November 1, 2007, carnegie newsletter

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NOVEMBER 1, 2007 .

carnnews@vcn.bc.ca www.carnnews.org

So much to do, that can be done, that has to be•• but you can't fall off the Door. PRT

401 Main St, Vancouver . 604-(;65-2289

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Heart of the City Festival I,

Wed. 24 October - Sun. 4 November 2007 1

Only 4 days left in the 4 h Annual Heat1 of the City Festival and still lots to see and do! .

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• Today, Thursday Nov 1, go to St. James' Church at 303 E. Cordova for the Day of the Dead Lunch, Fiesta and Procession. At 2pm there is a lunch hosted by Watari - open to everyone- followed by the Mariachi Mexico de Vancouver and pinatas. At 5pm the Carnival Band will lead us on a parade to Oppenheimer Park and beyond to honour the Iives lost on these streets. ·

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• On Friday Nov 2 the Vancouver Police Museum, 240 E. Cordova, will be hosting an Open House from 12pm to 5pm, everyone welcome and at 4pm Chris Mathieson will lead a walking tour Sins of the City: Vice and Virtue, pay as you can. Also on Friday 4pm to 7pm is MUNCH #8: CoCreating the Creative City. Learn about the possibilities for a self-organized "creative city" in the DTES with guest Mark Kuznicki of Toronto. Gallety Cachet, 88 E. Cordova, pay as you can 0-5$ ·

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What's so funny about the DTES? Find out in a fabulous evening of theatre and comedy! On Friday Nov 2 and Saturday Nov 3 at 8pm, Vancouver Moving Theatre presents Stand Up For Mental Health and a workshop presentation of A DTES Romeo & Juliet. Created by Gina Bastone with contributions from almost 100 community members and performed by an ensemble cast. Russian Hall, 600 Campbell, pay as you can

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Share your Saturday Nov 3 at the Carnegie Community Centre for a day of special media events. At 12noon the festival hosts the premiere of Bringing Shadows Into Light, a film by Cease Wyss documenting the two year journey of the production We're All In This Together, a giant-screen shadow play about the roots of addiction and recovery. At 2:30pm we will screen A Safer.Sex Trade, the documentary examining the complex issue of the sex trade. Director Carolyn Allain will be in attendance. Join Stand Up for Mental Health at 3:45pm for a talk and special treat, followed at 5pm for the premier of Summer Dreams by the Fearless TV cluster of the DTES Community Arts Network. Carnegie Theatre, all events free The festival is pleased to participate in the regular 1st Saturday of the month DTES Poetry Night, Saturday Nov 3.

We have invited local poetic treasure Bud Osborn to share his work and visual artist Richard Tetrault will provide projected images as a backdrop to the evening, Carnegie Theatre, 7pm, free

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• Closing day is Sunday Nov 4! Start at 11 am at Victory Square to join the Anti-Asian Riot Walking Tour led by Michael Barnholden, pay as you can for local residents. The tour ends at the Vancouver Japanese Language School & Japanese Hall Food Bazaar where the Kin Fung Athletic Group will take to the stage and perform a traditional Chinese Lion Dance, 487 Alexander, 12pm to 3pm. Stop by St. James' Anglican Church Open House from 2pm to 4pm for a Parish History Tour and organ recital. At 3pm, the Association of United Ukrainian Canadians presents an afternoon concert of music, song and dance with special guests Dalannah Gail Bowen and friends, DTES piano wizard Stan Hudac and the Strathcona Chinese Dance Company. Stay after the concert for the Hall's fantastic Ukrainian Supper at 5:30pm followed by everyone's favourite - the Urban Barn Dance with Three Potato, starting at 7pm. Ukrainian Hall 805 E. Pender. Then we can rest our festival feet until next year!!!

Heart of the City Festival At Last! Once again the much anticipated Heart of the City Festival is back for the 4'h Anniversary of this huge celebration and undertaking to present some of the best talent and individuals available from the Downtown Eastside community.

It all started with a bang at Gallery Gachet on Sunday, October 14, with the showing of Munch #5, Redressing a Redress. And there followed continuously ten days of exciting & fasCinating pre-festival events. There was a wide array of artistic presenta- ¡ tions on radio, in theatres and galleries. I was fortunate enough to see the exquisite Blues Queen, Dalannah Gail Bowens heartbreaking, emotionally moving and yet, in the end ultimately empowering tour de force production at the Firehall Arts Centre of"Returning Journey"-which had Qperformances.

As usual the Festival Launch at the Carnegie Centre Theatre on October 24 was short (I hour). I was discreet in leaving right away to go to Chapel Arts on Dunlevy at Hastings to catch Tricia Collins starring in her one-person life story, past and present with her portraying 4 separate people, all in her family. She took you on a beautiful yet treacherous time travel trip around the world.

Friday, October 26 was another action-packed day, with many events to choose from. I caught the very engaging and pleasant married duo Silk Road at SUCCESS on Pender Street, another full house with a lot of fun and amusing audience participation. By the way folks, on Friday I also managed to catch a short glimpse of the Water Cabaret at the very loyal and supportive Radha Yoga & Eatery. The event was under the amazing musical directive talents of Ya-W en Wang and magnificent inspiration of the water crystal work of the Japanese writer & researcher Dr. Masaru Emoto. It for certain included stellar and dynamic, as well as touching performances by all of those ideal artists involved- that we're so proud of- with poetry, spoken word and musicianship in a wide range of categories: classical, jazz to pop ensemble, every last one singing their hearts out!! It was also very emotionally moving - Asian voices, music, stories and film added to an overall exhilarating evening; talent for all ages by a wide range of ages hosted by Znita Bleelwin Xie, Jack-of-all-trades, man about town, who displayed his comedic versatility.

There was filmed spoken word, opening with the kids from Admiral Seymour, Taiko drumming and, closing fittingly with the legendary Sawagi Taiko (this is fast becoming a Festival tradition).

All in all it had outstanding variety, produced (like everything) by Terry Hunter and artistic director Savannah Walling of the well-known and loved Vancouver Moving Theatre.

I have so much more to report on yet but alas I'm quite limited by time. I'll most certainly have much more for you in the next ground-breaking and always creative edition of the Carnegie Newsletter. (largely because of the unending dedication and long, logged volunteer 'hours' (years) of the one and only editor of this popular journalistic paper, PauJR Taylor. Under his stewardship for 21 years of gleaning, reporting and editing what's happening and going on in our little world and beyond, selected from a wide array of contributions from our Downtown Eastside community and global collective.

So, with a few days to go in this year's Festival, snatch a program at any of the venues - at Carnegie Front Desk and around town. For sure don't miss the closing gala at the Ukrainian Hall on Pender, followed by the now-permanent feature after party Barn Dance with Three Potato. Also, A Downtown Eastside Romeo & Juliet will be at the Russian Hall on November 2 and 3. All Must Sees!!!

By Robyn Livingstone

VANCOUVER OPERA "The Night Before the Opera'~ ''CAVALLERIA RUSTICANA AND I PAGLIACCI '' The first 75 people will receive free tickets to the final dress rehearsal of the opera. •

7pm Wednesday November 7, 2007 Carnegie Centre Theatre Presented by Vancouver Opera's UBC Learning Exchange in collaboration with Carnegie Centre.

Happy Birthday -Ada Dennis: Friday, November 2 -Kurt Vonnegut: Sunday, II I 11 -Marvin Faithful: Wednesday, Nov.21 Coup d'eta in USA, murder of JFK: 22/11(63)

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Keep port lands in public hands To the Honourable Lawrence Cannon, Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities (Ottawa): "A private 路 company wants to build a stadium/entertainment facility on Vancouver's last piece of undeveloped public waterfront, currently held by the Port of Vancouver. We urge you not to hand over any Port land. The people of Vancouver deserve .to have a say in how this piece of public property is used. We want to see a comprehensive plan for the Central Waterfront that will ensure that the land remains in public hands and is available for the benefit and enjoyment of all citizens." No postage is required. More information can be found at www.centralwaterfrontcoalition.org

Dancing You.r Edge Dancing Your Edge is a workshop that engages all of the 路 sense ... your edge being how far you are willing and able to . move. Facilitated by Downtown Eastside resident and poet Delanye, the music is from all over the world. The class is usually held the 2nd Sunday of the month, in the Carnegie gym, from 2-4 during the winter months.

HOWEVER On November 11, the 2nd Sunday of this month, Delanye will be attending a different workshop at the Ukrainian Hall. Call 604-254-6911 to see if there is still space for the class with Jay Hirabayashi from Kokoro Dance. This is part of the Heart of the City Festival and there is a small fee, definitely worth it to be able to dance with this remarkable performer.

Therefore, Dancing Your Edge will happen on November 18 in the gym from 2 - 4pm.

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The Mind's Protection: A Heartsong "shorter of breath. .... " Pink Floyd -for all the other strangers in my life.

Time looms suddenly short now; Let the sadness show.

Remember the drumbeat shock - desperate trust.

I'm calling in my stess-chits now ...

Let the sadness grpw.

All tricks are forgiven now I'll swear it was always so!

Let the sadness flow.

And are we all together now And was I just the last to know?

Then let the beauty through now for I've no one else to go.

Stephen Belkin (Sometimes you have to break the language to make it work.

Refuting Wittgenstein is just a bonus.)

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HOPE IN SHADOWS · PIVOT Calendar is Extraordinary! ,)

· FIRST PLACE Mercy Walker ..!

SECOND PLACE (5 WINNERS, $100 EACII):

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Marlene Thistle, Teresa Ng, Steven Mayes, Donna Gorrill, Edic Wild. ....

THIRD PLACE (II WINNERS, $50 EACH): Rosalynn Humberstone, Steven Mayes (2)\ Randall Vickers, Todd Agema, Laurence Bell, Philip Kim, Sean Mitchell, Robyn Livingstone, Rowena Toth, Janice Wreede. · HONOURABLE MENTION (23 WINNERS, $25 EACH): Delores Dallas, Sean Mitchell, Sharon Deville, Wilda Ruttle, Bobbi O'Shea, Todd Agema, Adrienne Macallum, Delores Dallas, Dennis Cournoyea, Janice Wreede, James McQueen, Skyla Sund, Frank Thompson, Letecia Whitehead, Robert Desnoyers, Laverne Grande!, Gary Cormier, Steven Mayes, Liza Levie, Bella Ryan, Greg Lesnick, Kevin Sleziak, Fred Lincoln.

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The photography contest

This calendar was produced following a three-day photography competition in June 2007. An innovative approach to empowerment through art, the calendar was designed to give marginalized people the power to define their own identities, and to offer them an opportunity to showcase their talent and potential. Tbe 200 contest participants, residents of Vancovuer's Downtown Eastside, received free disposable cameras and were asked to focus on their daily lives, with a focus on the theme "My Family and Friends." The cameras, which were donated by Fuji, were distributed and collected at the Interurban Galley. After a panel of professional judges shortlisted the top.40 photographs, the winning photographers and subjects were interviewed in order to write the captions for the calendar and exhibition.

The community vote

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This year's community vote was held under a tent on the sidewalk outside the Carnegie Community Centre between July 23 and 27. The strike by council workers· had force the last-minute change in location, but it turned out to be a blessing in disguise, as we received 50% more votes than last year from the public. It is expected that the sidewalk vote will now become a permanent feature. The community vote determines the ranking of the photographs for the award ceremony on October I 1, 2007.

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On The Rocks ..

I open up my eyes It's another dawn today!

My spirit cries for freedom I get on my knees and pray .

I feel the wind of change a'blowin' It is the breath of life And the nature of the truth Rolls like thunder after lightning.

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Well y' can roll your own dice And I' II play my own hand If you're hoping time in a bottle You can't move in shifting sands I've been twisted and turned around In my own stone-washed mind On the shore line, on the rocks I feel the waves, see I'm not blind And they're crashing all around me As they wash the past away Although nothing seems to change It wi II never be the same.

So you can roll your own dice I' II play my own hand ffyo u' re hoping time in a bottle You can move with shifting sands.

Freedome

Sisters Arc very special I know sometimes I don't say I love you In my heart that dwells In happiness, Love most of all Being my sister Has the awesome fee ling You will always be a part of me.

Bons

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There Goes the Neighbourhood It's been my experience over time that you will find three kinds of people engaged in community activism: Leaders, followers and destroyers. The first two types of people are never numerous enough and are fami liar to everyone who is aware of what's going on in their midst. The destroyers are those people who frequently appear from nowhere, have little or no currency or visibility within the community but somehow manage to insinuate themselves into positions of influence or power, and through either malicious conniving or simply awkward clumsiness, jam a stick into the wheels of essential community functions and mechanisms which have been carefully built up over years by hundreds of volunteers who have committed thousands of hours of earnest endeavour to help others.

The destroyers are bubbling with energy when it cmes to seeing their names or the outcomes of their actions in print. They often punctuate their vocabularies with slogans and buzzwords in order to give their activities a veneer of authenticity: "True Democracy!" "Anarchy!" comprising some aspects of the latest contributions to the "struggle". These people never quite flesh out what any of this means in any kind of context; how their ideas- where they emerge - can be shown to move effectively from the theoretical to the functional. What they are most adept at is showing up religiously at any and all pub1ic areans where their presence can be noted but vanishing like a breeze. down the road when the heavy lifting of actually getting things done time comes around.

There are two examples of assaults of this kind I can personally recall: The manipulated coup over the Carnegie Association Board many years ago where a number of people pissed off by God knows what stacked the nomination process and planted a number of their sycophants into Board positions.

(Does anybody recall any of them by name now?)

But for the intervention ofThc Social Planning Dept. at the City, which ordered a new election after seeing what kind of destructive calamity was looming, who knows what permanent damage could have come to the Carnegie Centre - perhaps even closure.

Seven or so years ago the same p Iague spread with a different cast of 'where are they now? characters- to DERA. It cost DERA $40,000 in legal fees and an inestimable cost in the level of public confidence in the organization to extricate itself from that foray into True democracy. [The presiding judge, in : his ruling, stated that the actions of this gaggle were patently "malicious, vexatious and totally without merit."- Ed.]

Tempting as it may be, it's not enough to simply lay blame for these outcomes at the feet of the destroyers -it's what they do. It comes right back to ·the Leader segm.ent of the community to step up and say enough! Draw the curtain down on this tawdry melodrama and the actors who "fret and strut their hour on the stage." It won't matter much to them anyway; they' II soon move on to the next conquest.

While all of this is happening, in case anyone is vaguely interested, SOLD signs are springing up , like weeds throughout the neighbourhood. The Unitblock ofW.Hastings, the entire area from the Grand Union Hotel east to the Portland Hotel is lost. SaveOn-Meats, across the street, is currently up for sale at an asking price of$3.2 million - a potential disas- ' ter in the making - except for the developers. Army and Navy just sold its parking lot on Cordova St. Next door to the Pacific Hotel on Main Street is a new complex called GINGER (78 zesty new homes) - cute. Concorde Pacific is building an 8-storey ; complex across the street from - wait for it - Pau I ' Taylor's residence. Anyone want t get on the waitlist for any of these Downtown Eastside housing sites? Don't leave it too late. And there are plenty more examples where these came from and more still that are still in the embryonic stages somewhere out there.

Is anyone outside of Wendy Pedersen, Jean Swanson and regrettably too few others in a leadership role paying any attention to these community destroyers? This is the real ground zero for the real struggle.

By the time the "democracy" bedlamites achieve i whatever new Jerusalem they envision by disem- I • bowelling the Carnegie Newsroom, there will be . precious little of this community left to lament over ! for those of us who truly care and work to bring a better future for low-income residents who can now ·1 barely keep their heads above water. Can we stop j feeding this inane madness now before it consumes · all of us? ·

By IAN MacRAE

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During this period our volunteers showed them- ·-( selves to be stalwart warriors receiving few benefits with little support no matter what the circumstances.

Thanks to steadfast efforts of our core volunteers the Pool Room, Weight Room, Senior Coffee sellers the Kitchen and the Carnegie Newsletter continued to operate smoothly with little supervision.

The Kitchen volunteers! Volunteering in 'the belly of the Centre' is never easy. Upon my return to work the Kitchen staff raved over and over about how fabulous these people were over the course of the whole strike (Ethel raved about you all !).

There were also volunteers who showed their support for the striking staff by not volunteering which caused considerable hardship in terms oftheir foregoing meal tickets. I applaud you all.

Thank you Egor, Gary, Carl and Marvin for visiting us on the picket line. Your company and support always brightened our days. You are All Awsome!!

VOLUNTEERS

DJ MIX has returned! Move to the Groove Join,us for a swinging good time- have fun!

Loosen up!! Dance Prance Romance!!!

Friday, November 2, 7 -10pm Carnegie Theatre Refreshments served.

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KARA 0 KE with Steve '.

What do Mickey Mouse, a Hawaiian Luau and Marilyn Munroe and Karaoke have in common?

Come to Karaoke and find out!!

Colleen

Fridays, Nov. 9 & 23, 7-10pm Carnegie Theatre

Volunteer Committee Meeting: Wednesday, Nov.7, Classroom II at 2pm. Everyone Welcome!!

Your voice is both appreciated and needed.

Volunteer Dinner: Wed, Nov. 14 at 4:30pm, Theatre. It' ll be a Birthday theme; wear your favourite threads and Jet staff serve you for a change! If you have 12 volunteer hours this month, pick up a ticket in the 3rd floor Volunteer Program office.

HAIR with Heart - Hair cut and styled by our maestro, Kirk - by personal appointment only. Sign up with Kirk directly or with Co lleen in the Vol.office

Refreshments for brave, willing souls!

Volunteers of the Months-

(Aug/Sept/Oct)

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David McKeller, Kitchen; Dominic Dubeau, Kitchen; Audrey Hill, Kitchen; Kirk Hosie, Lane Level Receptionist/Haircutter; Gary Cox, Weight Room; Mike Read, Learning Centre.

Congratulations/

Utterly Useless lnfo•·mation (but gripping postHal/owe 'en lore): What many see as a standard pot boiler, "It was a dark tllul stormy 11igllt... " was only the first line. The entire quote goes as follows:

The strike, yes: it sucked indeed ! .. the whole thing, from beginning to end . Being declared an "essential service" we were permitted to keep most areas in the Centre open while operating with a skeleton staff. Although the Volunteer Program staff were no t considered essential (aww, I always knew that) the volunteers were absolutely crucial.. as always.

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1 I wish I had an easy solution to the world's problems. Sorry, '

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you need more, more patience, more money, etcetera, etc. 1 1 1 I don't know, perhaps I could give up and accept mediocrity 1 1 in the universe.

1 1 Sometimes, however, in the special magic of moon light, 1 sun shine, a gentle breeze or a child's smile .. I stop and think 1 1 1 that perhaps it can be a perfect world after all.

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"!twas a dark and stormy night, the rain fell in torrents - except at occasional intervals, when it was checked by a violent gust of wind which swept up the streets (for it is in London that our scene lies), rattling along the house tops, and fiercely agitating the scanty flame ofthe lamps that strUJ.?J?Ied af!ainstthe darkness." The Immaculate Assumption -for Dorothy Kidd On the day that John Lennon Met Marshall McLuhan The song playing in the background Was "The Winner takes it alf' by Abba.

David Smith 1

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Stephen Belkin

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The New Age Cult Racket, Be aware " light workers" can mean wolves in sheep 's clothing!

I am letting the community know of a dangerous Cult organization that seeks to train front line workers and work with abused populations. Recently "Training In Power, A Spiritual Journey ofService" founded by Faye Fitzgerald has been promoted at several dtes organized events. Anyone who has been considering taking this meditation training should be fully informed of their choice by full accounts of their practices. Great articles on cults, hypnosis, prophetic charisma, brainwashing, sorcery, and group think, along with accounts by ex members of this cult, can be found at the two links provided here below. This group is a New Age Sorcery Cult, whose leader claims to be the reincarnation of Jesus, Buddha, Lucifer, The God Mars and the Archangel Raphael. See these websites for more information on the dangers of"Training In Power A Spiritual Journey ofService", also called "Training In Power Academy of Meditation and Healing" and "Living in Power" Church. http ://zhahara.l ivej ourna!.com/ http://lessonsinawareness.com/default.aspx

. Sara Marks Mental Health Services Central Office 200-520 West 6th Avenue Vancouver, BC, V5Z 4H5 Tel: 604.874.7626 www.vch .ca/mental/ Canadian Mental Health Association, BC Division . .

1200-llll Melville Street Vancouver, BC V6E 3V6 Web: www.cmha-bc.org Tel: 604-688-3234 Fax: 604-688-3236 Email : office@cmha-bc.org Centre for Concurrent Disorders The program supports those individuals who present with both a chemical dependency disorder and a serious psychiatric illness (such as clinical depression, anxiety and thought disorders).

Hours of operation : 8:15am-5:0pm Mon to Friday.

255 East 12th Ave. Vancouver, BC V5T 2H I Tel: 604.255.9843 Fax: 604.25 1.4579 Email: BCAMH@vch.ca

Canadian Disability Act www.disabilitypolicy.ca/resourcesNational.php Canadian Mental Health Act http://www.gp.gov.bc.ca/statreg/stat/M/96288 0 l .ht I

BC Coalition of People with Disabilities #204-456 West Broadway Vancouver, BC VSY I R3 Canada Tel. 604-875-0188 Fax 604-875-9227 TTY 604-875-8835 feedback@bccpd .bc.ca www.bccpd.bc.ca/ Civil Liberties Complaints & Inquiries If you'd like to inquire about assistance regarding a civil liberties issue or are unsure if your question or concern is a civil liberties issue, call Jesse Lobdell T: 604.630.9754. F: 604.687.3045. jesse@bccla.org BC Civil Liberties Association 550-1188 W.Georgia St, Vancouver, BC V6E 4A2 www.straight.com/aa¡ticle- I 14431/private-police Nothing Changes. This Violence Must Stop

Primcorp Security Assault.'i Homeless Ma11 witlt Me11tal Health Issues at 2:38 pm Sunday October 21, 2007, in front of the HSBC on Keefer Street.

Security says "l will smash your skull myseJrâ&#x20AC;˘ as he slams the man from behind into the pavement.

City Trauma Public Spectacle . .

Location: alley behind the St Clatr Hotel on Rtchards and Dunsmuir, the front of the building is a shop called Blushing Boutique. Date: Beginning of October 2007. Time: 10:00 am.

The man from the hotel hit the other man so hard he knocked him unconscious, or was it when his skull hit the pavement, that he vomited, a sign of concussion. The man who hit him is a large man from the Hotel, he said it was self defense.

And yet, fifty yards away from the hotel alley entrance, where he claimed this man, threw a bag at him, this small, older man, barely conscious ... fifty yards away, a man, with his face on the ground, not moving, with blood on his head, and blood and vomit coming out of his mouth.

Someone from the Hotel, in a feeble attempt to somehow justify this violence as though one could somehow justify hatred in general, said "you should see what we have to put up with" I could only think of: the skull, the pavement, the blood, the trauma, the blood on the pavement, the violence, the hatred, the blood, the violence, the somehow justified hatred.

Police, general public hesitant to do anything.

He is a poor man, he could be a homeless man.

What happened to the Downtown Ambassador, they did not even bother to do anything, or to even stay to make sure the police arrived.

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YOU CAN OBTAIN ANY OF THE PICTURES BY DO· NATING WHAT YOU THINK THEY ARE WORTH. IF YOU REALLY LIKE A PICTURE BUT CANNOT AFFORD TO DONATE ANYTHING AT ALL YOU CAN STILL HAVE ONE FOR FREE.

Spirit of Missing Women Art Exhibition by Olga Afonina November 16 - 29, 2007 Opening Reception: November 161h, 4-5 PM

Carnegie Centre 3rd Floor Gallery Olga is a Russian born artist who came to the Downtown Eastside two years ago to find her 19 year old son. This exhibition is about her reflection on the DTES, her learning and changes here after her journeys around the world.

Carnegie Center is a quiet and healing center in a very complicated and traumatic neighborhood. Carnegie provid~s many opportunities for creativity and

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education, social networking, activism and wonderful meals. It is upheld by committed volunteers and staff. The glass dome of the building, Olga notes, is Iike a healing crystal.

Olga believes that art was one of the most important things that brought Europe out of the Dark Age ; during the Renaissance. Her exhibition is related to this subject, as she believes that art is one of the important things that is also helping the DTES in the same way. She wants to share her experience of hope and the possibility of rejuvenation even in great difficulties such as those that face many people in the DTES.

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Russian immigrant Olga Afonina only arrived in Vancouver in April, but in her choppy English she says she has already found a good sense of community in her new home ... so you might be surprised to learn she lives in the Downtown au~, near the Carnegie Community Centre and Pigeon Park .

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Carnegie Community Action Project (CCAP)

Newsletter IN FO: Visit CCJ\ P offi ce 2m1 fl oor at Carnegie or 604-839-0379

Nov 1, 2007

Tent City is Victorious on Main late Sunday afternoon. The drug- and alcohol-free camp was ec;tahlished to dnnv attention to the failure of governments and Ol ympi c organizers to

conditions for liberation to you toni ght on main street in thin tents and thi ck mud in bone-freezing relentless ra in and thunder ex pl oding 1ike the forces of depraved indi fference aimed at you soldiers of the homeless whose veins fl ow with the li fe-bl ood of hope streams of justi ce •

meet promises of new social housing to be huilt in advance of the 20 10 Winter Olympics.

"This site is owned by the City of Vancouv er and designated for soc ial housing. The Province of Briti sh Co lumbia ended its last fi scal year with a $4.1 billion surplus," said Strean1s of Justice spokesn1an Dave Die\-..·ert. '' So we've got the land. And we've got the money. But we have no homes. " Dicwert said. "\Ve arc here to bear witness to thi s injustice." - Monte Paul en.

The Tyee (left photo cred it Jay Black)

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Streams of .Justice erected a small tent vi!I age on the empty lot at 950 Main St.

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Homeless are safer in tent cities, says Rose homeless people actually lake charge or the n1ccting. They chair it, do the treasury report. share stories and tell committee memh~r~ .''JI~ , \Vhat they want ' ~' ' changed. Senior citizens, disabled, tnedia and busincs~ r O\\ ners attend.

WP: ~Vhat ·s happening with home/e.\·\· people in r'ictoria '!

Rll: Its getting ' . worse for the over 1200 homeless people ,., in shelters. cars. tents, I n1otds with the ne\\ I '..;; -by law changes. You can only stay in a shelter for 7-1 0 days in a calendar month .

Bylaws forbid people fron1 li \'ing outdoors and that keeps people moving in Victoria. \\'e have only 500 shelter beds in 2 shelters. There arc only 32 beds for women. So people sleep illegally in doorways and parks. The} arc officially criminals. The vacanc) rate in Victoria is less than .07%>. Even

Rose I fenry, memher l~(the Commi/lce to End lfomelessness in Victoria. formerly homeless herse(f visited J ·ancouver recenth' to "" meet with the United Nations envoy and to participate in the Streams o{Justice squat on a city owned lot desiKnatedfor •• social housing hut stalled. Read up on what this amazing activist is doingfor the housing campaign in Victoria. Along with some others, Rose may be a national hero soon. ll she wins her charter challenKe in January. it will be !ega/for homeless people to sleep on public land unless sz{/f/cienl ;J sociallwu.\ ing is • \ availahlc. Go Rose Go! WP: Rose, what is the Committee to End Homelessness in J'ictoria?

RH: It's a community of allies who meet directly with homeless people. The

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students and labourers can· t fin d h o u ~in ..... g. \VP : Can vou tel! u.\ ahmtl the charter clwllen~e you are inl·olw:d with?

RI J: Jt 'sa constitutional chall enge tlwt v;iiL fi fwe win Jm ake a ll those signs across Canada say ing no camping or sleeping in parks has no 1nore support than the metal po le they are nailed to.

This is because o f 2 things: sleepin g is a natural process of life. You can' t he a cri1ninal if you fall asleep in a public place. Bahi es do it all the time and they aren·t illegal. Secondly, fwe will try to make a case that human rights of homeless have been violated and everyone has a right to housing J. If society cannot give us housing then give us a park. Tent cities are sa fe ty zones for all people \vho have to be on the street and who don't have a choice. Societ v can live \vith one less golf course.

70 people were charged for sleeping and servi ng food to sleepers in Crid gc Park. Out of those 70, 12 of us gave affidavits and in January thev• \\ ill • announce whi ch of us 3 \Vill stand tri al on Januarv 22. Everv citv and tO\\ n will have to rewrite its bylaws [i f we wi n] .

Thi s came about hccause the city fa il ed to drop the charges against us. They wanted to. But \Ve \VOuldn ·t let them. \Ve wanted our day in court. Because we fil ed the charter challenge. it also fo rces the pro\'ince to deal with it. No\\ it' s the Province Vs The I lome less.

If' peopl e want more info about thi s, they can read my hl og on

homclcssnat ion.org. The opening letter from the lav;yers is there. I filmed the la\vyers spcaki ng about the power of the court chall enge. For n1orc info contact the constituti onal lavvycrs directly: I rene Faulkner and Cathy Bois-Parker. They have offi ces in Vancouver and Victoria.

Their specialty is constitut ional law.

What \VC need in Victoria is support and solidarity and we won' t say no to a national day of action ir it was called. I would suggest January 22 to be that day.

It could be any acti on as long as its linked in. We can' t lead it because we' ll j eopardize our work in the courts.

Thi\' important court case will go throuKh the f irst sta~es in Vi ctoria's downtown Co urthouse at 9:30 a.m., Oct 30- 31. Please RO and support. lfomeless at the Streams ofJustice tent city 1vill take on their Ol-t'n charter challenge a few months afier this. fVe 're on a roll, lets hope that j ustice prevails. ~ fVP

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Thi s is a picture of Noah Sakee. tent sq uatter with Strean1S or Just ice, spea king to the United Nati ons envoy for lnadcq uatc I lousing.

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Pirates Search for Housing Treasure Carnegie kitchen volunteers James and Don1inic, along w ith CCAP volunteers Haro ld (see dapper pirate gent on ri ght). Robert and He ndrik were stars of the swashbuckling street theatre at a bank in V ictoria recently. Dressed as colo urful "I Iomes for A ll" Buccaneers, our local heroes arri ved by canoe to confront governn1ent pirates hoarding $250 million in a bank for the measly $ 10 mi1lion a year interest it is supposed to collect.

Danita' s son, shown in picture below marched w ith supporters to the bank to watch the performance w ith CCAP,

C itywide Housing Coalition a nd Committee to End I lo melessness in V ictoria.

Thousands o f British Columbi ans are ho meless while the BC governn1ent re fu ses to spend its $25 0 n1illi on "ho using e ndo\vme nt fund" on ne\v soc ial housing. "They are rnaking interest o ff the backs of the poor h y not spendin g the $250 milli on fund o n housing", said Jacoh Rikley, member of Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users and CCAP. This $250

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million could be the down payment on the 3200 units l pron1ised for the O lyn1pics (total cost $640 mil) and virtually end homelessncss in Vancouver.

"Locking up thi s fund shows a lack of compass io n for the home less" said Phil Who nnoc k. elder frmn A bo riginal front Door_ "it ' s just an other excuse to say "NO" to us .. , ~ WP

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Power of Won1en, the Aboriginal Front Door, VANDU, the DTES Neighbourhood I louse, BC PWA ,

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Sam counts shelters as hew homes still 1700 units short of the 3200 units that The provincial and city governments are the city's own poli cy calls for over the al\\'ays announcing that they're opening next 4 years. new housing units, or building them, or And then let's take a close look at converting then1. Thi s is good because it Sulli van's numbers. I i 'f':1rt~ . means that they are I 1l . feelin g our pressure ~ want to thank Monte Ill, Paulsen of The Tyee to actuall ..v build for son1e of this 3200 new units of analysis . social housing in â&#x20AC;˘ Sullivan claims that the city before the 57 new units have been Olyn1pics. opened in 2007. These But it's also bad units are in an assisted because the 1i ving building for announcements are seni ors on E. 58th St. designed more for Unti I recentl y these publi c relati ons than kinds of units were for actually paid for out of the providin g homes health budget. Now for peopl e. And the province is building assisted living when people hear all these units for seniors. which arc needed. but announcements, if they aren't homeless or have nothing to do with housing for low don't live in the Downtown Eastside, they income and homeless peopl e in general. might believe that the government is Su1Iivan says there are 651 new units doing enough. under construction and 44 conversions f< or exampl e. Sarn Sullivan recentl y (the Penn sylvania Hotel). Of these 65 1 announced, "in the 11 Inonths since units, the ones on Richards St. (87 units) project Civil City was established. we and the 92 units at 65 E. Hastings would have ... cotnn1itmcnts for n1orc than 1500 have been opened and providing homes new supporti ve housing units .... " three years ago if the provincial Let's j ust forget about the fact that you govcn1ment hadn't cancelled then1 in can't reall y get housing built in 11 months, ...., 200 l . so Sulli van really can't take credit for Three more buildin gs (Beulah Gardens, much of thi s. And let's not forget that St. Vincents. and Icelandic Residence) in even if 1500 un its are "con1mitted, '' that's

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that group of 651 units are not in the Downtown Eastside and are assisted living hui Idings for seniors. That lea\路cs 246 new units (\Voodwards and the Passlin) for Downtown Eastsidcrs, not counting the ones cancelled in 200 1~ or 425 if you do count them. Remember. we need 800 per year.

Sullivan says 649 new units are funded and in development. Of these, 256 arc in the Olympic Village. \Ve don't knO\\ how many if any of these units will be affordable by people on welfare because Sullivan's co unci I cut back the subsidv ., for this project. One educated guess is 25.

Sullivan li sts the Union Gospel t\1ission (UGM) proj ect as "133 beds. rooms and units." Paulsen's article says it is really 43 shelter bunks. a relocation of an ex isting 37 hunk treatment centre, and 36 new units of abstinence based soc ial housing, .... so let's call thi s one 36 instead or 13 3. Ycs. it is official BC government policy to count shelter beds as housin g "units" in case you were wondering. So that's a total of 32 I ne\V units (not

shelters) funded and possibly available for Den\ nt0\\ n Lasts ide residents sometime in the future (the UG~1 proposal hasn't even hcen appro\'ed hy the city yet).

T\1y grnnd total o f housing units (not roon1s or she lters) possibly availabl e to low incon1c residents \vho aren't seni ors is 746 (0 cnmpleted in 2007. 425 under construction . and 32 1 funded and in development) . If it takes 4 years for all these units to be built that's a n1assive 245 4 units short of the 3200 units that the city's O\Vn policy and the Inner Cit) Inclusivity Housing table say we need by 20 10.

In other words, don't be fool ed hy all those government announcen1ents about how many housing units arc being built. \Vc still have to do a lot of work: pressuring the go\路ernment to build more housing and exposing the real nurnbcrs of housing units that arc getting built. - Jean Swanson -. I IC.

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/\PC rail) photo cred its: Sharon Burns

CCAP asks for foreign aid In i.ln October 17. 2007 press release from ( '( 'AP. Jean Swanson is quoted asking the vis iting United Nation· s Spec ial Rapporteur on the Right to Adequate I lousing, ~1 iloon Kothari, i f he could find a country will ing to put up the fun di ng (in other words, fore ign aid) to solve homclessncss in Canada (and espec ial! y. in Vancouver). ~ 1 ontc Paulsen. of the onl ine nC\\ spa per 11ze Tyee . and also had th is to say ahout the unusual req uest: " I spoke v-.'ith Mil oon Kothari during his \'isit to the Streams of Justice squat at 950 ~1ain St. ... \\'hen asked about the Carnegie Con1munity Action Proj ect's request fo r foreign assistance. he rcpl ied: ·I thi nk its a vali d request... The governments at all levels have fai led to meet the needs .... \Vhcther we can do anything with that req ucst is difficult to

Kothari's attention (in terms of an inadequate amount of social housing being built). Regarding CCAP 's request fnr foreign aid , she \lvTOt c: ''I low embarrassi ng."

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Exactly the point ! If Canada can be embarrassed in the eyes of the world (Jbout its inacti on on the homelessness rront, maybe it \Vi ii be galvanized into taking action.

Rowe goes on to suggest that Canada approach President llugo Chavez of Venezucla for help. An excellent id ea !

After alL he has helped poor Americans coping with the aftern1ath of Hurricane Katrina, hasn't he? Why wouldn ' t he also help poor Canada, struggling so desperately with homelessness? \.Vhen Kothari held a press confere nce on October 22 presenting a report on his findings of his tour of Canada, he had some sharp words to say: ··you have had a history of very progressive housing policies which were summarily abandoned in the tnid-·90s, and the consequences of that arc here tragically for all o f us to sec."

Recommendations in Kothari· s prel iminary rcpor1 include: ', federal fundin g and programs for a comprehensive housing strategy. co-ordinated with the provi nces. That includes extending Ottawa's

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' There arc very serious housing needs in thi s country that have been unmet. And \\hi lc Canada contributes to support housing or post-tsunami or other cri ses around the world. they also need to turn inward and look \\ ith open C)CS at what is happening here.""

Siobhan Rowe, writer of the popular 2./ Hour.\ co lumn, " By The \Vay :· wrote (on October 22): '' H o\\ humiliating," regarding CC' AP's bri ng ing the lack of acti on on homelessncss in Vancouver to

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A painting by Olga Afonina depicting an immigrant's journey, feeling split and looking · . for unity (symbolized by the circle) Much has been . written about the poorest neighbourhood in Canada and the city's desire to clean it up. "It looks scary for some, but for me it's not," she told me on a rainy afternoon near her home.

Driving by on Hastings Street, you'll likely see anything from strung-out homeless to transvestites.

On the afternoon we met, I saw a man shouting aggressively at cars that passed, then right after saw a disabled man trip over his walker as he tried to cross the street ... two ailing women behind him rushed to pull him up and help him get going. "It's humanity here," explains Afonina.

"There is a lot of support here. There is free education, computers and food ... such great humanity and kindness is really Canadian for me."

Afonina, who teaches yoga and works in various part-time jobs, including construction, _is thankful. for the support available at the Carneg1e Commumty Centre, including a course she took there called Humanity 10 I, put on by the University of British Columbia.

Afonina says the area is also an inspiring place for artists. A painter and photographer, she recently participated in an event called Art Against Brutality at nearby Oppenheimer Park , September 16. There she displayed some of her work, much of which deals with immigration, as well as the contrasts of living in a place that has poverty and addiction on one side, generosity and compassion on the other.

She recently won second place in the Pivot Legal Society's Hope in Shadows 2006 Downtown Eastside Photography Contest for her photo Alley Contrasts, which plays on light and shadows to reflect the area's many contrasts.

"Immigrants should know that this place is also part of Canadian life, and it's not only about bad things."

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Karen Jamieson offers Dance Workshop At Carnegie Community Centre

Starting Thursday November 1st 2007!

Carnegie Community Centre Gym FREE - Thursdays 3:00 - 5:00 Free and open to people at all levels

Discover the joy of dance Be prepared for bare feet and to explore movement, rhythm and connections within the body

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For more info call Rika at 604.665.3003

Forgiveness Is this a hard task?

Where one person takes all their hate to the grave?!

Why have so much remorse- the person is dead Give yourself a hug, say: All My Relations Ask the Creator to pass on your message And you will be enlightened by relief Your heart wouldn't be burdened by all that hate Open up the wounds - let it heal Vou will have a better way of learning to love again.

Be free, plus be a happy person.

As you've always been Love, love again.

All my relations, Bonnie E Stevens

[Taken from Canadian Immigrant] ..

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hv'-h -1< 7 affordable housing program. due to expire next year. hy another I0 years.

-,. a large-scale initiati\·e to hui ld social housing units and more n1oncy to refurbish ex isting affordable housing. special attenti on and funding to help people on the '·margins:· such as women. youth. seni ors. and ahori ginals a "comprehensive and properly funded'' poverty-reduct ion strategy.

"G rossly inadequate"' social assistance programs ha\'e left many impoverished tenants unable to break the cycle of poverty, he sa id.

Part of what caused Kothari 's rebukes of the governments of Canada were the stories he heard first-hand from peopl e directl y involved with homclcssncss on the fi rst dav of hi s visit in Vancouver, on October 16. Also playing a part in hi s decisions was a letter appealing for UN interventi on written bv members of CC AP. (A sun1mary of the letter can by found in The Tvee, in an article hv Jean Swanson, titled "Downtown Eastside Seeks Foreign Aid.'") Other observations hy Kothari on Canada· s homclessncss probl ems \vere equally dan1ning: ''Everywhere that I visited in Canada I tnct people who arc h01neless and li ving in inadeq uate and insecure housing conditi ons. On th is mi ssion. I heard of hundreds of peopJc who have died as a d irect resu lt of Canada· s nationwide housing crisis.·· (

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Am JohaL assistant to NDP iv1LA Jenny Kwan. asked Kothari during an interview: " [n terms o f vour broader role, \\·hat are son1c of the more egregious housing situations in the \Vorld today?''

Kothari replied, in part: '' In some situati ons. it is not that displacement should not happen. \\/hat is a gross violation of human rights is that there is no compensation or consultati on, so you see thi s legacy of greater homc lessncss. \vh ich is often perma nent. There's heen, of course, data on evictions, whi ch shows that it is disproporti onately represented hy minorities [RA: e.g., the pnorj. ahoriginal people and other effects on ., wornen.

I' m go ing to stop there. The picture is _ very clear. Now ir s up to the govcmtncnts. - R olf Auer ~

******************************** LISTEN EVERY MONDAY FROM 2:00-2:30 TO CCAP'S CO-OP RADIO SliOW 102.7 FJvf EASTS IDE STORY I los ted hy Diane. I Iarl cy and Av isha J

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Vanc1 ''Support fo r this project docs not necessarily impl y Vanci ty's endorsement of the fi nd ings or contents of this report. "

police presence. It was surreal: it was like a script from a Hollywood movie. The only thing that surpassed this was the conditions that the Crown wanted to impose on them prior to their release.

Later that day a demo-parade of at least three hundred activists and citizens, with tin pots and pans, wooden spoons and whistles, walked from Victory Square up to the jail at Main and Cordova Streets.

The supporters banged and chanted, demanding that , the APC Team of 6 be released. They arrived at the jail's small single jail house door on Cordova, which was barricaded by 23 of the City's finest behind a fence of police bikes. On the roofs of the police station and other buildings there were police with video cameras and weapons. There must have been a $surplus in the police budget and it'd been decided that money had to be spent by the end of the day.

Twenty lingering protesters waited until late into the evening in the vain hope that the 6 would be released.

At the bail hearing on 15 October 2007 draconian Crown conditions were asked for from each of the APC Team of6: *The Team of 6 was not to go on Hastings Street; *The Team of 6 was not to go to the DTES from Cambie to Hastings to Main to the waterfront. This prevented those arrested from living, from shopping, from recreating and/or from working in the DTES; *The Team of 6 was told not to associate directly or indirectly with each other;路 *The Team of 6 was not to associate with any member of the vast membership of the APC past or present; *The Team of 6 was not to go to any V ANOC properties; *The Team of 6 was not to participate in any future protests; *The Team of6 was not to go to the Burns Building at 18 West Hastings; *The Team of 6 was not to contact the witnesses; , *The Team of 6 was to be subject to a 10:00 p.m. to 6:00a.m. curfew; *The Team of 6 was to keep the peace and to be of good behavior; *The Team of 6 was to report to bail supervisors immediately and then report personally every two weeks until the trial; / *The Team of 6 was to be subject to a $1 ,500 fine broken as each if any of the. above conditions were . . well as being possibly imprisoned until their unknown trial date nine or ten months from now.

Upon hearing the conditions, a member of the

The APC Team of6 and its Litany of Crown Conditions The Vancouver Police arrested the so-called advance-ed APC (Anti-Poverty Committee) Squat Team of 6 at 2:30 in the early morning of Sunday, 14 October at 18 W. Hastings, the Burns Buildingan old, empty SRO located across from the Army and Navy department store. They were charged with : breaking and entering, although no member of the Team of 6 broke in and no damages occurred.

In fact, it was the police who broke into the Burns Building; it took them one hour to break down the door. After being notified by 911 of a possible trespass, the police arrived within a few minutes at the back of the building with five police cars containing . at least ten police officers. Spotlights were focused on the back looking for evidence of trespass. A few minutes later, the front of the building witnessed another six cars, a paddy wagon, and ten members of the City's finest as well as a number of unmarked police vehicles and plainclothes police. This group was equipped with batons, tasers, guns and dogs.

For forty-five minutes the police banged with hammers on the iron-gating at the entrance of the building. did not achieve entry. The police ordered a technician's vehicle to attend and then with an electric saw the iron-gating was cut. The taxpayers got their monies worth: It was a great show with a large night time audience from the DTES community watching.

The moment the police entered the three APC members who were inside called out "We are not resisting arrest. We are not resisting arrest" The police called "OK, put your hands up and come down." They compli~d and the arrest was peaceful.

The other three were arrested outside.

During the arrest, all of the Team of 6 faced a lineup of at least a dozen police officers in a threatening stance, like a firing squad ready to execute on command. There was no doubt among the APC Team of 6 that the police were eager to use their weapons, targeting them for any abrupt movement or disobeying any instructions.

The Team of 6 could not believe the amount of

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Team of 6 echoed that she had escaped from Communist Poland, spent one year in a refugee camp, and decided to come to Canada, as it was supposedly a just and democratic country. Buf, even before having a court trial for the alleged break and entry, the police, along with the Crown, wanted her to lose freedoms which she considered dear to living in a democracy: she was told that she could not associate with whom she wanted and that her freedom of movement was severely limited. It also wanted her to have a curfew. "This wasn't Canada; this was Communist Poland," she uttered.

The APC Team of 6 refused to agree to any of the conditions so they had to wait until the next day in dirty freezing jail cells looking forward to the same meal each day of a cold baloney sandwich for breakfast; lunch and dinner.

The formal bail hearing was held at 4:00p.m. on 15 October 2007 at which time the Team of 6 asked that most of the conditions be waived as being unreasonable before being released pending trial.

The APC Team of 6 was composed of a diverse range of individuals: three men and three women aged from 20 to 64. They were two retired Canadian citizens, three working-poor Canadian citizens and one student Canadian citizen .. all unlikely Olympic terrorists At the bail hearing most of the outrageous restrictions were quashed. A fair judge struck them out.

The hysteria of the Sunday event was then seen for what it was: it was only a harmless group of six citizens wanting to make a political statement about lack of affordable housing; nothing more, nothing less. And for the Team of 6 to be hit with the full wrath of the State seemed unnecessary and stupid.

The APC Team of 6 was finally released on Monday They are all now waiting for the drafting of the PartiCulars on the Information (i.e. the particulars of the charge(s)). Fifty police officers and 30 hours later no one had yet typed up a written report as to what exactly occurred, if anything criminal.

By Zofia Kiefer and Audrey Laferriere

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The Petition is now on-line and needs your signature. The DTES needs a survival shelter for homeless people. http://storyeum.googlepages.com Jom us tor the daily vigil from 4:00 to 6:00p.m. in front ofSTORYEUM on Water Street.

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;_FABRIC ART BY DIANE WOOD . , •

At the POTLUCK CAFE 30 West Hastings October 24 - December 14, 2007

MAKE STORYEUM A SHELTER

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. Opening Reception October 25 3:30-5:30 Cafe hours Mon - Fri Bam-3:30pm Presented by the Heart of the City Festival www. heartofthecityfestival.com Photo: Gena Thompson Image: ·crazy Quilt"

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Renovations: Early afternoon at McDonald's "Are you with Manners Blasting?"

"I am Manners Blasting."

"We need you on the second level."

"Why are they blocking the sidewalk?" " Why are they blocking the door?"

Overhead there is a great bang.

Dora Sanders

SALT IN THE COFFEE She's tired, he 's worn out Construction all around Hard hats on the customers No ise, noise, noise.

What is that taste?

It's a bit sweet!

Yuck!

Sugar on the fries!

What is that taste?

Oh, it's awfu I! Yuck!

Salt in the coffee!

Dora Sanders

The Macho Man !

In Vancouver during the early 1900's one of Carnegie ' s elderly seniors was working in a train yard putting trains together. He remembers one particular incident when he had to take a new employee to the ice car to show him where he was going to work.

The young man had been sent to help him shove blocks of ice down into an ice crusher. There was a boxcar especially made to carry ice and that car had to go next to the restaurant car, and close to where boxcars full of foods were placed. Ice had to be crushed to use in the restaurant car and to place around food to keep the perishables at an even temperature. The ice would arrive in huge chunks which would be placed in the funnel of the ice crusher.

Sometimes the sharp points of the crusher would send up bits of ice. Those bits could be any size and fell all around the men next to the crusher, so they had to wear boots and protective gear. They would also have to wear a harness when making sure the ice was going down into the crusher. It was their job to go on top of the rim of the machine to push the ice down.

Gerry told the young man to put on the protective clothing and boots, take a pole, go to the top and push some of the ice into the crusher. The guy grabbed a pole and started to climb up the ladder.

Gerry stopped him and told him to put on the boots

Singers a,tJ,{/, ,actors alert/ There will be ~uditions for the February 3rd, 2008 production of : the Downtown Eastside:Qpera "Condemned" 路路

IN THE CARNEGIE THEATRE FROM 2 TO 5 PM, MONDAY, NOVEMBER 12TH. There are three parts available, two female and one (nominally) male. For more information, earlepeach@yahoo.ca.

Opera COs will be available at Ca

ie's front desk.

and protective clothing first, then the harness: te rim was slippery. The guy refused and continued to climb. Gerry, who was putting a train together at the same time, had to stop and concentrate on this one worker. He ordered him to come back down and put on the harness. The guy refused again.

The shunting of boxcars stopped, tota!Jy, while the two men argued. Finally the Yard Supervisor came over to find out why the train was not being put to~ gether. Gerry had to explain that the young man 'will not put on his safety gear or harness'; the supervisor told the young man to go home .. he was fired. The young man immediately said, "Okay, okay, I'll put on the harnessx" which he did. Gerry could go back to adding more cars to the train.

Not long after a lot of shouting came from the area of the crusher's funnel. Workers in the ice car were frantic. Gerry got there and was told that the young fellow had slipped on some ice and gone over the edge of the funnel to the crusher, but he was fine his harness saved him and his dangling feet were a good six inches away from the crusher. Two men, wearing harnesses and protective gear plus boots had climbed up onto the rim and pulled the young man out. He was visibly shaken and was taken to the First Aid sbed .. later to be sent home.

His macho behaviour was very much left behind after that, because when he returned towork the next day he put on the boots and protective gear, then the harness, and did what he was told from then on ..

By Dora Sanders

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Sestina: The Road Home Amidst the sighs of the gently swaying poppies' rhapsody, You sign off the letters home that reveal so little and yet tell so much in the mere writing Inside the thin envelope you've slipped one of the works of life-sustaining art That survives long after your elevation To life in the next world. Who makes that animalI I Like howling caused by the nighttime's music?

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Praying for time, you weep inwardly as the music Plucks at your heartstrings. No longer do you care about your life song's rhapsody.

Spiralling slowly downwards into a bottomless pit like a blind animal, The bleakness of your life and your imminent death subtly colour your writing.

Looking into the pool of water, your soul searches for elevation And the remnants of your passion pore forth into your art.

Scraps of discarded material become a precious commodity of art To savour a~d to treasure. Behold my creation! Wonder at the music Created by a small Red Cross tin's elevation Into the beauty of a spoon . Ah sweet rhapsody!

The dancing colours of your writing Cannot be contained, much like the spirits of extinct animals.

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[First reaction on "Council to Consider Proposal: Public Land to host Private Jurassic Parle" The idea is to have Vancouver City permit some company to put huge plastic dinosaurs in Stanley Park. No specific space or corner but randomly onto· prime piece of the park's geography. Turning tourists to suckers and public land to some refugee from Disneyland.)

Greetings all, Today is the first I've learned of this proposal.

By rights it should be public information : i.e. a plan and description and cost estimates and so on. If, just after the longest strike in recent memory has come to an end; if, with the Library workers still working to get a fair deal for hundreds of underpaid people - pay equity is not an unrealistic dream; if, after the City moans about shortages of funds for many deserving projects dumped by the provincial government but can still find $80million for fish housing and $20+million for an Olympic slush fund, spending the required millions to somehow advance a ponzi scheme to attract tourists is cruel. That many involved in making such a decision are not offset by these realities or, in fact, cannot even understand how any of this is related, you should just resign and let people with a conscience move in.

PauiR Taylor

The Tao of Tao For Coreen Douglas, who "just kind ofpushed rne this way"sb 'When will this loneliness end?'- Lao Tzu The tao (way) is like a straight line you must follow that is never in front of you.

Boo!

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newCHAPTEIU Employment Resource Centre newCHAPTER 2 welcomes unemployed individuals eligible to work in Canada who are committed to seeking gainful employment. Individual assistance through Case Management, one-on-one assistance & counselling, or independent job search is offered.

Assistance to individuals who are re-entering the workforce or furthering their education is provided. newCHAPTER 2 believes that, given the appropri ate support, everyone has the capacity to succeed.

Drop-in newCHAPTER2 has an open door policy and provides free access to resources for employment pur, poses, including: Computer & Internet access Employment phone & message centre Fax & limited photocopy access Job board, classified ads Labour Market Information Resource materials NOC I Job Futures Case Management Unit newCHAPTER 2' s Case Managers offer job seekers information, counselling, and referrals to appropriate job search programs, education and training, . and/or community resources. Case Managers are also available to assist with resume and cover letter creation or editing, internet job searching and skills assessment and career exploration. Case Managers also provide assistance with all employment' related or education applications (student loan, college, etc).

-Stephen 'there' ll - be-nosleeping·- tonight' Belkin

[Author's note: Just to be absolutely clear - if tedious and unpoetic - by follow I mean only in the literal sense of 'staying behind of...' OK? Let's go!]

(This is not a test.)

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All services are free of charge newCHAPTER2 and newCHAPTER are funded by Service Canada and sponsored by the Vancouver Eastside Educational Enrichment Society (VEEES).

Jayne Mason I Case Manager Resource Centre Administrator newCHAPTER2 Employment Resource Centre 835 East Hastings Street Vancouver BC V6A 1R8

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Mon-Fri 9-4:30

UBC

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~Iv Humanities 101 Community Reading

and Study Groups at the Carnegie Centre Community Reading and Study Groups are free and are held once a month . Students sign up and commit to attending every class. Groups are led by UBC students or alumni of the Humanities 101 Program at UBC. •

Introduction to Philosophy with '

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:c.:. Buddha, Dostoevsky, Sartre and Jesus will join heads in this wide-

ranging introduction to philosophy for anyone who has ever , .:rc wondered what life is all about. While this class will explore the works of many philosophers, classes will attempt to go beyond the reading material as we examine and challenge our own personal belief systems and philosophy. Students are encouraged .

-: to think deeply about the readings as well as explore ways that · -i~1W*l;: tiiiln they relate to real life situations. This way the group will not only . .. - ~"¥ ' . be focused on abstract philosophical analysis but also on how philosophical topics play into our everyday lives.

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Time: Sunday Nov. 4th 1-3, Sunday Dec. 2nd 1-3, January-April TBA

Shakespearian Tragedy: Exploration of the Human Condition with Graham Winfield Racism, poverty, national identity, gender roles and violence: the issues of our day were Shakespeare's bread and butter. In this discussion group we will look at several of Shakespeare's tragedies and use them as a means to consider several aspects, often tragic, of the "Human Condition". The Human Condition is a term used to describe the entire experience of being human, from the biological to the societal to the psychological. In Julius Caesar, Othello, King Lear, Macbeth and Hamlet, many questions about life and society are raised; we will use these plays as a starting point for discussion of these issues.

Time: Sunday Nov. 4th 3-5, Sunday Dec. 2nd 3-5 , January-April TBA To learn more, email HumlOl@interchange.ubc.ca or visit http://humanitieslOl.arts.ubc.ca/

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Classical Concert at Carnegie Centre Monday, November 5 at 1:OOpm in the Hall The importance of community has become more prevalent to me since I started coming to Carnegie more than ten years ago.

What I have experienced at Carnegie is what I wish I could experience in Victoria, where I have lived tor the past 20 years.

At Carnegie I have witnessed staff struggling and succeeding in small steps - successes of empowerment. I have watched them pull together a community of depressed and oppressed people and help transform them in transforming it into something that the entire country can learn from.

Staff, volunteers and patrons have created an entity that is a shining example of what community is when people share their experiences and play a role in a decision-making capacity.

All here, take pride in your community centre because it is your hard commitment that has made it survive all these years.

Carnegie has offered me, as an out-of-town visitor, hope and support in many different ways; especially in a way that VGH has never been able to.

During the weeks spent here I was able to use the phone, email and had some good listening ears - my family has been going through a major trauma. I also made a connection - Robert D and C larence Dwho were able to take me to the Aboriginal Front Door where I met Tami, the support worker who made phone calls for me. Clarence took me to the Native Courtworkers who then referred me to UNN. This office was able to provide me with a liaison worker who came to the hospital with me.

All of these people have made a difference in being able to do the hands-on interview with me. Thanks especially to Clarence who was literally walking beside me all the way. The joy of being aboriginal is we never really leave our brothers and sisters' side when they are in need.

What I've learned while here this last time is the value of good community, communication, friends and family. If it had not been for Wendy & John's kind hospitality, the lack of bus tickets would have been the least of my problems. Because they opened their hearts and door I was able to be in a warm, dry place. So to Wendy, John, Aki and Agnes a great big thank you! ¡ Rose Henry

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Violist Marie-Claude Brunet, clarinetist Johanna Hauser, and pianist Monica Pfau will perform chamber music by W.A Mozart, Max Bruch, and Moshe Denburg.

Marie-Claude Brunet is a member ofthe Vancouver Opera Orchestra and the string quartet, Babayaga.

Johanna Hauser is director of the Kits Classi¡cs+ Worlds Beyond concert series and performs with the Vancouver Inter-Cultural Orchestra.

Monica Pfau has performed with the Vancouver Symphony and also with international musicians such as Janos Starker and the Fine.Arts Quartet.

Humanities 101- Public Program Ross Labrie - Thomas Merton Society of Canada

Friday November 9, 7:00pm Carnegie Community Centre (3rd floor) Courses promoting greater knowledge of the life, writing and spiritual influence ofThomas Merton are offered at UBC, SFU, Trinity Western the Vancouver School ofTheology.

For more info, call 604 822-0028. Free.

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DOWNTOWN

A CTIVITIES SOCIETY

NEEDtE EXCIIANGE VAN -l Roufu: 60 ·1-68S-6561 CUt- 5;45rro -II :451•m OY~rJJfellt - ll:JOam -I:JOam Onwntuwn E11sblde - 5:J0rm - I:lOam •

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612 Main Street 604-251 -3310

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The Downtown Eastside Residents Association ww)x.camnt;~'i!" .org cornnews@vcn.bc.ca

DERA helps with: Phone & Safe Mailboxes Welrare Problems; Landlord disputes; llousing problems & unsafe living conditions.

J At 12 East Hastings St. or caii604-682-09JI TilE NEWSLETI'f.R IS t\ I' UBI.IC/\TION OF TtiE CARNEGIE COMMUNITY CENTRE ASSOCIATION t\rl iclcs rcprcscnllhc views of individual contributors and noI of the ·Association.

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2001 OON~TIQN ~ : libby 0 SWO Rolf A -S'iO 0Jrry for Oave McC $1 {!j Christopher R · S50 Margaret 0 ·S-10 Penny G $50 Janice P ·SJ5 Wes K -$50 Gram $400 JohnS S60 l~slie S S/0 Mich.1el C SOU Sheila 8 S/0 Wilhelmina M S25 CEEOS S~,o Saman S20 Phyllis l S200 P;tddy S1i'5 BobS S100 Barry M $175 • Mell S.2U lhe Edge S200 Greta P S/0 l he Rockingguys - $ 2 ~, Jay a B SH")·

Suhrnission Ueatlline November 12

CLEM BELYEAU- age 93 - is the old man who is deaf and I and some other people would carry his· breakfast & coffee to his table in Carnegie. He is now in St.Paul's hospital.

I'd like to thank all the people who signed his card - it made him very happy. If yo u'd like to see him he is in the Tower in Ward 7-C. Bring a large writing pad and print big letters; that's the only way he can read and when the paper is held a foot or so in front of his eyes. I went to see him on Friday, Oct.26 and was the only person that he knew or remembered in 3 weeks ... he was very lonely.

He will li kely be moved into assisted living when released. I will continue to visit him wherever he is and keep you infor med as to how he is doing.

Kirk Hosie ... and thank •vou to all {rom Clem

Contact Je11n)'

UO YOU IIAVE A LE(;AL PI(OIILEM'!

JJ'ai Ching Kwa11

Come to our FREE CLINIC On Carnegie's 3rd floor

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UDC Law Students' Legal Advice Progran1 Monday to Friday, 10am-4pm Tuesdays also 5pm-9pm

\\'orking ·for You 1070-164 I Cornmcrdctll>r. V51. .l Y1 Phnnc: 77~ - 07Q(I rctx : 7J) ;ORRI

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Editor: PauiR Taylor

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The 4th Annual Downtown Eastside l!eart of the City Festival presents

DTES COMEDY with Stand-Up for Mental Health &

A DOWNTOWN EASTSIDE ROMEO AND JULIET Russian Hall, 600 Campbell Street (at Keefer) FRIDAY, NOV.2 & SAT. NOV.8 PM Pay-As-You-Can, All Welcome Come laugh your head off with comics Paul Decarie, Meesh Taketa, Jennifer Mitton, Doug Lane, Christian Prohor Khoal Marks, Kelly Hunter and Nadine Anderson. Stand Up for Mental Health looks at the lighter side of taking meds, seeing counselors, getting diagnosed and surviving the mental health system.

The second half of the show is a workshop presentation of Vancouver Moving Theatre's A Downtown Eastside Romeo and Juliet, directed by comedy marvel Gina Bastone. She's joined by Grant Chancey, Yvon Chartrand, Pau Decarie, Kuei-Ming Lin, Elizabeth Murdoch, Mike Richter, Jim Sands, Priscillia Tait, Gena Thompson, M. Pyress Flame, Lou Vodnak and Muriel "X" Williams. Comic vignettes are inspired by every day realities on our streets, a1 by characters and situations from Romeo and Juliet. Please come out and give us your feedback! â&#x20AC;˘

A DTES Romeo and Juliet has some coarse language and adult content.

The 4th Annual Downtown Eastside f!eart of the City Festival presents

BRINGING SHADOWS INTO LIGHT with videographer Cease Wyss Carnegie Community Centre, Theatre, 401 Main Street SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 12 PM Admission is Free. All Welcome

Join us for the premiere of a new video!

In 2005, Vancouver Moving Theatre- in cooperation with the Carnegie Community Centre- began a series of workshops and forums involving Downtown Eastside community members exploring the roots of addiction.

We're All in This Together is the shadow play that emerged from the recollections of over l 000 people and their collaboration with at1ists, designers, musicians, directors and writers.

Bringing Shadows Into Light is a short documentary about the making of the shadow play. Before the screening!

Aline LaFlamme and Daughters of the Drum will sing a song to honour Cease Wyss and her work in the communi~ The screening will be followed by archival footage of the play.

Cease Wyss is a Squamish media artist, educator, curator and more whose work weaves itself through a variety of communitie: - . ..

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