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City creating new position u to tackle illegal drug trade -

B8 Alison Appelbe d a f f writer

IN ITS DETERMINATION TO PLAY a bigger rdle in dealing with the city's illegal drug scene, city council is expected Tuesday to create a position of drug policy co-ordinator. In a report to council, city manager Judy Rbgers said the $70,000-a-year position will eriable the city to develop and co-ordinate strategies more effectively, reduce drug consumption, and discourage outsiders from coming to Vancouver to buy and use hard drugs. "The notion that cities must take the leadership to address their drug problems is common in Europe and gaining currency in Canada and the United States," wrote Rogers. "Vancouver bears the major burden of the regional drug problem, and therefore must fully participate." Rogers says the city is determined to reduce the effects of illegal drugs on residents of the Dbwntown Eastside, Chinatown, Gastown and Strathcona and other communities. The co-ordinaror will be responsible for addressing the need for treatment options for addicts on the Downtown Eastside, as well as in other parts of the city and region. The staff member will also work to reduce the sale of illegal drugs, the widespread practice of shooting up in public, and related crnninal and nuisance behaviour: The report outlines the history of drug use in the city that has lead to soaring HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis C infection rates among intravenous drug users, and to 1,200 drug over-

~fr~dioisanindication, the Mayor seems to be dose deaths during the past decade. learning.. It attributes the growth of the drug market in the 1980s to factors that include poverty, J'Guiliad' (referringto the expulsion of prostitutes and drug dealers New York's policy of arfrom areas like the West End, and the release resting the poor and sane. of hundreds of mental patients from tioned police violence) Riverview Hospital. The introduction of large quantities of in- won't work here" expensive cocaine and cheap, potent heroin ( - detox, treatment, harm drove legitimate businesses from the Downreduction town Eastside, the report said, and the area - Europe has successes became a magnet for addicts.

In the 1990s, an often contentious debate on what do to about substance abuse and its effects on the community got underway. Landmark studies and decisions include: chief coroner Vince Cain's report on 200 overdose deaths in 1993, and call for drug addition to be treated as a health, rather than a criminal, issue; provincial health officer Dr. John Millar's call for more services for mentally ill addicts, tightly controlled prescription of heroin, and a drug-court pilot program; a 1997 Vancouver-Richmond Health Board plan to expand services to drug users and involve the wider community in the problem; the recent Vancouver Agreement among the city, province and federal governments to develop a comprehensive substance misuse strategy for the city. Council is also expected to spend $4,500 to send city social planner Donald MacPherson to Jersey in the Channel Islands, and Amsterdam, for the 1 lth International Conference of Drug Related Harm.

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In the last month there have been some notable events around the police, the Police, The Police On March 15, reps from the Downtown South Residents' Rights Association, End Legislated Poverty, BC Public Interest Advocacy Centre, Downtown Eastside Residents Association, Main & Hastings Community Development Society, , Life Skills Support, Neighbourhood Helpers, Street Youth Services Outreach, Vancouver Youth Voice and Panhandlers met at the Gathering Place to voice concerns over police conduct with street kids panhandling and/or squeegeeing. - kids regularly have all belongings confiscated -arrests for having no ID - police violence towards panners and buskers - police 'clean up' most severely in spring.. for business and tourists (Davie, Granville, etc.) - by-law violates Charter but is used as a prod - by-law states what you can't do, then bullshit panhandling meters are doing it by-laws and harassment target poor, homeless - police are dancing to the tune of business All were in agreement that further meetings should be held to work on: *mass panhandling at Cruise Ship Terminals *media attention *undercover panhandlers to document harassment *by the Police *letters to the Premier re: election promises *Street Kids and panhandlers rights *Police and community meeting The next public thing was a demonstration at Anny&Navy over their support for the local deployment office and DEEP and then a march on Police Brutality that stopped everything at Main & Hastings for awhile. A community meeting labeled Comprehensive Solutions to Drugs (e Crime in the Inner City had St. Ken Frail as part of the panel, and he did his

best. The people had expected the Chief of Police and his absence seemed to give more credence to detractors The monthly meeting of DERA, switched to the first Friday from the fourth Friday starting with April 7 at Camegie, had a few dozen residents come to listen to and question the Vancouver Police Department in the persons of Deputy Chief Gary Greer and Sgt. Doug McKay-Dunn. The meeting was civil; Ian MacRae, Dera's Pres. began with a request for mutual respect.. that dialogue over police issues stops when people let questions or comments degenerate into catcalls, yelling or obscene accusations. Ditto with attitude and perceptions apparent among some constables. Gary Greer was in the Downtown Eastside as a beat cop and then as an inspector. He gave a short description of police boundaries and purpose, kind of like "The policeman is your friend stuff that comes out at school. Questions ranged from the Downtown Eastside Extraordinary Policing (DEEP) to private security overstepping their limitations to "what is your recourse if a cop stops you and searches you?" A deep sense of distrust seemed to permeate several speakers7comments, but were usually restricted to personal incidents. It was difficult to get any satisfaction as the two officers couId only repeat that a) police have strict codes of conduct and law; b) they must have "reasonable grounds" to stop and search anyone and must be able to articulate those grounds; c) any conduct either experienced or witnessed that is objectionable should be reported so an investigation can happen. Events involving police over-stepping the limits seem to be on the increase, if recent marches and

demonstrations are an indication. Accusations of brutality, illegal searches, racism, harassment and groundless arrests are heard throughout the drug using population, and a couple of people voiced their indignation and disgust with certain police activities - "she was dealing but the cop tackled her and slammed her onto the sidewalk." At the other end was a witness saying that "he was on his comer dealing and as soon as he saw the cops about 30 feet away he started yelling "police brutality" and a bunch of users ran over and made a crowd and he got away. It was pretty sad." Neither Greer nor McKay-Durn would give details on deployment, but each would retum to the basics as they saw them. Police are present to maintain safety and isolate law breakers and predators. Their mandate is to co-operate with cornrnunities but not at the expense of relinquishing their role in keeping said communities safe. Greer made an interesting offer near the end of the meeting, one that DERA will certainly follow up on. He suggested more public meetings with residents and police, meetings where several local beat cops would come and have to answer questions from the people they are supposed to 'serve and protect.'

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You Want To Make The Streets Safer? If you want to make the streets safe,. eliminate poverty. If you're poor, you're more likely to experience malnutrition, get sick, drop out of school early, experience child abuse, live through family dyshetion, suffer depression, be judged a delinquent in adolescence (I), go to jail, be unemployed, die in a house fire and misuse drugs than people who are not poor.(2) "To be born poor is to have the deck stacked against you at birth. and to find life an uphill battle ever after. To be born poor is unfair to kids." (3) The playing field is not level. Equality of opportunity doesn't exist. We live in a brutal society of "winners" and "losers". This may

be okay for sporting events, but no human being 3* would organize a society in such a vicious way. Having a huge gap between rich and poor not only means that a few people have a lot or money while many have virtually no money at all.. it means that a few people live while many die. Gandhi said, "The deadliest form of violence is poverty." The Ontario Medical Association said. "Poverty kills more people in Canada than cancer." (4) The Special Senate Committee on Poverty (197 1) said, "Poverty is the great social issue of our time." Yes, Canada does have the wealth to eliminate poverty. This country has the eighth richest economy in the world (the United States, Japan. Germany. France, Italy, the United Kingdom, and Brazil being the first seven).(5)Canada, with its thirty million people, is richer in terms of Gross National Product (GNP) than China with its one billion, two hundred million people. Every year the Canadian economy is bigger than the year before, and it has been this way for almost every year in the last twenty years. (6) Yet the gap between rich and poor widens, unemployment remains high (much higher than the official figures), and our society becomes more unstable. Obviously, we can't 'grow' our way to a just society. We have to choose the kind of society we want, and we'll have to struggle hard for the social justice that will bring safer streets. Those with great wealth and power won't share the resources of our beloved country unless the laws of Canada say that they must. By SANDY CAMERON to be continued References (1) Confronting Crime. Elliott Cunie, Pantheon books. 1985.

(2) Reckoning - Drugs, The Cities And The American Future by Elliott Cunie, Hill&Wang. 1993. (3) Poor Kids - a report by the National Council of Welfare. March, 1975. (4) Taking Another Look At Class, by Sandy Cameron. "Health and Class War," pub, by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives - BC Office p.25. (5) The CCPA Monitor, pub. by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, Ottawa. February. 1997 p. 13. (6) The Growing Gav -A report on growing inequality between the rich and poor in Canada, by Annine Yainizyan, Centre for Social Justice, Toronto, 1998, p.75.

For Rudolfo and His Family,

soccer. Elliot was an honours student, a fine athlete. a res~ectfulson and a carina " brother. We r&ch dut to Rudolfo, who has been coming to the Learning Centre at Carnegie for a long time. Great sadness fills our hearts. We grieve with and care for Rudolfo and his family. Your friends at Camegie

On the evenlng of March 5 1, LUuu, clliot KuDen Marroquin Sanchez, Rudolfo's sixteen year-old son, died tragically of heart failure while playing 01999 Words and lyrics Robert W Doucette Title Now is all the time we have 1) Now is all the time we have And we must make the best of every day Work for the things you want in life Always do the best you can 2) For we're given only so much time Make the things you do mean so much If you find the road you're on is too rough Then think of the ones you love

Life is never easy all the way There may be many bumps along your road But if you ask for a little guidance You will find a way to ease your load 3) When you reach out to another

And help them through their need All you search for you will find then And you'll have sown a l a i n g seed By His word, you'll live on In His memory, when you're gone Make the best of every day Think of peace, heaven on earth, and live His way (Repeat verses I- 2 instrumentally - Repeat chorus) Cause now is, all the time we have So think of peace, heaven on earth and live His way Think of peace, heaven on earth and live His way

The Year 2000 VIGIL OF HONOR May 6 9:30 am to 9:00 pm noon to 5:30 pin May 7 Britannia Centre - Commercial Dr. & Napier We are lookingfor community partners to help us plan, organize and hold the Yigil oj'Honour. In a spirit of inclusion we invite all community groups and individuals tojoin us in this exciting project. Planned Events -First Nations Drum Groups, dancers and speakers -Multicultural entertainers and speakers -Seminars: Youth in Recovery; Women in Recovery; Addiction in the Workplace; The Medical Nature of Addiction. -Bridging Circle (community and addictions) -Interdenominational religious services. -Grief counselors on site. Food. Community Services and Addictions Information Booths Walk of Honour Treatment-on-Demand Rallv Candlelight Vipil Call 215-2287 for info or to offer support.

Sarti Walk - Everett Crowley Park (Avalon Lake) Thursday, April 20,9-4

Common Concerns Association invites you to hear

MLA Jenny Kwan speak on the scourge of

dirty laundry facing the Downtown Eastside by introducing:

CLOTHES ENCOUNTERS Laundromatlcaf6 94 West Hastings Street Park Place Inn beside Army & Navy Saturday, April 15,2:00 pm

The Discrimination Discussion Group presents Understanding discrimination against refugees: the Fujian boat people Tuesday, April 25,2 p.m. Carnegie Learning Centre

Discussion with Sui Mei Tong of A.S.1.A.k S.O.S. and some of the Fujian refugees she works with.

STREET LIFE Years ago, my country was Pender, Gore, Dunlevy, Jackson... Streets where I kicked the can, chased the fire engine, shot the bull, let my dog run wild.. . Today I keep young, get ready for tomorrow, reclaim life, tragic and comic; no voice can mock or destroy. Sam Roddan

Women I Honor 1 am upriting about three women I grew up with, living

the street life. All three are now deceased Louise Bake,: Margaret Couch, and TanyaMcManus

Louise: I was just a kid on the street back in 1984. I met Louise in the Regent Hotel Bar on Hastings, playing pool. My boyfriend, A1 knew her and her boyfriend, Gordie. She took a liking to me because I was 17. She said, "If you are going to be on the street, I'll look out for you" We were almost inseparable. I started calling her mom and she would introduce me as her daughter. I looked up to her. Even though we were addicts, it was nice to have someone that really cared about me, not what I had for them. I was in B.C.C.W. doing 4 months when I was told she died. That was the summer of 1998. Margaret: I met Maggie in 1984 when 1 moved back from Kamloops. She was shacked up with a good friend of ours, Doug. We hit it off right away. I introduced her to Louise. Louise also took Maggie under her wing. It was like we were sisters. The fighting was even the same. Once we never talked to each other for about six months. I was in Lakeside in 1987, and I'd phone Louise everyday to make sure she was doing okay. One day Louise said someone wants to talk to you. It was Maggie. She apologized to me, so sisters once again. She married some guy in 1994. In 1995 she told me she was HIV+. We both cried. In the spring of 1998,l hadn't seen her around for awhile. I asked people if they had seen her. When I got released in the fall of 1998, I was told she got 7 years. I called B.C.C.W. and there was no Margaret Couch. Then 1was told her husband buried her in the summer of 1998 around the same time as Louise died. (We were called the THREE MSKETEERS'Y Tanya: I met Tanya about 10 years ago. What Louise did to me, I did with Tanya. She was really young so I looked out for her whenever I could. I spent many nights with her at her room in the Regent Hotel.. When I had to hide out from my family in North

MAY IS CHILDCARE MONTH COME CELESRATE.CHILDCAREIEI OUR CDMMUEIIN!! Free activities for Children and Families: *Games- parachutes, hopscotch, etc. "Singing- Claire de Lune will be coming *Clowns- Buttons the Clown "Facepainting and Balloons *Art- displays and opportunities'tomake art

SATURDAY, MAY 6,

AM - IPM

Grandview Park on Commercial Drive For info, 718-586

Van., Tanya said. "Come on up." I knew Tanya would always cheer me up. Her closet was full of beautifid dresses and outfits. 1 asked her one time for a change of clothes. She said, "In my closet." I couldn't find jeans or tights. Well, when she finished with me, I couldn't even recognize myself. She did my hair, make-up, and picked out what I was going to wear. She was taking me out on the town. I'll never forget her smile. She lost both her parents to a drug overdose in the last year or so. Tanya was taken from us while she was incarcerated at B.C.C.W. I don't know the whole truth about what happened, but we had a good service for her in the chapel.

"GODBLESS YOUR SOULS" Living - downtown in the drug world, you don 't have any real friends, just acquaintances. Ifyou have money or drugs, you have friends. Whenyou have nothing, your so-calledfriends arc gone. I can honestly say that these three women were my true dear friends. I miss them all. I sure hope this tzme around, I'll make it out of the street living and drug use. 1 don 't want to end up where they are. I almost did a few times. I guess it's not my time yet. I have two beautifil kids waiting for their mommy to come home. By WENDY EISTE lTER

Through My Eyes There is a lot that I fear, that I cannot see, touch or hear.. . But the future is bright and at times very clear.. . My Friend is walking very near He tells me not to worry; I have nothing to fear sobriety, achievement, success, relapse, emotional pain, guilt, love, happiness, school, career, relation ships, marriage, sex, children, separation, death of a loved one (all in one; it's Life) I feel I can do it, and feel it very near Help me through this; I have nothing to fear because the future is bright and very near then I hear a whisper.. . Life is not meant to be perfect, however you can make it through anything you put your heart and mind to - you just have to believe it in your heart and you can do anytl~ing. After all.. the future is briht and clear Juanita Desiarlais

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Hey all you readers out there...The Book Club is looking for members. We meet once a month and share our observations, opinions and similar life experiences about the book chosen the previous month. We've covered Angela's Ashes, Cure for Death by Lightning, Alias Grace, and The Temptations of Big Bear. These books are all popular literature with an emphasis on Canadian authors. Just ask in the Reading Room for the next meeting time and title. All books are provided by the Carnegie Reading Room. Coffee is free. So come on out! Another Library Miracle! On March 30th, a large pharmacology textbook was anonymously returned to us. The book in question was an inter library loan from UBC for a Carnegie Library patron. It went missing and caused a great deal of alarm among library staff because the Reading Room would have had to pay for it. It was an expensive book. We are extremely grateful to the person who returned the book to the Carnegie Library. The Federal Treaty Negotiation Office (FTNO) Display will soon be doing the rounds or coming to a branch near you. (This truly is library

lingo.) What it means is they will soon come to the Carnegie. The display consists of three banners about 1 yard wide and 7 feet tall. The banners are pictorial rather than textual and the message they attempt to convey is one of people relating to people successfully. They are colourful and eye catching. They draw your attention to the content. The content may be somewhat controversial to some. When the banners are mounted here at the Carnegie we plan to provide a book in which you the viewer can register your thoughts and experiences. We anticipate the banners being displayed during the second half of April. Check the area on the first floor at the foot of the stairs. (Where the Christmas tree was located.)

oppenheimer park poem

after a memorial service ' for irving stein at mission possible i walk towards the restroom in oppenheimer park and stand outside waiting for the stalls to empty a young native woman a girl really so radiant and lovely comes over and says I saw you on television last week!" "oh yeah?" i say "yeah!" she exclaims and holds her lefi arm out and points to needle tracks and says "you make us human beings!"

the girl turns around looks at the scene laughs and says "that's like me when i overdosed and woke up in the ambulance

and i wish her good luck tomorrow and she smiles like bright new life shining suddenly out of certain death and she says "thanks"

i use the can then walk slowly through the park past the picnic table where last saw irving and tells me she's going into a recovery house and we waved greetings to each other just a couple days before tomorrow but has already been in lots of those places he was killed by an automobile me too" i say and i look at the new totem pole and tell her raised to remember those of us "we gotta keep trying" who've died by violence she agrees in the downtown eastside and tells me she's afraid to work the streets now and I see with so many women waves of crows seagulls starlings and sparrows disappearing and getting hurt

i apologize for getting distracted but I'm watching ambulance guys try to revive a white man who is down on the grass not moving at all but suddenly jerks his arms around and looks pissed off at having his life saved i know that kind of anger too

unseen and powerful predators who produce so many forms of death Bud Osborn

Late officer This is the 2ndinstallment of Gil Puder's paper "Recovering Our Honour: Why Policing Must Reject The War on Drugs" The article to the right here is dated the 38 of March, 2000, and gives some idea of the respect he had. Again, as Gil's views and principles seem to have pissed off the wrong people, he coincidentally died of a sudden and lethal attack of cancer.

Gil Puder, a Vancouver police officer who brought to public attention the harm the United States' war on drugs does.to Canadian policing, will recelve a posthumous award from the B.C. Civil Liberties Association. The association's John Dixon said Puder put his career on the line to express his views, first in a controversial Vancouver Sun article (Dec. 31,1997) and later at an international forum on drug use. His outspokenness sparked an important public debate about decriminalizing street

~ G d ewas r 40 when he died o f , cancer late last year. Tonight, at the association's annual general meeting, Dixon will present the Reg Robson civil liberties award to Puder's father, Richard. Afterward, Andrew Coyne wilispeak on civil rights. Coyne writes a syndicated national af* fairs column that appears in The Vancouver Sun. The meeting will be held at the YWCA, 535 Hornby, Vancouver. It starts at 230 p.m. and is open to the public.

2. AN ETHICAL STANDARD Me thinks he doth protest too much. Shakespeare An effective method of evaluating the drug war is to examine its impact on the collective integrity of our calling. A renowned ethicist has found that, "integrity in the context ofpolrce work should amount to the sum of the virtues required to brlng about the general goals ofprotectzon and service to t h e p u b k 9 " If we examine drug enforcement practices, such virtues are sadly lacking, raising uncomfortable issues of character and professionalism. Effacement of self-interest recognizes that the "e~ploitability~~ of people must not allow them to become a means to advance our power, prestige, or profit, or a means for advancing goals of the organization other than protection and service.I0 This virtue is an insidious casualty of the drug war, and policing is one of several professions with a vested interest in maintaining the status quo. Unfortunately, money provides incentive to continue oldschool practices. Line officers can earn large amounts of overtime pay generated by drug arrests; when the Federal Crown office began diverting charges for simple possession arrests, I observed several officers quickly transfer to other assignments, citing reduced income as their motivator. Careerists can use what may be meaningless arrest statistics as performance measures to advance their rank and salary. At the top of this continuum, managers and spokespeople have from the inception of drug prohibition publicized gang crime and drug money, pressuring elected officials into coughing up more public cash for an expanded enforcement empire." In extreme cases the self-interest mentality manifests itself with classic examples of police corruption. Few agencies of any description have been immune from officers seduced by drug money, losing officers who breach their trust and succumb to the lure of easy cash. Occasionallythe size and complexity of such corruption can be staggering, with agencies now mounting "sting" operations to ferret out organized crime in uniform.I2~lthoughsuch examples are thankfully rare, the frequency seems to be distressingly on the rise, and the ingredients only too obvious: an insolvable problem, large numbers of people who are willing to pay obscene amounts and an arbitrary, ineffective law. The combined temptation for the weakwilled can be enormous. While the acts are inexcusable, they are merely symptomatic of an underlying

dysfunction. For the overwhelming majority of officers who steadfastly perform their duty, our police self-image is too often defined by the drug war, allowing some officers the conceit that warrior-saviour is the characterization of our calling. More powerful than any narcotic is the intoxicating effect on our ego when a . frightened populace looks to us for salvation. Although we relish the prestige of this role, deified police officers confronting demonized drug users is a recipe for abuse. The most repugnant example is the unnecessary shooting of people, many of whom are unarmed. I'm the first to defend everyone's right to use every reasonable means to defend their safety, and spend much of my time training others to do so. Unfortunately, "manhas a potentiality for violence that cannot be denied, "(13) and it's therefore inexcusable that drug war needlessly forces officers to risk using their skills and firearms. An addict robbed a bank in 1984 carrying only a replica weapon, and was killed by a bullet from the real gun I fired. Local teenager Danny Possee died in 1992 during a police raid for a small amount of marijuana, and lest anyone mistakenly believe that we actually learn from such tragedy, an unarmed Lower Mainland man was shot and killed last year, while sitting in his vehicle during a drug arrest. In war, however, both sides take casualties: I lost my friend and colleague Sgt. Larry Young a decade ago, killed by a trafficker in a cocaine raid gone wrong. Until policing expunges the politically supported fallacy that a drug war can be won, this unnecessary killing will continue. Acknowledging when we do not know something and being humble enough to admit ignorance is the virtue of intellectual honesty.(iq At the best of times, this is terribly difficult for police officers to maintain; after all, when you're presumed to have all the answers, disguising personal opinions as fact is often irresistible. This drug war, however, is the worst of times, and I'm appalled at the frequency with which some of my colleagues defend enforcement practices with completely unsupportable commentary. Despite the plethora of self-anointed "drug experts" in policing, who seldom hesitate to publicly volunteer opinion, I've never observed a medical or pharmacological study being referenced. Considering this paucity of true expertise, subsequent law enforcement spindoctoring reinforces the theory that truth is war's first casualty.(ls)A recent example (16)involveda senior oficer basing his opposition to decriminalization with a discourse on consistent education and mixed messages to young people. Unfortunately, the track record of drug war certainly includes a willingness to be less than forthright when educating our children. This intellectual dishonesty is painfully apparent when agencies appropriate the educator's mandate, substituting police for professional teachers. One only has to examine the abuses of the expensive and dubiously effective DARE program in the U.S.(17)Extensivestudies detail the failures of DARE'^, and the U.S. General Accounting Office conspicuously declined to include the program in it's recent evaluation of drug education.(w)Yetthe West Vancouver Police Department is now delivering the program to local s~hoolchildren.~~ I wonder if parents and local taxpayers are aware that 1998 University of Illinois research found greater drug use among students who had experienced DARE? In our information-based society we can't patronize people anymore, regardless of their age. A resurgeme of marijuana use in Western societies is remarkably coincidental with electronic freedom of information on the world-wide web, and one must ask how many teenagers now simply disregard their cigarette-smoking or alcoholdrinking parents, teachers and police as dishonest hypocrites. True justice is a virtue measured within the context of each unique situation (21) and in our exercise of discretion policing has had mixed results. Today I observe fewer officers arresting people for simple narcotic possession, with some perhaps recognizing that criminal process in these cases serves no one and squanders scarce taxpayer dollars. I recently observed two of my colleagues in a televised detention of an addict (22) who compassionately advised the user to fix in his room rather than the alley. At the other extreme, however, officers can abuse their discretionary power, taking a zero tolerance approach and charging for less than wholesome purposes. Thousands of Canadians can attribute their criminal record to

a combination of recreational drug use and a verbal altercation with the police. They may have been charged with a minor possession offence, but their real crime was "contempt of cop." On other occasions a person arrested for a serious offence will be detained while possessing some small amount of drugs, and is then additionally charged for the trivial and unrelated drug matter, which might not otherwise be proceeded with. Neither our integfity nor the public purse can afford to continue these abuses of criminal law. People rightfilly expect a degree of certainty in their justice system, and the present unreliability makes modernized statute a necessity. To effectively protect us from ourselves, policing should not be too proud to ask first. I believe that the drug war has been most noticeably bereft, however, of the virtue of accepting alternatives,* whereby we admit that mistakes have been made, and, more importantly, honestly acknowledge that law enforcement does not and never will have all the answers. Again we need merely ask ourselves when the last time, in any context, a police representative publicly stated that they were sorry, wrong or that better choices could have been made. This unfortunate characteristic of our professional culture has been clearly identified in British ~ o l u m b i aand , ~ ~sadly seems to be endemic in public service throughout North America. With fiscal restraint and "fear of crime" combining to place enonnous and oRen unrealistic expectations on police services, it's easy to be pessimistic that open-mindedness will be rediscovered anytime soon. Blaming convenient scapegoats is simply an easier, politically expedient option. A recent, local example involved a Chief Constable who criticized the entire judiciary as not being, "in touch with the community, "justifymg his sweeping condemnation with an example of a drug trafficker who received probation. Disagreeing with decriminalization of marijuana, he predictably opted for the tired refrain of harsher sentencing, complaining that, "there are more consequences,for walhng down the street with an open can of beer than there is forpossession of soft drugs. " In an amazing self-contradiction, this senior officer admits the effectiveness of our noncriminal Liquor Control and Licensing Act regulation, yet denies that it should be applied to a substance proven to be less harmfi.11than alcoh01.~~1n his attempt to offload responsibility for drug-related crime by blaming a judiciary professionally bound not to respond, this Chief has, however, identified two pressing needs: ethics training for police executives, and subscriptions to some medical research With the behaviour of drug warriors substantially at odds with virtuous conduct, I filly expect my criticism of the status quo to bring howls of outrage, from those law enforcement traditionalists with related career interests. Such groups taking the position of aggrieved parties and attempting to curtail healthy debate will be, quite frankly, the best endorsement I could hope fbr. I'm proud of our era of problem-oriented and conmunity-based modernization, yet the drug war still forces too many of us to behave in a contrary manner, which we would otherwise not condone. If public trust is the capital foundation upon which police service is built, then we cannot afford to squander it pursuing an archaic interpretation of morality. Our professional integrity must once again remain sacrosanct. Progressive legislation will not occur overnight, but the disastrous impact of drug war on policing is the impetus for us to demand it. 9 Vicchio, S., "Ethics and Police integrity Keynote Address to the National Symposium on Police Integrity, The Law Enforcement Bulletin, (Federal Bureau of Investigation, July 1997). 10 Ibid. 11 Giffen, et aI, 127-134, and Beatty, . I ., and Kines, L, "Dosanjh vows action to combat biker gangs." The Vancouver Sun. (98.03.12), B1. 12 The Clipboard", Blue Line, Vol. 10, No. 3, (March 1998), 32. 13 Keegan, 384. 14 Vicchio. 15 Knightly, P. The First Casualty: From Crirnea to Vietnam: The War Correspondent as Hero. Propagandist and Mvthmaker. (New York: Harcourt, Brace, Jovanovich, 1975). 16 Casey, V., from Rutherford, R., "A Healthy FIX", The Magazine, (CBC, 98.03.03)

17 Glass, S., "Don't You D.A.R.E.," The New Rmublic, (97.03.03) 18 Wysong, E. and Aniskiewicz, R., 'Truth and DARE: Tracking Drug Education to Graduation and as Symbolic Politics," Social Problems_Vol. 41 No. 3, August, 1994; Cauchon, D., D.A.R.E. doesn't work - studies find drug program not effective, USA TODAY, 93.10.11; "How Effective is DARE?", American Journal of Public Health, September 1994, . 19 Drua Control: Observations on Elements ofthe Federal Drua Control Strateav, GAOIGGD-97-42, B-275944, (Washington. D.C: United States General Accounting Office, 97.03.14). 20 "Students take anti-drug course," The Vancouver Sun, 98.04.09, B3. 21 Vicchio. 22Rutherford, R., "A Healthy Fix", The Maaazine, (CBC, 98.03.03) 23 Vicchio. 24 Oppat, Hon. Mr. Justice W.T., Clositlg the Gao: Policing and The CommuniQ, (Victoria: Policing in British ColumbialCommissiofl of Inquiry): pp. 1-6 - 1-8. Vancouver Sun 98.02.20, B1. 25 Young, Chief Cst. P., quoted in Lee, J., "Police chief criticizesjudicial system," 27 See "Deglamorising cannabIsm,Editorial, The Lancet Vol. 346, No. 8985, (95.11.1l), and Smiul, R. "The war on drugs: Prohibition isn't working - some Iegalisation will help," British Medical Journal Vol. 31 1, (December 1995) 23-30.

CITY OF VANCOUVER BRITISH COI.UMIIIA

"HEPATITISAWARENESS MONTH" More tbnn 35,000 people are knoum to snffer froat Hepatitis, Hepatitis C in particulnr, in the Province of Briti It Columbia. A ntrmhr of these utere infected oia contaminated&ood or blood products, including many children. Hepatitis is not a mpecter of age, race, gender or sodoeconomic statur

Main & Hastings Housing Society d l have a new housing development for adults at 40 East Hastings Street, Vancouver. The estimated move-in date is Summer 2000 We are accepting applications now. Filling out an application is not a promise of housing. YOUcan get an application on Tuesd a y and Thursdays between lpm k 4pm at our main office. Go to the rear of 425 Carrall as shown, through the parking lot. Buzz #I11 1, use the elevator and go to the 1" floor.

AND WHEREAS

Itisestimnted thatmore tRan300,OOO Canndinns nrPfl//ccted by this blood bontc vinrs thnt ~ t t n c k stlte liven

AND W E R E A S

Trc"r~nmuntatthis timeis litnitednndexpensiurondisnotssccessflr~ for all those lvbo affctnpt it; therefore, i t is rssmtinl thnt rescardl into cause nnd cure, svpport of nn infonnrd comtnrmity nnd ji~rnncinl~id bededicnted to assist those who nresllfferiugfroln tlds life threatening dirrnrz

AND MEREAS

A t this titnc t k a r arc lin,ited dedicated resources, so strffererr are reliant ttppon their own resotdrcefulness, initiative and nll the goodwil&financidand "in kind"assistance t h y can enlist;

A M ) WHEREAS

May 1" ltas been dedicated as Hepatitis Day with Hepatitis C Candlelight Ceremony in remembrance ofthose wlto haoediedfiosr Hepatitis,especfally Hepatitis C,artdinparticulartbechildren who bane died and those who continrre t o live with this life-threntenitrg disease:

ORE,

I, Phllip O w m , Mayor of the City o f Vanconoer, DO HEREBY PRocI,ALu ths Month of May, 2000, as

"HEPATITISAWARENESS MONTH" in the City ofVanco~rncr.

NATIONAL HEPATITIS CANDLELIGHT HEALING CEREMONY May lSt, 2000 7:30 p.m. Vancouver City Hall (12" & Cambie) In remembrance of all those who have died from Hepatitis, especially Hep C, and particularly the children who have died and those who continue to live with this life-threatening disease.

Hepatitis is not a respecter of race, age, religron or gendez It knows no socio-economic boundaries and can afect people @om all walks of life. Hepatitis has become a major epidemic, particularly in the eastside of kncouvet: We have the highest number ofpeople diagnosed in Canada. Candlelight healing ceremonies will be held in Vancouver and other cities across Canada and the Please join with us in our ceremony. United States on May 1"' at 7:30 pm. For further information call Carol at (604) 899-9401; e-mail: momma@vcn.bc.ca

Breaking The Silence Launch their spring campaign "Empowering Women as Organizers" April 20 Fay Blaney from AWAN speaks on How to Organize for Aboriginal Women's Rights 10 - I I am 42 E. Cordova, basement April 27 Learn to make powefil public speeches 3 - 5 Dm 509 E. Hastings

May events - RSVP to 682-3269 ext. 83 19 if you're interested in a 3 day drum-making workshop with Aline LaFlarnrne

MP Libby Davies (Vancouver East, NDP): Mr. Speaker, today is the second anniversary of Government of Canada's decision to ram through a compensation package for Hepatitis C victims that was mean, non-inclusive and just plain wrong. Here we are today and the tragedy co~~tinues. Thousands of Hepatitis C victims were excluded from compensation. Tragically, even those Canadians who were meant to receive compensation are still waiting. Not one penny has gone to those victims. In my community of Vancouver East, in the Downtown Eastside people are dying with hepatitis C because they are still waiting for help. I want to know, we all want to know, from this government and from this Minister of Health, how many people have died since that decision? Does the Health Minister even care about what has happened? How can this government, in all good conscience, live with its terrible decision? Will they do the right thing now and extend compensation to all victims with hepatitis C? Will they do that?

I Remember I remember when I was little and life seemed so perfect and there wasn't a problem in the world I had a sister a brather a mom and a dad. I remember when the curtain lifted and everything fell in its place all that I had all that I wanted just disappeared. I remember when it all fell apart and everything came crashing down the world as I once knew it no longer existed. 1 remember when I was taken from home and shoved into a new family forced to like forced to hate it. I remember when my life was split in three a life with my mom a life with my dad and a life that 1 was forced into. I remember when 1 learned to escape running back and forth from home to home not knowing which one I belonged in. I remember when I had faith faith in myself faith in life faith in the ones I loved. I remember the day when everything changed and everything stopped my life was on hold I had to run. I remember the day that I ran and threw my life away everything that 1 worked for, everyone I loved I threw in the trash. Now I'm sitting here picking through garbage picking up the things that I once didn't want trying to salvage what is left trying to put it all back together. Theresa Brossault

They t e l l m e... that I am weak.. unable to cope with so formidable an adversary. But when will I be stronger- Will it be next week- Will it be next year- Will it come to me after I have lost the ones I love, when my heart and soul are empty and my mind is disarmed. Shall I gather strength by irresolution and inaction- I'm not weak if I make proper use of those means which the spirit of nature has placed in my power ...they tell me Crow

HELL As I sit here in my cell I wonder if I'm going to hell As I look into the sky Then they see me on the floor One by one, they're out the door In my mind, I see that cell Now I know I'm going to hell. Wendy Eistetter Under a vest or under arrest I wonder which it was I wanted to make it a vest not arrest Because this is what I does. I do it to live to keep us alive You said, "Where do you live?" I live in a tent but I'm dying today This vest to you I want to give. I have sweaters to auction no extra charge I told you loud and clear You were cold, yes, it's cold everywhere When no one calls you dear I came for you and you were gone ..a blanket to keep you warm.. The men there said, "We broke her down." Her heart and her soul were taken. "Drugs for auction no extra charge" was the plea she screamed with her eyes Her self-esteem they wanted to kill They told her all of their lies. They came for me and you were gone I wonder if children run free You are my sister I know you not But Family I want us to be. "What is your name? What is your name? This I wanted to say 'What do you like what do you need? was what I was saying that day They are trying to kill us one by one By breaking our will and our heart

Devotion to d u t a u t not by r o r i ~ r They tend to rip us apart. I saw a man pushing for food His cart was empty still I gave him a can, a can that was fill It gave him something to strengthen his will He thanked me with grace & a broken heart I wanted to embrace him and cry I walked on as always screaming inside They really do want us to die. I am so angry, so bitter, so sad But my power to change things is strong This divide and conquer must be stopped We are not the ones who are wrong. The crimes are committed by those with coins The ones with the coins to spare They have no conscience in richness & health And that includes our mayor. They run us and rule us and beat us down Until we hardly know who we are Their 'vampire smiles' are stick in our face Then drive away in their car. They're killing the planet, our mother earth And care only about what they can take The spirit of giving is why we're all here But they prostitute.. they're all on the make. "Don't beat her down! Don't beat her down." My heart is awash in pain 'T\leeded items are blankets!" - loud & clear Give. There's nothing to gain. Beth B.

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DOWNTOWN STD CLINIC 219 Maln; Monday Ftlday, 10 a.m. 6 p.m EASTSIDE NEEDLE EXCHANGE 221 Maln; 8:30 a.m. 8 p.m. cvcWdpy NEEDLE EXCHANGE VAN 3 Routes YOUTH City 6:45 p.m. 11:45 p.m. ACTIVITIES Overnight 12:30 a.m. 8 3 0 a.m. SOCIETY Downtown Eastslde 5 3 0 p.m. 1:30 a.m. 2000 DONATIONS Libby D.455 Sam R.415 Nancy W.420 Eve E.43 Margaret D.46 Shyamala G.418 Joy T . 4 6 Jennifer M . 4 2 Val AS36 Thomas B.441 Harold D. 4 7 Pam-$22 Rolf A.445 Bruce J.450 Beth L.42 Kettle 4 1 8 Sonya S . 4 140 BCTF'4 I0 Nancy H.435 Bill G.415OWes K.430 DEYAS-$200 RayCam 4 2 5 Wisconsin Historical Society 4 1 0 Heather S.418 John S-$50 Yukiko 4 1 0 VEDC 4 2 5

THE NEWSLETIER IS A PUBLlCAlION OF IHE CARNEGIE COMMlMllY CENIRE ASSOClAllOH Miclrl r r p r t r n l wows el conbibdoct mnd not of kr A ~ r o c l l o n .

Submission Deadline for next issue Wednesday, April 26

Welbre problems Landlord disputes llousing problems Unsafe living conditions

m e lo 111cIJ611A office at 425 Canall Street or pho~lcas a1 682-0931

Police Force Pounds the Beat on Our Eastside Streets To rule and oppress Not to serve and protect To pin down the have-nots You rob them of their pride What little they may have left You impart no respect on us whatsoever and therefore receive none, as is fair We observe you cruising the trails of our territory In your blue & white &tan chariots Glaring at one and all in your mean-spirited, intimidating ways, you realize exactly what you are doing, in point of fact. You enjoy the terror you impose on us on a daily basis. In the fhture remember what your duty is, To help when called.. not hinder or detain at will Back off, "peace officers", and reflect Don't pay a call unless and until we ask Do you get the picture now? No hard feelings, but I sometimes wonder how you soldiers sleep? Robyn Livingstone Editor, How easy it is for this selfish, materialistic society to ignore the soul who had been Melanie Carpenter for over five years now. Remember back in January, 1995 when this beautikl, young tanning salon employee was abducted and murdered? The media sensationalism was incredible, but all the emotion that poured out of people's hearts was myopically and coldly used by the Surrey RCMP and the media to betray her. Her father, Steve Carpenter, was duped by RCMP Corporal Frank Henley when he said that they believed Femand Auger, a Franco-Ontarian living in Calgary, had killed Melanie. When his body was found, the RCMP and media implied that his suicide was due to his guilt in Melanie's murder, even though there was no mention of her in his suicide note. It disgusts me that neither the RCMP nor the gutless media gave a damn that there is not one shred of evidence that Auger ever

THE UNKNOWN PATH I leave for my journey through the Trail of the Unknown.The color of the leaves are phenomenal, even the ones that crunch as I walk the dirt path. The pebbles are annoying though. The fresh air blowing through my hair is such a relaxing feeling. The birds are chirping all through the trees. I can finally see the light at the end of the path. I keep walking but it's not getting any closer. Everyday I walk longer and longer but never get to the end. Actually nobody has made it to the end of the path yet. What do you think is there with the bright light. Wendy Eistetter laid a hand on Melanie Carpenter. Frank Henley, who is now with the RCMP's "E" Division here in Vancouver, admitted in Nov. '95 that there was no DNA proof as to who killed Melanie. Sadly, he and his fellow cops persisted in their vilification of Femand Auger. He is as guilty as Guy Paul Morin or David Milgaard. It is extremely obvious that the murder of Melanie Carpenter remains unsolved, and the show put on was to give the family some empty sense of closure. Please join me in demanding Solicior-General Lawrence Macauly re-open the Melanie Carpenter case immediately. Robert S. Smith [*Both media and RCMP played to the outrage of a 'nice 'person being a victim. Melanie was called "innocent" 23 times at the public memorial. The deaths by violence of over 125 women in the Downtown Eastside in the last decade is not even news; the disappearance of 21 women without a trace a trace was and remains a blip. The unspoken attitude is 'undeserving' vs 'deserving'?]

wisps of wisdom from E l d i e - your special spot is taken by some guy who either looks dead or will kill you if you try to say anything to him. I have my own spots and so far only two of em been found. Lot more competition these days - if every future has a past then maybe we missed it. .. maybe there ain't no different places to be. this whole house full of people and stuff but nobody is ever home if ya know what I mean. Skokie - this coffee place where she gets the cups accused her of stealing garbage. Weird shit for sure. You

know they give away free bags of old coffee to missions and social things. They want people to pay a sawbuck for a coffee then a d like you don't know how they make the little guy feel like crap but rip them off anyway. You tell me who the crook is. While she's out there in a daze begging for money they're smiling and stealing as much as they can. - People used to tell me that I was too smart for my own good and too stupid to know better. - only the real dummies are big time thiefs. They'r stupid enough not see how smart others are who spend everyday trying to survive - the big assed creeps spend their day hiding behind old lies trying to make them sound new.

prom OPENING DOORS Daphne Marlatt and Carole Itter Interview with Dorothy Nealy

Domthy Nealy was born mnnipeg in 191 7 of an Indian mother and Black father. She grew up in the Ukrainian Polish district of the city and moved to Vancouver in 1944.

When I came here, this district was Negroes, from Main Street to Campbell Avenue, like you see the Chinese here now. Whole apartment blocks that were all fill of Blacks. In '44 it was a ghetto. They had never realiz-ed that they could move out of this area, because if they went some place to rent a house, they wouldn't refuse them and say, 'We don't want you here because you're black" they'd just mention some exorbitant price for the rent, you see. And they knew they couldn't hand it 'cause the first thing they'd ask them, "Wheredo you work?" Well they worked on the railroad, you know, and they just earned a certain amount of money. And then they had 4 or 5 kids to support, so they couldn't pay rent like they can now. When they realized they could get other jobs, then they quit the railroad. Some of them went longshoring, and some of them started driving trucks. There must have been at least 400 people lived down here. And now there's only a handful of Black people left in the neighbourhood. Ten or 20 years ago, we didn't know anything about Africa. We were all Canadians and all we knew was British history. Like, I never knew Hannibal was a Black man till after I was grown and married. What I was taught was about all the great explorers and seafaring men and how the British Empire was won. But we didn't know at what cost. It's just in these last years we've really become aware of what's happening. And then we started reading. There was a time when we couldn't even get these Ebony magazines in Canada. We had to get the American railroad porters to bring them in. When the BCAACP (British Columbia Association for the Advancement of Coloured People) first started out, over 20 years ago it was the NAACP (American) and then they changed it into the BCAACP because we're all Canadians... But the racism in Canada is subtle and elusive you can't really pin it down. They'd tell you, "Oh, that job was just filled fifteen minutes ago, and if you'd come a little earlier you'd have had the job.' '... It was just like a village, just the same. You went out the back door, you stood on the back verandah, and somebody'd wave at you. over there. Even if you didn't know them, you'd wave back .And when you walked down the Street you nodded your head. Sometimes you said, "Hello" or you just nodded your head and smiled and kept going. That's the way we lived." Dorothy Nealy moved into Four Sisters Cosp in January, 1987. Her reminiscences on life and racism also tell us about the real roots of gentrification. She died of cancer in 1993.

Community Directions Needs Our Support Community Directions is not just another organization in the Downtown Eastside. It is a coalition (collection) of over 40 groups determined to defend the community against those who want to push us out. The process of pushing us out is called gentrification, and this word tells us that moving well-todo people into a low-income neighbourhood and pushing poor people out is a class-rooted process. Larry Campbell, BC's provincial coroner, has said that the stress people are under is far too much for many to bear, and that is one of the reasons there have been so many deaths in the Downtown Eastside. A resident commented, "One day they're gonna come in here with a bunch of army trucks and ship us all out to the sticks like P.O.W.'s." (1) This profit-driven takeover of our community won't stop unless we have a strong voice, and ~ o r n m u n kDirections ~ can give us that voice. When the Governor General of Canada visited us on March 10,2000, she saw our pride and our strength, and compared the Downtown Eastside to a lively small town. She could see and hear us. We hope that with a united voice through Community Directions, government, the media and the wider Vancouver community will also see and hear us. This is beginning to happen because the City of Vancouver, with money from the federal govemment (National Crime Prevention Centre), is now h d G g Community Directions. Our suffering brings us together. Our poverty, and our struggle for human rights and dignity, bind us in solidarity. Our strongest hope is in one another. No hand will save us if we do not reach out our hand.

Yes, our community is under siege, but we also have the opportunity to fight for it. The three levels of government (federal, provincial and municipal) can and have helped us. Examples are the five million dollars the federal government has put up over a five year period to address crime-related problems in the Downtown Eastside, the provincial government commitment to social housing (the Sunrise and the Washington, with the participation of the VancouverlRichrnond Health Board), and the fact that much of the social housing in the Downtown Eastside is built on land owned by the City of Vancouver. Bruce Eriksen Place was h d e d by the provincial government on land leased fiom the City. We need the help of government to defend ourselves against developers who see Downtown Eastside land as a quick way to make a profit. Community Directions is a coalition of residents and their organizations. It works to find agreement on important issues, such as affordable housing, and it only puts forward positions on social issues that have wide community consent. Representatives fiom the various groups go back to their organizations and find out what their groups want to get involved in. Each group respects the history and purpose of the other groups in the coalition, and all groups agree on certain principles. One such principle is "that all people have the right to a voice in making decisions that affect their lives, and that the strength of this voice should not be determined by property ownership, spending power, or social status." (2)

Marg Green is a community organizer with Community Directions. She is a well known resident and former worker with the Downtown Eastside Seniors. The Community Directions telephone number is 760-7859. The coalition doesn't have an office yet. Conmunity Directions hold meetings on a regular basis, and are open to residents and the organizations they belong to. Call Marg Green for more information, and watch for notices in the Camegie Newsletter or on community posters. By SANDY CAMERON to be continued (1) (2)

Carncgic Action Projcct Ncwslctta, Janua~y,1996. ParticipationAgreement, Community Directions.