Issuu

Safe Injection Site

S a f e I n j e c t i o n S i t e OPENS 139 E a s t H a s t i n g s , 6 8 7 - S I T E This is Neighbourhood News ofa high order, with so much media attention when it opened. What's really sad is that the coverage gets squirreled - only the nuts that the head squirrel wants to share, (that say what he isn't 'supposed to but wants to with a vengeance) - get prime exposure. The research, exhaustive studies and clinical trials have been done and the considered opinions of "experts" are heavily in favour of the strategy - enough to satisf) the intellectuals and scientific community. The reports fiom around the world - Germany, England, Switzerland, Australia - are uniformly positive about the effects on both users (harm reduction and avenues to treatment) and surrounding communities (reductions in violence and crime). ... so much so that the very people who were most vehemently opposed to safe injection sites in their regions now praise the site and themselves for having the wisdom to let it enter creation (or similar crud* that gives sour stomachs to the people who actually did all the hard work and didn't back down for years of verbal and financial abuse.) Bud Osborn is the true hero here, speaking up and out for the most marginalized and demonized and sick people - the drug addicts and mental health consumers - long before it was given grudging s u p port by many now 'on side.' What's galling in the Downtown Eastside is that the media have gone to great lengths to give as much negative coverage as possible. A 70-year old American tourist is quoted as saying "It's terrible." Such a monumental expression supposedly representing the American voice? (Their drug treatment strategy struggles with media-exploited inertia )

What's doubly sad is when CKNW sets up its mobile DJ truck right across the street.. parks it there.. and airs a constant stream of callers and talk show stuff that is uniformly negative. None of the aforementioned work is mentioned or given any credence at all, like what the late Constable Gil Puder referred to when Police Officers and politicians would give opinions on drugs and their uselabuse totally unsupported by all evidence derived fiom actual resources. CKNW did this in spades with 8- 10 suits loitering on the street for several hours, doing nothing but stare at the door across the street. What was said last issue is still extant - this place has enough brains and sweat behind it to be open to adjusting to need, to changing to best serve and help the addicted people. Wiggle room is part of the structure, but the focused and microscopic analysis being promoted by reactionary media is counterproductive. Back offand let the S.I.S. settle down. It's here for the long haul too. I have to comment on the Courier S trashing of the Portland Hotel Society. The 'reporter' was none other than David Carrigg, the blank who tried to trash DERA with innuendo, selective omissions and half-truths. When the smoking gun and criminal activity were found to be non-existent, he happily engaged in character assassination. Ditto with the stuff on the Portland. It was interesting that everyone involved simply refused to talk to him, and the only way to cover up their recognition of him for the excuse he is was to put those refbsals in right after he had posed another idiot question. The online page for the Courier has a simpleton's question that will undoubtedly be used to be a "comprehensive survey result" in damning the PHs specifically. It happened to DERA when the entire financial picture was opened up for inspection and Carrigg didn't find the criminal shit he was drooling about and resorted to more crud. I sent a short reply to him via email and he wrote back asking if what 1 had said " was going to improve the lives of the residents of the Downtown Eastside?' and that he was "just after the truth." Crud. I responded with specifics and he wrote back that he "had been advised not to read anything I wrote" and had deleted it unread. He's very good at that as an investigative tool.

The Courier ran this 6 - v a ~ earticle, not to just trash the Portland, but as the way to state the supposedly majority opinion about drugs and addicts and mental health consumers. C a r r i a and Mark Maloney (the editor) couldn't trash addicts or the Safe Injection Site so they try to slander and slime the staff of the Portland Hotel Society. After all, what writer or paper (and Carrigg gets editorial support from Maloney) can say in print that 'addicts don't matter' or 'addicts don't deserve any help' or, simply, 'addicts should just die." ? The crud is piling up. [ "Crud" is a synonym for the word used to describe the product of a bull's bowel movement.] By PAULR TAYLOR

The New Vancouver This is my little ghetto The cops are on the beat I do not have a toilet So I pee upon the street For years it was called the skid row Downtown Eastside now's the name The new safe injection site Brung more unwanted fame The clubs stay open 4 am The mayor is a joke He'd rather see death and destruction Than prosperity and hope Despair and death surrounds us Down here there are no rights If you have no permits Just go and fly a kite Welcome to the ghetto I hope you chill real fine If you cannot make it There's lots of beer and wine There's lot of coke and candy You can buy yourself a fiiend Just remember Who loves you In this jumbled east end den

The Shadow Watches GHETTO: Get your back up Get your bearings Get your drift Get your hackles Get your hands up Get your line crossed Get your own back Get your own jack Get your revenge Get your skates on Get your rent paid Get up against the wall Get your ass outta here Get your own back Get your own jack Get your revenge Get your skates on Get your rent paid Get up against the wall Get your ass outta here

Carl McD

Carnegie Theatre Workshop Update The theatre workshop on Thursday afternoon from 1-4pm in classroom #2 is wiling along with sessions concerning the nuts and bolts of acting, directing, playwriting, speaking and reading in public. At the moment we are looking over, reading out loud and reciting poems by renowned poets from the publication I O I Poems Against War as well as prose and poetry written by participants of the workshop. We are also working on a couple of Dora Saunders' pieces. One play called That Transit Authority is to be performed by request! on Saturday, October 4~ @ I lam, at SFU's Downtown Campus, room 2270; for the general meeting of the Bus Riders Union activist group. Please come and hear the work. This is a great honour both for the writer and the workshop performers as it was first heardfread as a radio drama at The Learning Centre celebration at Carnegie on June 19,2003. The other play of Dora's that we are work-shopping is titled A Family Thing. It too is a radio drama and is concerned with one family's history within the welfare system of B.C. It goes through scenes involving two or three generations of a group of family members needing assistance. We are also beginning to record Bob Sarti's Raymur Mothers radio drama which is in three short acts. This is a historical piece out of the 1970's dealing with the fight to get an overpass walkway across railroad tracks near the Raymur Place Housing P r c ~ ject so that children would not be hurt by moving train stock. That show has been cast and we are getting much needed assistance recording-wise fiom the remarkable musician1teacher Earle Peach. Paul DeCarie's radio drama Jason's Luck is currently going through a reading review and needs to be cast as well reasonably soon. There are three roles in that piece so anyone that is part of Carnegie Community Centre who would like to attend the Thursday class sessions and be part of theatre workshop, should come to the third floor classroom and see what it is all about.

There is a fourth radio drama which is also in the first stages of being cast, Jack Benny Live at The Pantages by Jason Logan. This has a large cast and there are a number of roles that could be cast fiom members of the workshop or those who have jobs/ members of the Carnegie Centre Building. Jason's play is concerned with Jack Benny having a dream in the year 2003 where he is to perform at a restored and functioning Pantages Theatre on Hastings Street. He encounters all the sights and sounds that are on Hastings Street at our present time and finds he has to deal with it all as best as possible within the framework of attempting to perform one of his standard, 1950's-style Jack Benny shows on the radio. So we have a radio drama within a radio drama that proves quite original and humourous. Another set of radio dramas that is concerned with the Downtown Eastside is coming from The Vancouver Asian Canadian Theatre group. Three or more radio pieces are being developed that touch on sights, sounds of Vancouver's Chinatown and historical culture /memories of Chinese immigrants to Canada from mainland China. The group is proving to be extremely talented and inclusive of the Chinese community within the DTES. Patrick Foley has again lent his talents to writing a radio drama The Rat. This has been performed already at Carnegie in April 03, at Oppenheimer Park for an Endless Summer Festival and at First United Church at Gore and Hastings for a pre-lunch entertainment presentation in their multi-purpose room. The play involves a "binner" and a "dumpster diver battling over territory within dumpsters where cans and bottles can be collected for deposit. It's a rolling rocketing, biting radio piece with lots of Foley-like surprises. That too needs readers, so if you are interested drop into the workshop sometime soon.

There are a few other radio play pieces are still in the workshop stage. They are entering into second and third drat? writings, to be gone over in the Thursday sessions. We now work with an agenda handed out at the beginning of the workshop. This was requested by participants and has made matters a touch more organized. We also do improv and scene work of well-known dramas1 plays from around the world. This gives people some background in the art of acting, getting into character and analysis of what theatre production work is all about. If you have any hrther questions about the workshop, you can reach me - Jay Hamburger - through the Carnegie front desk: 604-665-2220 or the Carnegie Theatre Workshop c/o Theatre In the Raw ofice number: 604-708-5548.

'You too can perform over the airwaves andget a feel of wlat the great era ofradio drama in North America was all about. Comejoin us now!' Jay Hamburger

VOLUNTEER EVENT: Come andjoin

Vicki Gabereau - The Queen Of Chat Join us for Canada's Premiere Television Daytime Talk Show Be Part of the Live Studio Audience Entertaining Guests + Witty Conversations Enjoy Light Refreshment + Prizes Thursday, October 16,2003 10:30am- 1:30pm Sign on in the Volunteer Program Oflice

Karaoke with Darrell!!! Friday, October loth,2003 7 -10pm Carnegie Theatre Wanna exercise those pipes? Have your voice be heard? Come and join us with Darrell to show us the way Refreshments sewed

perfect Isn't Who is this perfect women That we must struggle to be?. Change a nose, change a mouth Stuff and till our breasts. Bring up the eyes, thin out the brows Belly tuck, hips suctioned off. Hair colour never right. high heeled shoes that hurt so bad. Nails so long and artificial. Never let your age show It's just not done. Well that's what Oprah Winfiey says and other T.V. shows. Make me over, do me right. At 60 make me 30. Not me I say, not me!!!! What you see is what you get. My wrinkles and my belly.. Broken nails from growing flowers Breasts sag from feeding babies. Never perfect will 1 be But I'm curious: Who is she That perfect Woman.? Sheila Baxter Dear Editor, Thank you so much for including a poem I helped to write in your August 15 newsletter. 1 want to make sure that the poem is properly credited. "Turn Your Head" is inspired by the thoughts and words of a lot of people. A really, really important influence were the poems of W54. Another influence was a poem by Joe Ziegler called "The Downtown Hellbound Train." And a third big influence was "Surviving With Grace", a collection of writings, essays and poetry ffom the Carnegie Centre Writers Workshop. These voices were so inspiring that this poem came forth. "Turn Your Head" is the child of many voices. And it belongs to all these voices. Savannah Walling

THANKS To all the folks who auditioned f o r the play and signed up t o help in the studio making costumes and props. I t ' s a great group and the early rehearsals have been fun. If you still want t o be a perfwmer in the play, call 604-841-3454 and we'll set you up.

SHOPPING LIST Things we are looking for, either as a donation o r on loan.... f abric Tools

I Sewing machines, serged!!!) hot glue guns - wire cutters - j i g saw - large

Any large- ish Red, White, Black, Blue and 'warm' (pinks, oranges, yellows, straight edge rotary cutters magenta, purples) colours o f Fabric. Lace cotton linens sheets canvas handsaw drop cloths soldering iron screwdrivers exado knives sharp curtains silks velvets -sequin/fancy Fur woolens/knits stretchy white fabric scissors scissors for paper paint brushes paint rollers and trays fabric etc

- - - -

Notions

Clothes/costume s t u f f

White shirts black dress pants hats gioves top hats bowler hats 1960's dresses or pants traditional f i r s t nations regalia period frock coats tail coats fake jewellery wigs and hair pieces 40 pairs sunglasses white clothes black clothes etc

Threads (heavy duty and serger, must be strong!) in all colours braid ribbon wool (black or blue o r red) buttons needles pins etc elastic velcro zippers snaps hook and eye etc.

Shoes

Other S t u f f

- -

Black mens dress brown mens dress dark work boots (battered up is good) womens shoes or boots in black, brown, white or red. 1960's and 70's vintage type plafforms or other black canvas chiness slip on's all sizes needed plus childrens etc

Costume rails/racks Ironing board 50 black umbrellas Belts clear drycleaning bags (hundreds) foam feathers plywood doorskin ply glue casters wheels t e n t poles (extendable) backpack with metal frame bamboo poles

We will be grateful if you could drop in with any of these items! Come t o room #5 in the old section o f the dapanese Hall.

COSTUMES, P R O P S and S E T Dear friend, b Iam delighted t o be designing f o r yoor community play, Ihl TtfE HEART Of A cT~/.I would t o invite you t o join in t h e exiting t a s k o f creating t h e set, props and costumes f o r t h e play. There is a large range o f things t o be made,from Victorian costcrmes t o ah eight armed

liG

giant puppet ! Itwill +dude making costumes, hats, shadow masks, giant and smaff puppets, wire workihg, wood working, painting and paper macheing. All skill levels are wef~ome.Ilook forward t o meelhg and workihg with you soon.

Marind Szijaito-l (and her lovely assistant Tamara ~ h r o e ) You Can be involved and help be a p a r t o f the team If YOUCan

........

SEW * CUT THINGS W I T H SCISSORS * GLUE THINGS * USE A P A I N T BRUSH OR ROLLER * ORGANIZE * WRITE LISTS * SAW UP THINGS * DRILL and HAMMER * DYE FABRIC * FINO FREE STUFF * And l a s t but not least... HELP CLEAN UP - the most important job t h a t helps US all keep sane and having fun!

&% :,@

Come t o our 'STUOIO w O R K S ~ ~ O P Sa 't THE 3APAIIIESE HALL, 475 Alexander St. (~lexanderand rlackson)

TUESOAY EVENINGS 6 pm t o 9pm TQURSOAY EVENINGS 6pm t o 9pm SATUROAY OAYTIMES llAm t o 4pm O r call 604 -254 6911and leave us a message a b o d what

you can do and when you are avaliable. W e would also be delighted if you could drop in with See you soon! any o f the items on the "Shopping List"

.......

DERA Community Forum:

"Miracles happen when you don't plan in advance. If you dot all your i's and cross all your t's then you will find no miracles." Satish Kumar

PROTEST PRIVATIZATION!! CANADA PLACE, 12 NOON MONDAY OCTOBER 6tb

An ad in the Richmond Review said, "Privatization will make millionaires." For every millionaire privatization makes there is a score of working people who privatization breaks. While the BC Liberals privatize services to rich American companies we are sunk further into the reality that Canada is the most foreign-owned nation on the planet. There is nothing for working people to gain by cementing the foundations of corporate power. The program of privatization is bent on breaking the trade union movement, smashing workers rights, eroding wages, while big profits land in the hands of a few wealthy private entrepreneurs. When we look at Argentina we see that who was once the poster child for neo-liberalism is now the abysmal failure of capitalism. Gutting social programs and privatizing to pay off their debt left the economy in ruins, to the point that people in Argentina have begun a revolutionary process to reverse the damage. In British Columbia much of the damage can still be prevented but only through bitter class struggle. There is very little time to debate if there's a way to politely stop BC from joining the 3rd World; the pace and intensity ofthe forces of capital leave us only time to react with hostility. Privatization will create millionaires. Be not afraid. We shall create resistance. On October 6th the Lower Mainland Coalition for Social Justice is prepared to take action against Gordon Campbell and the BC Neoliberals. The Legislative Assembly resumes its program of burning BC's infrastructure to the ground by slashing everything from welfare to forest fire prevention. We must welcome them to this fall's parliamentary-sell off-session by responding to privatization for the ugliness that it represents.

Policing in the Downtown Eastside Reporting Back

Looking Ahead

Who: Vancouver Police Chief Jaimie Graham Where: Carnegie Community Centre Theatre When: Friday, October 3, 2003 - 9:30 a.m. As promised at last fall's DERA General Meeting, Chief Graham will once again meet with Downtown Eastside residents. He will give an overview of policing in our community - past, present & future. All are welcome to question, comment on and discuss policing issues in the neighbourhood.

"Despite having spent a decade and a half writing about radical social movements, I am only just beginning to see what has animated, motivated, and knitted together those gatherings of aggrieved folks. I have come to realize that once we strip radical social movements down to their bare essence and understand the collective desires of people in motion, freedom and love lie at the very heart ofthe matter." - Robin Kelley

Dance away the night Refreshments served

DJ Mix with CODY! Friday, October 3rd,2003 7 -10pm Carnegie Theatre

Come out and have some fun with Cody and his unique blend of t u r n

DOWN'l'O\YN EASI'SI I)E Y O W II ACTIV17'1KS SOCI IS'1'Y

NI'EI)LE EXCIIAN<;E - 221 Main; 8:30am NlCWLE EXCI!ANGE VAN - 3 Routes:

- 8pm evcty day

City - 5:45pm - I l ASpm

Overnight 12:30am - 8:30am Downtown Eastside.- 5:JOpm 1 :30nm

2003 I)ONATIONS I,ibhy 11.-$60 Uarrv kr Sam H.-$50 Eve !:.-$I8 ~anr; ll.$30 Margrwcl D.-$25 llulda It.45 Val h.$18 Wm IbS20 hlary C-$SO I ' e t ~ l aK-$15 NolC A.-$55 Ilrucc J.-$50 1)C"I'F-$10Wes K.-6IS I'harlcy !I-$? Hry(;rrn~-$ZS(;ram -6100 I'adtly -$SO Sarah E.-$10 Chnrlcs F.-$10 Hosenlary 2.-$20 hanna N.-$20 Jira (;.-$I50Glcn 11.475 John S.-$100 I'enny (;.-$20 L i z S.$S Jenny K.418 Cclcsle W.$30 Sandy CS20 Dara C.420 y Ellen W.4 150 N ~ m C.-$25 Rockingguys 4 2 5 Joanne 11.-$20 The Edge Colnnlunity Liaison Cti -$200 Jay 11.-$25 Hoh S.425 Christopher R.425 Anonymous 44.02

'I'IIK N K W S W I T ~ RI S A l ' t l H l , l ~ ~ A ' l ~ l O OF'I'IIF. N (:Oh1 h1IlNI'I'Y ('ENI'RF. ASSO(:IA'f ION. Artlcles represent the vlews of indivldunl

( 'AHNE(;IF.

rnntrlbutors and not of the Assoclatlon. Editor: Paul Taylor. Cover art & layout by Diane wood Submission deadline for the next issue: Friday, October 10

Introduction to Recovery Workshop Native Courtworker & Counselling Association Alcohol and Drug Program

50 POWELL ST, VANCOUVER

Group #6 August 5 August 2 1,2003 Group #7 September 2 September 18,2003 Group #8 September 29 October 16,2003 Group #9 November 3 - November 20,2003

TIME: 8:30am

- 12:30pm ",

Wclfnre p-oblems; [,andlord disputes; llousing problems \Insafe living conditions

VOLUNTEERSAND SENIORS - CAMP F~RCOM (Sept.8th-12th, 2003)

I will write what I was trying to say to you all at the Volunteer Dinner, but because of my sweet angelic quiet voice, I could not be heard (when I hit puberty, my hope is that my voice becomes as loud as my laugh). What I was trying to squeak out was my appreciation for all ofyou that stayed behind and looked after the fort, making it possible for the rest of us to enjoy 5 days at Camp Fircom. I know it put a lot of extra pressure on the rest of you, so, on behalf ofall of us, many thanks youse. I also want to

thank those who went for being such a delighthi group of people to spend 5 days on a deserted island with. You were all such great fun, team players who helped out at the drop of a pine cone, and just downri&t beamish. In fact, we had such a good time, we are thinking of changing the name of Camp Fircom, to Camp Laugh-A-Lot. I also think it is time the age old names of some of the cabins are due for a change too; to something like: 'Hop Inn ', 'DewDrop Inn ', 'Share-A-Tin Hotel' So folks, here's 'ti1 next year when we can do it all again, Colleen

VOLUNTEERS OF THE MONTH SEPTEMBER Paul Taylor, Editor of the Carnegie Newsletter Paul has edited our Newsletter twice a month for the past 17 years; that is a whopping total of 408 Newsletters. Now that is impressive. Paul quietly goes about his business putting in copious hours per week as he has unflaggingly done for the past 884 weeks.. His loyalty and dedication to Carnegie Community Centre and the DTES community is worthy of high praise. Paul is one of those people that we simply cannot imagine Carnegie being without. Tiffany A n d e r s o n has been volunteering with us for many years. She is on the Board and helps out in the Pool Room and 2ndFloor Reception desk. Like Paul, she is another unsung hero who quietly goes about serving the community with tireless dedication and commitment. Colleen Thank you both so very much.

News from the Library

)

Some of the new books received Sutebusuton:A Japanese Village on the British Columbia Coast By Mituso Yesaki Call# 971.1 YES The Japanese have been associated with the salmon fishing industry since the founding of Steveston (Sutebuston) and this well researched book traces the history of the Japanese in Steveston, their contribution to the area and the consequences of the political climate of the time Detailed information on the fishing industry is given plus many black and white photos make it very informative and interesting. Missing Sarah: A Vancouver woman remembers her vanished sister Maggie de Vries. #306.74 DEV This haunting book is a must read for those concerned about the murder of Sarah and other women from the Downtown Eastside. Maggie de Vries uses Sarah's own poetry and journals to giving meaning to Sarah's life, which had such a tragic ending. The troublemaker's Teaparty A Manual for effective Citizen Action Charles Dobson. #36l.J2DOB Dobson, who teaches creative design at Emily Cam College, has written a how to "for people who want to contribute to their communities. It has ideas for direct action and web action, and is written for those wishing to be part of both local and global justice movements.

In Buddha's Kitchen: Cooking, Being Cooked and other Adventures in a Meditation Centre by Kimberly Snow Call # 294.3 SNO Publishers Weekly describes this book as follows. "In this book, the Buddhist dharma (teaching) comes from the stove instead of the meditation cushion, making it concrete, engaging and generally highly entertaining Overall, this is a small jewel, and it's altogether refreshing to read a Buddhist book with a sense of humor." Other Library News: Final Event for Stanley Park Book Reading Group will be a visit to the "lnternational Writers Festival" on Sunday October 2 6 to~ hear authors Sherman Alexie, Jeannette Armstrong and Lee Maracle, and participate in a pot luck picnic celebrating the food discussed in Stanley Park Next book being read by group is Life of Pi, the Canadian book which is a runaway best seller intemationally and won the prestigious Booker award. The author will be visiting Carnegie Centre in December. Book Reading group meets in Learning Centre at 12:OO on Thursdays. Come see us! All welcome!! Mary Ann

APRIL

COMING...

[ This isfrom the government's website. April 2004 is about 6 months away.J

People with disabilities who can work are sup ported by employment programs that recognize the cyclical nature of some disabilities.

refugee claimants who have not yet been granted permission to take up permanent residence in Canada, i.e., "landed" status.

Once the Time Limit is Reached Singles and couples who exceed the time limit of 24 months in a 60-month (five-year) period will be affected as follows: no eligibility for employable singles

Assistance is also available to those in need who are not expected to gain independencethrough employment.

no eligibility for employable couples, with both adults over the limit

How Time Limits Work

$300 reduction per month for employable couples with one adult over the time limit

Employable clients will be limited to a cumulative 24 months (two years) of income assistance out of every 60 months (five years). The time limit "clock" starts running April 1, 2002. Any months of income assistance you may have received before April 1 , 2002 will not count toward your total.

For families with children who exceed their time limits will have their rates reduced by: 0

$100 per month for single parents $100 per month for Wparent families where one is over the time limit $200 per month where both parents are over the time limit

Any months of full or partial support andlor shelter assistance that you receive after April 1, 2002 will count toward your total. Once you find employment and stop receiving assistance, the "clock" will stop running on the 24-month time limit.

Exceptions Time limits will apply to clients expected to look for and accept work. Time limits will not apply to a client who is a: person with disabilities person 65 years or older dependent child

FRIGHT NIGHT DANCE I DARE YOU TO JOIN US IN A NIGHT TO REMEMBER For the brave of heart Don't Come Alone!!!

Costume Party Come dressed in your favourite disguise -prizes, fliqhts, siqhts and sounds oooooooohhhbhhh!

child in the home of a relative (CIHR) single parent with a child under three years old; or caring for a disabled child person "temporarily excused" from seeking work

Children welcome

parents or guardian

Friday, October 31,7-10pm Carnegie Refreshments will be served to ghouls only

Traditional PARENTING SKILLS Program Upcoming session: Sept. 29/03 to Dec. 18/03 Empowering & Strengthening Parenting Skills Through Elder's Teachings Theme: How can we practice our traditional values while living in a city? Personal Development, Parenting Basics, Life Skills, Cultural Awareness. This 12 week program is recommended for moms of all ages! Mondays-Thursdays 9:30 am-2:30 pm Young children are welcome to come with their m m s .

Hotel Tenants In most cases, the charging of a guest fee is contrary to Section 14 of the Residential Tenancy Act: (3) A landlord must not impose restrictions respecting access to residential property by: a tenant of residential premises located on the (b) residential property or persons invited by a tenant of the residential premises ( 4 ) Despite subsection (3), a Landlord may impose restrictions respecting access to, and restrictions and extra charges respecting overnight accommodation of, the residential premises by persons invited by the hotel tenant, but only to the extent that the restrictiom and extra charges are reasonable. As I do not have to pay an 'unreasonable' fee as an 'overnight visitor,' I demand my right of access. If I am being charged an unreasonable fee or if 1 am being charged for a daytime visit, this is an illegal act. I demand a receipt that I WILL bring to the Residential Tenancy Office with an advocate and file for arbitration. Following my victory hearing 1 wilt then take this to small claims court. BY CHARGING ME A FEE YOU ARE VIOLATING MY RIGHTS. I WILL TAKE ACTION! Housing Action Committee - Fight to Win!

CALL TO REGISTER! TELE: 604-253-6262 FAMILY COUNSELOR: LINDA AUGUST Beginning your Journey, Family Roles, What is CoDependency, Understanding Behavior, Looking Within, Personal Development, Working towards Balancing your Lifestyle, Medicine Wheel Approach to Inner Healing, Individual & Family Counseling. Aboriginal Mother Centre Society 2019 Dundas Street Vancouver, B.C. V5L 1J5 Tel: 604-253-6262

Traditional Parenting Program Family Counseling, Addictions Counseling One-on-One Counseling, Traditional Parenting Skills Program, Linda August, TPS Instructor/Counselor Mental Wellness Program, Joyce Kirkpatrick, Facilitator! Counselor, Fran Smith, facilitatorICounselor, Laura Jones, Counselor Intern Family Services Manager, Grace Tait

"Come in! I don't remember your name, but I never forget aface."

accomplishments. I hew niernories \c i l l enable 11sto create a new self in our minds. The image of our new self will increase our confidence in our ability to accomplish the possible. Support from other people plays a hey role i n our efforts to change ourselves. When people assume that they know us and expect us to be a certain way. their expectations support our old selveq. 7 he way The Seven Precursors Of Change they see us makes it harder to change. If you've ever 1: A Sense of Necessity 2: Willingness or Readiness to Experience tried to quit smoking. exercise more, or eat healthier Anxiety or Difficulty food, you might have noticed that some people 3: Awareness actually encouraged you to continue your old wab\. 4: Confronting the Problem If we are fortunate, we will have people in 5: Effort or Will Toward Change our lives that notice and acknowledge our strengths. 6: Hope for Change It's even better to have others who are nilling to see 7: Social Support for Change the best in US and to encourage us in our efforts to change. They will be willing to see us as we can be. In this issue. we look at the last precursor, social We need this kind of support when we falter or lose support for change. our way on our change journey. At T l ~ ./oh c Shop, All of our interactions with other people are participants are able to share the challenging journey an opportunity to know others and to be known. When to employment and support each other in their efforts people say they know us, they are speaking of their to change. They also learn how to find supportive experience of us. They are remembering. or putting connections in the community. together. all of the different pieces of us they recall If we are going to have support on our into a whole picture of who they think we are. journey through life, first we must recognize that In previous articles in this series, we support is important; to admit that we cannot always discussed the major challenge of making changes in do it alone. Then we need to build and strengthen our our lives. We need to drop the familiar and embrace relationships. We can do this by sharing our vision of the unfamiliar. We need to recall and highlight our our best selves with people in our lives and seeing the strengths. We need to view our limitations as best in others. opportunities to learn, rather than seeing them as This series of short articles has been impired by "weaknesses" to be resigned to. If we are to become research on the precursors of cliange by Fred J . exceptional people, we need to look back at our lives Hanna. 1 hope that this information has helped you to and remember exceptional moments and exceptional make the changes you want to see in your life. Larry Trunkey is the Program Manager of The Job Shop at Tradeworks Training Society. The Job Shop supports residents of the DTES in their return to work. Participants develop and broaden the skills they will need to get and keep a job. Federally funded by HRDC, The Job Shop starts new participants every week. Program information sessions are held Tuesdays, at 1 p.m. Call 604-253-9355 and ask for The Job Shop.

Support for Change

By Larry Trunkey This series of articles has looked at the seven conditions that are necessary for change to occur. We have examined how these seven "precursors of change" are relevant to getting a job. keeping that job. and getting ready for our next job.

N e e d A Chance T o Prove You're Ready, Willing & Able T o Work? Get the

you deserve!

Development Canada resources huma~nesCanada

The Best of the Carnegie ~ L s l e t t e r Edited by Paul Taylor , 2003 New Star ~ o o k sVancouver, This selection from 16 years of volunteer-produced newsletters originating from the Carnegie Centre, the emotional centre of Vancouver's Downtown Eastside neighbourhood, presents a thorough overview of a community with one thing in common: Poverty is the common denominator for this diverse community. There are different races, religions and creeds represented in theses pages. Social activists, poets, artists, and religionists of many stripes including Christians, native spiritualists, and a some-what surprisingly strong Buddhist orientation, as well as miscellaneous contributions from local residents. It is pretty clear that the Buddhism comes from the volunteer editor, Paul Taylor. This is very useful as an editorial strategy to bring to this task. There are competing interests within the community, as well as self interested parties from so called "poverty pimps" to developers, politicians and the media constantly circling, looking for weakness and ways to take advantage. There is a strong current of practical feminism running throughout these pages. The various ideologies present are refreshingly characterized by a lack of dogmatic rhetoric. Even the politicians somehow manage to refi-ain and write in human terms. The

religionists' views are temperate. The critics of government, and there are many who are not particu)arly radical or militant but moderate and reasonable, which can be a problem, "when "language degenerateS into one more weapon in the armoury of the elite" as Sandy Cameron quotes Benjamin Barber. However given the current political climate, globally and locally, even well reasoned requests for basic dignity may fall on deaf ears. There is a clear and concise connection made between global and local factors. An unspoken critique of capitalism, more ecological than Marxist is the running subtext. Within this there is also another organizing factor which must be taken into account and that is the refusal to rely on the "single powerful man" structure, instead practising consensus building and community consultation in decision making. This sometimes difficult process may well be the secret strength of this community as it continues to resist the forces of gentrification, all the while trying to care for themselves. The Newsletter excerpts present a courageous, generous community, a site of contention that grows stronger with the struggle. Against a backdrop of drugs, sensible comments on the 'war on drugs' from the VPD's Gil Puder in 1998 are included. The murders of sex trade workers comes up as early as 1992. The basic human right to food and shelter as outlined by the United Nations is neatly contrasted to Gordon Campbell's neo-liberal musings that these basic human rights interfere with the right to make a profit. In a nutshell, that is the basis of the conflict in Vancouver with Main and Hastings as it's ground zero. There is the small "1' liberal sensibility that capitalism can be reformed; in fact that's what liberal democracies are supposed to do: curb the worst excesses of capitalism. In contrast we see the corporatism of the neo liberals who believe that capitalism does not need to be reformed.. in fact capitalism needs free rein. "Let the market decide!" they shout from their positions of privilege. This collection is a strong argument for community based institutions, particularly when that community organizes and resists as eloquently as presented in The Heart of the Community: The Best of the Carnegie Newsletter. Now we all have access to this previously limited distribution newsletter, and most importantly the arguments it advances. [From Page 1, Issue I , Volume 1 of The RAIN, Vancouver's New Book Review. (Thanks!! )]

But y'don't wanna mess with him He's a smartass bad boy He's mean and he's crazy And like I said, he likes to fight He must've seen a lotta death in his first few million light years

ARS 'ME Mars winked at me He useda spit at me in the street Or call me names at laff at me But last nite he winked at me And blew me a kiss Mars keeps watchin me outta the corner of his eye Sometimes all of a sudden He turns his head and flashes me a smile So bright and unexpected 1 wobble a little bit Mars isn't red like people who haven't seen him say he is When he's hangin around the horizon, he has a metallic sheen Like a berry that's so ripe it's soft Not so much red as brassy.. .and brazen.. . When no one can hear, he tells me he has a slab of dark pulsing steak Tucked in his atmosphere Just for me 1 don't trust him He likes to fight and he likes to win I keep myself busy so it doesn't look like I'm waiting for him But when he does show up it's hard to hide my excitement I whisper and point him out to my girlfriends Oh wow! one o f em says Quite the planet! When I read her this poem, She says he winked at her too That kinda guy winks at alla girls

As long as he stays over there My gravity works just fine I can look all I want And eat'm up with my eyes After all I'm a vegetarian and a pacifist And he's the God Of War Made big by his ego and his lies Winking and grinning, winking and grinning He's got me now Like a deer frozen in a car's headlites I want more than just one nite 22,000 years is a long time to wait for the next date He's to die for! And that's what scares me Lovin him would be a kamikaze mission I'd be space debris once we finished kissin

- D.W.

Bittersweet, Working the Street Feelin wicked, are you feelin down? Spinnin, upset and kicked around? I know the trip.. I'm beat up too, I've been undone, I've had a few. Have you been stood up 'n left out in the cold? Been tracked down 'n flat out told? I dig the cats who scream and yell to get their way (please don't tell) Have you been a wretch and inflicted pain? Been locked outside in the sleet and rain? The sun can make you close your eyes And as this happens another sister dies. Do you feel downtrodden and a little scared? That you could be the next to fall, the one not spared? I fear the way the stars aline, up,down, then in decline How many of us will fade away like a fine old wine?

.. 4 1

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Dear Ms. Manners, How can 1 have a conversation with someone I basically disagree with? Pissed Off and Tongue-Tied

Dear POTT-head, First you ask yourself, "What am I here for? TObe right? To get laughs? Or to connect with people and get something done?0nce you've answered that skill-testing question, take a deep breath and listen really carehlly. Put yourself in their shoes (or moccasins), imagine what it's like for them to be with you at this point. After you are sure they feel heard, deliver your truth in a way that is easy for them to hear. You want to position yourself in a way that moves a person towards you. That is rarely a combative position, unless you're in a boxing ring, and you're not. It's a welcoming position. So if you can keep yourself in this welcoming posture, you can talk to anyone, and have a humane and intelligent conversation rather than an argument. People don't change through being persuaded. People get moved through being aligned. You stand a way better chance of being really heard if you're not yelling, or telling them what they need to change. Dear Ms. Manners, A man at the bus stop told me God's Law says same sex marriages are "an abomination". He says it says so, right in the Bible, in Leviticus 18:22. So while I was looking for this particular law, 1 cam across some others that have been troubling me recently. Can you please help me, since I don't know if I'll be able to find that man and ask him. 1. When I bum a bull on the altar as a sacrifice, I know it creates a pleasing d o u r for the Lord -Lev. 1.19. The problem's my neighbours They claim the d o u r is not pleasing to them. Should 1 smite them? 2. I would like to sell my daughter into slavery, as sanctioned in Exodus 21 :7. In this day and age, what do you think would be a fair price for her?

3.1 know I am allowed no contact with a woman while she is in her period of menstrual cleanliness - Lev. 15:19-24. The problem is, how do I tell? I have tried asking, but most women take offence. 4. Lev. 25:44 states that I may indeed possess slaves, both male and female, provided they are purchased from neighbouring nations. Why can't I own Canadians? 5.1 have a neighbour who insists on working on the Sabbath. Exodus 35:2 clearly states he should be put to death. Am I morally obliged to kill him myself? 6. A friend of mine feels that even though eating a shellfish is an abomination - Lev 11 :10, it is a lesser abomination than homosexuality. I don't agree. Can you settle this? 7. Lev.2 1 :20 states that I may not approach the altar of God if I have a defect in my sight. I admit that I wear reading glasses. Does my vision have to be 20/20, or is there some wiggle room here? 8. Most of my male fiiends get their hair trimmed, including the hair around their temples, even though this is expressly forbidden by Lev. 19:27. How should they die? 9. 1 know from Lev. 1 1:6-8 that touching the skin of a dead pig makes me unclean, but may I still play football if I wear gloves? 10. My uncle has a farm. He violates Lev. 19 19 by planting two differentcrops in the same field, as does my aunt by wearing garments made of two different kinds of thread (cottodpolyester blend). He also tends to curse and blaspheme a lot. Is it really necessary that we go to all the trouble of getting the whole town together to stone them? - Lev. 24: 10-16. Couldn't we just bum them to death at a private family affair like we do with people who sleep with their in-laws? - Lev.20: 14 Dick Cabeza

Dear Dick, Give me some time here! I'll have the answers for you in the next issue. First of all, I'm going to try to find out which God it was old Leviticus was listening to.

September = School BOOOOO!!! Well for most of us that was what it once meant. Now it just means the kids are out of our hair for another ten months give or take a day or two. And thank heaven there are holidays where we can prove we're still a family. At Carnegie in the Learning Centre it means return to normal after a summer of relaxed rules and volunteer camaraderie to keep the Centre open for the 9 to 5 shift, on a daily basis fiom Monday to Saturday. This is usually not really very hard as the volunteers in the Learning Centre are pretty good about showing up and keeping the place open. As a matter of fact, sometimes there is an overabundance of people. It sure is a fim place to be a part of and a great place to volunteer on a regular basis. Because it's September, our class, First Nations Journeys is starting up again. I can only hope that it is as good as it was last year. Because of the name some people might think it is strictly for first nation's people. This isn't the actual case as everyone is welcome. What we do is discuss our cultural heritage and how it related to other cultures. We have other students with different backgrounds and this allows them to learn about us and us to learn about their culture. It also allows the first nations students, of which there are too few, to discover what being a first nations citizen is about. Although I am a first nation's citizen I was raised in town and know noth-

ing of my heritage. My parents and grandparents never talked in their native tongue and never spoke of being native. The result was a multitude of native children in my family and all my relations who were brought up without a native heritage to fall back on. 1 don't know if this hurt or helped but I do know that I wasn't allowed to have the proper upbringing that most children have. I was white to the native people and native to the white people. I feel like Cher sings - Half Breed. Don't feel sad or anything cause I figure 1turned out perfect. I get along with everyone and live a middle of the road existence that allows me to go to places that a non-native person won't go and to other places where no native would go. I don't know what 1 missed because I never had it to miss, Catch my drift or does it have to snow again? Now more info about our class. It's not really a class.. it's more of a discussion group. Whatever we decide to talk about on any day we sometimes end up veering off on a tangent which is great for learning new stuff and some stuff that you would never learn about at any time anywhere. We meet on Mondays at 12:3O and usually carry on to around 2:30. We have coffee. There is usually a topic to discuss. We always have introductions so no one feels left out and everyone gets to know everyone else by name and cultural identity. This is always a learning experience. On Wednesdays we meet at noon and last ti1 around 2PM. This is usually our day for visiting or out trips and we have lunch catered for us. We go to the Theatre to watch and leam about some very interesting plays. Lunch is bagged and we usually eat at the theatre, out on the sun or rain deck, depending on the weather. The shows have been very good and we have met some of the actors as part of being there. We have been to the Eagle nesting grounds at the wrong time of the year but we went mostly to get out to the country for a few hours. This year we plan to go when the eagles are there, sometime in December or January. We also have some other trips planned. More on those when they come up. Drop by on a Monday and have a coffee or on a Wednesday and have lunch with us. 1 really hope you drop by and say hi. You may find it to be the most interesting day of your week.

Around the comer I have a friend, In this great city that has no end, Yet the days go by and the weeks rush on, And before I know it a year is gone. And 1 never see my old friend's face, For life is a swift and terrible race, He knows I like him just as well, As in the days when I rang his bell. And he rang mine, but we were younger then, And now we're busy, tired old men. Tired of playing a foolish game, Tired of trying to make a name. "Tomorrow" 1 say "1 will call on Jim just to show that I'm thinking of him." But tomorrow comes and tomorrow goes, And distance between us grows and grows, Around the comer, yet miles away. "Here's a telegram sir," "Jim died today." And that's what we get and deserve in the end, Around the corner a vanished friend. Remember to always say what you mean. If you love someone, tell them. Don't be afraid to express yourself. Reach out, tell someone what they mean to you Because when you decide that it is The right time, it might be too late. Seize the day. Never have regrets. And most importantly, stay close to your friends and family, fbr they helped make you the person you are today. Anon

I Am Your Disease 1 hate meetings. I hate Higher Power. I hate anyone who has a Program. To all who come in contact with me, I wish you death and suffering. Allow me to introduce myself I am the disease of addiction. Cunning, baffling, and powerful - that's me. I have killed millions, and 1 am pleased. I love to catch you with the element of surprise. I love pretending I am your friend and lover. 1 have given you comfort, have I not! Wasn't I there when you were lonely! When you wanted to die, didn't you call me? 1 was there. I love to make you hurt. I love to make you cry. Better yet, 1 love when I make you so numb you can neither hurt nor cry. You can't feel anything at all. This is true glory. I will give you instant gratification and all I ask ofyou is long term suffering. I've been there for you always. When things were going right in your life, you invited me. You said you didn't deserve these good things, and I was the only one who would agree with you. Together we were able to destroy all the good things in your life. People don't take me seriously. They take strokes seriously, heart attacks, even diabetes they take seriously. Fools that they are; they don't know that without my help these things would not be possible. I am such a hated disease, and yet I do not come uninvited. You have to choose me. So many have chosen me over reality and peace. More than you hate me, 1 hate all of you who have a twelve step program. Your program, your meetings, your Higher Power, all weaken me and I can't function in the manner I am accustomed to. Now 1 must lie here quietly. You don't see me, but I am growing. Bigger than ever. When you only exist, I may live. When you live, I only exist. But I am here ... arid until we meet again, if we meet again ... 1 wish you death and suffering. Author unknown.

'What proot do you have that Iraq has weapons ot mass destruction?'

I i

MUSICIANS WANTED

For the DTES Community Play - all skill levels. Drop by the Japanese Language Hall at 475 Alexander Tuesday to Friday, 6 PM if you'd like to be involved. 604-841-3454 for more info.