July 1, 2022 Carnegie Newsletter

JULY 1, 2022

carnegienewsletter.org

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401 Main Street Vancouver Canada V6A 2T7 «(04) 665~2289

STREET SWEEPS NEED IMPROVEMENT

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Photo from 2021. There is no instant fix.

{Between a rock and a hard place'

The City of Vancouver apologized for harm caused during daily "street sweeps" of the Downtown Eastside and vowed to find an alternative way to keep the streets clear in a statement sent to CBC Wednesday.

The apology follows a motion before Vancouver city council Tuesday evening calling for changes to the way sweeps are conducted.

During these sweeps, which occur daily from Monday to Friday, city workers accompanied by police officers clear debris from sidewalks of the Downtown Eastside.

The city said their crews are trained to remove litter, garbage, and structures that are abandoned, but not items that are "clearly personal belongings." But advocates say the sweepers sometimes throw out items people value.

"We sincerely regret and apologize for any harm and trauma that has been created as a result of this work and recognize important items have been discarded," said Taryn Scollard, deputy general manager of engineering in the statement.

The motion, which was brought forward by Coun. Jean Swanson, calls for the city to develop an alternative community-led process for clearing the streets using peer workers rather than police. It also calls for the development of storage facilities and the creation of a system where people can easily retrieve items that are taken.

The motion did not go to a vote but Scollard said city staff will incorporate items from the motion into their work with the community this summer. She said they will have more information to share in the coming weeks.

Const. Steve Addison from the Vancouver Police Department said in a statement to CBC police officers will no longer accompany city workers after July 1.

Addison said the city asked officers to accompany workers due to safety concerns.

"We have long argued that this is an inappropriate use of police resources and is not a core policing service, however we temporarily obliged the request," wrote Addison.

Belongings taken Meenakshi Mannoe, who works as a campaigner at Pivot Legal Society, said sweeping the streets to I keep sidewalks clear and safe makes sense in theory. In reality, however, Mannoe said the way the city implements the policy displaces people who rely on public space.

An estimated $2,410 worth of personal property was seized by sweepers over a five-day period in 2021, according to a report conducted by several organizations including Pivot Legal Society. (cover) Through interviews with people who experienced street sweeps, they found items taken included tents, clothing, documents, identity cards, mobility devices, family heirlooms and photos.

Mannoe said these belongings are either thrown out or stored in a way that makes it difficult for people to retrieve them. .

"People aren't given notice about where their belongings are taken. They're not given a receipt on what was taken .... What we hear from folks is that their belongings are trashed."

A game of 'whack-a-mole' A city worker who conducts these sweeps once compared their job to the game 'whack-a-mole' because they were constantly relocating people, said Swanson.

"They move people from one place and then they go to another place. And then they have to move them from that place, etc."

Swanson recalled a sweep she observed where a man suffering from pneumonia was asked to move his tent from Oppenheimer Park on a cold day.

"He had no place to store his tent, no way to carry it or anything ... he just threw up his hands and walked off."

As a volunteer for the Camegie Community Action Project at the time, she knew there was no available housing for him.

Because the motion did not move forward in council on Tuesday, the city announced speakers would not be heard in Wednesday's Standing Committee meeting.

Pivot Legal Society said in a statement more than 30 community members were signed up to speak in support of the motion at Wednesday's meeting. "

By Michelle Gomez at CBC The article above appeared on the CBC website. The insight of Ms Mannoe is striking in that the people living on the street have few options, but it seems too easy for the people working to keep sidewalks clean and passable, especially for so many residents who have mobility issues. This is equally stressing for people just trying to get by without somehow offending those taking up the public space.

The most basic need is for respect of others' situations and needs. There isn't enough decent, affordable housing and making the best of a bad situation means working for solutions.

Jean's motion covers the many aspects ofliving on the sidewalk:

A request for a copy of the motion was sent to her and this is Jean's response: Hi Paul. Yes, I hope you two are doing ok. Here is the motion pasted in below. What happened is this: usually when speakers are signed up to speak and there were over 30 for this item, the council votes on a tues to hear the speakers on a wed and then decide on the motion.

In this case, on

the tues 5arah Kirby-Yung moved to refer the motion back to staff and it passed with only me , boyle and 5tewart voting against. 50 staff is working on this issue but not working on all the stuff in the motion like getting a spot for people who are homeless to be, getting storage facilities, etc. I doubt if they would have voted not to hear the speakers if it had been businesses lined up to speak. ARGH!!! Take care.

Jean

COUNCIL MEMBER'S MOTION 3.

Street Care, Not Street Sweeps: Ending Daily Displacement in Vancouver

Submitted by: Councillor Swanson WHEREAS 1.

"Street Sweeps" refer to the daily practice of City Engineering Workers and Vancouver Police Department officers moving throughout the Downtown Eastside (DTES), notionally in order to 'clean' City property and private property;

2.

In reality, Street Sweeps perpetuate a cycle of displacement that diminishes the dignity, safety, and well-being of people who rely on public space, undermining efforts by community organizations and the City of Vancouver to meaningfully support people experiencing housing precarity.

In contrast City of Vancouver micro-cleaning grants address neighbourhood litter and/or debris;

3.

City of Vancouver Engineering staff are currently directed to dismantle temporary structures and to remove structures and personal belongings from the area. These practices are detailed in the Safe Operating Procedure - Dismantling of Transient Camps. The City of Vancouver Safe Operating Procedure outlines storage protocols tor bicycles only.

Currently, there are no low-barrier storage facilities available to people who rely on public space. Similarty, there is no accessible or identifiable facility where people can retrieve possessions that have been taken during Street Sweeps;

4.

The most recent Metro Vancouver Homeless Count (2020) identified over 2,000 people as homeless. Of these, over one-quarter were unsheltered, an 52% of those unsheltered individuals resided in the Downtown Eastside. Unsheltered residents of Vancouver must fend for themselves in encampments, parks, sidewalks, and other public spaces. Even those residents who have access to overnight shelter may be forced into public space during the day, often with all their possessions;

5.

Community members have highlighted how the Street Sweeps fail to abide by the City's own protocols, including not providing adequate notice when confiscating personal property, as detailed in the report #StopTheSweeps: Ending Cyclical Displacement and Criminalized Poverty in Vancouver. The findings of this report reflect interviews with 85 people who rely on public space in the Downtown Eastside. The

Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users (VANDU) has also gathered firsthand infonnation on the impact of street sweeps through interviews collected in the Downtown Eastside during May and June 2022; 6.

Street Sweeps can infringe on constitutional and human rights law in two main ways: by endangering people's lives and security of the person, in violation of section 7 of the Charter; and by discriminating against protected groups, including Indigenous people, Black people, People of Colour, drug users, 2SLGBTQ+ and people with disabilities. The practice of displacing people and confiscating and presumably destroying their possessions. could be unconstitutional, against human rights law, and grounds for a civil lawsuit based on the seizure and destruction of private property;

7.

The negative impacts of Street Sweeps on low-income and streetinvolved communities in Vancouver have been widely-documented as a harmful practice. There have been reports of family memorabilia (Le. photos of children. ashes). identification documents, survival gear (Le. blankets, sleeping bags, sleeping pads, tents and tarps), assistive devices (Le. walkers). and other personal possessions inappropriately confiscated and destroyed by Street Sweeps;

8.

The City of Vancouver, and therefore its staff and employees, cannot breach the constitutional and human rights of unhoused residents, nor its • common law obligations to them. Street Sweeps policies, procedures, and associated job descriptions force workers to violate the rights of unhoused residents; and

9.

The City of Vancouver is committed to Reconciliation and implementation of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People rUNDRIP").

The unsheltered community is disproportionately Indigenous, and Indigenous community members are therefore disproportionately subject to Street Sweeps. The displacement of Indigenous people from unceded land, and the disposal of their personal property - including items of cultural and ceremonial significance, as well as the items detailed above must be recognized as genocidal.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED A.

THAT Council ask staff to continue to engage community partners, specifically the Alternatives to Street Sweeps Working Group (Coalition of Peers Dismantling the Drug War, VANDU, WAHRS, Pivot Legal Society, individuals with lived/living experience) to develop and implement a non-punitive and community-led alternative to Street Sweeps that does

not displace people who rely on public space.

B.

THAT Council direct staff to work with the Alternatives to street Sweeps Working Group to create directives related to the confiscation of belongings from people who rely on public space and systems of accountability for their implementation, in recognition that this practice has continued potential for harmful and discriminatory impacts. These directives must apply to City staff and community-based organizations.

Best practices include giving at least 24 hours notice of seizure and providing a receipt with details what was taken, and clear instructions on how to retrieve personal belongings.

C.

THAT Council direct staff to identify and develop appropriate storage facilities for DTES community members, along with an appropriate budget item for the 2023 City budget, with a twofold purpose: ongoing storage and storage of justifiably confiscated belongings. These facilities must be secure, easily accessible, of an adequate size, and informed by best practices and cultural safety for people who rely on public space.

D.

THAT Council direct staff to identify how to expand permanent park lets, seating areas, green and blue spaces, hygiene facilities (Le. washroom trailers), garbage disposal sites, and other public outdoor amenities such as covered cooking facilities, and cultural programming sites throughout the DTES, along with an appropriate budget item for the 2023 City budget, as these are essential public spaces.

E.

THAT Council direct Engineering Services to identify total funds currently allocated to the Vancouver Police Department for street sweeps, and develop a work plan that redistributes these resources and funds to peerbased initiatives that can carry out micro-cleaning initiatives in affected areas.

F.

THA'if Council ensure all programming and policies that impact Indigenous people are implemented in compliance with UNDRIP, Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act, and the City of Vancouver's Reconciliation goals.

G.

THAT Council instruct staff to examine section 71A of the Streets and Traffic bylaw which prohibits structures on streets and sidewalks and bring recommendations back to Council to make the section consistent with the human and Charter rights of people who have no homes.

H.

THAT Council request that the Mayor write to the Province to advocate for the addition of "social condition» as a protected ground in BC's Human Rights Code.

Seven Sonnets in Seven Directions GILLES CYRENNE

Science can be a way of forming intimacy and respect with other species that is rivalled observations of traditional knowledge holders. rt can be a path to kinship.

-Braiding Sweetgrass, Robin Wall Kimmerer.

East With open hands I greet the day Breathe air that breathes me I thank sun or welcome rain Invoke connection life within Earth and me As sun rises t remember birth of Connection to East symbiosis Wisdom of compassion searches For peace of mind with a quiet heart which feasts On abundant gifts from natural times Light reminds me of reciprocity With interdependence we cart thrive When we return Gaia's gifts generously Be it sun or be it rain I pray the day be free of pain South We are in great circle surrounding Earth Looking ahead from here to back of mind Intersecting poles brain leads my search To connect it all as intuition realizes That nature and us are one As we sow so we reap Realize consumption's not all fun When we all end up as junk in a heap

Electric tech connects global village We're one big electronic brain Who sees capitalism's pillage Driving greed that's insane We need evolve into an Indigenous economy Where giving creates ways to green harmony West Sunset Hands open held high I thank today Remember light upon my way Grateful for connection to community Happy that interdependence creates my trail Wisdom. of the West Democracy Bills of Rights Science Justice is love expressed in governance Though implementation beyond aspiration requires more fight Slowly slowly slowly we reverse colonial ignorance Enlightenment acknowledges intersectional oppression Attempts uniting nations such that war. is last • Recognizes Indigenous ways can heal exploitation As we repay Earth Mother debts from our greedy past Applied social democracy tempers greed Good governance plants new seeds North Great planet circle travels through brain Great White North shapes my heart Stars set a compass that relieves pain From all that keeps us apart North hemisphere slavery feudalism capitalism science Science teaches but also serves obsessive carbon technologies We need escape from fundamentalist reductionism and From science that caters to power abuse such that Earth loses We need support seek create green justice society

I"

!

All Earth needs a healing smudge Holy smoke needs replace carbon fire and fuel As we fight for right to enjoy North's cold Fight the fire that consumption fuels All of life is a gift Let's heal the rift that keeps us apart from nature's heart Sky above Sky Woman floats down dances Earth into being With comets and asteroids falls brings water and life From brilliance of galaxies and stars I see A story of connection from Her to Big Bang to me Tides dancing and rain dance create sand and earth Plants migrate from sea to land Supernova stars forge carbon life molecule become breath Life expands evolves on this sacred rocky water planet Stories so big they defy imaginat~on", • Yet all connect from Sky Woman to quantum atom to us Amino acids RNA DNA life molecule duplication Stories we create to discover what make us human As above so below we live in between lQ'lmense creativity and greed that's obscene Earth below Feet firmly planted on the ground Earth rises to meet these feet Sky greets me floats gently comes down Heaven Earth Heart together meet and greet My day fills with quiet joy and conviction Of connection to Cosmos and

I remember that this connection though cosmic Grounds with breath interdependent with plant and planet . All species plant animal people share nature We are monkey with big brain down from tree Earth Tree of life remind me to remember That in this bargain we need see Gala sensing ingratitude does sicken Seeing from us little return extinction threatens Within Remember great teachers and elders Honour learning from their shoulders Strive to live in love and compassion Practice non-attachment to consumption Be conscious Connect self to nature Become indigenous to place Respect territory which gives breath Global village is a huge space We are all indigenous to Earth We are all indigenous to Earth Need practice radical ecology Need connect with Mother tree and Earth Survival needs life enhancing philosophy Needs create green peace with a Green New Deal Got to stop capital's ongoing big steal Gotta find spirit's breath To gratitude to nature

reconnect heart Help Gaia do her part

Dancers at the Powwow

in Oppenheimer

Park. Photos by Usa David

from 'the Library

Marie Annharte Baker is a poet, storyteller and author of several books written to give insight into her experiences over 80 years. A new book, Miskwagoode, was just launched at Massey Books on E Georgia and Ms Baker came to Camegie to give a reading and talk with people. A line from one poem, Raving in the Hood, is "Old lady talk for sure not all Grandma talk will bore us." Following is an excerpt from a long interview and the incredible tale of this Grandma: From the interview: "In that one I was thinking more about First Nations community and what happened to our people. In First Nation communities the idea of the residential school and what happened to our people, they see that as having ripped children out of our community and really messed up the families, so the idea is to work toward a family renewal and bring in another way for intergenerational contact or relationship. I think I would like to see more attention given to different age groups within the family. A lot of schools Native people won't go to because they didn't like what happened to them when they went to school. They do 't feel comfortable in schools. It's not considered to be a safe place. It can be unfriendly. My son went to an open school and parents could go during the day. I really enjoyed being an active parent in my son's schooL I think there could be a lot of activities going on in school, especially to provide a safe place for parents and kids and grandparents to interact. So much human development relies on face-to-face contact. A child looking into an adult and an adult looking into a child's face. That's how the intelligence of being with each other develops.

Storytelling is a way to interact. They are learning how to interact with each other. It allows them to learn people skills."

The book is available from New Sar Books

If you like scavenger hunts, digging up hidden library gems, and exploring new books you will love the Adult Summer Challenge that is happening July 1 - August 31. There will be 5 mini challenges that delve into the many books and programs that the library offers. Finish one or more of the Adventures and enter online or in-person to win a $50 gift card for use at Massy Books. To get started, pick up a handout at any library branch.

Summer is Pride Season and in the spirit of LGBTQIA2S+ appreciation here are two books that bring readers into a world where queerness meets nature.

A Natural History of Transition by author Callum Angus: "A Natural History of Transition is a collection of short stories that disrupts the notion that trans people can only have one transformation. Like the landscape studied over eons, change does not have an expiration date for these trans characters, who grow as tall as buildings, turn into mountains, unravel hometown mysteries, and give birth to cocoons. Portlandbased author Callum Angus infuses his work ~ith a mix of alternative history, horror, and a reality heavily dosed with magic."

- Calangus.com Borealis by author Aisha Sabatini Sloan: "In Borealis, Aisha Sabatini Sloan observes shorelines, mountains, bald eagles, and Black fellow travelers while feeling menaced by the specter of nature writing ... Triangulating the landscapes she moves through with glacial backdrops in the work of Black conceptual artists and writers, Sabatini Sloan complicates tropes of Alaska to suggest that the excitement, exploration, and possibility of myth-making can also be twinned by isolation, anxiety, and boredom." - CoffeeHousePress.org Come and chat with library staff in-person or give us a call at (604)-655-3010 if you would like to borrow these or other titles.

Well wishes, Izzy

Keeper In Me is a book by Richard Wagamese. It tells a story of an Ojibway child taken by the Ontario government during the Sixties Scoop.

Garnet Raven was 3 years old and spent the next 20 years not knowing anything about his family or culture. His family finally finds him in jail and after release he goes home to begin learning what being Indyun is. Following are words of an old man on his reserve called "Keeper":

',hey come and got me when 1 was five and eoo« me and a handful Of others. The bors mother was one Of them. They cook us and CUt Off our hair, dressed us in baggy clothes so we all tooxed the same, told us our way Of livin' and prayin' was wrong and evil. Got beat up for speekin' Indyun. If we did that we'd all burn in hell they told us. Me 1 figured I was already brown whY not burn the reSt Of the waY, so 1 ran awaY· Came baCk here. LotS Of others Stayed though. LotS never ever came baCk and them that did were real difprent. Got the Indyun all scraped Off their insides. LiKe bein' Indyun was a fungus or somethin'. They scraped it all Off and never put nothin' there to replace it but a bunch Of fear and hurt. seen lotSa Kids walKin' . around liKe Old peopje after a while. Them SChOOlSwere the beginning Of how we Started losin' our waY as a people . . Then they came with· their Children's Aid soCiety. Said our waY was wrong and Kids weren't gettin' what they needed, so they took 'em awaY. 'PUt 'em in homes that weren't Indyun. Some got shipped Off long waYs. Never made it back Yet. Disappeared. Got raised up all white but Still carryin' brown SKin. HmmPFh. See, us we know you Can't maKe a beaver from a bear. Nature don't work that waY. AlwaYS gotta be what the Creator made you to be. BiggeSt right we all got as human beirrs is -me right to know who we are. night to be .~, who we are. But them they never see that. AlwaYS thinkin' they Know what'S best for people. But it'S not their fault. When vou quit 100Kin' around at nature you quit learnin' the natUral waY. The world getS to be somethin' you gotta control so YOU'realwaYSfightin' it. Us we never fight the world. We lOOKaround toes, find its C rhythm, its heartbeat, and learn to walK that waY.

.J

BaCK when 1 was a bOythere was Still a Strong buncn Of us livin' the Old waY. Lot Of us crossed OVer since then and with those Of us who's left maybe onlY a handfUl Still practicin- the Old way. ~St are Catholic and some other whiteman waY. S'oKaYthough. TheY're Still our people no matter how they praY on eccounts prayin's the mose important thing anyway. Long as there'S some Kinda prayer there's some Kinda hope.

But there'S not many Of us Old· traditional people left walKin' around. Not many for the young ones to come to no more. That' whY YOUhear more English than Anishanabe around here. some other places too. Other tribes, other Indyuns. S'WhY it's so important for Old gUYSliKe me to be passin', on what we Know. I'm not talKin' about bringin' baCk the bUffalo hunt or goin' baCK to the wigwam. I'm talKin~ about pessin' on the spirit Of all those things. If YOUgot the spirit Of the Old waY in YOU,well, vou can handle most any thin' this new world got to throw around. The spirit Of that life'S our traditions. Things liKe respect, noneso, Kindness and snerirr. Those are our traditions. Livin' that Old tribal waYtaught people those things. That theY needed eecn other JUSt to survive. Same as now. LooKin' around at nature taught the Old ones that. Nature's fUlla resoece, noneso, Kindness and snarln'. S' waY Of the World, Iguess.

But icese our people thinK that JUSt leernin' the CUlture's gonna be their salvation. Gonna maKe 'em Indyun. Lotsa young ones OUt there tearnin' how to beat the pow-wow drum and sing songs. Learnin' the denc-

es and movin' around on the pow-wow trail dry summer. Lotsa people growin' hair and goin' to see ceremony.

ThinK theY're more IndYan that waY. S'good to see.13ut there's Stilllotsa people OUt there Still drinKin', beatin' each other up, raisin' their Kids mean. All Kindsa thin,gs. That's not our waY. So JUSt doin' the CUltUre things don't maKe vou no Indyun. Lotsa white oeoote doln' our culeure tOO now and theY're never gonna be Indyun. Always JUStgonna be looKin' liKe pecote that can't dance. Heh, heh, heh."

In the Hum 101 yearbooK the fOllowing delighted participants. The idea was to taKe something written or seen and Change to something different. Simon toOK the inseruceons on a pizza box and transformed it into a sonnet!

Praeceptum Conventional Clibano SIMON lIMBERT Grow warm and ascend as the sun my desire.

Riseto thy zenith and wait me there.

I will strip thee bare of all they tire And leave not a leaf for thee to wear.

Half between Hell's fire and Heaven's holy scents I will lay thee gently on thy bridal bed.

As appetite is to its object bent, True love is unto its object wed.

I bid thee Cupid count twelve minutes slow Until you see a golden blush on skin Then firm from firmer shall go to flow.

Loose thy arrow then, my heart to win!

Too quick to thy kissesthy lips may burn.

A lesson indeed no lover can learn.

Preheat oven to 425 Ft Remove pizza from packaging! Plac~ pizza on middle oven rack/ Bake for 12 minute until crust is golden brown and cheese is melted. CAUTION: Pizzawill be very hot!

The

BIGBS & LOWS CBOIR-

invites ~ou to our

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OPPENHEIMER PARK

On the traditional, ancestral, unceded lands of the x"'mC)6k\~C)y~m(Musqueam), S~x_wu7mesh (Squamish), and sC)lilwC)tal (Tsleil- Waututh) Nations.

July 5th Aug'2nd Sept 6th Performance begins at NOON,

I A low barrier

choir for \ people with lived experience -of mental illness and our ~/vtJ,.\ friends and supporters.

then the

SING-A-LONG follows!

~ join>

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With funding from the City of Vancouver & the Province of BC ~-

Q"cmor VANCOUVER

Mini rrv of Memal'He3lrh and Addictions

CRUNCH CANAL>A ~:home 1111111'

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UP tHE FENCE POST

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FUTuRE PAST

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