustrated guidebook to an all time bestseller: The Bible -- "The Book" in which some parts are, nonetheless, not easily accessible. Summaries of each book of the Old and New Testaments are given and then divided into sections: "What is it"? "What Happens"? "Why Does it Matter"? And, "Surprise Me". Simple references to particular chapters and verses are given on each page. This is a must-read, for anyone who wants a really clear overview of The Bible in barely 100 pages!
One Morning in My Shelter Hastings and Gore I always wake at 6 o'clock. A good time. No one in the showers, everyone snoring. Sometimes the girl in the next bed has vanished .. her suitcase and blanket gone. Some return. The female staff come to count heads at 5 o'clock. This is the check-in time. Technically those not in or around lose their bed for 24 hours. Sometimes. The staff play soli taire or read or snooze. Graveyard is boring. Most of the personnel are easy going.. some sarcastic or cranky. They are a different class from we homeless. They have cars and families, smoke cigarettes, and get tattoos. At breakfast a horde of rough bearded rude men line up. They joke and laugh until the door to the room is open. Arguments break out over the coffee, the soup, the pastry. Some men are kind and help me to negotiate my walker in a narrow space. Willie
Colleen's Corner VOLUNTEER FOR THE HEALTH OF IT! 漏 OUR VOLUNTEERS - OUR GREATEST ASSET THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR HARD WORK @ VOLUNTEERS OF THE MONTH B ryn Jones. Sandwichs, Prep Cook, Dishwasher W a lter Merasty, Runner, Server VOLUNTEER COMMITTEE METING Wed nesday September 11, at 4pm in Class room 11 ALL VO LUNTEERS WELCOME! Yo ur voice is needed and appreciated.
EXTRA EXTRA EXTRA READ ALL ABOUT IT! SEPTEMBER VOLUNTEER DINNERPLEASE NOTE : THURSDAY....not WEDNESDAY THURSDAY, September 19th, 2013@ 4:30 (for those with 12 hours or more) Please pick up your Dinner ticket in the Volunteer Program Office T he staff thank you fo r being will ing to change our traditional "Wednesday" to Thursday and appreciate the opportun ity to serve you who served the whole communi ty ALL MONTH Ll
ANNUAL SENIOR'S PROGRAMNOLUNTEER PROGRAM PICNIC TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 3RD, 8:30AM- 5:00PM Beautiful Harrison Hot Springs eating, 路walking, eating, sig ht-seeing, eating, laughing, chatting, adventure seeking, cards, Frisbee, eating, singing, eating Sign up with Seniors or the Volunteer Programs
POOL ROOM TO URNAMENT : 8-BaJI Challenge The Carnegie Ball Breakers versus T he Gathering P lace 'Nut Crackers' Refereed by A I Homenchuk. We want to congratulate 'The Nutcrackers' from the Gathering Place on their 2"d Annual win. " lt was August 6 1h@ 1Oam that the ann ual 8-Ball Challenge Cup was held at the Carnegie Centre. The Carnegie 'Ball Breakers' versus the Gathering P lace ' Nutcrackers' . It was a 4-Man Team Round Robin
competition. In the first round of matches the 'Nutcrackers' took a 3 Games to I Lead. The last 3 Round Robin matches were split 2 games apiece. At the end the 'Ballbreakers' needed to win its final match to create a tie. But, yet again, we feel short and lost the cup with the 'Nutcrackers' winning 9 matches and the " Ball breakers' willing 7. Next year's matches are to be held at the Gathering Place. Lets give special thanks to our tean me mbers: Gerry Humphries, Willie Dixon, Mo Blixt and Marvin Denn is Sr who played hard. Thanks to our referees AI Homenchuk with Garnet Weins as back-up The overall fee ling from the participants was that nerves and adrenaline p layed a huge part in this competition; its nice to have those feeli ngs in a healthy way wh ile the competition was o n. Again, 1 would a lso like to thank the audience who watched the matches . I am sure their ooohs and ahhhs were fe lt by the competitors. Bradley Hurlburi
Wo rkplace Essential SkillsTraining Carnegie Centre's Volunteer Program in pa11nership w ith Vancouver Community College, is pleased to offer free Workplace Essential Skills training to Carnegie's. volunteers and employees. With a flexible training schedule and lessons designed to develop skills that are useful in any workplace, this program has proven to be popular with participants and employers alike. Every participant who completes the program receives a Statement of Completion from VCC and a $250.00 training s tipend. Extra Benefit: Pariicipants receive a VCC Student Number which gives them access to VCC's Library and Learn ing Centre until the end of the term. The Workplace Essential Skills are: I Thinking; Reading; Writing; Numeracy I Document Use; Computer Use Oral Communication l Working with others; Continuous learning Participants will focus on those skills that they most need in their workplaces. The training itself is delivered at VCC's downtown campus. To be eligible, you must be employed by or volunteering with a non-profit/social enterprise. Interested volunteers and employees can contact the Carnegie Centre Volunteer Program office for more info
Miracles in My Life Part 2 In part one of this story I talked about two miracles that changed my life: the coming of medicare to Saskatchewan and then to Canada, and the development of 600,00 units of social housing in Canada, due to the pressure that the New Democratic party put o n Liberal Prime Mi nister Pierre Elliott T rudeau in 1972. "I believe in angels," sang the pop group Abba in the 1970's. Well I don't believe in ange ls and I'm not asking you the reader to believe in god or gods. But I do believe that miracles sometimes happen. The third miracle that changed my life was the declaration of 1981 as the Year of the Handicapped, by the thenLiberal government of Pierre Elliott Trudeau. Now I don't know why the Liberals did this. But because of th is Liberal announcement I got a wellpaying job for a whi le as a human rights researcher."lt sure beats livi ng on welfare," I told a
friend of mine who asked me how my new job was gotng Last came the fourth and final miracle in my life. That occurred in I 972 though I didn't know how it would effect me back then. I went out and canvassed with thousands of other canvassers on behalf of the then-opposition New Democratic Pruiy led by Dave Barrett. Wonder of wonders, the N.D.P. after 39 years in o pposition, won the election. "We are here to put our policies in place," the -new premier Dave Barrett said in effect, "and not to just get re-elected." So Barrett's government passed a w hole raft of laws including the Handicapped Person's Income Assistance Act. Thousands of handicapped people queued up to get the Handicapped Person's Income Assistance and they got it. Now they had higher rates than wei fare, some medical and dental coverage and a cheap yearly transit
"It was just a slogan," a cynical Trudeau told a
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pass. I became disabled in 1974 and I didn't get the hand icapped all owance until 1988. With this one gift my life changed for the better. I moved from living in destitution to getting by in dignified poverty. That victory of the N.D. P. in 1972 and the passage of the Handicapped Person's Income Assistance act was another miracle. But those miracles or human acts if you will, won't happen again in my lifetime. The New Democratic Party has become what one advocate calls "The New Liberal Party."" It's not interested in progressive policies period." he said. Meanwhile all the other parties including the Liberal Party and the Conservatives. have swung way to the right. It was after al l the Ltberal government of Jean Chretien that in 1995 cut social programs to the bone. And most of those cuts have never been restored. So I'm not like that character I mentioned in the first part of this story. That character said that one miracle in their life was enough for one lifetime. That's not me. I want to see many more miracles or new social programs come to Canada. But as I told a friend of mine recently "They're just not going to happen ... And that's just too too bad. "I'm waiting for a miracle," pop star Bruce Cockburn sings in his song of the same name. Now I'm not waiting for the miracles most people believe in, like winning a lottery or seeing God or angels come down from heaven. What I'm hoping will pop up again are political parties who 'vvill strengthen or introduce new social programs. To me this would be a miracle. But I don't think this is going to happen soon. In a past issue of this newsletter I pointed out two miracles that happened when I was young. First was the arrival of single payer medicare which happened in Saskatchewan in 1962. The Co-operative Commonwealth Federation or CCf government, which was the mother and father of the present New Democratic Party, by doing this saved many many Canadians from early death and destitution. Then in 1972, the then federal Liberal government of Pierre Elliott Trudeau cut a deal with the New Democratic Party to stay in power. The Liberals promised to fund the building of hundreds of thousands of social housing units.
group of Calgary protesters in 1969 about his victorious 1968 campaign slogan called 'The Just Society.' But now in 1972 the N.D.P. forced Trudeau and his minority government to put flesh on the bones of his campaign slogan. That was a miracle too, just li ke single payer medicare. In that same year of 1972, Dave Barrett led the B.C. N.D.P. to its first election victory. That was another miracle. For the N.D.P. has only v.ron two provincial elections since 1972. "We will govern to put our policies in place," a triumphant premier Barrett said in effect. "We aren't governing just to get reelected." Barrett's government did many line things. But one of the best things his government did, was to bring in a pension for handicapped people. I'll never forget this or the Minister of Human Resources Norm Levi who brought in this new benefit. Thousands of disabled people who were living on welfare and/or a pittance, lined up to be declared disabled. This new allowance gave poor people a leg up the social ladder. I became disabled in 1974. I didn't get a handicapped allowance until 1988.Still, this allowance helped me survive. Last miracle on 1py list was the federal Liberal government of Mr. Trudeau proclaim 1981 as 'The Year of the Disabled'.! ended up with a great job of trying to get disabled people included in the B.C. Human Rights Code. I failed in my task, but I did manage to save money from the job. That money enabled to pay for a share purchase in a housing co-op, where I still live to-day. When people ask me sometimes if! believe in miracles 1just reply" I've seen four of them but none lately." And that's the truth. For there's no political party around to-day that says that old age pensions should be raised, or the minimum wage increased, or that employment insurance should cover all working Canadians and that welfare rates should go up quite a bit. The N.D.P. used to support such policies but no longer. No other political party cares, at least none that I know of. So unlike Bruce Cockburn I'm not waiting for any miracles now. Still, it would be nice if one or two miracles came along soon, at least before I die. By DAVE JAFFE
Mes Amis
My friends
Wonder w hy I am still homeless And I say to them '·irs a long. long story'· Almost five years long [fn you'll count that last year SunSut Towers When I looked ' high undt lo' F illed o ut g i no rmous & bounteous fo rms Le Bureux We blam e the C hi nese However the French perfected it And NOW we all suffe r under it Three p ieces of paper to order paper clips Seventeen to get a passport A big can of worms no one will want to open. In the housing complex Four hundred p lus people from foreign lands Refugees f rom repressio n and/or oppressio n Stuck in apartments getting ready to die. Hierarchy among the refugees Some came 35 years ago Some fres h off the boat Some had been enem ies years ago
Now eating at the same table Taking imaginary aim with imaginary guns across the room . I was younger then still dancing & believing in fairy tales Experience had not blunted my expectations. But Time, that capricious whore Erased my bitter memories Prevented the learning I should have had Like the music from Grani's accordion and the hymns mom played A song of love is a sad song so it goes And NOW here am I back where I started Square one. More a child than ever before Never having learned a thing about EVIL. St. Thomas has taken over my soul A 11 day doubting As bad as believing. Just remember folks Who's da boss a your ass And that rugged individualism is just another name fo r selfis h in my books.
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Fla1t1enco Dance Workshops with Kelty McKerracher at Carnegie Community Centre! Saturdays September 7, 14, 21,
28 and October 5, 12, 19, 26 3:30 - 5:30pm Carnegie Theatre Want to move your body in a new way, build self-confidence, and practice your intense • flamenco stare? Come and learn the art form of Southern Spain! We will explore the exciting and proud tradition of flamenco music, dance, and rhythm. No dance experience necessary, just curiosity and a desire to try something new. Open to all genders and ages. Look forward to seeing you there - Ole! 3:30- 4:30pm This will be an beginner class in the art of Solea, building on the foundations learned in the spring. Solea means 'solitude' and is a slow, deep and emotional dance. This form is considered by many to be the heart of flamenco. We will focus on rhythm and palmas, postura, body movements, and working towards learning a dance to be presented at Barrio Flamenco in early Novem ber. Please note that participants are invited but not required to perform. New students to flamenco are welcome to join in: be prepared for a challenge and for a lot of fun! 4:30- 5:30pm In this class Pat and new students w ill have a chance to practice the dance of Sev iIIanas, famously danced at the April Fair in Sevilla. We will work towards learning the second 'cop la' or verse and focus on style and arms as we dance together in pairs.
Thank you to Face the World Foundation for their gen erous donation.
It Is Illegal To Feed The Homeless In Cities All Over The United States [and how far ' behind ' is Canada, usually? !] By Michael Snyder of Activist Post
What would you do if a police officer threatened to arrest you for trying to share a sandwich with a desperately hungry homeless woman who really needed it? Such a notion sounds absolutely bizarre, but this is actually happening in major cities all over the United States. More than 50 large U.S. cities have adopted 'anti-camping" or "anti-food sharing" laws in recent years and in many of these cities the police are strictly enforcing these laws. Sometimes the goal appears to be to get the homeless people to go away. Apparently the heartless politicians that are passing these laws believe that if the homeless can't get any more free food and if they keep getting thrown into prison for "illegal camping" they will eventually decide to go somewhere else where they won't be hassled so much. This is yet another example of how heartless society is becoming. The middle class is being absolutely shredded and poverty is absolutely exploding, but meanwhile the hearts of many Americanadians are growing very cold. If this continues, what is the future of the country going to look like? An organization called Love Wins Ministries made national headlines recently when police in Raleigh, North Carolina threatened to arrest them if they distributed sausage biscuits and coffee to homeless people living in the heart of the city. On Saturday, August, 24, Love Wins showed up at Moore Square at 9:00a.m., just like we have done virtually every Saturday and Sunday for the last six years. We provide hot coffee and a breakfast sandwich to anyone who wants one. We keep this promise to our community in cooperation with five different, large suburban churches that help us with manpower and funding. On that morning three officers from Raleigh Police Department prevented us from doing it, for the first time ever. An officer said, quite bluntly, that if we attempted to distribute food , we would be arrested. Our partnering church brought 100 sausage biscuits and large amounts of coffee. We asked the officers for permission to disperse the biscuits to the over 70 people who had lined up, waiting to eat. They said no. I had to face those who were waiting & tell them that I could not feed them, or I'd be arrested. Does reading that upset you? It should. Since when is it illegal to give somebody food? In Or-
lando FL, it has been since April 2011 , when a group of activists lost a court battle against the city to overturn its 2006 laws that restrict sharing food with groups of more than 25 people. The ordinance requires those who do these "large" charitable food sharings in parks within two miles of City Hall to obtain a permit and limits each group to two permits per park for a year. That is yet another example of how corrupt and unjust our court system has become. The funny thing is that some of these control freak politicians actually believe that they are "helping" the homeless by passing such laws. In New York City, Mayor Bloomberg has banned citizens from donating food directly to homeless shelters and he is actually convinced that it was the right thing to do for the homeless ... Outlawed because the city can't assess their salt, fat and fiber cqntent, reports CBS 2's Marcia Kramer. Glenn Richter arrived at a West Side synagogue on Monday to collect surplus bagels -fresh nutritious bagels to donate to the poor. However, under a new edict from Bloomberg's food police he can no longer donate the food to city homeless shelters. Do you r13ally think that the homeless care about the "salt, fat and fiber content" of their food? Of course not. They just want to eat. It would be one thing if there were just a few isolated cities around the nation that were passing these kinds of laws. Unfortunately, that is not the case. In fact, according to USA Today, more than 50 large cities have passed such laws ... Atlanta, Phoenix, San Diego, Los Angeles, Miami, Oklahoma City and more than 50 other cities have previously adopted some kind of anti-camping or anti-food-sharing laws, according to the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty. What in the world is happening to America/Canada? The way that we treat the most vulnerable members of our society says a lot about who we are as a nation. Sadly, it is not just our politicians that are becoming heartless. Below, I have posted a copy of a letter that was sent to a family with a severely autistic child. This happened up in Canada, but I think that it is a perfect example of how cold and heartless society is becoming ...
[This is the letter talked about recently on TV and radio . It was delivered anonymously to the grandmother of the autistic boy; he stayed with her in the summer in the Maritimes.] To the lady living at this address: I also live in this neighbourhood and have a problem!!! you have a kid that is mentally handicapped and you consciously decided that it would be a good idea to live in a close proximity neighbourhood like this???? You selfishly put your kid outside every day and let him be a nothing but a nuisance and a problem to everyone else with that noise polluting whaling he constantly makes!!! That noise he makes when he is outside is DREADFUL!!!!!!!!!! It scares the hell out of my normal children!!!!!! When you feel your idiot kid needs fresh air, take him to our park you dope!!! We have a nature trail! Let him run around those places and make noise!!!!! Crying babies, music and even barking dogs are normal sounds in a residential neighbourhood!!!!! He is NOT!!!!!!!!!! He is a hindrance to everyone and will always be that way!!!!! Who the hell is going to care for him?????? No employer will hire him, no normal girl is going to marry/love him and you are not going to live forever!! Personally, they should take whatever non retarded body parts he possesses and donate it to science. What the hell else good is he to anyone!!! You had a retarded kid, deal with it. .. properly!!!!!! What right do you have to do this to hard working people!!!!! I HATE people like you who believe, just because you have a special needs kid , you are entitled to special treatment!! ! GOD!!!!!!!!!! Do everyone in our community large a favour and MOVE!!!! VAMOOSE!!! SCRAM !!! Move away and get out of this type of neighbourhood setting!!! Go live in a trailer in the woods or something w ith your wild animal kid!!! Nobody wants you living here and they don't have the guts to tell you !!! Do the right thing and move or euthanize him!!! Either way, we are ALL better off!!!
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Sincerely One pissed off mother.
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An Outdoor-Multimedia-Visual Arts Market at Napier & Commercial Drive 4 Sundays: August 11- September 1
lion a month Saint Minus prayas that one day we will all know that this is just wrong; us without number can only watch and wonder why everything seems so distant and completely out of time, now I don't mean to be rude but why does everyone with expensive possessions have such file and fucking terminal Hate the Poor attitudes?? Just the other day a frien d was looking at someone's motorized bike & out comes the owner scream ing obscenities cuz of course my friend was about to "steal" - their lack of respect should be a crime. Officer Down would be down there in a flash on the entrance exams to peace and harmony class (! believe he was the only one who failed to pass) yet we are the ones getting shoved to the side if not shoveled over the head but another poor person's death would rate an A-pl us on the cover with more on Page Ni ne, like a Quarterback making 3 .5 mil-a-month giving a $74 take-out order of food a $3 tip how sad and selfish these people are who th ink the world is t5he irs Why don't we invent a party at his house inviting every member of both the Bloods and the Crips bodybags are optional as both Nike and Adidas are at war as to who gets to make gangs and co ps and mass murderers their busin.ess (which is booming) ; Hatred is a good commod tty! Like an episode of Law and Order every blade has a trail of bloody disorder yeah it's a lawnmower's world out there.what with throats being slit from ear to ear 1 can hear them now hovering all around and above me if Earth had a killing jar every country on WITHOUT NUMBER this planet would be strong and even getting along It seems the rich are much more important than us the because of financial sec urity no reason to fight please poor the unwashed the unwanted we reall y do not gods tell me I'm right peace in our lifetime now that seem to matter at all, even their trash is better than most definitely would be something to see! Maybe ours yet used for com posting for gardens would beneone day on this planet or the next there' ll be no more fit everyone yet So many stereotypical people ~f imbomb threats in crayon with everyone a suspect we portance hiding their children and garbage behmd just cannot go on li ving and dying the way it always gated ultra-rich community walls, 300 years before is'was'has'and must or must it now must I get down my birth ( 1665) the re was even more evil and death on my fucking knees on this earth: the Black Plague ki lled so many and as meanwhile in the United Pri sons of America it's horrific as it could be today's rich would buy the vacbring yo ur gun to Starbucks day now how many shall c ine and keep it for themselves if and when the next die and this is just one day I swear as the Satanatrocity exhibition comes along, s uch wickedness will GodlceCreamFamily is my witness l will abstain come and fall across thisland without number do we from dying from the most common ailment which is 1 at least understand poverty has raised its scaly hand humanitybrutality disease, peace and love from below and topp led H!V and consumption too and above you take care The rich and powerful teach each other success but a By ROBERT McGILLIYRA Y million years from now nothing will have c hanged "Some say be careful what you wish fo r; welL I'd be just throw in doped-up athletes getting paid 2.5 mil- I more wary of not wishing at all." - anonymous
Retarded Evolution British Petroleum and Fukushima, Japan are poisoning our oceans. But we allow them to continue with their destruction without barely a whimper. We blame the government, and hope for the best. But that's not working. With the above mental set, I can understand why there are people on Earth who call themselves eco-terrorists.
Time is running out until we stupidly cross the Rubicon. How will we feel when it's too late to do anything? Will we moan to ourselves that we trusted our governments to not allow such a un-glorious end? We trusted the governments and they and their masters realized what fools we were, so they then brought their destruction on land with the diabolical practice of onshore fracking.for heavy oil on our farmlands.
It has been documented that actual flames comes out of kitchen taps from the result of fracking, and men, women & children come down with strange diseases where fracking occured. Don't we depend on our governments to protect us from such things? But our governments are owned and controlled by the ultra wealthy elite, and they are addicted to profit and more profit, just as seriously as a heroin add ict. Life is precious only to those who are in need. You and me. But we don't do nearly enough to save our humanity on this planet. Instead, we play it safe, so we don' t break any laws. We follow like sheep to the slaughterhouse. What a waste. Nature gave us something special and we squandered it on money and blind obedience. But hope is eternal, so maybe in a healing 3 billion years from now, we'll once more crawl out of the oceans and start it all over again. Hopefully those future crawlers will have developed more guts than we had. Thus, is evolution. Garry Gust
The Diers in a Year of the Serpent are out in force today many Bodies moving a maelstrom of flesh of this here this NOW our demons small devels prisking us feeding us up poking, piercing, penetration Red hot a garden of earthly Delights NOT but the cruel END of Dusk the darkness a kind relief our visions deluded dazzled with our visions Promises and Tricks. wee imitate the gods we have erected those larger than life critters looking down down down with Envy and Spite Wanti~ always the technicolour Kodachrome existence of motials Before they fade into the background
Wilhelmina Miles
To my heroes, our VOLUNTEERS Volunteers Are just ordinary people with extra ordinary hearts They offer the gift of their time To teach, to I isten, to help, to inspire, to build, to grow, to learn They expect no pay Yet the value oftheir work knows no limit ... They've known the unexpected joy of a simple hug T hey've planted tiny seeds of love in countless lives. Volunteers are just ordinary people Who reach out and take a hand and together Make a difference that lasts a lifetime.
carnegie~ NEWSLETTER
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""',r.ews@vcnbu•
40. Main Stri!el Vancouver Canada V6A 277 (604) 665-22B9
THIS NEWS LEITER IS A PUBLICATION OF THE · CARNEGIE COMMUNITY CENTRE ASSOCIATION Articles represent the views of individual contributors and not of the Association.
WANTED Artwork for the Carnegie newsletter Small illustrations to accompany articles and poetry. Cover art- Max siz.e: 17cm(6 '!:}wide x 15cm(B"}high. Subject matter pertaining to issues relevant to the Downtown Eastside, but all work considered. Black & White printing only. Size restrictions apply (i.e. if your piece is too large, it will be reduced and/or cropped to fit). All artists will receive credit for their work. Originals will be returned to the artist after being copied for publication. Remuneration: Carnegie Volunteer Tickets
Please make submissions to Paul Taylor, Editor.
DONATIONS 2013: (Money is needed & welcome) Sheila B.-$100 Jenny K.-$25 Elsie McG.-$50 Terry & Savannah -$100 Robert McG.-$100 Leslie S.-$50 Laila B.-$40, Dave J.-$18, Christopher R.-$100, Anonymous -$25 ~-..-....-~1. Bob S.-$20U
Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has. -Margaret Meade
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WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION