March 15, 2005, carnegie newsletter

"

Step Right up Pay Your Nickel and see the

MARCil 15,2005

N EWS L E T T ER

6114-665-22 89

''''M,," "t~'ii\:S

tJ:""'.

"

'

l\

cu , SM ' I- l'C-

;,;,:;::":::::;:;:~" f,.j~O&

:, ,~ .,' 1 a hanletielo

\\an £,ROll'l£'S

scu"

'

1~

','\

.'

"", .

,0/ ""';;;;

-,

~ " '.: "...~..

c:

I Dancing to the devif s

~

' (f

;. '~

. '.

DOPE t':. ,. . . . :-=... .

,'> 'j

,&t'N-,e/'s

"

tI

~r • .J

-. \' .. " ~ ,';.;: 1< _ '\~ ,..;, "

.

\).

r- "'

~

• .

If..., t_ . ' "• " ~~ . ~ \" ~

~ Iii

(rea k "

. fees t a tlIons on rISe.::?<~a7:w~ . ~~neon'e ,..;..... : ', ~ se" d b ug In ~~orn.'~r;: • 4

oJ!

"dd,

~

' 0-

"~"'III~

Iv :

w

19

~

« Uiii

"

I"" ) ........... . ~

No place in city for

Bleak and brutal )

.

'

t

¢'.' . .

.

U IJI

"" .... " , ......"' ~ "

-,

,

c

.j

. \ ~l .'

1'''....'' · ,

" 10 ~ r .y • • ..t t. ""I~ '" "1...... , ,, tl ~ ~ . -' l' . •t.-.,-"" ~

1-" I" .., I "

$ ,'Ic",·

_ ' '' ' '''~

I,." .

,4' . - ~

Hotel shooting no surprise topolice "Som etim e

Terro rism in th e Dow ntow n E.1Sl tiidl'

I lI U >• • " ' "

~UN Ill -

,, 1'..,,, ,,

I), ,,,,

I~.

,>U

,'U'" I

. .,

I U7l',,·c£.- ...· b.nh ,..

(J/ 'J

..1,.1

\..O"¥'I

10. .."'I.I",~ .

"1",1"

\,.\I'

,.

I' " ,

"

II ... " -,,, ",, 1 ~. r." ~ .I ",\I, ~ 1,\ \'. , ,, " ' , ·I ·,,l i ,\I'~Ih., ...·,,' ·' '' 'I·h·,I....1 'Jil t "" ') 111 11,· III II,, ' \\. ll· .,r ,, ·, t'l' " II:

1. ,In .,. " ,, ·. ... , h-. ••, ,', illw \\1" 111,.'\

. .·,·,. . .

il/lIlLJ It." " .1" ,.,· " " " ," ,' 110. · .1,',I,·" .II,·r 111, ·,''',,··, ." • • , "" ,.< 1,,,1.'

II I '(/' ,.•" " ", .1' •.,-."." , • '1" '''' '' '' 1" , ,. " I " , " ,.• " , I .d

FREAK SHOW

High Stakes Life Ain't Easy "Being a nice gllY don 'I pay. " The Downtown Eastside has become a war zone .

Our community is once again undcr attack by the Media . So what else is new'! It seems there is nothing else worthy of printing about us for people elsewhere in the world to read . We who live here - dubbed ' skid row ' - are the media's shit-stick; something or someone to dump on .

-~:,:

9 ~--""

(Or

Life isn't easy downtown. We cry, we die , no problem .. . who the hell gives a shit anyway. I rcad an article in the Province (Sept.5,'04) by Dana Gee entitled "11.e Life", a CTV special about Eastside cops . She begins with" Vancouver's Downtown Eastside is not a place where most people want to drive through, let alone end up." What kind of crap is that'!! I call it fear-mongering ; for a group of police officers this village of the damned is described as their " office". First saving graee: those officers get to leave this ' village of the damned ' when their shin is over - to a home , a spouse, a family.

For the people who live down here - in ' hell' there is no escape. For some it's economics; for others there are a number of reasons. We who live here i are a committed, caring group of people; some of us are advocates and others volunteer time regardless. , Try doing something for nothing for a change and survive on basics month after month.

We eat , drink, work , sleep, think.. most of all we worry. The stench of death surrounds us dail y - bod- â&#x20AC;˘ ies in bags with no nametags, you try to win but 1,;, cannot hide , all you see is genocide. Yo u ask why we stay down here: Because who else is going to â&#x20AC;˘ , give a shit? Hell , we've been shit on for so damn long that sooner or later the pain subsides and we

J

I

carrv on.

Black-balled once again but this time by a big corporation. Don't that beat all: its voice speaks and evcrvbodv believes! What kind of crap rs that? bring it on . I guess you 've got to pay the bills .

But don't just sing it, bring it - another black eye for the residents of the DTES. " Lost souls" , "damned", " the poorest postal code in Canada." Go on, dump vour stories on skid row . Now you 've got thc crows involvcd as well , " Needles Dropping from the Sky on the Eastside" . (Actual Headline) I guess them birds wanted in on the action too .

Go on, write something like the truth . Forget about us so-called downtrodden souls. Write about animal rights or the Canadian government coming to the rescue of our forests over beetle problems or Rock stars taking centre stage on the front page of The Province paper. Never mind about our human rights on the eastside. Find something worthy.

wai

Stop labeling everyone in the same basket. Stop feeling sorry for the cops. Who are you judging anyway'! If most of these cops (aud those reporting on us) cared, I'm sure that they would invest, encourage, change, develop programs for the downtown Eastside and in no time our area, our neighbourhood, would change. And that goes for you and the whole of Canada as well .

So I encourage you to stop smearing and have some guts . Corne live on the Eastside if you dare.. take a ride on the wild side . You don' t have the slightest clue on what goes on down here; you don't ever get even halfthc story. On seeond thought, stay home where it's safe. I don't think you can stomach thc truth .

Monev talks and bullshit walks. And right now it appear; that we on the eastside are the best game in town . Any soul can be bought for the right price. If you can't handle or write about the truth then get out of the game. Lives are at stake and man those stakes are higher than a kite!

1 a II

F

b,

se

ru

I

sp

ra ~

ad

My friends, sooner or later you all come down for a ride on the wild side of the eastside 10 see a freakshow, bUI you could be the next one. Here vou' Il see lives changed by the loss or murder of a reialive friend, mom, dad, a missing piece in your sour; tree You never see misery on tv like you' ll see down here: ' Walking dead, slaves to dm gs, booze, what-

Our community is not a graveyard but it's becoming one. So much empathy and money went overseas to aid tsunami victims ; why not here?

Listen to our drums. This is our sound for the nation' s missing wome n and now men. H ear our cries

for justiee.

By STEPHEN LYTTON

eve r kills the pain. Wasted dreams. sirens scream skele tons in rags. walking ttmebombs ready to . unload; scabbed skins. no one wins. suicide, genocide, still not a soul hears the cries fro m the Downtown Eastside. when will our Of any go vernment come to the rescue.' Don't we matter on the DTES? ~

"

.'i ..

~ ÂŁ\:

Crystal Lies - In Memory of Patricia

There's no war on drugs here, but we have drugs.

The only war going on here is the one on women and now men. There is great concern and effort going into the w ar on drugs outside our communi ty.

t

,

Figure that out.

Aboriginal women and other women arc being butchered and brutally mutilated and still no one seems to give a shit. Just another dead Indian. Tears run and run till they don't run no more.

It is time that we stand up for j ustice in solidarity, speak to the injustice of cowardly slaughters on any race, not just Aboriginals. Pure pure evil, Stop running because of fear. Call on our Icaders to address our pain. Sound the battle cry.

Sad tome- sad tocie Sad tobe bythose crystal eyes Looming infront ofher world ofblue hurt Locomoting through sleeplessnights Eyes like train lights with no tunnel insight Outside, rains fall angrily to the ground Bouncing up toattackoncemore Layered clothing - all wet & damp Evaporating in theirtime, piece by piece Enveloping withered bocies on bony frames unkncwn Shrilling onto sideways, denizens of broken democracies Flailing away, a closed circuit view of Irte in the crack lane Waningas a setting sun behind hermask of confused & cloudy tears Seldom seeing thelightin others forfear crt weakness in the eyes of street sisters-brothers do not showa true emotion even though they danceon your ceiling as you lay inyour fox pit .. with all your technicolour feeling "No one loves me"wails onevoice.

"I hate yO<f shouts another... silently Sometimes the voices are real, from another level shoved deep & away Iwas somebody's mother, somebody's daughter, somebody's sister, brother, father orson

I'm sad And ~ I could havetoldyou itall Even my family dropped the ball -dsgusted that time Told methey'd given up You'veplayed a fatal game they said ' that little icior over my grave Trying tobe hardened & emouoness Human doings, Gobots, Ever-ready bunnies So how come they're so empty they ooud cry Watering my grave lhiththeireyes They hated me. I know, coz I did too And what I might have bellered for you I perceived was not available to me So I liedto my Lord and my body andtheworld Uving amongst mycrack-addcted peers .But thats okay now -the facts I denied myself The luxury 01 truth tofix my days Help me God - Now - if you can Help from anyone except theman I did not trust, I cid not show My fiery feelings covered in freckles So ~ by chance you saw me on thestreet Heaving andtwitcl'ingandscratching my feet Remember. I was once like you and you and you I might even have believed I was a person ofsubstance Not a substance abuser, forget the person, forget theprose I'ma category! I'm a label! I'm a statistic You should've heard the social workers andcounsellors tell my story Of freefalling toanother cimensionfrom supposed glory Psychosis fromlack of sleep, weakness from lack of food Of nourishment for my soul I lost mysell in the coldness of ever-lengthening shadows But seldomrealized I was worth itl I didn't last 34 years.

I'm home now.

MJ Kelly

The Denial of Poverty

by Most Politicians and The Media Ever notice how most politicians, busi ness Icadcrs and the media ignore the word poverty'! Oh, thcy might mention "child poverty" as though ch ildren didn't havc parents, but dropped out of the sky likc snowflakes. They'll mention thc importance of health care (as thcy privatize it) and education (as they close schools and lay off teachers), but poverty isn't mentioned at all, You'd think therc were no poor people in B.C., and that everyone who lives hcre has an equal opportunity to live a decent life.

In the corporate world, profit is the bottom line.

Poverty is not an issue for those driven by unrestrained greed. As Jim Matkin, head of the Business Council of B.C.in 1992, said, "From a business point of vicw, Canada doesn't have a wealth distribution probl em ." ( I) That statement represents a tsunami of den ial regardin g poverty in Canada.

Food bank lines arc gelling lon ger , and there are more food banks in Canada than there are Macdonald's restaurants. (2) People arc going to food banks because they don't have enough money to buy their own food, and forty percent of the people who use food banks are children. The usc of food banks in B.C. increased by 16 percent between 2003 and 2004, and this means more people are falling into poverty.(3) Food banks didn't exist before 1980, and they shouldn't exist now. Canada is a rich country with the ninth largest economy in the world, and we could make sure everyone in Canada has enough money to buy her or his own food. It's a humiliating experience for people to have to use food banks, and the existence of food banks brings great shame to our nation.

I

(

t

The number of homele ss people in Van couver varied from 300 to 600 people a night in 200 1. The number of homele ss people in Vancou ver in 2004 varied from 500 to 1200 people a nigh t - twic e the number compared to ZOO 1.(4 ) The dra conian barriers to income assi stance set up by the Gordon Campbell

â&#x20AC;˘

government arc a major reason for the increase in

homeless ness . (5) The richer half of Canadian families have 94.4 percent of Canada 's personal wealth, while the poorer half of Canadian families have 5.6 percent of Canada's personal wealth. This enormo us gap between rich and poor is unaccep table in a democr atic country, and the gap's even wider in British Columb ia.(6) In 1973, the richest 10 percent of families in Canada with childre n under 18, had 2 1 times more income than the poorest 10 percent of families with childre n under 18. In 1996, the rich est 10 percent of famili es with childre n under 18, had 3 14 times more inc ome than the poorest 10 percent of families with childre n under 18. (7) What do these ligures mean ? T hey mean that the gap betwee n rich and poor in Can ada has become a deep chasm. They mean that Canada has become more divided along econom ic and social lines . They mean that in spite of all the high tech commu nications technol ogy, authentic dialogu e between rich and poor has become more difficult. They mean that the bond s that hold ci tizens togethe r with caring and respons ibility have become weaker. They mean that Canada is not a democr acy, but a plutocr acy (rule by the wealthy ). And all this is denied by most business

lead ers, politicians and the media. The word poverty is a taboo word in the corrido rs of power. Spin doctors of the elite tell us that we live in paradis e with a "golden decade" ahead (8), but the reality is that the dream ofjusti ce Canadi ans fought for in the Sec ond World War is being blown to bits by the marketc ers who have taken over our beloved land .

It is importa nt to und erstand the poverty statistics in term s of the living anguish of real human bein gs.

"TI,e trauma ofreccn tlayoff s and the pain of longterm unempl oyment arc causing suffering whi ch cannot be lolerate d in a wealthy society ," a Canadian Mental Health Associa tion press release from Newfoundland said on Decem ber 20, 1995 . "Th e chas m that is bein g created between rich and poor is turni ng the clock back to Victori an times. Some people have reached the point of de speratio n and despair . Depres sion and suicida l though ts are co mmo n. In schools many young people are feelin g they have no future. The system is breakin g down. There is more wealth in Canada than ever before. Wh o can we believe any more? We arc in an age of DO UB LESPEAK . What has happen ed to the society based on equity and fairness ? Has compas sion go ne to the wall with the poor and the sick?"

Yet po verty is a taboo word for those who run our country . Th eir callous nes s, hypocri sy, and refu sal to speak to the suffering and illness caused by poverty are corru pting the humane soul that Canada had in 1948 when returnin g veteran s from World War Two demand ed social justice, and a Can adian dr afted the Univers al Declaration of Human Right s.

Sandy Camero n (1 ) "Action Canada Dossier," #35, Jan/Feb, 1992 (2) "Beyond Povar1y and Affluence - Towards a Canadian Economy of Care,"by Bob Goudzwaard and Hany deLange , Universityofloronto Press, 1994, p16.

(3) "Hunger Count - 2004," bythe Canadian Association of Food Banks, November, 2004.

(4) Dmft "Homeless Action Plan," City ofVancoLNar, Nov, 2004.

(5) "Thousands Laft OffWelfare," byAndrew Macleod , Monday Magazine, February 23, 2005.

(6)"Rags and Riches - Wealth Inequality in Canada," by Stava Kerstetter, Canadian Centre forPolicy Alternatives, 2003.

(7) "The Growing Gap - A report ongrowing inequality between the rich and poor in Canada," by AnmineYalnllyan, Centre for Social Justine, Toronto, 1998.

(8)"Libemls vow golden decade" - front paga headlina, VancouverSun, Feb.9, 2005.

At the workshop you will be able to · gel more information on homeless ness

· sec copies of the City's homeles sness report · gel help writing and sending letters 10 politicians · learn what's likely to happen at City Council on April 14th and how you can gel on the speakers lisl · work out your speech to City Council The workshop is sponsored by the Carnegie Centre Community Association working with the Learning Centre .

By Jean Swanson

Speak out againsl homelcssness .'

You're invited 10 a specia l workshop on homelessness 0 0 April IlIh at Carnegie, It will be held from I to 2 in the Art Gallery 0 0 the 3'd floor. The purpose of the workshop is 10 help people speak oul effectively 10 Vancouver City Council, the provincial Liberals and NDP, and the Federal government about the solutions 10 homclcssness.

The City plans to hear from members of the public about its homeless action plan on April 14th 01 7:30 pm 01 City Hall. TI,e homeless action plan is over 60 pages long and has 86 recommendations. Basically, it says that homelessness could be ended if · the province ended barriers 10 getting on welfar e and increased welfare rates: · all levels of government put more money into building affordable housing: · more services were provided for people who arc sick and addicted.

While the report is mostly good, we need to make sure that Council lobbies fiercely for the things it recommends, especia lly in the month before the provi ncial election. How many people who aren't poor reallv understand that welfare has been changed so drastically that many people in need can't get it any more and that's why they arc homeless'? How many understand that when govern ments don't put money into social housing, people become homeless'?

HidE & go HoMelesS A controversial documentary film made entirely hy youth that explores the issues of homelessness anti poverty ill Victoria.

The film brings you to a street level where frontline service providers and homeless people provide a firsthand account of the negative impacl that poverty has on our community and the blatant truth about what our government is not doing to all eviat e it. " A pe rfect example ofcitizen engagement and active discussion, Brilliant t" - Kat Baulu, Outreach O fficer, Citire nShifl, National Film Board of Canada. ..We 're deligh ted 10 partner with M ask Removal Productions for this screening. and grateful 10 Bruce fro m Movie M onday jiJT offering the venue space.

The key 10 eradicating poverty is education . and this film is a provocative and honest look 01 its true face." - Jannine Bandcroft, Victoria Street Newz : None of the filmmakers had any experi ence with filmmaking and all of them faced particular issues in their lives that made securing employment difficult.

"We arc all blown away how much this film has taken otTand how much success we 've had in using it 10 raise awareness abo ut pove rty and homel essness in Victoria,' said Roder ick Taylor, Social Wo rker that coordinated the yo ung filmm aker s.

All procee ds that are raised at the do or will RO toward s: Victoria Street Newz : an alternative not for profit print media that provides a voice and income opportunities for eco nomica lly margin alized and/or socially disadvantaged peopl e while, at the same time, offering employable skills training and increased self-estee m.

Mask Rem oval Produc tions: a not for profi t production company that provides marginalized yo uth with the opportunity to create docume ntary films about social issues.

DAT E: Saturd ay, March 19" @ 7:00 1111I PLACE : Eric Martin Pavilio n, 191HI Fort St.

Home S weel ,J{ome I love this place, this DTES, people j ust walk thru traffic disregard the lights boo m across the stree t on all 8 cy linders now just do n' t care if they gel hit do n' t give a shit ' hit me dent yo ur ca r' I' m from the ' hood at least they ' ll give me morphine at the hospital vou'rc frce here free 10 be yo ur own bad self and no one blinks an eye down on the east side . Dickie Rvdman

7

K Thousands left off welfare

by Andrew Macle od MondayMagazine, Feb 232005 Since premie r Go rdon Ca mpbell and the B.C. Liberal go vernme nt reji gged the rules in 2002 to make welfare payments harder 10 get, eac h month ove r 3,000 British Co lumbians who turned to the human resources ministry for welfare never received help. The ministry provided the number s in response 10 a freed om of inform ati on request for details abo ut the number of peop le who applied for welfare, the number who were denied assistance, and under what criteria, since June 2002, when the minist ry change d the rules under then-hu ma n resourc es minister Murray Coell.

Between Ju ne 2002 and Septem ber 2004, a total of 206, 759 peop le filled out "pre-application" forms bcea use they were seeking assistance. Over that same period a total of 122,361 peopl e co mpleted the applica tion process and began receiving wel fare payments. In other words, aboul four out of 10 people, ove r 3,000 a month , who filled out a preapplica tion form, did not get help.

TIle 2002 rule changes inelud ed makin g people wait three weeks from when they con tact the office to apply for benefits ; requ iring single parents 10 work when their yo unges t child turns three instead of the previous age of seven; making post-secon dary students no longer eligib le; and asking people over 19 years old to prove they've been independent from their pare nts for two years before they ca n get assistance .

So under which criteria arc people being denied help? The ministry's respons e says, "Unfortunately this information is not eo llceted by the ministry in this format."

Aceo rdi ng to an official in the ministry's FOI branch, while the ministr y doesn't keep statistics on why people arc "denie d" welfare, they can collect data on why some case files were "elose d." The ministry want ed a new info rmation request , which we' ve filed, before they wou ld release thaI info rma tio n.

We' ll keep yo u posted .

\

Sister, Sister

Sister, oh sister, irs been 100 many years thus far

Since we' vc secn each other from ncar or far I can't wait for the day to see how much of a lady you've become, I hope irs all about you since you're the youngest one.

With the time we have len, our lives to fulfill We're both laughing along from thrill to thrill Our bond as brother and sister is a strong one something for any other to obtain.

We speak the truth so we don't fccltheir pain.

Family life is simple and you will see It's about being happy individuals like you & me Hope to see you soon when I can hug & kiss you For everyday now I just nat out miss you.

Love always, Tyler

When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar..and the 2 cups of coffcc...

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him . When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large, empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full.

They agreed thaI it was .

The professor then picked up a box of small pebbles and poured Ihem into the jar. He shook it lightly and the pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls . He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was .

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything clse. He asked once more if the jar was full. They responded with a unanimous "yes."

The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed. ''Now,'' said the professor, as the laughter subsided, "I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls arc the important things - your family', your children, your health, your friends and

your favorite passions - things that if everything c1se was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full . The pebbles are the other things that matter like your work, your home, and access to food, sheller, clothing, medical aid and education.

The sand is everything else -- the small stuff. " If you put the sand into the jar first," he continued, "there is no room for pebbles or golf balls . The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you ,';11 never have room for the things that arc important to you . Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with vour children. Take time to get medical checkups.

Take your partner out to dinner. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal. Take care of the golf balls first --the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is jnst sand."

One of the students raised her hand and inquired whalthe coffee represented. The professor smiled.

"I'm glad you asked . IIjust goes to show you that no matter how full your life may sccm , there's always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend ."

Submitted by Gena Thompson

I

Welcome to Creative Writing Share your Poem Write lour Story -lnner though ts -humou r .... whatever....

Every Wednesdal with Sheila Balter Ipm-apm, Ca rnegie's J'" noor .

Tena nts' Rights Action Coalition (TRAC ) Executive Director The Tenants' Rights Action Coalition , a provincial nonprofit society working in the interest of tenants and forthe preservation and expansion of affordable rental housing, invitesapplications fOl the position of Executive Director.

Reporting to the Boardof Directors you will be responsible forthe work of a staff team in the following areas: Community Organizing/Advocacy, including legal infotmation to tenants viathe Tenants Hotline and public legal education workshops, and assisting tenants and eotnmun ity groups OIganizearound tenancy issues; Public Education/Oulteach including organizing public meetings and conferences, conductingtraining forcom munity workers and advocates, developing legal infonnation and other education materials; Research/Publications including policy development, publishing newslellers and other materials relating toresi-. dentialtenancy and affordable housing issues; Law Reform including analysis and develop ing recommendations ontheimpact of landlord/tenant legislation and municipal zoning and planning bylaws on tenants and existing rental housing.

SPECIFIC DUTIES INCLUDE: 9 Co-ordination - responsible forday-to-day decision making, where appropriate in consullation with the Board Steering Commillee; directing staff activities toensure that the agreed upon priorities of staff and Board are carried out in the context of a team-based working environment Personnel Adminisltation â&#x20AC;˘ perfotming ongoing personnel-related administration, including maintenance of all personnel records and applicationsfor benefits; initiating conflict resolution processes, inconsullation with the Personnel Commillee; authorizing staff overtime , time-off and vacations.

Finances/Funding . identify and solicitsupport from potential funding sources ; co-ordinate the development and preparation of applications for all funded projects ; maintain ongoing communication with all funding sources; develop and prepare budgets and liaise with Auditor (inconjunction with Accounting services).

Media Relations/Publications ¡ co-ordinate media relations and development and distribution of all publications.

Liaison - co-ordinate liaison with member groups, tenants groups and eotnmunity OIganizations; co-ordinate membership develop ment; liaise with government agencies; liaise with other eotnmunity-based partners and external housing organizations; liaise with TRAC Board of Directors and give regular reports to Board on organizational activities and functioning REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS: Demonstrated leadership ability Understanding of non-profits and theway they function Experience 01 demonstrated skills with advocacy Demonstrated interest in affordable housing and tenancy issues o Ability to interpret and apply legislation o Ability to lead and provide motivation in a team-based environment U Excellent eotnmunication skills, both wrillen and verbal o Ability toorqanize and coordinate workload, identify urgent work items, set priorities and meetdeadlines U U U U

Please fOlWard a cover lellerand resume by 4:00pm on Friday March 18,2005 to tracposllng@ho tmallco m Orbymail to Tenants' Rights Action Coalition Allention : Personnel Commillee #306 - 535 Thurlow Street Vancouver, BC, V6E 3L2

Little lliJ! SpUI of Vulnl'r"hilit~路 "I sec you standing on the other side.

I don't know how the river got so \\ ide."

Leonard Cohen. Tower o/ .\'ong Do you know why some people prefer to blend in with the crowd?

Because it is safer that way - or so they've been led to believe.

Safer to do what? Maybe to wait without running the risk of being asked to explain why .

No more than that. But to do anything with the common good in mind shouldn't be any riskier than waiting.

Even those who dream of saving the world have no choice but 10 promole with equal enthusiasm their hopes as much as illusions , never fully in charge of every little glitch that follows . And naturally, by being pro-active they're bound to reveal as well their personal little big spot of vulnerability. And so the trembling in their voices is heard right through the sense of purpose and it sounds as e1early as the aims proclaimed.

That is why even to try to reach out can get discouraging sometimes.

Surely enough , things happen .

There's always someone else watching from under the cover of darkness and what they set themselves out 10 do is meant to come down as a total surprise.

That one time only, they will make us loose our ground before we learn how to deal with what we have bccn dealt.

Little big spot of vulnerability comes in different shapes and sizes ; although, it sits right under the skin like a vein, similar to a vein

filling a fault in a rock. It is distinctive and specific in nature . And it shows right through anything done as the one disposition that hasn't been dealt with - yet.

A little big spot of vulnerability, for instance , could convey an addictive behaviour or an insatiable need 10 be acknowledged for whatever the price to be paid, the price which is easily spotted by those who study our efforts from under the cover of darkness.

Vulnerability is made of what we have not yet mastered. Like how to say "no" to a wave of excitement and "yes" to an offer that can't be refused .

Thai little big spol inside is marked by what we have failed to sec .

What we have missed is being examined by others from under the cover of darkness.

That's why, it's best to get on with our lives and not to fear whal we already know we have.

Since every weakness, we've acknowledged, is no longer there to be used by others to bring us down - by surprise.

Self-awareness is our best line of defence and a marvel of soul engineering, erected slowly like the Great Wall of China (the only singular, man-made structure visible from the outer space).

So certainly, that is not where the assault w;1I come from .

The blow that makes the confidence crumble will come from under the Emperor's nose , connived where the children play and where the gathering of noblemen let their feet be washed.

His Majesty's inner eirele would have traced his little big spot of vulnerability while under the cover of darkness.

..

~~~ "'

lie could not have prepared for that, even if crazed by his own suspic ions.

Our lillie big spot of vulnerab ility cannot be assumed by proxy nor can it be escaped.

It can't be co ncealed from view and it can't be ignored .

It is the very next thing we arc bound to learn abo ut ourselves in the Schoo l of Hard Knocks.

It is our very own personalized lesson.

e,

e

:

â&#x20AC;˘

And yet , my friend. nobody's going to make you discover that little big spot of yours if yo u don't give a damn for the distance that needs to be travelled: and. if you choose to go round in circles like a merry-go-ro und.

Your own state of mind is at Slake and not mine.

That's yo ur chara cter disallowing a breath of respite.

I sec yo u clearly since yo u're not far away from where I've been making my round s. None the less, there's nothin g each of us can do about the other's distance travelled.

Richard Tylman

'~ '

:=,

!\ Dcar Dr. Gee:

/;

~

There is this really nice blonde wo man who runs the volunteers I think. She always has a nice smile.

Wha t is her seeret she always has a smile for thc most miserable person? How to stay happy and focusse d in the midst of confusion....is the ques tion?

Mrs. Shakes pear Dear Mrs. Shakes pear: Perhaps this woman sees beyo nd the misery 10 the bea uty in people. A beau ty masked by hurt. fear and relentless pain. To answer your question, gi\'c "hut you want. If yo u want understand ing, empathy, kindnes s, respect, forgiven ess, gi\'c it, no mailer what is coming your way. Your spirit will be made happy. and the confusion seems far away unable to disman lie you. It is frightenin gly easy to fall into the dark hole of scif-pi ty and morose when we feel we are not gelling what we really desire and need from other s and our environment. We need to know we have in our power to g ive what it is we crave,

and that changes everything. It may sound 100 simple, but I dare you to try it. (It is easy 10 love those who arc easy to love, bUI what about those who need love the most") Live simply that others may simply live]!

Manifest plainness embrace simplicity reduce selfishness have few desires~ and all the loveliest things there be come si mply, so it seems to me...

Edna .f. Vincmt .Afillay Simplicity, most rare in our age...Cltdd Knowled ge is acquired by daily gain, but the way is acquired by daily loss....fa4-uu

The Pleasure ofHaling by W ill iam Hazlit t, Common Sense by Th om as Paine. On N atural Selection

by Charles Darwin. Meditatiolls bv Marcus Aurelius. Oil th e S uffering (if th e Wo;ld by Shopcnhauer,

To a Mom who wa s here, but now she is go ne Her time well spe nt whil e on our Mother Earth .

Whi le she was here she gave two births My cherished mem ories of her are never go ne For I am the one they call her son Wi th all my heart I prayed on that dread ful da y, I co uldn' t believe I was in such disarray One day she was there and the next sh e was not Oh , my God, what a horrible thought, they sa id sh e had passed away.

But I didn 't believe, I was in dismay , then the truthful shoc k set in as nothing more than grim .

But the n I awo ke to the praise of another day To find the belief that my mol her wa s sent away On ly Heaven's ange ls arc with her now To sce that she receives the endless bow.

Her time on our Mother Earth has bee n surpassed For now and forever she will be at peace at last.

Ty ler Ballantine

lirE,., .. FII.OH THE LIIlII.AII.I New Titles ; Library has purc hased a great little series fro m Pe nguin Boo ks called Great Ide... Tilles incl ude d are' On Frien dship by Michael Dc Montaigne, Vindi ea: tion of the Rights of Woman by Mary Wo llcnscrtifl,

and Others . Wh en we d id the interna l Ca rnegie Library Review you asked us for mor e "classics"... so here arc some 10 enjoy!

For Film Buffs We have purchased as a Referen ce Boo k S ubtitles: Oil the foreignness of ftlm ed ited by Atom Egoya n and Ian Balfour. It is a pretty frai l forma l so we wo uld like to keep it as an "in library usc on ly.

Graphic Novel . Best of A merican Splendor by Han'CY Pekar. The New York Times says of Harvey Peka r "He lets all ofli fe flood into his panels : the hu mdrum and the hero ic, the gritty and the grand" .

He truly has a vision that makes daily city life whether it's a ride on the bus or a visit to the doct or bceom e the dr ama it is for so me of us. T his underground writ er is now bei ng compared to peo ple like Lenny Bruce an d Dostoe vsky.

Capitalism in crisis: Globalization and world politics today by Fidel Castro. T his book is not in any other VPL library and was a donated to Ca rnegie by one o f our man y kind patrons.

A fist ill the Horrnet's Nest by Rich ard Enge l; Author dis cu sses wh at happened in Baghdad before, during and after the in vas ion. Engel was the onl y Am erican television Corres pondenl who stayed in Baghdad for the dur ation o f the war.

Everyday Moon Magic by Doroth y Morrison. W ritten by a wiccan priestess thi s wi ll tell yo u everything yo u need to know abo ut lun ar lore and perha ps he lp your spe ll wo rk (howe ver it prom ised to fix my co mp uter and did not.. so be ca utio us.)

Living with Hepatits C: A sUTVi,'oF> guide by Gregory Everso n. T his is the third ed itio n of this use ful resource and has a new chapter on co-infection and pcgylatcd interferons.

Tell Tho usand Roses by J udy Rebiek. The mak ing of a feminist revolu tion in Ca nada, it is a co llection of women's struggles from across the country .

Basic Malh & Pre-Algebra for the Clueless by Bob Miller, T he title says it all .

Drop By the Library. Carnegie Library Cards are" doorway to fantasy and reality! Mary Ann

(Febru ary 25. 20(5 ) Ms. Libb y Davies (Vancouver East, NDP) : Mr. Speaker, what does the Prime Minister say to the 1.7 million Canadian households that desperately need affordable housing? What docs he say to homeless people around the streets? What docs he say to aboriginal people off reserve?

In his rush for Conserva tive support, he betrayed them and there is anger and outrage that he broke his own promise for $1.5 billion for housing while rewarding his corporate buddies.

I challenge him to get out on the street at night, experience the impact of what he has done and then think about his corporate tax cuts. Is he willing to take that responsibi lity and see what he has done?

Hon. Andy Scott (Minister of Ind ian Affai rs and Nort her n Development and Federal Interlocut or for Meti s and Non-Stat us Indians, Lib. ): Mr. Speaker, first of all the promise of $1.5 billion in new housing " ill be kept. That was repeated in the throne speech .

The reality is that money that is available now, about $800 million, has simply not been spent.

On the question of first nations housing, we have a round table process in place. It is slated to come to a conclusion this spring. The Minister of Finance has acknowledge d that we will need more money and we will get it.

Feel free to drop me a line (remember it's pnslllj(C free) daviel@parl.gc,ca Or email me at : www.libbydavies .ea 483 West Block House of Commons Ottawa, ON, K IA OA6 Ph. (613) 992-6030 Fax (6 13) 995- 74 12 EXCERlyrs FROM HANSARD

:r.

Get me off of this roller-coasterl!

(By joining the SuppDrlhrg EmutiofTil! Wel/ness!lrrJtJfJJ .

If you arc seeking a smoother ride in vour emotional life, these seve n wee kly groups can help ...

Issues covered : > Understanding emotions, moods and personality traits. > Emotional triggers. > Mindfulness: Tolerating sorrow, anger and fear. > Challenging negative beliefs, assumptions and thoughts. > Improving emotional seij-regJlation. > Radical acceptance.

Where? Lifeskills Ce ntre, 412 E. Cordova St. When? Thursdays,], J0 am-12 prn, March 17 April 28"' 2005.

For more information contact Andrew at 604-216-4253 or Benita at 604-642-5609.

g

~~.o:,

Humanities 101

Free Public Lecture

"Law or Just¡Us?: The Elite Meet the Street,"

1

I

A discussion with lawyer Lisa Helps.

Facilitator, Keenan Macdonald

b

a

II

FRIDA Y, MARCt -1 18n!, '! PM

~Carnegie Centre

â&#x20AC;˘

I

~""'~~-"VV"V~~

Strathcona Community Garden continues to roll along. The recent warmer weather has heightened excitement for gardening as we move into the spring seaso n. With this excitement comes an increased

Election Time The crap from the erappers Pours out a stream Promises - promises A ehance to dream They just give us back a little of what they took away.

Election time is coming this month of May. Don't believe a word of what they say.

It' s all about protecting the eorporate buck These corporate asses that these politicians suck So much money stolen from the poor Are these politicians above the law?

The crap, the crap.. flows like a tap.

Sheila Baxter

Tacklin!! Greenhouse Gases in the Strathcona Community Despite the frigid winter temperatures of the past few months, the Inner City Co mmunity Composting Projec t (IC3 - funded by EcoActi on Canada) at

demand for compost. Luckily, Quest Food Outr each Society has becn able to provide plenty of eompostable food waste to fulfill this demand. In January alone, we were able to process 13.5 metric tonncs of food waste. This equates to 3.5 tonnes of finished co mpost once the eomposting process is co mplete ! Since the project's incept ion last August, we have taken in approximately 76 tonnes of food waste from Quest, prod ucing 6.4 tonnes of finished compost in total.

But producing finished compost for our garde ners is only part of the story. As ment ioned in our previous artiele (Carnegie Newsletter, November 1512004), our project endeavors to monitor the reduction in greenhouse gases caused by reduced truck trips to the city landfill. The amount of food waste processed during the month of January elim inated four such landfill trips. Our cumulative gree nhouse gas reduction stands at 86.8 tonnes since last August.

Put yet another way, this means that this project has taken the equivalent of 4 cars off the road (for one year) during the month of January, and 2 1 cars in total since the project's inception.

These kinds of numbers arc very encouraging , esp ecially given that recent news stories have mentioned

that Canada is behind in its pledge to reduce greenhouse gas production as per the Kyoto Protocol on e1imate change. While this project may seem like a drop in the greenhouse gas bucket, it is nevertheless proving to be a good example of how the goa ls of Kyoto can be achieved, starting at the co mmunity level.

We have also added 6 vcrrnicompost (worm) bins to the facility, help ing furth er break compost and produce high quality soil for the gardeners. The worms will be able to process roughly 1500 pounds of waste in a month's time. That's so me serious dec om-

position !

Come down to the garden and visit our worm friends [whal e-watching to worm-watchin g!I and the staff and volunteers who arc making this grea t projec t happen.

Til E VANCOUV ER SliN. SA ruun..\\,.

2005 "on [WESTCOAST~N ~E~W ~ S ===::;;,~~::,;.;...;..;....;,.;;.;;.......;.;.:...;....~ ~IARC II 5.

Downtown Eastside wants popular cop to stay POLICE I Const. Dave Dickson is one of 18 officers who took early

retirement in 2003 and were then re-hired on short-term contracts

BY DO UG WARD V.... NCOUVFR SUN

VA NCOUVER I The Van couver Police Department hopes it ca n keep Canst. Dave Dickson on the inner city beat he's walked for 25 yea rs - but not in a police uni form.

Di ckson is one of 18 se n io r poli ce o ffice rs wh o too k ea rly retirem ent in 20 03 bec aus e of pen sion changes and the n were re-hir ed last year on short-term contracts.

His contract expires at the e nd o f April , much to the dismay of man y gro ups in the Downtown Eas ts ide co mmun it y t ha t have been campaigning for his re-hi ring.

"T h is is a co m m u nity th at doesn't normally tru st the police. but Dave has built up that tru st," said Kate Hodgson, coordinator of th e Downtown Ea s tsi de Neighbourhood Safety Office.

Dickson is a familiar figure in the Downtown Eastside . Neigh bourh ood safety activist Hodgson said there arc 650 signatures on a petition in support of the veteran office r. "Dave's grea test strength down he re is his co nnectio n to peopl e on the street - sex trade workers, high-risk youth, kids in

the neighbourhood. lIi s pager is on 24 hours a day."

VPD spokesman Const. Ann e Drennan said the VPD will live up to its agreement with the Vancouver Police Union not to rehire t he o ffi ce rs wh o ch ose e arl y retirement and were rehired on a one-time, short-term basis.

"Hut we are we exploring oth er possibilities to se c if Dave can cont inue to work downtow n. But not as a police officer."

Dre nnan sa id t hat the VPD would like Di ckson to serve so me how as a liai son be tween the Downtown Eastside community and the police force, but she declined to elaborate. " We would like Dave to st ay because he's just an extraordinary police officer and has don e incredib le work down there."

Dickson said the VPD knows he wou ld prefer to rema in on his Down tow n Easts ide police beat. " I've ma de it clea r t o the depa rtme nt that I'm w ill ing to stick around for a couple of years.

"But it's an issue between the un ion and the department."

Dickson said he was flatt er ed by the community's support. "It's embarrassing because I don 't like blowing my own horn."

Police u nion president Tom

Sta matakis de fended the agreement reached with the VPD, baring the re-hiring of Dickson and othe r poli ce office rs who to ok early retirement. Sta rnatak is said Dick son a nd o t he r po lice me n voluntarily c hose ea rly retirement a nd th at short-te rm co ntracts are no solution to developing a long-term staffing poli cy.

Srarnataki s add ed : "We hav e many qualified people in this organization and I think it's no t fair to them to suggest there is only one pe rson who could do that job or provide that level of service to a particular community."

Kate Gib son , executive-director of the WISH Drop -In Centre for sex trade workers, said Dickso n is t ru st ed b y prostitu tes working downt own . " Be maintain s a very open relationship with the women. Ill' listens to them , he's available to t hem, he will hel p them ," said Gibso n. "He's the only man who is allowed into the WISII centre.

Ill"comes here and spea ks to the women all the time."

Carole Brown, a coordinato r at the Ray Cam Cooperative Centre, said kids in her ce ntre's daycar e have made a giant ca rd calling for Dickson to remain in th e co mmunity.

Methadone was created by the Naz is during WW II the heroin that Goebbels, Gehring and the gang were wired to. It' s proven to be a lousy painkiller, but highly effective in populatio n contro l. The present-day use of methadone is chiefly about population conlrol as much as il is about heroin add iction .

In the Nordic countries, as well as England and some of the more enlighte ned European nations. methadone has been eval uated to be more dangerous than the drug it supplants. Hence, those nations ralion out quality heroin to addicts.

Here in North America, give n our puritanical beginnings, the medical estab lishmen t chooses to ignore the European exa mple and conti nues the absurd use of methad one.

Our uninspired. uninformed use of methadone creates more problems that it solves. For a drug that does n' t even get yo u high, the endless crap one wades thru to get one's "fix" is nonsensical if not barbaric. Yet this billion-dollar industry is thriving, growing at a rate equal to the increase in heroin production worldwide.

Those unfortunates who find themselves so junksick that thev reach for the easv fix of methadone soon find thay have j umped fr~m the frying pan into the fire.

There are a couple of notorious ' dealers' of methadone here iu the DTES who are millionaires today solely by pushing methadone on people with relatively minor opiate addic tions but are easy prey to these bloods uckers .

Every hype on the street knows Adilbrains and the Flaming. The Flaming brought methadone to the DTES and, despite allempts to remove him, still practices his parasitical ideas of medicine on the unsuspecting. Adilbrai ns is notorious as a ' control freck' among his unfortunate patients (victims).

The fact that these bozos pull down I/< million S a year is proof enough of the corrupt lopsided medical malpractice that wou ld embarrass our British counterparts 10 replace

My acupuncturist related a tale of an MD prescribing methadone for chronic pain despite the fact that it's a lousy painkiller . For the doctor , another medically approved addict. For the patient , the sa me old pain on top of an addiction that makes heroin addiction look like c hild's play.

Allow me to run the ga me by yo u, j ust so you know: You're not a criminal and yo u' re wired to heroin and, in your desperation, you opt for the easy way out. The ' dealer' starts you 01T at 60 mg a day but with in weeks you' re rollin g on IOU-I SO rng a day, everyday without interrupti on, than x to the " Witnessed Ingestion" program. Whether or not yo u need it - and by now you do - the ga me's set up so you ingest da ily. Soon the tolerance builds and the stakes get raised to the point where most people never come down 01T the garbage heap they ' ve allowed the ' dealer to put them on.

Get out of line with you r caring and concemc d health professional and she/he cuts you back a mere 10 rng a day: you find yo urself so sick that the next appointment you change your tunc.

Adilbrains is infamous for his blackmail tactics .

"Ei ther stop the coke or be cui 01T (methadone)."

"E ither lose the boyfriend or be cut back." Either behave or I'll have you co mmitted." His little threats have become the staple of many gripe sessions at methadone meetings. But baby they got you and you know it!

One in a thousand has the balls to kick meth adone once . The odds of kicking it twice are astro nomica l.

Once yo u're on methadone you tend to stay for LIFE TI,e Flaming would be a good character in a movie about mad doctors. His exploits are legendary and he will be remembered as one of the worst medical dictators of all time. The sulTering this mons ter has foisted on the public is beyond measure.

Adilbrains runs a close second. These two clown s have created more misery than all the heroin on the street ever cou ld. There will co me a time when the street will meet out its own j ustice on them, and the sooner the better.

If yo u' re on methado ne yo u know everything I' ve written her e is tru e. If you're not on methadone don ' t lei the m co n you. Me thado ne o nly mak es a bad situation wo rse and in the e nd you lose. Buck up, ge l some rhino-hide , kick the hero in if yo ur jones is out of ha ud . Met hado ne is a one -way ticket 10 pharma-prison wi th the good doct or pla yin g cop on you till the day you die.

If you must shoot so me thiug, shoot the Me thadone dealer.

Al Loewen

DANNY OBRI EN Born 198 3 died 20 04 R.l .P

(])'F,j('l!J{I~)f cz>V!4t~~ A Passion play for the homeless.

Directed by Ian Wallace Written by Sheila Baxter Performances May 6 and 7 at 7.30pm St. Jahns United Church at Broughton and Nelson adm $5 .00 Or pay as you can .

FREE RESUME WORKSHOPS

One W ay Stree t To ug h talk adds up 10 uothing There goes your proo f Livin ' in the La nd o f Assh oles in the laud of goof

Pathways Information Ce utre will be holding free

resume, co ver letter, and job search (the hidd eujob market) workshops on March 22 , 23 , aud 24th.

1200 dollars later buddy ain ' t got a dim e Oh 1 got HIV can ' t yo u see me cryin' ?

Tough talk , lo ugh ta lk Don 't mak e no differen ce Listen 10 him squawk He says Broth crman lend me a hand Blew all my mou ey and now no one und erstands I'll be yo ur frie ud as long as yo u keep givin' But all yo u do is tak e..as long as you've bee n liviu '

Resume wo rks hop: 1:00 3 :00 pm on the 22 ud .

C ove r lette r wor kshop s: 1:00 - 3:00 pm 0" the 23rd.

Joh search worksh op s: 1:00 - 3 :00 pm on the 24 lh Pathways Inform ati on Centre NE co mer, Ma in & Ha stings (604) 682-7353

Q

o

Boil it down rig ht to the en d No-one knows your nam e when yo u got no money 10 lend Boil il down rig ht to the e nd Comes dow n 10 d ust You ai n't got no friends .

o

11,e pursuit of truth shall set yo u free - eve n ifyo u neve r catc h up wi th it.

Al

Clarence Darrow

DOWNTOWN EASTSIDE YOUTH ACTIVITIES SOCIETY 49 W.Coniova

NEEDLE EXCHANGE VAN - 3 Routes: 604-68~561 City - 5:45pm - 1I:45pm _ Overnight - 12:30am - 8:30am DOWDtown Eastside - 5:30pm - 1:30am

604-251-3310

C.i ellS io0.

NEW S L E T T E R

•• , _ 80ft II ...,

'W.

'" .. ....

20 ' 1OiI,I&J ·J lII

2005 DO NAnO NS Libby D. -S~O Barry for Dave McC.-SSO Rolf A.-~5 Ma '1:a n:1 D.-S25 Chris topher R .S50 Mary C·S30 Bru ce J.·S30 U'mista - S20 IIeather S.·S25 RayCam·S30 Gram ·S 100 Paddy -S30 G len B.-S50 John S..SHO Penny G.-S21 Jenny K.·S20 Dara C..S20 Sa ndy C.S20 Aud rey-S20 Wes K..S50 J oanne II .·S20 Rockingguys -S20 The Edge Commu nity Lia ison Cn -S200 W m B·S20 An<l"}m <lus.S2

Til l NEWSLl ITlR IS A PUBUCATION or TIlE C.\ KNEGIE CO MMIINITV C ElITRE ASSOCIATION AniclesfCp cscN the viewsof individual contributors . nd nOi orlhc ADociaiion.

Submission Ileadline for next issue: Tuesday, March 29

Editor: PaulR Taylor; cover art & layout, Diane Wood

------------ ..

--------------

We acknowledge lhatCarnegie Communiy Centre, IWld IIlls , Newsle"er, arehappening on lila Squamish Nalion'llelrilory.

I

DO YOU IIAVE A LEGAL PltOULEM?

Come to our FREE CLINIC On carnegie's 3rd floor • UBC Law Students ' Legal Advice Program

Contact Jenny Wai Ching Kwan MLA

T uesdays 7prn - 9prn.

The Downtown E...tside Residents AS5odatlon DERA belps with:

Working for You \070-1 64 \ Commercial Dr. VSL JY3 Phone: 775-0790 Fax : TIS-OSSI

-

Pbone 8< Safe MaUbo...

Welfare prohlems; Landlord disputes; Howlng prnblems Unsafe living conditions

At 11 Eost Hutlngs SL or cali 6Ousi·093 I

"

n

You know you're old, when . ..

I I

\

the fashio ns of yo ur yo uth have come back in style you remember when the first family on the block got a co lour TV your spirit is willing .. . but the rest of you wanls to take a nap yo u feel like the night after , and you haven't been anywhere you gel winded playing cards yo u regre t resisting temptation after paint ing the town red, you have to rest a while before applying a seco nd coat you burn the midni ght oil until 9 pm you walk with your head high .. . trying to get used to your bifocals the line print shrinks (This is called bifocals denial .) you hear yourself say thi ugs that your pareuts always said . ..and you hated your pacemaker makes the garage door go up when you watch a cutie go by

Actually. you CO" haVf o h,althy teÂŤ M' w,11 i" to your lafrr YIQrr. AIlUftf,.,g you con rto",d th, right of p,opl, your ag' "at,d.

......._".. ,,~

~ I \""~'\...

,-

f

.

"Ii I

"8T...... Y H O M E " This is a quote I heard on the radio a while back: "Attitude is the paintbrush that colours your life. " Anoth er one I read some time ago was "Stand lip fo r some thing you believe in or YOII'll f all fo r anything ."

It's become very apparent to me that it may take decades or even generations to change attitudes about our community (the Downt own Eastside) in spite of all we ' ve done to share its beauty.

Yes! We have problems but so do other communities. TI,e only difference is, in the downtown eastside it's visible, unlike other communities all across this nation where it's mostl y behind closed doors .

We arc and will continue to address the issues on a daily basi s and we are doing our best I t!T,1Il fDU Y1!ry mucht/ But most of the problems occur when those of you who don ' t live or reside in our neighbourhood come into the area seeking a cheap Ihrill.. or to just cause troub le.

Prime examples : Sex offeu ders; sex trade users ; drug dea lers and users ; abusers; those who prey on bab ies, children , wome n - killers especially.

We 're just a playgro und, eve n a dumpi ng ground .

The savage rea lity is that they or you j ust don 't give two shits - you come and go as you please , when & wherever you see lit.

TI,e horror of it is the injustices we ' re left with in the aftermath of your doings or fantasies . To pick up the pieces of ruined and shattered lives, missin g lives - I could go on and on - all the resull of you not giving a shit.

Go ahead! Run and hide but I know you' ll be back.

Stop the slaughter in and of our community: Quit shitting in our house and backyard . It's a sure guarantee that your actions wouldn 't be tolerated in almost any other community (and that includes yoursl) . so why dump it in ours ? Or haven 't you read , see n or heard that we have our own shit to deal with, let alone whate ver you bring into the ' hood.

If you can' t be decent with us, Stay Home .

By STEPHEN LYTTO N

T he Int ernational Women' s World Organization : W o rld Social Fo r um 12005: Porto Allegra. Mexico Here are the 14 demands to the Federa l Gove rnmen t of Canada : 1). Restore federal funding to hea lth care and en force rules against the privatization of our health care system, beginning with Alberta .

2). Spend an additional 2% of the budge t on social housing.

3) . Set up the promised national child-care fund, starting with an immediate contribution of $2 billion .

4) . A National Child-care program must be pub licly run; no big box day care centers for profit only (e.g.

USA and Australia). . 5). Increase Old Age Security payments to provide older women with a decent standard of living.

6) . Use thc surplus from the Employment Insurance Funds 10 increase benefits, provide longer payment periods. and improve access, as we ll as improve maternity and family benefits.

7). Support women's organizing for eq uality and democracy by: (a) alloca ting $50 million 10 fro nt-line, independent, feminis t, women-controlled gro ups com milled to endi ng viole nce against women such as women's ce ntres, rape crisis ce ntres, direct access to balance of up-to-d ate educa tion and equaliva ntly fair informa tion for women who have the right to choose and this must be acce pted and see n as hum an right, especially in cases of incest, rape, and 10 sto p the sprcd of HIV Aids as directed by the United Nations Co mmittee To Eliminate Discrimination Aga inst Women on (March ~ t h 2(05) in New York Ci ty, and Women's Shelters ; (b) Recognizi ng and Funding the three autonomous national Aboriginal women's organization to ensure full participation in all significant public policy decisions as well as provide adequate funding to Aboriginal Wo men's Services, incl uding shelters, rural , remote and urban Aboriginal Co mmuni ties. (c) Funding a national meeting of lesbians to discuss and prioritize areas for legislative and public policy reforms: (d) Providing $30 million in co re funding for equality-seeking organization which represents only $2.00 for every woman and girl-child in Canada. Our Fair Share: 8). Fund consultatation with a wide range of women's equality-seeking organization prior 10 all

legi slative reform of relevance to wo me n's security and equality righ ts, beginning with the Criminal Code and ensure access for women fro m margin alizcd communi ties.

9) . Implement progressive immigration status o n arrival: abolis h the "head lax" on all immigrants; incl ude persec ution on the basis of ge nder and sexual orientation as grounds for claiming refugee sta tus.

10). Contnbute to the elimination of poverty arou nd the world by supporting the cancellation of the debts of the 53 poorest countries; increasing Canada's International Development aid to 0.7% of the Gross National Product.

II). Adopt national standards which guaran tee the right 10 welfare for everyone in necd and ban workfare .

12). Recognize the ongoing exclusion of women with disabilities from eeonomic, political and social life, and take the esential first step of ensuring and funding full access for wo men with disabi lities to all consu ltations on iss ues of relevance to women.

(3). Establish a national sys tem of grants based on need , not merit. To enable access to post-secondary education and red uce stude nt debt.

14). Adopt proac tive pay equity Icgislation.

This Documen t was two yea rs in the making .it was adopted March Bth 2005 and was subse q uently adoptcd by the Women's Globa l Charter for Humanity. Thi s was made a nd sn pported by almos t 6,000 lntcrn atioual Wo mcns's Organizations in mor e than 1611 co untries worl d- wide providing a shared vision of the world , create .

that wome n arc ' . .路orking globallv

tf'

Be a Fool 2 Days In a Row!!!

The day after Fool's Day, April 2, is the next

Downtown Eastside Poetry Slam Saturday, 7:00 pm, Carnegie Theatre Come and enjoy the co m pa ny of ot he r fools (besi des yo urselfl)