November 15, 2008, carnegie newsletter

NOVEMBER 15, 2008

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carnnews@vcn.bc.ca www .carnnews.org www.harvesters.sfu.calchodarr

NEWSLETTER 401 Main Street, V6A 2T7

604-665-2289

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Citywide Housing Coalition Latest Events and Updates: 1) City of Vancouver To Bail Out Olympic Developers; Homeless To Bail Out Tents 2) News Conference - Homeless Make Do By Sleeping Out On a Cabinet Minister's Doorstep 3) News Conference - BC Housing Announces Demolition of Habitable Homes 4) Fraser Street Tenants Will Fight to Save Their Homes - Getting Ready to Be Homeless Workshop 5) Standing Up Against Olympic Gentrification Forum 6) Survey of City of Vancouver Mayoral and Council Candidates on Eco-density 7) Planning Meeting for a Grand "March For Housing" (Spring 2009) 8) Downtown Eastside of Vancouver Gentrification Tour CITY TO BAIL OUT OLYMPJC DEVELOPERS; HOMELESS TO BAIL OUT TENTS Perhaps the real reason for the NP A. secrecy around the Millennium Development Corporation bailout, is their fear of public memory, suggest two members of Citywide Housing Coalition.

"Discussing the bailout in public would open up a can of worms the NPA would rather keep shut," said Laura Stannard. ''Vancouver voters will remember that the first action of the newly elected 2005 NPA council, was to reverse the previous COPE council's decision to use the Property Endowment Funds to fund an equal mix of coreneedy, modest income and high income housing.

The NPA called it 'fiscally irresponsible'".

David Diewert, also from the organization Streams of Justice, which recently ended a five-day City Hall Fast & Vigil for homelessness, pointed to the irony of the City using Property Endowment Funds to bail out an Olympic developer after cutting PEF funds formerly approved for social housing at Southeast False Creek. He said: "The cost of homelessness to the City of Vancouver before, during and after the 0 lympics may well be more than the financial return required under the terms of the Property Endowment Fund" .

In any case, if homeless people arc forced to camp out on Southeast False Creek, it will surely hinder sales of market housing in Southeast False Creek which the city is counting on to recoup the taxpayer investment.

Citywide I lousing Coalition maintains that concrete financial returns are possible for the City when Property Endowment Funds are used to purchase

buildings and land to provide affordable housing fo r people who are homeless or paying more than 50% of their incomes toward inadequate and unstable housing.

For more information: Laura Stannard: 604.732_8685 Dave Diewert: 604.253 .1782 www .citywidehous ingcoalition.org

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HOMELESS MAKE DO BY SLEEPING OUT ON a CABINET MINISTER'S DOORSTEP Carnegie Community Action Project held a News Conference on Wednesday, November 12,at the Dockide 路welfare Office, corner ofMain&Powell.

Wendy Pedersen, CCAP Organizer & Researcher, told reporters that Homeless people are making do by sleeping out on a Cabinet Minister's doorstep, but they want real housing so they can go to work. ''I want to move on from here and go to schoo I. Indian Affairs will help me with that. But I need a place. You don't have a life when you live in a shelter. I need to cook when I need a meal and I need a shower when I need a shower. I can't find a place to live. I'm not getting anywhere here," says Kaleb Zentner, a homeless squatter at the site.

Albert John Ouimette, one of the homeless squatters who has been sleeping out for months, says, "If the janitors want to wash th floor we leave because we want to make it easy for them. We keep the place tidy. We don't cause problems here because we need to stay. The workers know who we are.

They know we got respect. But I need my own space, my own key, if I'm goi ng to work everyday."

To find out where the squatters are and more about what they need, contact Wendy Pedersen Carnegie Community Action Project (CCAP) Carnegie Association 604. 839-0379

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HUMl 01 DOCUM ENTARlES- November

2008 Nov. 15: Global Warming or Global Govenumce?

Contrary to what is heard in the media, there is overwhelming evidewnce the warming we are experiencing is natural , with maybe a small amount contributed by man's activities. Nor is there any scientific consensus. See why debate is sti ll raging within the scientific community. Why is the global warming agenda being funded with tens of billions of dollars as a mechanism to create global governance. Learn how global governance puts global institutions unaccountable to the American people in control of every aspect of our economy.

No one should see Inco nvenient Truth without watching this DVD. 81 minutes. ALSO Lets Get Empirical Dr. David Ray Griffin is author of six books about 9-11, including The New Pearl Harbor. In this talk, based on his book Debunking 9/ 11 Debunking, Griffin rebuts Popular Mechanics and other defenders of the official conspiracy theory, and shows how their arguments do not • stand up to empi rical ana lys is. 116 minutes.

Nov. 22: Arsenal of Hypocrisy The space program and the Military Industr ial Complex. The glory days ofN ASA are over! T oday the Military Industrial Complex is marching towards world dominance through space technology on behalf of global corporate interest. Understand how the public has been misled about the origins and true purpose of the space prog ram. The Reflecting Pool A ground breaking narrative film questioning the official version of the September 11 the events. A thoughtprovoki ng study of a search for truth and the profound consequences of not looking for it any further than the nightly ne'vvs. 106 minutes.

Nov. 29: Iraq [or Sale The war profiteers.

Who ' s getting killed. Who's making a killing. The war Profiteers. ALSO 9/11 GUILT The proof is in your hands. What happened in New York City on 9/11/01? Who has most profited from the crimes of that day?

Learn Proven controlled demolition of World Trade Centre and Building 7 and the Twin Towers. Indicting Financiers Behind the Crimes of9/1 l/01.

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Paranoia I keep a Safeway carl in my bedroom Just in case You never know Life is precarious l have learned One day - comfort The next a cold and rainy street And the company of ragamuffins.

Not that I despise the ragamuffin s 1 invent sto ries for their mi sfortune C ruel stepmothers Boring prairie towns Ten miles from the Mall Angels of youth angst-ridden In these harsh interesting ._, times.

So I keep that Safeway cart Who knows ... l may be next Methinks the caretaker doth squinney at me I did complain about the toilet that runs cold water day and night..

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Free Barbeque Lunch Hotdog Day and Clothes Drive Sunday, November 16, noon-2pm in Oppenheimer Park Ideas on Homelessness, poverty and hea lth issues of the DTES will be discussed with media representatives in attendance. Hosted by Tte Association of South Asian Professionals of BC ive.com Info: Power.Walkers.Anonymou

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Poet Robyn

LivingStone Rev iew by Rudolf Penner

The most intense reading and the most convincing I've heard from Robyn Liv ingstone occurred on the 29th of October at the Gallery Gachet. T he gallery was holding a wrap-up night for the show presented by the Oppenheimer Park commun ity. Many artists that freq uent the park had work on d isplay. The gall ery was ful l. This night the gallery was a lso packed with people. Robyn got up and delivered material that created a reverent hush in the room.

He spoke about injustices toward the native peoples. He demanded reparation s. His voice was so strong that you j ust had to listen. This is what happens when a poet has material that he is com-

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pletely convinced of. It is genuin e. lt has power.

You go away feeling that someone is speaking fro m the heart for a change, whereas most of the times you hear people sucking up to the system and the powers that be.

Robyn is becoming a tower of performance readmg.

He often reads at the Downtown Eastside Poets ' mo nth ly event at the Carnegie Center, hosted by Diane Wood, usua lly the first Saturday of the month.

The Black Water Cafe, at 280 Carrall St., Gastown , was the spot to hear Robyn and others from the community. The mixed event of poetry and music was part of a Heart of the City Festiva l show111 case on October 30 • The evening was hosted by vocalist Mi che le A. Rich ard .

neart ot the City ~,estival The Downtown EaStside Samba Band Terry Hunter had long wanted Pepe Danza to train and perform with interested Downtown Eastsiders 111 and it has finally come to pass at the 5 Annual HearL of the City Festival.

Percussionist Pepe Danza taught fifteen or so residents to perform the Sanza dance, training us on all sorts of instruments- large drums, very small drums, shakers.' cowbells .. at the end of the 3rd session he told us to select an instrument "you like most.. felt good at.. favourite to play and perform with .. " and over 2 Sunday mornings & afternoons he put us through our paces with patience and a determined precision - always with a laugh and a ready smile.

Samba is like a euphoric religious experience in Brazil, South America, deeply ingrained in the culture, the souls and hearts of the people of that beautiful, mysterious country.

After rehearsing and practicing over this crash course we suddenly and really started to gel, feel the beat~ doin' n groovin' the sounds and moves.

Playing the short set at the opening of the Festival before a packed house was a real blast, a complete adrenaline rush! We all caught the awesome electricity of the crowd and we responded in kind!

Over the next 2 Sundays Pepe led us ¡with his ever-pounding and rapping snare drum, whistle and arm signals, whipping us (at times) into a frenzy, winding up our usual beats into a kin of frenetic rock 'n roll rapture.

It was all so much fun, educational and energizing as Pepe led us through Chinatown, Hastings Street, Pigeon Park ... stopping at certain points and gathering fans and new participants, then proceeding along other neighbourhood routes. The harder we pJayed w ith ever rapid beats, the stronger and hotter we seemed to get; very curious indeed .. and we all hope it happens again sooner rather than later and on the streets of the Downtown Eastside.

We are all ready for action at the drop of a hat or drumstick (mmm-can you take a hint?!) Thanks Terry Hunter; thanks Vancouver Moving Theatre; thanks Pepe! and thanks to the res idents of the DTES. Also thanks to visitors for your enthusiasm and vibrant participation. We hope to see you again soon down the road, movin'and dancin' to sounds and rhythm ically happy beats of Samba!

By ROBYN LIVINGSTONE

The Emperor orAt/antis

5 Symposium/Lecture

We were very fortunate during this year's Heart of the City Festival to be graced with the presence of the music historian Dr.Charles Barber. He presented and discussed musical excerpts from The Emperor of Atlantis - as he loves to call it "the greatest musical drama you've never heard."

It was written and terrifically composed into a stunning perfection of emotion; terrifyingly beautiful, empowering and poignant. Charles led us through this classic, technically unsurpassed artwork. It was courageously composed in 1944 as a modern opera by Victor Ullman and Peter Kien.

Performances will be held on February 1,4,7,9 & st 11 at the Norman Rothstein Theatre, 41 & Oak. Dr.Barber explained the history of this "deeply chamber opera" to us. It was performed in 1944, during the last few years of World War II, at the Resienstadt, a Nazi concentration camp. Its core conflict was fought between death and the emperor By playing snippets from his soundtTack of therecordinob> Charles the performance speaks both to ili transformation and recurrence, from the 20 centurv to the continuous vio lence of the 21st century.

There are seven character roles and two principals -death and the emperor - with the "emperor being none other than the madman Adolf Hitler (his Third Reich being the "empire"). Charles said Death goes on strike; people are ki lled but do not die- as you will see in this guaranteed tremendous mounting, it certainly thickens to a fre nzied breaking point!

When the Nazis understood what "The Emperor of Atlant is" was truly about, they quick ly shipped the entire company off to Aushwitz.

As this was said by Charles someone in the audience said, "They had nothing !O lose." and he readily agreed; and now only its art remains.

Don't miss this one - it may be a very long time before you get another chance to see it. Most fortunately Dr. Charles Barber is the musical director and will vigourously be conducting this postmodern masterwork.

For more information, call: 604-812-3684.

You can purchase tickets directly at Sikora's Classical Records on W .Hastings Street; Tom Lee Music on Granville or at the Jewish Community Cenâ&#x20AC;˘ tre in Vancouver.

By ROBYN LIVINGSTONE ~

Bruce- The Musical

by Bob Sarti

Lyrics by Bob, Score by Bill Sample & Earle Peach Bruce -The Musical opened with a humongous bang in November at the warm & welcoming Russian HalJ in quaint Strathcona. It was written by long-time Vancouver Sun columnist Bob Sarti who was a Downtown Eastside resident until he retired, sort of, to Hornby Island.

Bob lived most of the story along with the main characters Bruce Eriksen, Libby Davies and Jean Swanson. As a reporter Bob was often assigned and sent to the Downtown Eastside (also known as, and referred to - mostly by people outside the area - as Skid Road; very demeaning, no matter what the circumstances\ This emotional and, at times, great fun musical is remarkably well-produced and directed by the legendary Jay Hamburger, artist and founder of the Theatre in the Raw. This effort will be the definitive production of Bruce - The Musical, formerly known as The Tipping Point.

For those who don't know (or are too young to remember) the main character is Bruce Eriksen. He was a determined crusader with a colourful history who literally and courageously dragged himself out of the gutter to revolutioni ze and re-energize the very heart and sou I of Vancouver - the Downtown Eastside. He almost single-handedly reorganized a joyous mood of pride and strength in the varied and diverse residents; to help them rise as almost one to take ownership of their historic community.

Along came the intelligent and proactive organizer Libby Davies, who not much later was soon to become Bruce's wife, after of course endearingly dealing with the 'affectionately' gruff Eriksen. In the media they went from being cast as outcasts to Gustly) bein recognized as pillars ofthe community.

Th is pivotal and important musical has definitely been years in the making. Believe me, as I have attended and seen every incarnation ofthis epic undertaking, with a lot of blood, sweat and tears

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trom all mvolved.

I'm sure, without giving away too much of the plot of the story, it's invigorating, fun-filled and emotionally-packed for every member of audiences at every performance. All songs are done with expressions of pleasing and tender pathos, all show stoppers sung solo by individual cast members or a chorus or both, all beautifully rendered in lyrics meticulously written by Bob Sarti, music entirely composed by the extraordinary Earle Peach and incomparable Bill Sample (also the musical arranger and pianist!). All the things happening on stage at any given time are together & masterfully directed by the personality of Jay Hambirger, at whatever pace is called for (leisurely or frenetic).

Bruce (Steve Maddock) is the centerpiece and anchor throughout this tvvo-act marathon, with intermission of course. Libby (Danielle St.Pierre) is seemingly and constantly at his side; Jean Swanson is purposely portrayed with great humanity by Anna K.uman. The entire cast is stalwart and played with conviction and sentiment, with a clear, sharp vision and a set of righteous, determined and hardearned goals. Throughout was the glory and sharing involved in transforming the derogatory 'skid road' to the real entity 'Downtown Eastside' and all that implied in terms of people and community !;ike any other neighbourhood in Vancouver.

Thanks Bruce, Libby and Jean and all the too numerous individuals who joined and persevered in the struggle. Today we still struggle, now with challenges like the Olympics and gentrification.

Thanks to those who hoed the long row before, we current residents know how to get things done and keep learning valuable lessons. Libby Davies is now our Member of Parliament, still outspoken and articulate; Jean Swanson is now the coordinator of the Carnegie Community Action Project.

We're not quitters .. we'll never give up the fight.

If you enjoy singing, dancing, comedy and drama, go see the rip-roaring hit production Bruce - The Musical.. By the time you read this there may be only 3 performances left - Friday, Saturday and Sunday (14, 15 & 16) - so get your tickets in advance. You'd live to regret it if you got turned away at the door because the Russian Hall is full.

Prices are, of course, on a sliding scale, so if you're un- or underemployed or a student or a senior or just broke, accommodations can be made.

One word of warning: if/when you do attend, beware giant roaches!!

By ROBYN LIVINGSTONE

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Artist in Our Midst Personally, I cannot exactly, for the life of me, remember when I first met Downtown Eastside stalwart and determined activist (among many other things) the great Sandy Cameron. I'm positive of one thing though: it was in the Carnegie Newsletter office, and I remember at the time he was methodically and purposely folding the latest edition- 5 or 6 years ago.

Aside from writing numerous articles, poems, essays and stories, he was part of the all-volunteer collating crew. It didn't take long to get to know him; he' s always been warm, friendly and kind to me, always encouraging, inspiring and complimentary.

I have always looked forward to I loved to read his pieces in the Carnegie Newsletter as well as his books and so when Saturday November 8 finally arrived we could aJI honour Sandy and heap and heap much deserved praise on him.

I think that everyone who attended thought it was long overdue, but then again later on in reflection it was absolutely perfect. It's hard for me to explain this verbally or literally except to say that energy and vibrations in the Theatre seemed to transmit that - the sun, the moon and the stars were perfectly aligned. ... ponder this for a moment. ...

Thanks must go out to Terry Hunter (executive director) and Savannah Walling (artistic director) of Vancouver Moving Theatre for welcoming this event during the Heart of the City Festival. Preparation and organizing for this wonderful special event happened via efforts of a small team of Sandy's admirers including Colleen, Teresa, Diane, Lisa and of course Jean.

Thanks also to the Carnegie Centre itself: staff and vol unteers an contributed a little to the greater whole.

'An Afternoon with Sandy Cameron" opened with Terry talking about Sandy's many chaJJenges and successes, his service, volunteerism, benevolence and many other attributes; Diane Wood then took over in the character of Ms. Fibberty Gibbet the SchoolMarm from Hell! She welcomed the Solidarity Notes Labour Choir, which ushered to the stage to await direction from that wonderfuJJy talented scion of music, the i11ustrious Earle Peach!

He conducted the singers through some rousing and contagious protest and gospel standards with many in the audience beautifully singing along.

Bud Osborn, the legendary Downtown Eastside poet

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laureate, had some wonderful reminiscences of Sandy and read an original piece of poetic activism in a delivery with strength and many high points, only he had said that, "Sandy Cameron is not only my favourite poet but the best poet I know."

Sandy himself eventually strode carefull y to the microphone for the first time, self-effacingly and shyl y thanking everyone there for attending. He then said that he had noticed the event in the Heart of the City Festival program guide and said to himself, "I guess I should go to this one."

All friends, admirers, loved ones and newcomers laughed affectionately at this remark. Sandy was then presented with a beautiful talking stick in a brief ceremony. He read one of his most powerful and moving poems before returning to the front row seat of honour- for a short spell .

Paul Taylor and Lisa David came up. Paul is the volunteer editor of the Canzegie Newsletter for the past 22 years, the only editor the Newsletter has ever had. He's done a briJiiant job of composing, sorting and laying out over these decades; the only editor we've ever needed or wanted. He is also a cutting edge critic, editorialist & essayist, as all well know.

Over the years, printing and publishing every single piece of Sandy's contributions, they have become close friends; Paul knows him personally likely better than most unfortunately will ever get to ... Paul got up on stage with his wife Lisa and they spoke, ending by presenting Sandy with an exquisite piece of Lisa' s artwork.

Steve Lytton was next to speak and read powerful, heartfelt words in Sandy's direction.

The Diggers Music Group performed rriore inspiring protest songs; the Diggers are Earle Peach, Regina Brennan and Dan Keaton (who unfortunately

was not present for personal reasons). They've been together for years! !

Sandy's Life partner, Jean Swanson, finally got up and spoke about Sandy, telling wonderful stories.

You could just feel the love in the theatre.

Sandy rose again to do another piece from one of his books, and was overwhelmed when presented with an awesome original oil painting of the awestriking Oppenheimer Park Totem Pole. This is Sandy's favourite spot in the Downtown Eastside to reside, contemplate and remember.

The painting was created by Colleen Carroll and is a thoughtful, much-appreciated gift for Sandy. He was deeply moved and shaken with gratitude and then read his classic Totem Pole prose poem.

To the dismay of many the celebration of Sandy was too soon over, but I truly believe that tributes to him and his contributions will go on forever. That's just the way it is, and the way it should continue to be.

Sandy is a rock, an anchor, and as far as I'm concerned he's one of the true fou.nders of the Downtown 'Eastside.

We'll be seeing you around Sandy, and that's a comforting fact. You're always there when we need you. His humble philosophy: "It's not about me, no, it's about we."

By ROBYN LIVINGSTONE

Thank You On Saturday afternoon, November 8, in the Carnegie Theatre, the Heart of the City Festival held a community event called "An Afternoon With Sandy Cameron." It was a warm, caring celebration of the enduring, multicultural community of the Downtown Eastside, and I am writing this article to express my thanks to all the people who made this beautiful afternoon happen.

Thank you to Terry Hunter and Savannah Walling ofVancouver Moving Theatre, who have worked ¡ so hard to get the Heart of the City Festival going in the Downtown Eastside. This year is the fifth year of the Festival, and it has grown tremendously since it was first presented in 2004.

The Heart of the City Festival has helped citizens in other parts of Vancouver see the creative, caring community of the Downtown Eastside, and hear the many strong voices of the neighbourhood. Those voices say, "We are here! We are here!" They are

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living proof that the Downtown Eastside is a dynamic community with a long history of struggle for dignity and human rights.

Thank you, also, to Co1leen Carroll, Diane Wood, Paul Taylor, Teresa Vandertuin (Associate Artistic Producer of the Festival), and Jean Swanson, who were on the planning committee.

Thank you to Diane for being Mistress of Ceremen ies for the event, and thank you to all the people who spoke so eloquently. Thank you, also, to the people who wanted to speak, but were not able to because of time restrictions, and thank you to the wonderful Solidarity Notes Labour Choir and the singing group called The Diggers (Earle Peache and Regina Brennan. Sadly, the third member of the Diggers, Dan Keaton, wasn't able to be there).

Thank you to all the people who came to the event from many different neighbourhoods in Vancouver; thank you to the people who wrote so caringly in the little book that was passed around from hand to hand, and thank you to Elwin and Steve who ran the sound system so well, and were so helpful to the people getting on and off the stage.

Thank you to Colleen for making the talking stick, and for painting the magnificent pi-cture of the Oppenheimer Park Totem Pole which was given to me by the community. I thank the community for this precious gift. Beauty brings the gift of hope, and Colleen's paintings bring hope to all of us.

Lastly, I am saying thank you for the delicious chocolate cake made in our Carnegie kitchen. The inscription on the cake read, "Memory is the mother of community."

We are a community in the Downtown Eastside, and our individuality is formed in relationship to others. Life is relationship, and First Nations people acknowledge this when they use the profound expression, "All my relations."

A friend of mine who had never been to the Carnegie Centre before, came to this event. She said that the respect people showed for each other in the Carnegie Theatre touched her deeply. As more Vancouverites understand how strong our community is, they will join us in the struggle to save our low income neighbourhood through affordable housing, adequate income, necessary health services, and powerful cultural activities.

I am a part, and always will be a part, of this enduring community of the Downtown Eastside- and for that I am saying thank you.

Sandy Cameron

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community rising

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I rolled into vancouver on a greyhound bus in 1986 just after expo evictions from the hotels executed oiur martyr olaf solheim whose death was officially attributed to eviction from the room he had lived in for decades and at that time the poverty agencies were in constant conflict with each other city hall and its developers reduced low-income housing throughout the city deliberately forcing poor people into the downtown eastside from where we are to be driven elsewhere I nowhere and city hall refused to enforce by-laws and so the hotels parks and alleys became festering cesspools for pandemics hiv/aids hepatitis a b and c tuberculosis and overdose deaths the highest in the western world and the money/power people call it revitalization when our situation by definition was genocide meanmg withholding the necessities for life of a targeted group primarily the very ill street addicts there were no demonstrations or protests in the streets then but dead bodies disappeared women serial killers police thugs and a health board having spent more money on an outbreak of bumble bee stings infecting a dozen students at ubc than on a health epidemic in the downtown eastside and while I early recognized signs of the violence of gentrification I was told to just wait until the next provincial government was elected and when they were welfare rates were cut meanwhile a few poverty agency directors claimed to speak to the media and politicians for thousands of suffering people but finally a small group of downtown eastside residents â&#x20AC;˘

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and made signs hit the stret and spoke loudly for health 1 and the promises m to help der the mentally traum and missir disappeared after granc and we learned biuerly that our govemmer often gove rather than human and now 22 years after I arri only home where housing the central is disappearing

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the hiv/ids rate is now close to botswana's according to the united nations and life expectancy is closer to haiti's than the rest of vancouver's yet there is again an active inspiring hopeful unity among agencies and organizations and there are accomplishments · once thought impossible and allies alongside us fighting in many ways to support our continuing existence as an extraordinary unique community exploding with beauty and knowledge and what we have is a powerful history of resistance reminding us each time we see the face of bruce eriksen on the building honouring him and everytime we hear libby davies advocate so fiercely for us and everytime we see jean swanson whose presence empowers us and sandy cameron whose writings celebrate and safeguard our history and what we have more than ever at this critical and desperate moment is self-sacrifice and care for one another and a multitude of our voices now speaking fiery powerful truth to lying destructive power and we have a remarkable amazing sustaining deep and impregnable spirituality of strength joy hope and determination

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tearing apart trauma and liberating courage

etenninant of health Bud Osborn

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The soul OfVancouver Downtown Eastside Poetry Book Launch With the launch ofThe Soul of Vancouver, an anthology book of poetry ofhard-core, determined, thoughtful Downtown Eastside poets, we have the 2nd edition of anti-estab1ishment, pro-community, argumentative rants and musings. The 1st (or most recent before this) is entitled The Return of the Downtown Eastside Poets.

Both are collected works from exceptionally talented writing artists and Tlze Soul of Vancouver is especially poignant with new discoveries alongside the hard-bitten, streetwise veterans. It has been ever so nicely and masterfully edited by Diane Wood, longtime resident and poet extrordinaire. She also created the stunningly colourful cover art. Diane gathered up the energy from somewhere deep to host this packed, eclectic evening event. She had already had many other delightful duties throughout what seems the entire Heart of the City Festival. With an incredible array of selected poets in attendance including Rudolf Penner, Mary Duffy the legendary poet/activist Bud Osborn, Muriel X, Tui Hill, Colleen Carroll, Leith Harris .. almost all who had their work published.

Mr. Sandy Cameron read; he had been the guest

The Genesis ofThe Soul of Vancouver voices from the Downtown East Side, came from Sandy Cameron's article in the Carnegie News Letter.

He had written of seeing the beauty around you, and of the beauty within our community.

The article touched many readers sitting at a CCAP meeting discussing strategy to save our neighbourhood. Wanting to convince City Hall it was worth saving, we were trying to find a way to explain why we loved our community.

Diane Wood has hosted poetry nights at Carnegie for years and knew the love of the hood had often been expressed in poetry. She readily agreed to host a poetry night Love-In ofthe Hood. The Love In was a great success: people dusted off old poems and wrote new ones about their love of this community. Even a few songs were written and featured that night.

Diane then took all the poems and put them on a bulletin board. Later she gathered them into a book, designing and painting the cover. Thus creating a beautiful tool illustrating how and why we love our neighbourhood and why it is worth saving.

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of honour at a special event earlier that day at the same venue, put on by the community as a whole to recognise his 44 years of contribution to the history and culture of our community.

Each poet presented their thoughts with vigour and emotion, using cadence, pause, and delivery to own the stage. Each was like a 'mao-on-a-mission' to speak and the audience picked up every scrap of word and nuance. We could smell it, taste it, fee] the anticipation for whatever would come while being riveted to our seats.

Steven Lytton didn't disappoint; he never does.

He'd give you the shirt off his back in a crunch and exploded like a powder keg into one of his greatest "hits" loaded with a version of profanity that was never gratuitous. The audience was locked in, transfixed and utterly spellbound.

Diane Wood also read, and gave the scoop on people not coming to the stage who helped get the book published .. The continuous appearances of courageous, creative and thought-provoking people included story-tellers and participants in other writing and poetry groups in the 'hood, an added bonus, and each person coming through the door was given a free copy of The Soul of Vancouver. That, my friends, is true class.

B ROBYN

This book we see today is due to the inspiration and love of this entire community. It came from Sandy Cameron's wise words backed with over 44years experience down here. It came out of Jean Swanson and Wendy Peterson's organizing efforts to save the community. It came from Diane's vision, hosting, organizing and artwork. It came from the poets putting their love to paper and sharing it with us. Most of all The Soul of Vancouver is the product of everyone in our community our friends and neighbors who inspire us daily making our community so special. Those who daily make this the community we love to be a part of. This book is a result everyone in our community.

The Soul a,[ Vancouver reflects beautifully our love of this community and the need to preserve it. This book is a great tool. We can all be thankful to our commun ity's collective effort for this tool. Collective effort not only makes our neighborhood worth saving, it is vital to saving this community. Everyone deserves thanks.

See Sea

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On November 8 2008 I had the opportunity to participate in th e above mentioned celebration. As part of this venue we acknowledged Sandy Cameron's forty-four years contribution to Vancouver's Downtown Eastside.

T he choir began the program with "We Shall Overcome" because the Downtown Eastside residents had been fighting for the redress of social injustices and discrimination. Such against the illicit drug users, the lesbians, gays, bisexuals transgender persons, HI YAIDS patients of th is area has been the challenge for myself and colleagues.

For many years, the practitioners of acupuncture were not recognized. I was instrumental in having the profession regulated and g iven legal status to practice. I served as the president of the United Acupuncturist Association of BC at 300 block East Hastings. Often th is local was too small and we had to rent the third floor, now the learning center of Carnegie Community Centre, in order to hold our meetings. ln the early 1980's Emery Barnes MLA for Mount Pleasant came to our meetings several times to discuss the legalizing of acupuncture as a fo rm ofhealth modality.

I believed that l should not use my healing art to make money, that is why I established a free clinic, one of the first in Canada, where l treated people for free. We struggled fo r 30 years before achieving legal status and recognition. In 2003 the NDP government officially recognized the status of the acupuncturists. Now acupuncturists can practice in the open, without fear of being prosecuted.

Over the years, J have had many positions withi n the organizations helping vu lnerable and d0\-\'11trodden people in the Downtown Eastside. 1 \-vas an honorary su pporting member of V1\NDU dur ing its beginning years and <.dso an honorary and suppo rting member of th e LGBT Associatio n.

No\.v V ANDU has a strong foundation in Vancouver. It figh ts for the ri ghts of drug users and has Cln office so that people can access the faci I ity to interact with others like th emselves in order to help each other. Founding VA DU members went through many difficu lties getting the organization established and had to fight a powerful lobby who did not wam this orga ni zation in the Downtown Easts.ide. Vo lunteers from the group are active working to keep the neighbourhood environment clean and free of litter.

Personally, I think it is wrong to discriminate against any person because of their sex ua 1 orienta-

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tion or p renee. Because of my support and attendance at the meetings of the LGBT in th e basement o f the 400 block of East Hast ings St., 1 was one o f the peop le who petitioned the government to pay f0r their sex-change opera! ions.

The Consumer BoFird on 100 block East Hastin gs St. "':as origina ll y a11 organization under the auspices of the Vancouver/Richmond Ilea lth Board. but now is under the Vancouvc i" 1[ea I th Au th ori ty. 1 was one of the founding members who had to struggle tor funds with John Cameron an d Unk Su nquist. No w we provide services 24/7 to drug users and people su f'fering from HI V'A IDS. We do needle exchange. give out clean water and coffee.

We help them out with smal l tas ks v,·hich they cannot do. Most of all we orga nize \Vo rld Aids Dav on December first. We a lso participate in the Wa lk fo r Life fo rmerly the AIDS vvalk to raise funds and awareness of A[DS. 'vVc arc continu ing the struggle for a better world for the people or the Downtown Eastside to reside.

This depend s on people like Sandy Cameron who keeps on \'\Titing to make peoples' ~~oices heard and Pau l Taylor who has volunteered his services tircles~ ly for more than t\venty two years and who continues to edit and publish the Carnegie News- letter. ·which raises awareness and kee ps peo ple informed about th ~ issues and events happen ing in their COI11n1UI1Jty.

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James Chi Ming Pau, PhD Recipient of S.F.U. Ghandi Peace Prize 2007 Recipient of BC Community Achievement Award 2008

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Mv Posi t ive View of the Downtown Eastside

1 am respond ing to all th e negative media and word of mouth which denigrates the location and people of the Downtown Eastside.

1 have been living in the Downtown Eastside for over thirty-three years and I am out most of the time vol unt eering fo r the community. I walk in every co rn er of the Downtown Eastside so I have the true story to te ll unli ke the media who come here once in avvhilc to take pictures and repo rt negatively on what they have seen.

Media plays an imp01tal1l role in society. lts d uty and respo nsibility are to provide reliable, factual. dependable in formatio n to the publ ic. The. anchor. or reporter must be upr ight and not bend hke a wlllovv to pressure from gangs and political power to distort the report. lt is unacceptable to accept money or gifts to favor a certain perso n or g~ou~.

Most media deserves our respect, admtratton and praise. As in all professions or jobs, not all professionals or wo rkers are bad or corrupt. Only about ten per cent or these profess ionals ':ill ~0 the extra mile to perfo rm extremely \vell, whtle etghty ~e!· cent perform at an acceptable level. The remamll1g te n per cent are really bad performers to be condemned, despised and rejected. They do not belong in this line of work. However, the public shoul d always .r.' L• .:!-i\ e this small group of performe1:s ~ chance to repe nt and refo rm themselves before tt IS too late.

Originally. the area aro und the o ld \Voodward's store and the buildings East of Camb ie St. were historical buildings which housed the di gnitaries of Embassies and Consulates. Atter the slum landlords took over th ese buildings they neglected to spend the money req uired to maintain th em. Th~y collected rents but did not repair the propertieS. This .area ,~ras a safe place for people to Iive.

People cou ld go abo ut their business at any time of the day or ni ght without being bothered. Only once in a long whi le would one encounter a beggar or panhandler asking for change or there \·Vou ld be a fight between drug dealers. usually about dru g

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•money. Seniors could walk there without being both ered by anyone.

Yes, there is a drug addiction prob lem in certain confined areas of the Downtown Eastside, but this drug addiction exists because many o f these people cannot handle t he humdrum facts of life like hard work, low wages! not finding jobs in their professional training. Many of these people suffer mental hea lth problems and become impoverished as a resu lt of their situation. Once they are hooked on drugs there arc few facilities availab le to treat them.

Once the safe in•jection site became availab le, I never saw any people injecting themselves on the street. 1 did see them using pipes to smoke hero in .

When I first started at the Consumer Board several people from VANDU died within a few months. lnsite has helped to reduce the number of deaths caused bv., overdoses .

I agree with a provincial MLA who suggested that we lind an abandoned site or camp wh ich can be turned into a place where these people can be properly housed and treated. Each resident should be given work there according to thei r skil ls and ab ilities. An accou ntant should practice accounti ng. a cook should cook for the group, an artist can perfo rm for th at special community .... and so on.

Every drug addict who wants to recover from addi cti on should be given the opportunity an d most of all sufficient time to deve lop their sk ills away from the temptation of drugs and fi·om the peo ple \:vho keep pulling them back into the same nefarious circle. Drug addicts should be give n a stable env ironment an d sufficient time to rid themselves of the habit and the abi lity to resist the temptation of further use. Each individual shou ld be given the opportunity to develop their potential, confidence and sk ilis to the fu lie st.

Prostitutio n is the resu It of drug use and low wages. People prostitute themselves because they do not have enough money fro m their jobs to survive, especially \-\'omen who may be raising a ch ild.

Women need hi ~her \·va~es to survi ve in Vancouver because housing is so expensive. A min imum of ten or e leven do llars an hour should be the law. Even with that minimum these women qualify for s ubs idized housing. The huge waiting list sits th ere because there is not enough affordable social housing.

Governments should have their own builders. whose job is to co nstruct basic, so lid hous ing lo r those in need Many immigrants arrive in Canada with very good profess ional degrees from their own co untTies in ~

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medicine, nursing, engineering. architecture but are condemned to low pay ing jobs like taxi drivers, home support \:0.1orkcrs, dishwashers or cleaners etc. for very lovv wages. Their dreams or a better life for themselves and their families are never fulfilled and they live in poverty.

Governments and Professional regulating bodies must unleas h their restraints on these immigrants so they can 'vork as assistant med ical doctors~ assistant nurses. ass istant engineers so that they have the opportuni ty to serve Canada, pay their taxes and have a better life where they become respected members of rhe community.

A positive view of' th e Downtown Eastside is the purpose of writing this article. I would like to remind the mcd ia peop lc to report the facts without demonizing anyone. Many reporters sit in their ivory towe rs spouting out hea rsay when many negative reports would have a different flavor if these same people came dovm to the area and spoken to people who understand the area. Bad rep ortin g creates more negativity ar~d engenders chaos and social unrest. This is not healthy fo r our society and dangerous for humankind. "' James Pau, PhD

To All the talented People in the DTEside I salute you I'm so proud of all the poets artists, musicians & all given talent It inspires my way of thinking It captivates my heart 1t brings out my inner feelings Recognise us, all people who have hidden talents . Appreciation is such a compliment to us So if you need to have a healingjourney Stop and read our articles once in awhile ..

So keep up the good work I'm proud to say that I do have a hidden talent Putting words together Coming from my heart 'til next time ...

All my Re lations, Bonnie E Stevens

ANOTHER ELECTION

It's Tirrie to Sing the Old Songs Again It's time to sing the old songs again The times they are a-changing.

Not the way we meant or wanted But we knew this time would come round again.

The rough beast is on its way to be born A fool can see the portent.

The same old games have begun We never learn: our memories are all short term.

Lest I name myself Cassandra or put a sign on my door I beware the ides of Mars In which case I will become like all the others Raving to an indifferent populace.

So I shall go my careful way: not upsetting le carte Do we need one more prophet Surely we've had enough Instead I will play the old music: sing the old songs Revolution is neither cool nor imaginable.

It's the eve of yet another election How they vie for public attention Politicians yearning to pull the strings Seasoned and novice they wait in the wings But do any of them know or care Are they listening to those in despair No strategy, lack of housing is a disgrace How can they look us in the face A SOCIETY JS JUDGED BY ... you know the quote Why don't those who run take note Citizens are not disposable stocks Stop clearcutting our neighbourhood blocks We have suffered enough degradation Don't need more greed and stagnation No such thing as voter apathy It's really disgust at what we see If you show better leadership, we'll vote Show us honesty, humility, compassion, hope Joan Morelli

Wilhelmina

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NOTICE November 2008 The Principle of, "notice to one is notice to all" applies. To: Steven Harpet·, Prime Minister of the Corporation of Canada And, Jim Flaherty, Finance Minister of the Corporation of Canada Attached please find a copy of The Oblivious Ape. I, David : Eating. a human residing on the land mass known as Canada wrote The Oblivious Ape after learning of the deceptive practices perpetrated by the Government of the Corporation of Canada against the human population residing upon the land mass known as Canada. You will notice that The Oblivious Ape contains comments of many differing topics. All of these comments, I believe. are true. Based on that belief I will be distributing The Oblivious Ape to as many other humans as possible.

Because I do not wish to distribute anything that is untrue I am directing you. as my servants, to inform me of any such errors you find in TIN Oblivious Ape within Thirty (30) days. You are directed also to provide proof of the error(s) you may claim to find. Your failure to respond to this Notice will be taken as your tacit agreement that there are no errors.

And as the principle of, notice to one is notice to all, applies you are directed to copy The Oblivious Ape, complete with this Notice. to all other Members ofParliament with no regard as to which side of the house they sit. They too , are directed torespond within thirty (30) days should they notice any errors in The Oblivious Ape. You will also notice that Appendixes One, Four and Five have not been written by me. I have enclosed them only for additional information for the readers. Therefore you are directed not to comment on these. I have indicated to the future readers as to where these came from so they will know they are not mine.

Steven, this is the second time you have seen thi s work. It has been amended since you first saw it.

The first time you saw it was entitled. The Insidious Co in. You will also notice that the letter in Chapter Five, previously addressed to Paul Martin. is now addressed to you. Paul, it seems. never found the time to respond. I would direct you to offer some response as I would like to enclose it within The Oblivious Ape. Failing to find any errors, you are directed to ex-

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plain why you continue these devious practices that obviously burt and hinder the human population who reside on the land mass known as Canada.

History will tell the truth about these times. More and more people are learning of these deceptions and of your part in them. You will not be remembered well in those times unless you act now to make the necessary changes to correct this situation.

Finally, many of you claim a belief in Jesus. His direction to you was to house the homeless. Your adherence and continuance to these deceptive practices cause an increase in homelessness. His direction to you was to feed the hungry. Your adherence to these deceptive practices causes the reverse. You ·will notice that Appendix Three contains my formula for debt. You would have to prove this formula wrong in order to prove that your continuance in deceptive practices does not cause more homelessness and more hunger. 1n fact, these practices contribute to the starvation death of over thirty thousand (30,000) children each and every day. Hearing how important children were to Jesus, l would caution you that his questions to you will be much more difficult to answer than mine.

I await response from you all.

David: Ealing addressto:david.ealing@gmail.com ~

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ROCKY RECLUSE Given up on explaining their points & refills, playing down to expectations; how pleasant a feeling when there are no shoes to fill, like a train conductor staring down the day as a man stares down his life ad mission fares entered into evidence have ' joined today's party & raised their price like everything else in this inhumane human zoo .. yo u just wait & watch Oprah/Harpo be the next advicepresident of their own great landfill zoo, just like the deaf & dumb finding their voice, realizing for the very first time they really have a choice, no lawsu it bandwagons or mascots for massacres wh ich reminds me Xmas is like a sniper getting .ready to hyperfire right around the corner - at least you won't have to worry about the perils of old age, like asking for a loan from an Islamic Bank no faces let alone smiles of interest locked behind their veil/cage, poked & prodded just to keep them alert: Smile <hurt> Sm ile <hurt> your routine is as funny as an airport bomb hoax Ha HA ha? Like centuries of propaganda piling up outside the door, l can see the windows below the belt Large trucks fu ll & fuller of more landfilllandful almost has a nursery rhyme beat to it 1 HATE BEING THE MESSENGER OF HORRENDOUS NEWS not that many share my pessimistic views ...

Growing up do you remember it not being so difficult no sir not at all time to ditch those plans & hitch a ride to the moon, we may/we must start using it as our next dump very, very soon, like lawsuit com boys jumping aboard "Sorry Mr Masses, no stowaways." but our atmosphere now has something to absorb, who other than Sunny Davis Jr. I can tell by you walking away you don't really care, like people born envious of anybody with an ounce of talent let that person lose that hair or fingers, you did know that despair comes in pairs so the isolationist wil l always have a spare there's a deal that sounds fair (chorus!)

"Rocky Recluse has tried it's no use, no use at all is written all over the wall it says rather loudly 'Rocky my son you lose, but Rocky Recluse not everything's refused; you are life and death that lasts as long as wintergreen breath will be here or there but surely somewhere you know it Rocky south is no place for you, for the likes of you- OH Rocky Recluse gave all but no use but Rocky things will get better when we' re gone !a-dad-a-da ROBERT McGILLTVRAY "All you need is love."- John Lennon

Warrior Homeless, hungry, a warrior Walks head down, eyes darting side to side His enemy lurks, not in bush or tall grass, But in bowls of clay, or tubes of glass.

The warrior finds no comfort in the Heat that releases his enemy, on ly pain A spirit lives in that warrior Strong, unseen, but felt By those closest to him, understanding That inside that wou nded being Is a warrior, nonetheless?

Robert Bonner I would sure like to eat some pizza, but I don't have any money.

Clyde, I just ate four slices of pizza !

Bonnie, can you .... spare some change?

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By Rick Nordal

Change comes from within !

I hate you !

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In Hope of a Better Past My phone rings A friend is thinking about family lost. ..

Not by natural disaster But by unnatural misunderstanding She leads me down the rocky road of my own past Through doors of resentment long closed Together we pick at mutual scabs of lost love 'Til it assaults afresh.

Struggling back to present acceptance of past wrongs I say: The dead must fight their own fights.

We must put away the past Lest it infect the future.

Wilhelmina

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ACTIVITIES SOCIETY

604-251-3310 •

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Bnlnululon ttoodllne for uexC lssnqa

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Thursd~y, November 27 /

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Free Showers for homeless persons nt 327 Cnrrnll

Wed 7·8:30am; Sat 1·10am; Frl WOMEN ONLY 6·8PM THIS NEWSLETTER IS A PUBLICATION OF THE · 1 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -.

C.& ~'EGIE COMMUNITY CENTRE ASSOCIATION We acknowledge that Carnegie Community Centre, and Articles represent the views of individual I this Newsletter, are occurring on Coast Salish Territory. I Contributors and not of the Association.

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·-------- - artist ---- ~ ---1 Editor: PaulA Taylor; cover GarnetTobacco; help , • .

I -Lisa David. Collation & Distributioncrew: Harold, Liu Lin, 1

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Bill, Mary Ann, Videha, Miriam, Hal, Kelly, Jackie, Nick, Robyn • Rolf, Matlhew, Lisa, Tina, Pablo, Red. I

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WANTED 1

; Artwork for the Carnegie Newslellel'

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TIM STEVENSON CITY COUNCILLOR ·

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SERVING THE COMMUNITY

CITYHALL .

4f5J Wur 12 AVE. V5Y 1V4

SmallllluatraUons to accompany articles

and poalry _ .

• Cover art- Maximum aJze: 17cm(8·31411) wide x 16cm(8") high.

• SubJect maHer relevant to laaueil pertaining

to lhe Downtown Eastside Is preferred, bul all work will be considered • Black & white printing onlv • Sfze reatrlcllona muatbe conaldered (I.e., If your place Is too large, It will be reduced andtor cropped to fit)

WITH PRIDE 111

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Pltone: . 604.87l· 7247

Jenny Wai Ching Kwan MLA • AUartlatawllhecelvecredltforthelrwork Working for You • Orlgfna1a will be returned to the artlal after 1070-1641 Commercial Dr, VSL 3Y3 belngcopladforpubllcatlon Phone: 604-775-0790 • Remuneration: Carnegie volunteer tlckels Please make submissions Co: -·-·· ····-·· ·Paul Taylor, Editor~:;.~.·... '· Christopher R. -$180

2008 DONATIONS: Barry for Dave McC.·$260 Anne·P.·$40 Margaret D.·$40 Paddy ·$70

Councillor David Cadman

Michael C.·$50 Judy E.·$10 Alayne K.·$50 Ubby D.·$70 Callum C.·$100 The Ed"e ·$200

Vancouver City Hall

Jenny K.·$22 Penny G.·$40 · Wilhelmina M.-$40 Jaya B.·$100 Mell.-$50 Pam 8·$50 Rolf A.·$50 otonn B.-$200 - ~r~~a P:·,5P Anonymous -$50 Sue K.·$3( Sandy C.-$25 CEEDS -$60

COPEing: On our side.

Phone:604-873-7244 clrcadman@vancouver.ca

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VANCOUVER OPERA

"The Night Before the Opera"

"Eugene Onegin"

By Tchaikovsky

The first 75 people will receive free tickets to the final dress rehearsal of the opera.

Wednesday, November 19, 7pm Carnegie Centre Theatre Presented by Vancouver Opera's UBC Learning Exchange in collaboration with the Carnegie Centre.

News From the LibrarY New Books What does it mean to be "at home" on Canada's West Coast? In Writing the West Coast: In Love With Place (820.8), Christine Lowther & Anita Sinner collect more than 30 essays. Follow orcas to the Broughton Archipelago, compare sex in the city to love in the temperate rainforest, and squat in a home-made pyramid in the bush.

Think you know Vancouver? Take a look at Vancouver Book of Everything by Samantha Amara (971.13) for hundreds of facts, some useful, some bizarre.

War Photography: Images ofConjlictjrom Frontline Photographers (779) is a collection of striking images of conflict from the world's most talented and courageous photographers. From World War I to Bangladesh, from Vietnam to Sierra Leone, these photographs convey the horror and the pity of war.

Checkmate: A Writing Reference for Canadians,

by Joanne Buckley (808) is an easy-to-use guide to writing style, grammar, usage, spelling and formatting your documents. It covers everything from resumes to business letters to academic papers.

I'm heading across the city for a few weeks to work at the Britannia branch. Michelle will be your libra rian for the next few weeks. See you in December!

Beth, your librarian

Youth-only Hours at Clinic On Wednesday October 1st, the Vancouver Native Health Clinic (located at 449 E Hastings) started holding youth-only hours that will run every Wednes-day evening from 5:30 to 8pm.

This will be the first time the clinic is offering youth-only hours (for those under 25 years of age) during which a doctor and nurse, along with a team ofUBC nursing and medical students, will be available to provide youth-friendly health care.

In addition to providing medical services, during these hours youth will have access to a welcoming space, separate from the public waiting area where basic health amenities (toothbrushes, toothpaste, soap, razors, etc.), food, Internet services and health education materials will be made available for those waiting to see the doctor. Come check it out!

We look forward to seeing you there.

Poverty in the Promised Land In the 50's I scrounged the city dump for pop bottles Those heavy green glass Coke, Orange Crush & 7-Up Patsy 'n I took them to the corner store for penny candy Black babies honey moons spearmint leafs 4-4-a-penny Tiny ice cream cones filled with honey 'n brown sugarDelicious to us.

We picked blackberries beside the railway track Near the dump, the abattoir and Africaville The berries we sold door-tlo-door- 50 cents a quart Remember quarts?

Now I sometimes cruise the alleys for good garbage and bottles to be recycled For bread and milk Some meat if I am very lucky Oh Canada, our home and native land Glorious and free But you can't eat freedom ... 路And human rights: cold comfort on mean streets.

Poverty in the promised land.

Wilhelmina

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