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FEBRUARY 1, 2013
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Cover: Painting by Swallow Zhou exhibited in Gallery Gachet & Oppenheimer Park Community Art Show 2012 The Ch inese symbol "ti" is pronounced "fU", and it means good things like happiness, good fortune, blessing ... Within the composition are the symbols for clothing, food, housing and farmland.
Planning Session & Launching of the Oppen-Art* Studio Drop-In Oppenheimer Park, Friday February 81h, 1Oam- noon Happy 2013 everyone! $M~.M (Gung Hay Fat Choy). May it be a very creative year beginning with a call out to our community to plan and develop this year's theme, title, exhibition design and installation, 路 parade, opening night, talks and workshops. Looking forward to o ur sixth art show at Gallery Gachet, I would like to thank Harmony ofNations for opening the exhibitions by acknowledging the traditional territories on which this project occurs: The Coast Salish Nations ofTsleil-Waututh, Musqueam and Squamish. Of course a huge thank you to all the artists, writers, musicians, volunteers, patrons, staff, Gachet members, donors, funders, art lovers - thank you to all who participate along the way. It has been an incredible privilege to work with you, and to be part of this project and community. It is because of the countless artists and creative people that have found home here that this project exists. Please check our new blogs for The Oppenheimer Park Communitv Art Show and The Art Cart Project on the Gallery Gachet website. With much g ratitude, Ali
*The name "Oppen-Arf' came out of the 2010 Downtown Eastside ARTS FOR ALL INSTITUTE: Oppen-Art- a partnership project with Vancouver Moving Theatre and Jumblies Theatre (Toronto) in cooperation with Carnegie Community Centre/Oppenheimer Park. Oppen-Art was inspired by Oppenheimer Park being a place for growing, learning, art and healing.
Setting Goals: Smaller Is Better Every January of the past few years. I' ve set a goal for myself to lose 10 pounds. I did lose a few pounds in the first couple of months, and then gained it back quickly thereafter. I attended a few sessions on weight management at VGH this fal l. I was told that setting a goal to lose weight is way too big. The chances of success would be much higher if I can set a smaller goal. An example of a s mall goal would be to start exercising for 5 minutes 2-3 times a week. The exercise could be 5 minutes of walking, stretching, dumb bells or anything you enjoy doing. You can gradually increase your time in physical activities. More importantly, you are building on your success. The facilitator also shared her secret: whenever she has 5 minutes of spare time, she does stretching, works with dumb bells etc. It is also important to periodically reward yourself for your success. I asked whether I can reward myself with a big sweet desseti. The facilitator said that this would put me a step backward instead of a step forward. A good reward would be to give yourself a pat on the shoulder or to treat yourself to a show! This will probably encourage you to face more challenging goal~! If, for any reason, you are not able to meet your goal, evaluate what might be the obstacles holding you back. Is it the time of the day that you are planning for exercising? Is it stress that is deterring you from exercising? Can you try another physical exercise that you enjoy more? In other words, maybe we need to change your goal. For myself, I have been searching for physical activities that I like for years I have tried going to the gym, swimming, tai chi, aerobics, etc. I recently tried the creative dance workshops at Carnegie, and I discovered that dancing fits me best. Consider setting small goals and gradually build on your success. Perhaps this applies to all walks of life including weight management. "Start small and don't give up. Keep trying." is the advice I got from the registered dietician at VGH. By Debbie Woon Lee
News from the LibrarY Hi everyone ! I'm Stephanie, your new librarian at Carnegie, and I'm pleased to tell you about just a few of the books we have received lately. You' ll notice that three of them tell stories of people who have been inside prisons or crime rings in one way or another. I thought it was interesting that several books like this arrived all at the same time.
H-Unit: A Story of writing and redemption behind the walls ofsan Quentin_/ by Keith and Kent Zimmerman . People's lives can be transformed by the written word; this book really shows how this can be true. Two brothers (twins) started an innovative creative writing class inside of the famous San Quentin State Prison in California. The inmates in the writing program had creative passion, a range of gri11?', authentic voices, and a path to hope and redemptton. One of their activities included a "Literary Throwdown Competition" -- all writers must be curious how that worked! Aging as a Spiritual Practice : A contemplative guide to growing older and wiser I by Lewis Richmond. The first truth of aging is also the first truth of Buddhist teaching: Everything changes. Author Richmond Lewis, Buddhist priest and meditation teacher, helps us understand this transformation. He offers an inner road map for aging, acknowledging fear, anger and sorrow that many people experience with regard to their aging bodies, illness & the unknowns associated with death & dying. Guided meditations and contemplative reflections are included. The Shadow Catcher: A U.S. Agent Infiltrates Mexico's deadly crime cartels I Hipolito Acosta. Acosta' s stories read like chapters from a pageturning crime novel, but it's all true. He writes to reveal the harms of illegal immigration. For some thirty years, Acosta' s work routinely made national headlines in the USA and he gained a reputation as a daring worker who used his intelligence and audacity to stay one step ahead of those who would kill him if hi s cover were ever blown. He has been the target of multiple murder plots by the criminals he put in jail. He has shadowed and infiltrated gangs, international counterfeiters and traffickers of humans.
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Asylum: Hollywood tales from my great depres- .) sion: Brain Dis-Ease, Recovery, and being my mother's son I by Joe Pantoliano It takes a Jot of inspiration and courage for those who suffer from mental illness in silence, to come forward and seek the life-changing help that is currently available. This honest, movi ng life story is sometimes hilarious and somet imes tragic. You might recognize the author's name, Joe Pantoliano, from his role in the TV series The Sopranos, or from blockbuster films like The Matrix or La Bamba. He worked with s uch big names as Natalie Wood, Tom Cruise, Steven Spielberg and Harrison Ford. But as his success grew so did his brain " dis-ease" and his addictions to obliterate the pain. His story is both enlightening and entertaining, and will be enjoyed not only by others in show biz, but by anyone w ith a heart. Stories I only tell my friends: a biography I by Rob Lowe A teen idol at fifteen, a founding member of the Brat Pack at twenty, and one of Hollywood's top stars to this day, Rob Lowe has written a wryly fu nny and moving memoir. Starting with his experiences as a painfully misunderstood c hild actor from Ohio who was dropped into the thick of the wild counterculture of 1970s Malibu: the book explores his later quest for fam ily and sobriety. This is a classic showbiz memoir with a sprinkling of politics and social commentary . Deadly Valentines: the story of Capone's Henchman 'Machine Gun" Jack McGurn and Louise Rolfe, his blonde alibi I by Jeffrey Gusfteld This is the true story of Al Capone's chief assassin, and his girlfriend who provided an alibi fo r him during the Chicago St. Valentine's Day Massacre. It's both a gangster' s tale and a slightly twisted yet moving love story, set in the jazz era. Thanks to everyone for your patience and understanding while we are installing new check-out desks and other equipment. T here's been some drilling and pounding - a little distracting anywhere, but especially in a library! There witt be j ust a bit more of this over the next couple of weeks, but soon it will settle down. Hope to see you in the li brary. Come in and say hello, even if you don ' t want a book. Steohanie
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Money The Hypocrisy of Van city: Community Bank Undermines Community Well-Being Sequel 138, the proposed mixed-development project on the former Pantages Theatre site at 13 8 E. Hastings, has been the topic of a number of articles in the DT East. In the last issue, we heard how BC Housing was bailing out the financially-troubled developer Marc Williams with low-interest loans of up to $23.5 million. It seems BC Housing is willing to support the interests of private development and neighbourhood gentrification in exchange for a few crumbs of non-market social housing, even in the face of massive comm unity opposition. The destructive impacts of s uch a project on the low-income residents of the I 00 block are certain, as the housing and services that they rely on come under increasing threat of extinction by the market forces of rampant gentrification. Another disturbing piece to this already ominous project is that Vancity is partnering with Sequel 138 to facilitate the mortgage arrangements for potential buyers. According to the website for Sequel 138, Vancity is listed as the first of two official partners in the project. Applications for financing go through Vancity, and can be s ubmitted to the Mortgage Development Manager at the Chinatown Community Branch on E. Pender. The sales pitch is that those who make less than $65,000 a year can purchase these $250,000 condos with zero down payment and a $5,000 depos it. Vancity has offered to waive bank and appraisal fees for applicants, which is a gesture
or believe what i tell you (to believe) ... of firm support for the project. The great irony is that Vancity's own website promotes itself as a financial institution whose purpose is to help people and communities thrive and prosper. It seeks "to effect positive change in our communities" and "to create solutions to social, environmental and economic issues." But by contri buting to the success of Sequel 138, it primarily serves the "community" of new condo owners, not the current low-income residents of the 100-block (many of whom are Vancity members through its branch at Pigeon Park Saving). The changes Vancity wi ll "effect" for them will be profoundly negative, namely the ripple effects of gentrification: increased property values, raised rents, more security personnel, renovictions, and involuntary displacement fro m the community. Vancity also says it's comm itted to corporate social responsibility by investing in the well-being of communities and respect for the environment. I wonder if it was aware ofthe developer's failure to ens ure health and safety standards during the demolition phase of the project. Low-income residents living next door to the site, pedestrians walking past and laborers working on-site were adversely affected throughout the demolition process, and the property was left a heap of rubble and garbage for one year becoming completely infested w ith rats. Worksafe BC and the C ity shut it down on a few occasions, and finally under threat of fines the City forced Marc
Williams to clean it up. What makes the partnership between Sequel 138 and Vancity even more puzzling is that the bank claims to make decisions about what organizations it wi ll and will not do business with based on an ethical policy. For example, it will work with organizations that show a commitment to environmental leadership and healthy communities, exhibit pos itive and fair relations with the communities in which they operate, respect indigenous rights and land claims, and contribute to societal and individual health and well-being. Vancity says it won't do business with organizations that demonstrate noncompliance with environmental laws and reg ulations, or have a track record of fines or convictions relating to violations of workplace health and safety standards. Marc Williams and his Sequel 138 project fai l all of these ethical criteria. He has shown contempt for the neighbourhood by leaving an environmentally hazardous and toxic demolition site for a year. He allegedly exploited local workers by under-paying them or failing to pay them on time. His project will threaten the viability of nearby low-income focused health and support services that assist women, indi genous people and drug users in the DTES. And Sequel 138 will certainly open up the Oppenheimer district to further gentrification and thus involuntary and personally devastating displacement of lowincome res idents from the ir own communities and life:ways. Finally, this project has been the target of a sustained community campaign of opposition and has been rejected by local organizations and artist groups. It is completely hypocritical for Vancity, with its stated commitment to community wellbeing, to support Sequel 13 8 against the clearly stated wishes of the neig hbourhood. By all accounts, Sequel 138 Development Corp. does not live up to Vancity's stated business values, commitment to social responsibility or ethical standards. Vancity must drop its partnership with Marc Williams, and refuse to co llaborate in this project. It should demonstrate its social responsibility to the community by s upporting 100% community-controlled social hous ing on the site- and nothing less. By Dave Diewert
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Oh Canada Our home and native land Land of milk and honey It is five o'clock in the shelter Too early, too cold, too dark The woman on the floor next to me moans 1 wake up She is a stranger to me, a new one Pale and yellowish dry frizzy hair Keeps to herself Sleeps a lot.. eats Taking refuge from the street Or maybe from a worse s ituation. The floor is icy The wall behind my head is very cold A draught comes up Moves along the floor I fee l the frost on the grass From the Park across the road. Now it is raining I go out to smoke a cigarette To breathe clean air Another day in La La Land. Wilhelmina Miles
A Community Aware Forum for discussion of community concerns
Hope vs Despair Tuesday February 51h & 12 111 , 7:00 to 9:00 pm Mosaic Settlement House: 1720 Grant Street east off Commercial Drive Registration by email to communityaware@gmail.com Fee:$5 In these times we ask ourselves these questions: How are HOPE and DESPAIR alike? Where do you find HOPE in midst of DESPAIR? What do we do when we cannot HOPE? A Community Aware has served the Vancouver Commercial Drive neighbourhood and beyond since 1999. Bruce Alexander is author of The Globalization of Addiction (Oxford Univ. Press). Barry Morris is a United Church Minister at Longhouse Ministry in Vancouver. Terry Patten is a retired business administrator.
Raise the Rates www .raisetherates.org January 31,2013 Dear Adrian Dix, We are a small group here today, but we are not alone as we represent hundreds of thousands of British Columbians who are affected by poverty and the millions more who want action. We are here to ask you to publicly state that you support increasing welfare rates substantially. Across the globe, popular movements of ordinary people have emerged, declaring in words and actions that they are no longer satisfied with the status quo. People have grown restless with a leadership that serves the interests of the political, social and economic elite while ignoring the needs of the majority. There is a growing disconnect between the popular mood and leaders who are reluctant to act. Increasingly people are taking action and not waiting for leaders. A year ago today, Jagrup Brar, NDP MLA for Surrey Fleetwood, completed his month of living on the wei fare rate of $61 0 Raise the Rates had challenged all M LAs, "Can you Iive on $610 fo r a month?" Brar took the challenge and found he could not live on welfare; he lost 26 pounds in weight. A year later welfare rates have not changed and people still cannot live on S6 10. Poverty is bad for individuals and society. Cost of Eating in BC, 2011 points out that many in BC cannot afford healthy food and that this has many negative impacts. Last October, over I 00 people in BC spent only $26 for a week's food, what a s ingle person on welfare has for food. Even the people who were trained dietitians and chefs could not make the money stretch. Some people w ho couldn't cope gave up before the week was out and all who finished were hungry, stressed and bad-tempered. A person on welfare cannot afford a healthy diet. At a time when politicians talk about being careful with money it is astounding to see the waste of money due to poverty. The CCPA report, The Cost ofPoverty in BC, estimated•that poverty costs BC at least $8 billion a year, over $1 billion in health alone. A strategy to end poverty would cost around $4 billion a year, so ending poverty in BC would save $4 billion a year. When you ran for leader of the NDP tackling inequality was a top priority. BC has the biggest inequality gap of any province between the richest and poorest 20% of the population; the highest pot1ion of the popul ation in poverty; and either the worst or second worst record on child poverty for the past decade. An opinion poll in October 2012 found over 70% support for action including a provincial poverty reduction strategy, raising welfare to cover real food and housing costs and a program to build supported and affordable housing. A government that acted on these popular policies, paying for it by taxing the rich, would significantly reduce inequality. The BC Government imposes poverty on hundreds of thousands of people of all ages. The NDP states that, if elected, it will implement a poverty reduction plan with clear targets and timelines. Increasing wei fare rates is the most direct way to reduce poverty for the poorest. We call on you to agree to do this. More than words alone, we insist on the action with real change for the better. The tide is shi fti ng; people are restless and rising up. Their allegiance cannot be purchased by traditional political loyalties or mere election promises. Align yourse lf with this movement of popular resistance and social change. Dare to envision a nd enact a future of equality and justice. Yours, Raise the Rates
Can you live on $610 a month? Justice not Charity
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Raise the Rates www .raisetherates.org Background
Raise • • • • • • • •
the Rate's Program to End Poverty in BC: Increase income assistance to the Market Basket Measure Remove the a rb itrary barriers to receiving welfare, suc h as 5 week wait End the c lawbacks of child support Ra ise earnings exemptions Increase the minimum wage to $12/ho ur, without excepti~ns Bui ld 10,000 soc ial housing units a year Prov ide high quality public childcare Reverse the tax cuts for the rich and corporations and increase tax on people earning over $250,000 a year
Resolutions in support of Raise the Rates Demands 1 • City of Vancouve r, agreed May 29 h, 20 12: http://former. vancouver.ca/ctyclerk/ccle rk/20 120529/documents/regu20 l20529min.pdf (page 7) • City ofV ictoria, agreed October 11th, 20 12: https:1/victoria.ci vicweb.net/Docume nts/DocumentList.aspx?lD=42600 (page 12) Reports • Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, The Cost of Poverty in BC: http ://w'vvw.po licyalternatives.ca/costofpoverty bc • Dietitians of Canada, Cost of Eating in BC, 2011: http://www.dietitians.ca/SecondaryPages/Public lThe-Cost-of-Eating-in-British-Columbia. aspx • BC Healthy Li ving Alliance, October 201 2, Opinion Poll: http://www.bchea lthy living.ca/hL!ngry-change-poll-shows-bri tish-columbians-wantaction-poverty
I COUNT THE HOURS Like a human taxidermist who's just got to add some strings I've been going over my productivity music and writing are my things throw in sports and you have nO'-'V described what is me, like some statue of Christ overflowing with blood o r if only our Wright brother was right and the other was very wrong there would be quite a thud yet Flight would still be; have you ever thought what you would do if you were outside and there was no one to talk to or fight let alone being right how scared would you honestly begin to feel, o elections no more rules a million things to do but how long would it take before being alone really hit you maybe when everything you ever wanted was now free no more of that Theft Under crap now you remember you don't steal, no more people like Jerry Springer and the low-lifes on his show like the guy who slept with his grandmother's twin or the guy who ripped off his place of business and has one million condoms or so but after awhile that DNA particle that spells o ut loneliness has made its feelings we ll known, soon you w ill feel adrift on some desert island with nothing to write w ith or read the li brary becomes your sanctuary you become interested in things you really don't care fo r that is the enemy out of7. 1 billion and now not counting you get to be the "winner" in the Never Wish Sweepstkes and the stakes say that I will forever be alone, no one needed to adm inster last rites l have become lrre levantMan to all my empty friends delight I did not write this I do not want this everything is wrong and nothing whatsoever is right no doctors to tell me why I am wrong every drugstore is mouth to hand combat eventuall y my mind gets turned back on once I become immune darkness will be my only light ... my solitary ass ignment was for some time quite a joy but day be month by year I lost interest in every toy with no re ligion or war or politics pollution is down so is the crime rate what did I really expect you to tell me ['II never know and dare say do I really care at all? Like the demolition derby that left these planets stars and rocks remember that 4.5 billion years ago we were in no condition nor position to talk back then falling any which way could cause oblivion to whatever was there to fall, like asking a battender for a
marriage on the rocks but the empty people I' ve come to love really do not talk. yet it be good times or bad I am what I thought I would be -alone This would have become such a tiny place now it' s the biggest house on the block yet I keep face by treating houses like they were my friends let mother nature slamdance even entire seasons can now be postponed. like god coming down every thousand years or so to clean house the Merchants of Pennies always forgetti ng my pound of flesh I think on purpose that spitting image of a louse I count the hours beneath the shade of a Used up Abused down bruised remanat of a star we call the Sun; like teling off this world and its inhabitants with solid black streams of breath I'm not going to be a very popular person if there is life after death I will be the guy with black eyes hiding in black holes if this universe has exit doors please let me find one; ... the only certainty in this unstable world is being brought in alone be it boys transgenders or girls we all leave the same way we came in at one but the self-induced solitary alignment in between the two make black holes almost microscopic compared to almost everyone else. Now I know I'm not the only one who treats inanimate objects like my bass guitar !so bella I ike their old friends they are killing off the houses I gre'v~ up with in Richmond down goes one up goes two to which I see no end as I've written before Richmond and Vancouver are A Tale of Two Atrocities - the selfi sh bastards wreck every moment of joy which are few and far between even what they don't want they will keep for themselves. This newer generation would not know Stephen King from Rodney King and with phones and cameras now part of their anatomy feeling alone is the one and only thing their electronic security blankets cannot bring the hours count themselves, even Death Row inmates are allowed to invite five '路guests" to watch them die, lives lived good o r bad I believe lead to punishment down the road the SatanGodlceCream family tend to wounds on the living side Saint Minus the other where family and friends quickly now are fo llowing the descent these hours are killing them before their time as the Second-hand on the counting clock is telling me it is once again time to say good-bye! for now By ROBERT McGILLIYRA Y PS: Syd Stephen Savage: you'll be alright man.
CONDOS ON 1HE 100-8LOCK WOULD BE A &ENt The 1 00-block of East Hastings is the heart of the DTES low-income community. Everything good about this community is threatened by the developer-proposal to build 79 condos called "Sequel 1 38" at the former Pantages theatre site, between the Regent & Brandiz Hotels.
S10P LOW-INCOME HOUSING LOSSES! HOMES FIRSf: As we have seen with Woodward's, condos cause higher property values, higher rents, and displacement of low income people from the SROs. About half of the residents of the 1 00-block live in privately owned hotels (Regent, Balmoral & Brandiz) where rents will go up when land values increase and low-income people get priced out.
STOP 1HE UPSCALING OF PUBLIC SPACE! NO JOUfiQ.UE SHOPS: Gentrified spaces are for consumers not community: Expensive restaurants and boutique stores also come with condos, and with them come more private security guards and police ... all pushing low-income people out of public spaces.
STOP THE CONDO INVASION OF THE DTES! SfOP REAL ESfAfE SPECULAfORS 6-INVESfO~PfEUAfORS: If Marc Williams can make money at Pantages it will send a signal to other developers sitting on land in the DEOD. Condos on the 100-block will open the flood gates to developments that will threaten low-income housing , shops and services in the heart of the low-income community.
tHE COMMUNitY OOES NOt SUPPORt tHIS PROJECtÂŁ NEitHER SHOUU the DTES Not for Developers Coalition to stop the Pantages condos. 1 housing on the 1 00-block was endorsed by 40 DTES and ally organiza 'big-4' DTES social housing providers (Lookout, PHS, Atira, Rain City) the same demands was signed by more than 3,000 people including 1 The city development permit board accepted the condo proposal in Sl met ... We can fight together to STOP SEQUEL 138, and we can begi
RIFICATION 80M8 IN THE HEART OF THE OTE9 Pantages condos would not work without the support of BC Housing and Van City Credit Union.
What is BC Housing's role? In the summer of 2012 DTES community pressure forced the city to threaten the Pantages developer to clean -up the demolition site they had allowed to become infested with rats and covered with garbage. At the same time the developer was threatened with foreclosure by the private bank that had mortaged the site. BC Housing stepped in at the last minute with a $3.3 million loan (at about 1% interest) to clean up the site and stop the foreclosure. BC Housing has also offered an additional $20 million subsidized-lowinterest loan to pay for construction costs but the loan has not yet been released. We are asking BC Housing to withdraw their support for Sequel -138 condos and build 1 00% social housing at the Pantages site.
What is VanCity's role? \VanCity Credit union is holding the project up with rpore accessible (mortgage support for target buyers. VanCity's reputation as an ehthical credit union is also shielding this socially irresponsible project. VanCity's mission statement says "We are accountable to our members, employees, colleagues and communities for the results of our decisions and actions." We are asking VanCity to be accountable to its DTES resident members and the DTES low-income community and withdraw their support for Sequel 1 38 condos.
VANCifV.
Nine resident organizations came together to form he founding statement against these condos and for 100% social .tions representing tens of thousands of people and including the and every significant arts organization in the DTES. A petition with 00 DTES community support workers. t
)ring 2012 but with conditions that the developer has still not n by convincing VanCity to withdraw their support.
WHAf IS fHE SEQUEL 138 PROPOSAL?
WHAf YOU CAN PO fO SfOP SEQUEL 13 8
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79 quarter-million dollar condos 9 $837-$900/mth "social housing" 9 welfare-rate social housing units A high-end shopping "breezeway" to connect Hastings to Chinatown. It will be "gated until security concerns improve" Supported with a public-purse low-interest $23.5M loan from BC Housing
Write a letter to BC Hou si ng & Van City Credit Union demanding they withdraw their support from Sequel 1 38 condos : FOIPP@bchousing.org, board_d i rectors@vancity. com • Endorse the DTES community resolution to stop Sequel 1 38 condos. Email your endorsing group's name to ivandrury@gmail.com
5 MOrtE ll.EASONS FOrt VANCifY NOT TO SUPPOrtf SEQUEL 138 CONPOS Failed to ensure health and safety standards were maintained during the demolition of the Pantages theatre. He left the demolition site a heap of rubble and garbage for over a year until it became infested with rats. Worksafe BC and the City of Vancouver shut down his demolition site and finally the city forced him to clean it up under threat of fines. 1. Failed to secure an exerienced social housing provider to run the social housing component of the project. "FJL Housing Society" slated to run the social housing was only incorporated in 2012 and has zero experience operating social housing for low-income people. 2. Failed to engage with and build a relationship with the existing community in the area. Besides inflicting a hazardous and toxic demolition site on neighbours for over a year Marc Williams insulted them by calling their neighbourhood a "dead zone" where "only drug dealers and rats live." 3. Failed to meet the basic legal requirements for a condo in the DTES Oppenheimer District. He has not struck a community consultation committee; the gentrification effects of his condos could displace lowincome residents, contrary to city policy.
4. Failed to get support from DTES arts groups. Sequel 1 3 8 advertises an arts component but they are opposed by every DTES resident arts group.
DTES Not for Developers Coalition HTTP://DTESNOTFORDEVELOPERS.WORDPRESS.COM
ordinary everyday events asian male said he was looking for a girl to go on vacation with the guy paid but couldn't cum he threatened to shoot the worker took his money back east indian male had $1 00 and asked for change grabbed the worker told her to go with him grabbed a knife and said they were going to his car she screamed her brother chased the guy away caucasian male driving new red trans am picks up working women and gives them fake $20 bills he 's very good-looking and well built 3 males 2 east indian and 1 caucasian driving 4-door blue Chevrolet pretend to be dates and after they pick up a worker they ask her for money and when she refuses these guys pull a gun and rob her they claim to be from the willow gang
caucasian male brown eyes shori brown/blonde hair no facial hair no scars or tattoos drives brand new black Cherokee with black-tinted windows picked worker up asked for blow job and after they did the date she asked for her money he said he already paid he threw her out of the car and in the process of taking off ran over her ankle resulting in serious injury he also took her shoes and jacket native male brown. eyes short black hair freckles on face guy was walking drunk and edgy asked prices for blow job and lay said his car was parked nearby became physically aggressive and tried to grab worker's head she retaliated with a shot to his head black male drives 2-door red low-riding sports car paid for blow job this guy was very rough held worker by the air forced himself on her
¡ossibly mixed native male mid 20s drives 2-door purple Pontiac cruises and stalks women sits staring at women definitely creepy caucasian male shaved head fu manchu mustache drives 2-door white van fishing equipment inside paid $70 for a blow job then offered $40 more if she took off her shirt and pants he said he'd cum faster the worker stripped he went to the front of the van and returned with a big machete forced her to bend over ripped off her panties and raped her anaJly the guy took his money back told her to get out and kept her underwear said he wanted it for a 'souvenir¡ 3 or 4 east indian males driving new model sporty-looking metallic blue car a working girl hit in the neck by these guys with pe llets from a slingshot or bb gun she says they shot at her several times mulatto male long dark hair wearing a white shirt and black cap driving red 2-door sports hatchback asked for blow job
agreed on date worker got into the car the guy began driving and a second male rose up from under a sleeping bag in backseat and began strangling her she'd been unaware the second guy was there he choked her so hard she blacked out and when she came to she was lying on a side•..valk all her money was gone and her leg was injured possibly from being thrown from the car black male asked for blow job without condom and assaalted worker she ended up with a black eye cut mouth scratches east indian male drives dark blue van paid for lay worker started doing the date guy was drunk couldn 't get hard he wanted his money back she said no he grabbed her by the throat reached behind the seat pulled out a steel pipe she managed to get out of the van and reported incident to police By Bud Osborn from Bad Date sheets
Yaay Fog!
Tinu is Time IPaG Back in '7 1 never woulda thought I'd be buying a AK-47 at the pot-shop never thought day would come when stereo was just pumped in as yo u walked your stoned ass around Time was no-one over 30 and didn't have long hair was the Enemy time was when it's upside down now don't trust anyone younger 'n 80 and only rednecks wear ponytails drug dementia being the big deal as a generation is raised on Ritalin and pacified by crack who woulda thoughl way back and now lookin down the double barrel of being almost sixty and sti II don't have a clue as to what to do do you, baby blue? AI Loewen
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I love clouds 's just the way i am the thicker the darker the closer the better obviously, i LOVE fog i don't care for the sun sometimes i close my eyes and face the sun to bask in its pleasurable warmth but that's something i have to do with intention i never find mysel.f naturai!Y enjoying the sun unless it's low autumn sun sending colour all th1ck and nch the sun makes me hot i don't like being hot, 't makes me anxious and it makes me squint it's too bright that's why i always wear sunglasses more often than not i hate it oh, another exception: sun is fitting for hard brute labour. I like it for that in the dead of winter night i open all my windows wide as they will and fog slips in and fills my house i . . catch partial glimpses of my cat as he cuts through in and around 1! Silently the fog wafting in languid swirls off of him . i inhale deeply, and the fog graces me with blissful fragrances as 1t fills my lungs then, inwardly i see fog has pillowed my soul like gossamer down i curl up in it cozy in the cold fuckhead jones
theatre for living (headlines) ~1arch 8to 24,2013 Tue-Sun@ Spm 2x: orev·ew: Mar 7@ 8pr 2xl1:atinees: \1ar 13 &17 @ 2pm
Firehall Arts Centre 280 E. Cc·dova St. Vancauver -ic<el5 $:2. sef'lice coar~e· B~y cnline: firehallartscentre.ca
Or call:604-689-0926
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NEWSLETTER
Never doubt that a small group of thGughtful committed citizens can change the world . Indeed. ir is the only thing that ever ha::,. Margaret Meade
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THIS NEWSLETTER IS A PUBLICATION·OF THE CARNEGIE COMMUNITY CENTRE ASSOCIATION Articles represent the views of individual contributors and not of the Association. WANTED Artwork for the Carnegie Newsletter
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Next Issue: SUBMISSION DEADLINE
Small illustrations to accompany articles and poetry Cover art - Max. Size 17cm(6. ?")wide x 15cm(6")h 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 largt it will be reduced and/or cropped to fit.) All artists will receive credit for their work. Originals will be returned to the artists after being copied for publication. Remuneration: Carnegie Volunteer Tickets Please make submissions to Paul Taylor, Editor.
www.carnnews.or\! http://chodarr.org/taxonomy/termf3
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 12tli
Jenny WaiChing Kwan M:LA Working for You 1070 - 1641 Commercial Dr, VSL 3Y3 Phone: 604--775-0790 1
WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION
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Cost-effective computer and IT support fc • non-profits :r • VCN TechTeam http :/itechteam.vcn.bc~b • Call 778-724-0826 _ext 2
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AIDS POVERTY HOMELESSNESS VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN TOTALITARIAN CAPITALISM IGNORANCE and SUSTAINED FEAR
Jim Dewar has been publishing his insightful cartoons in the Carnegie Newsletter for several years and has put together some of his favorites to create a unique calendar about the issues facing the DTES. His CRUNCH CALENDARS are available for $10 and make a great gift. Contact Jim at jimdewarll@gmail.com if you're interested. You can also find them at Windows Community Art Shop, 7 West Hastings Street.
Choir with Merta Paterson Starting Saturday, February 16th Come along and share in the power of song Find your voice! Feed your /teart and soul! Make friends! Enjoy a supportive space where we HA YE FUN by
+SINGING OUT - Sing songs to celebrate diverse cultural contexts
+FlNDING OUR VOICE - Discover how your voice works and grow your confidence!
• CELEHRATING LIFE TOGETHER -Gather with a group of friends and sing out about life's highs & lows, and know that you are not alone
EVERY SATURDAY FOR 10 WEEKS 1 FROM FEB 16 \ 3:30-SPM CARNEGIE HALL THEATRE FREE!
Streetwalking- Part One Out the door. down the street, pick out a vacant spot on a now-vacant corner.. briefly occupied moments ago by a sister working girl. It's busy today 2 days after welfare, broke and busted, got no choice in the matter of making ¡fast & easy money" for a couple of hoots, a pack of cigs, bag of chips, can of coke. I ask you, is that too much to ask for? Got lucky tonight- I got a hot corner near a dimly-lit al ley, lotsa traffic between an old converted funeral home & a cheap shabby rundown road house. Some gals own a corner, like for keeps, with their spotters keeping six. Sometimes there' s nowhere to turn, in fear, wedged into any old knook or cranny, dodging predators, cops, authorities, you name it. They're tracking me, including the tricks; they think I'm fair 'game' like it's open season on abused & battered women ... Believe me folks this is their mindset and you can take that to the bank. It' s foggy & cool today as r stand lonely & forlorn, as I pace on my vigil, trying, acting to appear happy and carefree to the johns- waving, smiling, attempting to peer into tinted windows ... Nobody wants to shell out cold hard cash for a down-in-the-dumps sourpuss. On no. They want to be fussed ovr, pampered, "entertained"! How do I deal with this on a daily basis? ,Sometimes? All the time?? I lallucinating or in a trance, ruminating, counting in my head. It's countdown to a meltdown often wearing s habby cast-offs looking dishevelled, drug-sick, doused in cheap perfume, sleep-deprived, teased scary hair, uneven make-up .. otherwise I feel like a million$. I'm beat; I'm getting punchy. In my guts I'm silently screaming to myself: please someone, anyone, help me get out of here and escape from this living hell. All in vain. I know no one can possibly hear. My poor aching shrivelling stomach is tightening up like the tortuous turning of a rusting screw, and my soul is gradually but relentlessly hollowing out Yet I am happy to say that my heart still often leaps -at offbeat times and strange intervals - with a flaming spirit afire with what feels to me to be an eternal hot & strong light to a path with hope & change. Onto a path of a childlike wish and dream to a promised land of peace of mind, body and soul together connected exquisitely towards a place of blissful beautiful endless dreams. Talk to you soon, I hope.
ROBYN LIVINGSTONE.
()Violence against women worldwide One in 10 Canadian women will be abused or battered by her husband (Canadian Adviso ry Council on the Status of Women, 1982). More than 80 million African women and girts are victims of female circumcision or other forms of genital mutilation (World Health Organization report). 50 per cent of married women are regularly battereq by their partners in Bangkok, Thailand (Worldwlltch Institute report).
"Without aggression, without aoy noisy obtrusiveness, a few Canadian women by deep thought, by clear vision or by honest service have prepared the way for those who will follow, and have proved the right of all to work as they are able." National Council of Women, 1900 1986 Herstory
"The hand that rocks the cradle does not rule the world. If it did life would be held dearer and the world would beasweetercleanerplacethan it is now." Nellie McClung 1985 Herstory
An estimated 1,000 women are burned alive each year in dowry-related incidents in the state of Gujarat, India alone (Ahmedabad Women's Action Group report) . 78,000 female fetuses were aborted after sex determination tests between 1978 and 1982 (a study of a Bombay clinic). Every 15 seconds a woman is beaten In the United States (U.S. Department of Justice). In Mexico, a woman is raped every nine minutes (Doble Jornada, Nov. 1987).
"For too long we have believed it our duty to sit down and be resigned. Now we know it is our duty to rise up and be indignant." Nellie McClung 1980 Herstory
(From a fact sheet produced by MATCH International Centre, an Ottawa-based organization committed to improving the status of women globally through the exchange of resources between Canadian and Third World I'.Omen.)
"Many women feel their position does not need to be improved, but this does not mean that all Canadian women are so fortunate. It is important that women show concern for others of their sex ...l am my sister's keeper." Jean Mclllwrick . 1981 Herstory That seems to be the haunting fear of mankind- that the advancement of women will sometime, some way, someplace interfere with some man's comfort. Nellie McClung 1978 Herstory "Women have never yet lived in their own world. Man has assigned woman to his sphere. A woman's sphere is any thing a man does not want to do himself. This is a simple distribution of labour and easily understood and is very satisfactory to half the population." Nellie McClung, 1916 1986 Herstory
...Women must band together to better conditions for this and future generations, to enable them to go into the world and meet the requirements nobly and honestly. Louise Lucas, 1932 Herstory 1983
"It is not so much a woman's duty to bring children into the world as to see what sort of the world she is bringing them into." Nellie McClung 1978 Herstory
"Remember, the best revenge is writing well." Audrey Thomas, 1979 1987 Herstory
THEIR SPIRITS LIVE WITHIN US THE 22"d ANNUAL WOMEN'S MEMORIAL MARCH THURSDAY FEBRUARY 14, 2013 Gather at Carnegie Community Centre Theatre at 40 1 Main Street, Vancouver B.C. Memorial March will begin at NOON from Main & Hastings
This Memorial March is organised and led by women because women, especially Aboriginal women, face physical, mental, emotional and spiritual violence on a daily basis Honouring and Remembering the lives of murdered and missing women from the downtown eastside. Please remember to leave your banners at home. We carry five for the women.