camnews@shaw.ca www.camnews.org

APRIL 1, 2011

WE ARE THE PEOPLE- Community Show & Tickets

Community Performance - no charge

7pm Wednesday April 6, Ukrainian Hall, 805 East Pender Street limited Seating. First Come First Serve

Community Tickets - no charge

Available for April 7- 10 Thursday to Sunday shows Pick up: Carnegie Administration office 3'd floor. First Come First Serve.

Our stores never disappear

but, like ancient rivers, they resurface'.

We're Allin This Together (2007)

40 ARTISTS, 25 SONGS, LOTS OF DTES HISTORY SOME TEARS AND A WHOLE LOT OF JOY Featuring local artists, among others: Dalannah Gail Bowen, Murray Black, Sue Blue, Wendy Chew, Corinthian Clark, Lu Davika, Beverly Dobrinsky, Jay Hamburger, Rosanne Gervais, Andy Kostynuik, Robyn Livingstone, Joan

Morelli,Stephen Lytton, Naomi Narvey, Tom Quirk, Michelle Richard, Mike Richter, Jim Sands, Wendy Solloway, Priscillia Tait, Gena Thompson; musica l director Neil Weisensel; Sheryl Fisher and Audrey Rivers from the Squam

ish Nation; members of the St. James Music Academy, Barvinok, Strathcona Sings! and Carnegie Village choirs. We Are the People honours 125 years of laughter and tears in the Downtown Eastside- the historica l heart of

our city. This concert of original and period songs of struggle, loss, celebration and perseverance showcases the home-grown creativity of the Downtown Eastside community. Historical events highlighted in this City of Vancouver 125th Anniversary concert include the rescue of Vancouve

residents by members of a Squamish congregation during the 1886 f ire, the 1907 Anti-Asian riot, labour struggles of the 1930's, historic personalities such as saloon keeper Gassy Jack Deighton, industrial tycoon I philanthropis

Andrew Carnegie, activist and City Councillor Bruce Eriksen; inner city challenges such as poverty, unemploymer homelessness, prostitution and addiction; neighbourhood victories such as the establishment ofthe Carnegie Community Centre and the Militant Moms' successful protest; and Downtown Eastside values of tolerance, cour­age, compassion and community.

Over 25 songs from eight shows produced with and for the Downtown Eastside since 2003:

In the Heart of A City: The Downtown Eastside Community Ploy

We're All In This Together: The Shadows Project -Addiction and Recovery

• Condemned: The Opero

• The Returning Journey

A Downtown Eastside Romeo ond Juliet

• East End Blues and All That Jazz

• Bruce- The Musical

• High Flying Bird (a new musical by Vancouver Moving Theatre and the Firehall Arts Centre)

WE ARE THE PEOPLE- excerpt LIBRARIES OF ANDREW CARNEGIE

THERE'S A SCENT ON THE BOOKS OF DEAD MEN'S BONES, AND A SPLATIER OF BLOOD OVER ALL

THERE'S A ROUGH RAGGED HOLE IN EACH LEAF YOU TURN, LIKE THE WOUND FROM A RIFLE MAN'S BALL. ...

WILL WE EVER FORGET, HOW IN SWEATSHOPS AND MINES THE FATHERS AND MOTHERS AND CHILDREN ARE SLAIN HOW VIRTUE IS BATIERED AND CHILDHOOD CRUSHED BY CARNEGIE'S WILL, FOR CARNEGIE'S GAIN?

(music bv Wvckham Porteous, LYRICS unknown)

l,

Robyn -You worked in a sweatshop yourse lf whe n you were a kid- tell us, how do you live with yourself! ?. 3 Mike - We're getting poorer and working longer hours, w hile you' re gett ing richer! Murray (Andrew Carnegie)- "But I used it for the good of the whole human race." Andy -Pay me fair wages and I' ll build my own library!

Produced by Vancouver Moving Theatre in cooperation with the Carnegie Community Centre, Theatre in the Raw, DGB Productions, Firehall Arts Centre and all the writers and composers

Interstellar Dispatches: Can you hear me Out There?

My beloved, my father, my sons Beloved you are always nigh me In unity, above and beyond me My frail intentions Please forgive me father for I have sinned Please forgive my trespasses I'm trying to do the same

Light is yours, shining & burning bright Exceeding all bounds Running my cup over generously extravagantly In the darkness v isible I serve.

Longing to merge to complete the circle the gestalt of energy

Fearing the tangle ungrounded as I am Child o f clay mi xing with dimensional pretension My clothing burns away blown by celestial wind I hear finally the sound of tinkli ng glass Another time, another land. Vibrations trembling my seas and mountains Threateni ng annihilation Omniscient one Thy w ill gets done again Great Spi rit Supreme Smi le on the travellers to Mecca Pilgrims crawling to thy G lory Seat We come home from G reat Distance ..

Wilhelmina

News From the Library Writers' Jamboree

Entries have been piling in for the Writers· Jamboree Writing Contest. The official deadline was March 31 but the contest organizers are allowing late entries. Please hand in your writing by Sunday, April 3 . '

rllrr~~ ~~~~~~ ~= *rtincat.e for The People's Co-op Bookstor<l - read t.helr work at the Jamboree

'1'he :ralt18!

Only IYl'BS wr1t.erB allowed.

Deadline: March 31, 2011

Free to Enter 600 words maximum, any genre - true story, 11ctlon, or poetry. Put your name e.nd a. rellable form of contact on eech page. All entries mu.s\ be dropped off In person at the Carnegie Llbr&ry. Entries won't be returned - III&ke sure you keep a. copy for youreelf.

And as part of the Writers' Jamboree, we're signing people up for 15-minute manuscript consultations with an establ ished writer or editor. Get feedback on your work from people like Fiona Tin wei Lam, Michael Turner, Lee Henderson, and many other writers. Sign up in the library by April 22: Please bring a sample of writing with you when you sign up.

New Books Decoded (92 1 JAY) takes the lyrics of hip-hop artist Jay-Z and runs with them, te ll ing the story of the meaning behind the words, and the culture o f rap and hip-hop. It also tells the story of Jay-Z himself, who was born in a Brooklyn housing project, spent h is teen years dealing drugs on the streets of Trenton, New Jersey, and grew llj to be one of his generation's most successful artists and businessmen. Known as "the architect of perfectly impossible worlds", M C Escher's drawings turn dimension and perspectivt on their heads, creating intricate optical illus ions that are baffling and fasc inating. I lis drawings are collecte< in M. C. Escher: The Graphic Work (769.94). Whatever happened to fog dispellers? The aerogel house? The smell-o-phone? Mail delivery by parachute? Fine out in The Wonderful Future that Never Was (609), by Gregory Benford and the editors of Popular Mechanics In Harper/and: The Politics of Control (97 1.07), Lawrence Martin takes a look at the workings of the Stephen Harper government. Martin argues that Harper employs tactics that can be seen as an assault on Canada's demo­cratic traditions, and probes the secrecy, the muzzling of opponents, and the workings of an exhaustive vetting system. He also asks the central (and politically timely) question: will Harper's excesses solidi fy his rule or be his undoing? Confined to bed by illness, Elisabeth Tova Bailey notices a snail on her nightstand . She begins to notice its habit and movements in acute and intimate detail, like the neat square holes that appear in the paper she writes with, a the sound that the snail makes while eating. The result is The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating (594.38), a book th: shows us how minute ly observing something so tiny and contained can lead us to look at our larger world with fresh understanding. These items will be available to order, and in the library d isplay case, from April 3.

What 's Up? with the pennies? You know, those coins we toss away or collect. How come we keep receiving them yet we can' t return them? DE affi liates like the Pizza

Beth, your librarian

j oints & small stores won't take them back! Pennies are still legal tender but mostly just to load on us. Double standard - I think so. Just another 'what's u from Leslie Ann Giles

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APRIL 29, 2011 AT THE CARNEGIE CENTRE

MINI-MANUSCRIPT CONSULTATIONS. ROUND TABLE DISCUSSIONS. PROFESSIONAL SKILLS WORKSHOPS. GUEST AUTHOR READINGS.

GEIST -~-·--~;;.~.,- ~· ~ .... ·~ . _ __. .~ ~ ~ - --· --·-~----- ~ --·- -. -· -· . ' . . -·· ""

HOUSE OF TYRANTS

Please be advised all messages ill and wise will soon have nowhere to go, and all of you with no fixed ad­dcss could wind up in your own fine mess; it sucks when you realise the only place left is right where you are as once again you scream No, the only mes­sages that get through are the warrants that are out for you "Come with me!" shouts Officer Down you are under arrest, I've dotted so many lines and ripped up so many fines how many people here get I chance or I choice and that is to confess, like the people walking outside with signs above their heads reading I AM FINE or I'VE BEEN FED the news and their papers declare you have no problems now sometimes I don' t really mean what I say but one thing that will never be okay and that's the selfish ists and their end­less need for destruction and greed, now that alone speaks volumes, they truly adore and what's more praise the man who answers his own phone, whether you're in the middle of a Food Bank line or creating new crayons for politicians and their kind it is time to return to your very own park bench home, where that crooked finger and a smile may have worked their channs for awhile but people just aren' t as ignorant as some might wish, now you have new plans to maximize those empty hands and g ive this city yet

DAWN

Creator, are you there? I sat with the Stone People, the grandfathers Strengthened by their heal ing, I see you Your presence in the east warms my cheek

Creator, are you there? As a new-born, my vision clears Colors burst fo rth, shapes have life; teach me To love all that you show me

Creator, are you there? Dawn, I learn is not only an event It occurs when your messages Are realized in all things

Creator, are you there? Dawn, a new sense, an o ld gift I thank you for your guidance and love Help me understand those lessons learnt in the dark

Creator, are you there? As I still-hunt, you bless me with g1 tts Smell, touch, sound; and sight I am humbled by the best gift, a heart

another facelift you fi lthy bastards, honestly think the Creator, are you there? world would end if you didn't exist, just as 1 am in Thank you for the full moon, gifts from the east the middle of writing another jokeless riddle 1 see My sisters, true beings you sent to aid me, love me another cop is to go on trial so another two innocent lnto the daylight, my path and dawn await me. Ekosi

people are dead don't you worry Officer Down will Robert Bonner keep Ms murder Pig nicely fed do you have any idea ~ how hard it is for me not to throw up let alone trying ~· ·- · 1) [ [J to pull out a smile, they say you can only do your - · \ best but choreographed voting and its evi l selfishist ( -::::-kinship really doesn't fall far from the nest when if ~ fishist m.arketing playgrut. .. J , and what if anything ever will it be hammered in that both this gov' t and 'I being said is more than a discouraging word to those their thug-lite protectors honestly bel ieve catastro- who have been misled sometimes clouds and mira-phic atrocities cannot be fixed by switching some cles can be located at SatanGod Ice Cream Family 40mm or 40' long surround sound screen dials, like who have their own lost & found, now to end my trying to share one miniscule piece of good news tirade to those thinking they have it made one day while everyone else only seems to have time for their your life will end thanks to the House of Tyrants ... I own shade of blues let alone these wornoutskis who almost feel remorse of course until! see you Selfish-themselves have not the strength to raise their own ists being used by an army of dogs you really do re-smiles, like a man who creates his own clouds when semble fire hydrants. you throw in the power to turn back miracles remem By ROBERT McG ILLJVRA Y ber to add a black shroud now my dishevelled trans- "Don't Jet us make imaginary evils, when you know we gression look is in no way influenced by today's sel- have so many real ones to encounter." Oliver Goldsmith

LIGHT ~· Creator. are you there? il :':

I see you. I rise to greet your day ~; My senses are alive as I am Do not let go of my hand, lead me

Creator. arc you there? My vision is clearer, the darkness less Thank you fo r a ll those true beings; two-leggeds My circle of light. your gift

Creator. are you there? At land's end. I etched "DARK" into the sand KnO\~ ing the Water People would wash it away Their gift to me

Creator, are you there? 1-I clp me understand That o ur paths need the dark to teach us To learn to use all the gifts you have blessed us with

Creato r. are you 1here? Thank you for your patience The wind more of a contented sigh Wisps away a tear of g ratitude

Creator, are you there? May I be s tronger as the darkness re-appears The light shines always; in that protected place Your heart, my heart. Ekosi

Robert Bonner

Sandy (Clive) Cameron Born into an upper-middle-class Toronto family with Scottish roots, Sandy Cameron loved summer camp where he could live in nature.

O ne of five children of Marian and John Duncan Cameron, in high school and universi ty Sandy got summer jobs in logging and mining. He lived with working people. hearing their stories and identifying with ~heir struggles for fair wages, decent working cond1110ns and social programs. He graduated from

7 the University of Toronto with a BA in history.

From 1958 to 1988. Sandy had 19 education-related jobs interspersed \\ ith prospecting jobs that took him into the mountains and wilderness he loved in Labra­dor, the Northwest Territories and Ontario. As a teacher in public school, literacy and upgrading pro­grams, prisons and univers ity, Sandy helped every student learn in his or her own way.

When he taught in a one-room school in a native community in Northern Ontario, the school inspector took issue with his moccasins, lack of a tie and re­fusa l to "recommend" chi ldren for residential school. In Lytton, B.C .. he lived on the reserve and shared in the community fight fo r a safe ferry to cross the Fra­ser River. For years, hi s only possessions were what he could haul around in his old pickup truck. In 1985, Sandy moved to Vancouver to work in the

social justice movement. That' s where we began our 25-year partnership in life and social justice work. lie became the unofficial historian of the Downtown Eastside, researching and writing the history of this low-income neighbourhood. "Memory is the mother of community," he said. In 1996, he fasted for 8 days to protest the end of the Canada Assistance Plan.

Sandy wrote several books of poetry, and hun• 'reds of articles and tributes to Downtown Eastside resi­dents who worked for their community. Most o f his articles appeared in the Carnegie Newsleller. Sandy could see who people really were and help them find the path that was right for them.Four and a half years ago Sandy got shingles. The rash left but the pain never did. Social justice was such a huge part of his life that when he'd think of governments refusing to increase low welfare rates or bui ld housing for the homeless, the pain would increase and he'd have to meditate or take a walk.

First Nations people had a special place in Sandy's heart. From them he learned about what he called "a way of being in the world'' that helped his own life become more meaningful. In one of his last articles, Sandy wrote about how he hoped this way of being could also help the whole planet survive with more justice. Sandy's young poet friend, Philip Kevin Paul, wrote a book called Liule Hunger and inscribed Sandy's copy: "Your kind ness will ripple th rough time."

Bv Jean Swanson. Sandy's partner.

Trying to fight the power

I am the victim 'PeaK House

poetrY

six feet under to six feet over. I'm six feet under and I feel so tender,

in the heart and in the soul. Yu are the knife You are in control You want to take my life

Graphics by Jessie, Brooke & Garnet Tobacco It feels like I am a piece of coal. I have no idea what I'm thinking about,

but at the same time I know without a doubt. Why do you keep on trying to find your way in? I'm going to be strong and not listen To the chitter chat going on inside my head And that is final listen to what I said You may kill boredom, time, and pain But I know in the end you will drive me insane

lvona Cunningham

I am so confused, but soon with power I shall be infused. My cravings decreased, my confidence has increased.

I am so excited soon we will all be united. Sober life is like a four leaf clover.

I went from 6 feet under to 6 feet over!

Celina Gagne

Memories ~~

She's had a good life they'll say, but what they won't mention is how she had lost her way. As they lower her casket, 6 feet under she'll stay, and around her grave they'll bring flowers to lay.

By only 16 she was walking the streets, .j'y no bed to fall into, newspaper for sheets.

" "'c~ Her only care in the world was getting her fix, *~~- ,,"'( standing on street corners, trying to turn tricks.

"':,,~ . . Dark memories when there was no sunshine. When 1 think . · < L1ve-fast, d1e young was the mantra she'd speak, of it .. it makes me want to cry. 1 try to tell the memories to ' as she lost herself downtown, among the concrete. go away but they keep on coming back. They never see!T .Face white as snow, eyes black as coal, to fade away. . .

1 · ::: .·. · W she sold her body, sold her soul.

There's no o~e to help you. There's no one to hear you \\~ . • She was bound to a fate worse than death, scream. There s nothing around you but Y?Urself You 0 as she pushes off, syringe filled with meth. search for a face but .you seem to be ":'alkmg 1n mcles. A That monster promised to numb her sorrow, Y.ou seem to be praymg that the morn1ng will come. The · ~ _ never caring about the horrors of tomorrow. mght seems to be endless. You hope that someone will come and help you. But no one comes. But Sadly one day she ended up in the gutter, It seems that you are your own. You're trying to find a way ·he ended her life, but with a whisper she did mutter; out of the dark memories. These seem never to end. The finally it ends and I am free, line of dark memories. from the grasp of drugs i can rest peacefully.

The Line of Dark Memories

Shaniah Faith Claxton Jaime Banno

/ I

\®\ 1 And The Weasles

\ • '( And the weasles and the weevils shall inherit And the maggots and the wood lice, sharks

,_-· and cockroaches

Too all those parasites living off the avails and 'li feb lood and/or sap of vibrant beings 9

Animal , vegetable, mineral

The honey badgers, wolverines and polecats The Ivy shall take the Holly down Down to the dust. '--

I Hope you Don't Mind Jaime Banno's poem entitled 'Twisted Fiction, Sick

Addiction" touched me deeply. In my most negative moments, the favourite thought

in my mind is: 'All I've gotten from li fe is a head full of bad memories.'

So when I read her: " ... the passage oftime can cleanse

a lifetime of bad memories, Drugs say: just forget now,

and let the numbness consume you ... " I was stunned.

... She goes on to say: "You can't take back

what's been taken away." ! And I thought o f the haunted memories of how I

might have done certain things differently if l could go back in time.

"And I've been left with nothing, just a hollow shell of the girl I once was.

As I look in the mirror, my reflection sickens me."

At that point in her poem l s lip away from the topic of addiction, and think of my own ego on those occa­sions when I summon the courage to look at my aged face in the mirror. And then my mind further slips away to a PBS show that presented Doo Wop s ingers from the sixties. They sounded the same but you could see how time ravaged their faces with wrinkles and other undesirable shrubage. (these thoughts all occurred in the few minutes that I read Ms.Banno 's poem)

She ends with: " I am the living dead girl."

And again I go back to the issue at hand -drug addic­tion. The missing teeth. The scars. The emptiness.

At that point I thought only of precious few mo­ments when my ego is clear of past bad memories, and how I then scurry out a few more inches to the wam1 sunlight.

By Garry Gust

So Pilgrims, struggle as you may The moving finger hath writ and wrote "Your time is end ing" as it was ' tn the beginning Omega approacheth ­Not by fire .. Not by Oood By attrition By entropy By the crushing of all energy to advance.

to create, to invent. to supercede . the Past.

The blood, the sweat and tears o f our ancestors be with us now and at the hour o f our death.

Wlhelmina

I have a potential human ri ghts complaint regarding an indiv idual with addiction and disability issues. He has been trying to get B.C. Housing for years. He has applied fo r both the basic BC Housing and also the Supplemental Housing for people at risk of homc­lessness. He isnt seeking access to recovery housing.

He has been denied housing on the basis of a urine test which showed drugs. T hey have told him he can­not reapply for a year. I would like to get some background on BC Housing

and how it works. Can someone get in touch with me? I am particularly wondering about how BC Housing Health serv ices get involved in files.

Flash from a seasoned activist Cristy Clark has reinstated Rick Coleman as the BC

!lousing Minister. Obviously she supports the d is­honest abuse of power that he has already used with BC Housing and especially Little Mountain almost a ll gone. He is a puppet in the hands of land g rabbing real estate mogu ls ..... so we can expect more of the same if the Liberals are re-elected.

The idea is to g ive us a little housing but take away so much ...

Thanks to CCAP and all acti vists who are resisting then presenting positive solutions

Sheila Baxter

What about not putting conditions on loving hu­manity? Instead we put limitations and stigmas on the people who live in the poorest postal code, the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver.

Before I got to know about what really happens on the streets and in the roach-ridden, bedbug-infested hotels - inhumane living environments all - I had passed judgement. But until you walk a mile in the life of a homeless addict, really, don't judge.

I've been to some pretty dark places and made it out alive. The pain. the guilt. the remorse and the shame no longer own me; the past is the past. To truly live in the moment is quite a concept. In

the past I felt lost in the vast wasteland. I just existed. My homelessness was not a choice.

I felt spiritually dead, stuck in the over-powering destruction of a mental obsession. The streets swal­lowed up all my self-worth and I became a slave to my own insanity .

I found it so hard to leave the outside, l was so ashamed of my state- the drugs owned my body, mind and soul. l lost my identity, I lost my dignity, I ! lost everything I ever cared about... life itself had no meaning. !thought I had met my Master and was doomed to be like that forever.

But guess what: that's a lie. Of course the disease of addiction is pretty complex and when I keep feeding my 'addict' I'll never get anywhere except a down­ward spiral.

The people I've met on the eastside touched my heart, surprised me, hw1 me, tortured me, tried to help me; really, addiction is a self-centred disease. Without help you will die a slow and painful death.

My life has changed bull know I still have a lot of trauma from the mean streets. I' d put myself in a lot of bad deals and real ly got dealt a lot back. In a sense I know that when you 're down, vulnerable and weak, people prey upon your weaknesses. It's sad but a fact of the dirry grind of a life with a constant 'going no­where' destination.

Honesty and simplicity are my new friends, with learning curves all around. Nora is totally and utterly frantic -this new way is scary in its unfamiliarity yet the extraordinary amazement from who I was can ' t be relied on for advice (you know what I mean?).

I draw light from a different source of comfort. l excel in major change and gratitude for moving to the beat of a different drum- on angel's wings!! The

static has been s ilenced somehow, someway. Oh girl what did you do? Don'tlet the past own

you. the explicit X-rated fantasy of another. Prudence is not your weakness. Be worthwhile. Stay grounded in the light of innocence. You are never forgotten so move forward fear lessly and that torn fee ling will subside.

It tries to overwhelm your beautiful mind with dead weight, the ·point of no return' bull. Just hold on sweets. the ride gets better and better. Solace oyster is slowly opening and you can have it all: happiness, grace in abundance.

Clap once, clap twice. wiggle your nose, bob your head. never say never because the narnia proposition is the eclectic source of this unknown.

Door One; Door Two; exchange nothing. Your soul is peaceful and wants to be validated. Be in love with something and someone bigger & better.

A at the source of being free are Free of hurt: Free of pain; Free of strife; Free of taunting; Free of self-hate and free of abuse. I shall not fear.

By Nora Kay Rickman

The Carnegie Community Action Project Aprill, 2011 (Wendy 604-839-0379)

Hello Chinawwn and other DTES residen-tS,

Do you or your friends live in hotels? Do you wish you could live in your own apartment with a bathroom & l.itchen at a price that )OU can afford? Do you want to have stores that you can afford to shop in?

This is what we wish for too. We want to keep shops affordable. We are fighting for every hotel room to be replaced with social housing. We are worried about SRO residents becoming homeless.

City l lall knows they need to replace the hotels and l.eep things affordable but they are doing virtu all) nothing to make it happen. And soon. they could decide to let real e~ate developers build taller buildings in C hinatown. These towers make our plan to get more social housing less possible. Towers also make rents go up for residents and stores.

TaKe ACtion

You can do 3 things to stop to11 crs and help us get more social housing:

I. Learn mQreaQQut this issue. Come to our lunch at Carnegie at II :30 a.m. on Friday, April I st on the 3rd floor in Classroom 2. Or come to d inner at 6 p.m. on the same day and place. We'll talk more about what's happening and strategize about what we can do and say to City I tall.

2. Come to City Hall with us on April 5th at 7:30pm to show your support. These meetings can be inspiring. We will provide food and transportation. We're eating d inner at Carnegie at 5 pm and leaving Carnegie at 5:45pm.

3. You could decide to speak to the Mavor and Council about this. Everyone's voices arc needed at City !!all, but especially people who live in Chinatown hotels who have the most to lose and therefore a powerful voice at city hall on this issue. We have about I 00 people signed up to speak so far and if we can get some more Chinatown and DTES residents signed up, we could win.

So, don't be shy and get in touch with us. This is an important issue and we need you. And you deserve to live in better housing.

Sincerely, Wendy, Richard, Ivan, Jean, Paul and other volunteers from the Carnegie Community Action Project. Our

office is on the 2nd floor of the Carnegie Centre. Call us at 604-665-2 105 or 604-839-0379.

'PointS to maKe in your speech to CitY council about the towers: Council should no t allow a ny new height for condos in C hinatown.

• More condo towers will increase gentrification . This will push up rents in SROs and businesses. With higher rents low income people will be pushed out, maybe to become homeless. Businesses will have to charge higher prices. Low income people who live and shop in Chinatown will get pushed out.

• There are lots of low income people in Chinatown who don't approve of more condo towers. • We need 5000 units of social housing in the whole DTES and some of those in Chinatown. The city

should be buying s ites for these new units that are desperately needed, not allowing those sites to be condo towers.

Council should stick up for the low income people in the area because we have the least power.

Sign up to speak at City I tall by contacting:

Call: Tina Hildebrandt, Meeting Coord inator telephone: 604.873.7268 Say you want to speak on the llistoric Area Height Review. If you need help preparing a speech come to the lunch or dinner gatherings on Friday, April I". If you have internet, you can read about the first meeting at City Hall about the Chinatown towers here: htt p://va ncouver. mcdiacoop .ca/photolfighting- height -city- hal l/6659

5:00 pm Dinner Carneaie tnd floor 5:45 pm lransporea~ion provided

6:10 pm Dalannah Gail Bowen sinas a~ Ci~y Hall J:iO pm Public Hearina beains

Please come with us! A BIG TURNOUT IS NEEDED

Info: 604-839-0379 I 604-781-7346 <ij[:J~ -

-0 -z

• .. -----

Downtown Eastside Neighbourhood Council (DNC) Carnegie Community Action Project (CCAP)

One down, nine to go: Activists win housing O\ cr new library On vlarch :?S1h.at a press conference at Crabtree Com­

cr. Mayor Gregor Robertson announced that the fi rst of the Do11 nto11 n Eastside 'leighbourhood Council's I 0 sites of soc1al housing for 20 II 11 ill be built above the nc11 Strathcona library site on the 700 block of f'ast ll asting.s. The housing for single mothers and children is JUSt what Carnegie Communi!) Action Project volunteers Rene Belanger and Fraser Stuart had in mind 11hen the) 110rl-.ed through last summer co llecting 1.500 signatures on a petition calling for housing at the library site. Fraser Stuart. who was Iii ing in the central city shel­ter along wnh Rene Belanger said. "I really lil-.ed the idea that kids could gro1~ up above thatlibrar). It 11 as easy to convince people in this neighbourhood that a 'stand-alone' library in the Downtown Eastside just doesn't make an) sense." Bcs1des the petitions. actions tal-. en b) CCA I' and/or the DNC and numerous DTES communi!) volunteers mcluded: A news conference 11 ith school chi ldren at the library site: Disrupting a speech by the Mayor to some busi­nqs groups: ~1 eeting the librar~ board 111 ice: . BLACKROBE

Blackrobe, never will we forget What your churches have done. The effect on our parents and our families

we still sec. Languages, customs, songs Pot latches and drumming all fo rbidden Did you think you helped us With your schools?

The ways of the People with their connection to Mother Earth

Will never die. llealing has already started Our ways are on a come back The heart beat of the f'irst People is alive again

As our elders get healed Our people become stronger.

Fred Arrance

Organ1zmg a campaign to call the \I avor and Coun­cillor Kerry Jang to tell them that cit i;ens wanted housing above the librarv: Going to City Counc il 1v.ith about 50 DTES residen ts to call for social housing abo1 e the librar) when the stan· report ignored that request from the community. At the council meeting about 50 DTES residents supported speakers 11 ho called for the librar) to be the first of I 0 sites in the DTES that the city should buy and designate for social housing before the No­vember 2011 election. Fraser Stuart remembers. "We told them the library would be a figh t-site, and we 11 ere happ) when they agreed to look into it." At the press con ference that announced the 15 to 20 units of supportive housing this morning CCAP coordinator Jean Swanson said, "It's good that the housing is com ing, but the news conference organiz­ers should have acknowledged the 11ork ofCCA P. the D'lC and the two homeless volunteers 1~ho sta rted the fight for ho using above the Strathcona library." Swanson continued. "This is onl1 the first of the I 0 sites for social housing in the DTE's that11 e 11 ill 11 in this) ear. One down ... nine to go." CCA P a ~1 d the DI\C want the city to buy I 0 social hous ing Sites a }ear for the next 5 years to replace the Single Room Occupancy hotels in the DTES, that are decay­ing or converting to higher income rentals.

Vision of the Downtown Neighbourhood Council

1. In honour of the Coast Salish nation; and for community control over neighbourhood planning 3. Community directed education & recreation 4. Stop involuntary displacement of DTES residents 5. Dignified, affordable housing & living incomes 6. Self-determined harm reduction health care 7. Lgal drug market based on health & human rights 8. Against all marginalising stigmas & discrimination 9. Rights, safety and dignity for sex-trade workers 10.Community positive, accountable policing 11 .Honour & celebrate our community members & history of working for social and economic justice.

Submitted by Member #420

THE 2011 NEIGHBOURHOOD SMALL GRANTS ARE BACK

The opportunity to make your neighbourhood into your dream begins .....

For the 7th year, the "NEIGI IBOURHOOD SMALL GRANTS PROGRAM" returns to the Downrown Eastside and Strathcona!

runded by a grant from the Vancouver 1-oundation, this program offers up to $500.00 to individuals or groups of nt!ighbours who do small projects to en­hance their neighbourhoods. Residents can plant a

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neighbourhood garden. host block parties. organize community BBQs, children's festivals, youth outings -the ideas are limited only to your imagination. Visit our website at '' W\\o.neighbourhoodsmallgrants.ca to apply.

Application forms are also available at:

Carnegie Community Centre, 40 I Main Street. Ray-Cam Co-operative Centre, 920 East llastings or Strathcona Communi tv Cenrre, 60 I Keefer.

For more info: roberla.nsgp@gmail.com Application deadline: Friday, April 15, 2011

B84 East Hastlillls - http://lllllf'l&cabolb.nel

DAVID HUGILL WILL BE PRESENTING HIS BOOK MISSING WOMEN, MISSING NEWS

On April lOth at 5 pm. David Hugill (York Univer­sity, Toronto) will be presenting and discussing his book Missing Women, Missing News in Spartacus Books (684 East Hastings). The book is focused on poor media coverage of the arrest and trial of Robert Pickton, the man charged with murdering 26 street­level sex workers from the Downtown Eastside. Everybody is welcome. Free.

SPARTACUS BOOKS IS HAVING A PARTY!

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On April 30th- all the day long- Spartacus Books will host a feast celebrating our space, neighbours, volunteers and supporters. The feast will include food, book sales, music, readings, workshops, com­munity building and general merriment. We are look­ing for people playing various musical instruments who would like to provide us with some tunes as well as for authors of poetry. prose, manifestos who'd like to read their stuff in public. If you want to actively

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~--------------------------~

Council Chambers Experience at The Height Review

I am writing this letter in response to an experience 1 recently had at a public hearing for the height review of the Downtown Eastside's Chinatown district.

Let me first express that I do not condone racism of any kind nor do 1 have a racist bone in my body. The following is an account of my experience. On the night of the hearing. I arrived to take my

place inside the chambers. I was on the list to speak. \Vhen I arrived at the door of the chambers, we were told that the doors do not open unti l 7 p.m A group of us were talking and decided to go back at 6:50 to stand in line to get in. Imagine our surprise when 1 turned the handle to open the door and it was open. Not only was the door open. but the chambers were full, on both levels, with Chinese people who had red !-shirts on with a slogan " I support the towers··.

Chaos ensued as community reps talked to the secu­rity company who had no idea how the people got in, and talked to city reps who had the same response. No-one seemed to know hO\\ it took place and no­one wanted to take responsibility to address it. As the protestors began to enter the chamber lobby,

the climate became very volatile. There were people in wheelchairs that could not get in, there were elders ~ ith walkers who could not get in and still no-one would take responsibility. Solutions were offered and denied. One section was completely full with representatives of a Chinese Youth Group. While one of our repre­sentatives was speaking to them asking to at least give the elders and some of the more sickly people a seaL a well-suited Chinese man came in waving a finger saying ... "you're not moving ... you're not moving" The chambers were volatile at the least and explosh·e at the worst Finally, one row of youth was convinced to give up their seats. And this is what this letter is about I was seated in front of a young Chinese woman who was on crutches and very nushed. I turned around and held her hand and suggested that she take some deep breaths. At that moment, I saw a blur out of the corner of my eye and a young Chinese boy reached

over the girl and hit me. I was in shock and sat back down. I went to a woman named Penny ... don't kno~ her last name .. and told her what had happened and she just looked at me and said \~e have to stan the meeting, another said take the higher ground and another from our group said don ' t make a fuss. ~hat????? Am I missing something here?

Fmally council came in and \\hen the youth got up to speak, I stood up and said that one of them hit me and Mayor Robertson said "You are out of order .. it is not your turn to speak." I tried to sta) but after the shock wore off 1 crumbled. My history of abuse came back rearing its ugly head and I Jell. I also knew that at that point my anger would not allow me to be rational and I shouldn't speak to anyone ... I' m learning ... smiles.

I am told that the young man apologized after 1 left and I am glad for him that his heart moved him to do so. My concern however, is why it happened in the first place. My heart breaks for this young man who fe lt that he

had to hit a 65 year-old woman to be effective. My heart breaks for U1e people on both sides whose

sincere efforts to have their voices heard were lost in t~e c.haos caused by cenain people who felt that they d•dn t have to comply with regulations in order to make their point. . But most of all, m) heart breaks. that a public hear­mg turned into a racial issue where racial slurs were made ... on both sides ..... entrenching that dangerous ism unnecessarily. Someone said, I believe it was Penny, that this was a

public hearing and so there was nothing she could do about the situation.

I. find tha~ to be an "cas) wa) out response·• Surely, tillS counc1l and the staff that take care of the affairs that take place at city hall have some awarene~s and should be prepared to address any situation.

It 's thei r job to be prepared, to manage and address issues that arise ... even if they don't want to or don't feel that it is imponant enough. They are hired b) the people of this city to do a job and sometimes it en­compasses more then what is in the job description ... however_, th~ greater good and well-being of the peo­ple of th1s c1ty, and that mean 's all of the people, is the underlying mandate. The fact that I was assaulted in the City Council's

chambers is shocking. The fact the no-one would

address it is appalling: 1 have some work to do with acceptance and non­

attitude and it will take a whi le but I am fine and I

pray for them. In peace,

Dalannah Gail Bowen

The Songs Of Mahalia Jackson

are very exc1 about thts this great gospel s inger featuring the wonderfu l vee­group The Sojourners and myself ... a dream of · T ickets are $25 for genera l seating.

We hope that you will join us to celebrate our work and our community with an evening of soul-stirring music. The des ignated charities are the Community Arts Council of Vancouver and the Downtown East­side Centre for the Arts.

VOLUNTEER COMMITTEE MEETING Wednesday, April 6, I pm Classroom II All Voluntecr·s Welcome! Your voice is needed and appreciated. Special Merit Awards will be chosen at this meeting. Volunteers of the Month:

Gary Mah, Lane Level receptionist and just an all aroun4 great guy

Barb Lehan. Learning Centre T utor.

VOLUNTEER RECOGNITON WEEK APR IL lOth 16TH, 2011 This week is an op­portunity for ALL volunteers to be applauded for their man) contributions and positive affects you have on our Community! The Nomination Box for the Volunteer of the Year has been discontinued . It was never meant to be used as a voting procedure but simply as nomination suggestions. The Volunteer Comminee along" ith the staff de­cided it was best to put an end to this needless confusion. Thank you for your past participation VOLUNTEER RECOGNITION WEEK Sunday April II th to Sa turday Apl"ill7, 2010 A sincere thank you to ALL volunteers for your contributions and the positive effects you have on our community. Let's all celebrate together this nr ~t week through joining in on whatever event suits your fancy. There is something going on every day of the week! Volunteer Dinner- Mid Recognition Week Wednesday, April 13,4:30 in the Carnegie Theatre Volunteer Recognition Party and Awards Cele­bration Friday, April IS, 4PM Carnegie Theatre Every year, there is a Volunteer of the Year selected .. TI1is person is selected because he or she has met a high standard of performance consistently during the year. It is always a very tough decision because there are so many volunteers deserving of recogni­tion. At this Celebration the Volunteer of the Year will be announced for the first time plus the four other volunteers for special merit recognition. Awards will be presented to the Volunteer of the Year and 4 Special Merits. This party is for YOU -IT WON 'T BE ANY FUN WITIIOUT YOU ... food, entertainment, your favourite Tshirt of the year, door prizes, hilarity and more. Please pick up your ticket from the Volunteer Program Office. 7prn - lOprn LIVE BAND DA 'CE! 'THE GHOSTRID ERS' a fun band to dance to! "No one has it coming! That's why no one sees is coming!

Unions don't cause the problems they're blamed for

By John Moore

There's blood in the water for the labour movement and the political sharks are circling. ' In Wisconsin the Governor has stripped public work­ers of the right to collective bargaining. Tellingly, he exempted those unions that supported him during the election. The rhetoric south of the border has reached such a peak that one deputy attorney general floated the idea of using live ammunition on protesters. "You're damn right I advocate deadly force." he frothed.

In Canada the mood is less lethal but an anti-union wind is blowing. The city of Toronto has petitioned to remove the right to strike from transit workers. The measure ignores the fact that the union has walked out a grand total of75 days since 1921, but newly elected Mayor Rob Ford says this is only the start when it comes to laying down the law to city employees.

Free market cultists rejoice in these developments. They've waited decades for the right circumstances to marshal their forces against organized labour. Now they make the case that our economic troubles stem not from bad fiscal policy or the chicanery of the financial sector, it's the average working man who is to blame.

They complain that unionized workers make more than their non-unionized colleagues, which is a bit like being astonished that pasteurized milk has less bacteria than the raw stuff. In a column entitled "Why the Public Sector is 1/ang­ing on For All It's Worth" (March 6), Terence Cor­coran crows that Canada's private-sector workers don't want unions,pointing out that organizing efforts at Walmart and Toyota have failed. l-Ie omits that Walmart shuttered a profitable Quebec outlet as a means of staving off a pro-union vote, while Toyota workers coast on the wages and benefits hard won by theCA W at the Big Three.

Corcoran and others may present more persuasive arguments when it comes to public sector workers except that as Kelly McParland has pointed out in "Unions and Government, a llappy Marriage that Benefits Both" (March 2), the packages politicians decry as overly generous were eagerly dispensed by their own vote-hungry hands.

Governments at ail levels claim the larder is bare, forgetting always that they themselves emptied_ it with ill-considered tax cuts and wasteful spendmg. Wisconsin was actually in surplus when its union­bashing governor carne to power in January 2~ II , . but Scott Walker gave 11 7% of it away to bus mess m the form of tax cuts. In other cases governments

looted the very same pension plans they now say cannot be sustained. There was a time where lifting up the collective stan­dard of living was a shared and worthy endeavour. Men and women did a day's labour in a safe working environment and enjoyed protection from the capri­ciousness of their supervisors. In return they earned enough to buy a home, a car, raise a family, take a vacation and enjoy a few years retirement before they died.

But as more and more people slip into economic hardship the new attitude is "if I'm going to barely scrape by why should anyone have it better?" This collective foul mood is manna to grandstanding poli­ticians and indignant businesspeople who have al­ways regarded unions as a type of shakedown opera­tion. Never mind that according to CAW records 98% of collective agreements are concluded without a strike. Critics claim that unions have outlived their mandate. Children no longer toil in factories and seamstresses aren't burned alive in firetraps. But the union move­ment didn't just seek to li ft people above the status of interchangeable and disposable mules; the intention has always been to use collective power to obtain a

portion of wealth that represents the genuine value of labour. Unions and the working man didn't create the finan­

cial meltdown. They didn't invent and market worth­less financial instruments. They didn't swindle pen­sion funds or blow up the housing market. They did­n't hack away at revenues to a point where govern­ment can no longer supply basic services. In short, unions didn't create the dire economic circumstances now being used to justify a wholesale attack on their very existence. Let elected officials surrender their pensions. Perhaps it's the spoiled brats of Wall Street - whose six figure bonuses have been paid from government funds -who need to wake up to the new economic reality.

The upside to the anti-union endgame is that it may lead to a resurgence of labour solidarity. The sharks may be circling, but they will always be outnum bered by the fish.

John Moore can be heard at NewstalklOJO.conL (This was in the National Post(!), usually a bastion of such luminous lunatics as the Fraser Institute and, in the east, the C. D. Howe Institute. Thanks to Gene McGuckin for keeping up-to-date on Wisconsin.)

P >< ~ ~ever doubt that a small group ofd10ughtful

Ca r·n· eg·l e commined citizms can change the \Yor.:Qlarln_"~~:d.',Ieitadi<~ the only thing that ever has.~ _, ~~"' _, .,

NEWSLETTER "'.,. ........ :· .··n.· '------------=--- __.

THI S NEWSLEITER I S A PU BLICATION OF THE CA RN EGIE COMMUN ITY CENTRE ASSOC IATION

Artic les represem the views of individual contributors and not of t he Association.

WANTED Artwork for the Carnegie newsletter

• Small illustrations to accompany articles an d poetry

• Cover art -lv1ax size: 17cm(6 %")wide x 15cm(6")high • Subject matter peft?ining to issues relevant to the • Downtown Eastside 'but all work considered

• Black & While pnnbng only

• Size restrictions apply ~.e . If your piece is too large .

• it will be reduced and/or cropped to fit) • PJI artists will receiVe credit for their work

• Origi1als will be returned to the artist after being copied for publication.

• Remuneration : Carnegie Volunteer Tickets Please make submissions to Paul Taylor, Editor.

GET CLEAN! Shower up at the Lon:l's Rain

327 Carra! I Street Gust off Pigeon Park) HOT SHOWERS

(towels soap. shampoo. the works! & coffee) Monday llam-3pm; Tuesday 6:30-9am

Wednesday 6:30-9am; Thur Sa m- 12 LADIES ONLY! Friday ll a m-3pm; Saturday 6-30-IOam

lei on parte Francais Hablamos Espano/

Only those that risk going too far can possibly find out how far we can go. - T .S. Eliot

Rolf Auer www.clearpolitics .wordpress.com (Click About) rolfauer@yahoo . ca

Next Issue: SUBMISSION DEADLINE

TUESDAY, APRIL 12TH '

2011 DONA TlO NS: Libby D.-$50, Margaret D.-$50 Rolf A-$50, Bria n H-SIOO, CEEDS $100, Barry M-$150 X -$52, , Sava nnah wrrerry H.-S 100 Vancouver Moving Theatre -$ 15(1 Barbara M.-$ 100, Leslie S.-$50, Wilhelmina -$ 15

www.carnnews.org http ://carnegie. vcn. be. cal newsletter h ttp://ha rveslo rs.sf u .cal ch od a rr

Jenny Wai Ching Kwan MLA WORKING FOR You 1

1070-1641 Commercia l Dr. VSL 3Y3 1

Phone · 604-773-0790 1

Soldec e--Scaa 247M...mStt­

Coflee&T,;a.l.:...cl Boob Cutious At::l;oRecctcl.ius•

An Open Letter to R.B. You may be wondering what's on my mind. Most of the time I can' t tell, often in a quandary because I like to keep it secret and that' s no lie. No particular reason, just part of living life on the fly. Oh yeah, I too love to play tricks: keeping up my sleeve some­what like sleight of hand -Qn the up and up-to catch people unsuspecting off hand or unawares .. although with a tightknit bunch of friends (kindred spirits and the li ke) their wishes are my commands if they are ever in a bind. I' m also old-fashioned straight-laced at times antique I might add so to speak however somewhat contrite ­a quirk of nature -there's no doubt about it of this I'm sure which is a very odd attribute do you not concur? I love to live life in the past, that's where I most feel at home. Does this conundrum confuse you, are you mystified or distressed? Is my predicament so unique and so strange .. no, I feel good I confess; I couldn't care less what other nether worlds have to offer that's loftier. I often dream about medieval knights amidst large oaken roundtables & a young fair-haired maiden well-adorned in a snowy si lk gown coloured with an array of fresh-cut flowers ... is escaping reality really such a futile yet erudite exercise of false manoeveurs not so much but I've a desolate yet determined heart on a reputable lark, what else can I say to convince you of this state of being true to myself with no fake faulty logic A long time ago back when my rapidly beating heart was torn asunder with a higher emphasised stress off you: promise to repeat this tome to no one living for the rest of your li fe! Because you are the only person I have ever really truly trusted in d whole wide world even in the days of olde .. that is when the actual ex­isting and occurring really is real if truth must be told

ROBYN LIVINGSTONE

The Meaning of life

We're all in the same boat Sailing thru the Universe Blindly searching For a safe way home

Garry Gust

Yesterday's come Yesterday's gone

I look for you, look for me I'm hitchhiking down the road You pass me by and I say hi which way should I go? I'm not gonna say why The old eight mile is coming to an end. You' ll always be my friend always to the end Though it cmes to an end I' ll always be there eight mi les comes to an end seven six five four three two one you' ll always be, always be, my number one

AJ

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%. Shit! Social Action Saving Lives '1L.::;.:::;~

Susan Boyd, Donald MacPherson and Bud Osborn will discuss their book Raise Shit! Social Action Sav­ing Lives, which explores the community activism in the Downtown Eastside that led to the opening of North America's first safe, supervised injection site.

Wednesday, Aprill3'\ 7:00 pm Alma VanDusen Room, Lower Level Ceutrnl Library, 350 West Georgia

Anger is the seed of evil Self importance allows a man to get so mad anything evil is possible feeling slighted, bel ittled, can make even a mellow man lash out in rage sometimes the consequences are all out of whack with what really went down our rage, our fee ling of self importance unleashes the angry Devil in us all How many murders come out of rage? How much grief is the result of one moment of misplaced rage, how much pain comes from one moment of uncontrolled anger is the seed of evil

AI

fireball the fireball again middle of the night I'll get up ifl smell smoke

r.bear

Time

Time is essential Bringing yourself to admit you have to pull your socks u

Teach oneself to be smart Think green, at all times Do your part.

To help Mother Earth Recycle everything It doesn't take a lot To keep this land beautiful

is to do your part

Take time out to be a green machine Mother Earth will thank you

A II my relations, Bonnie E Stevenx

Disengaging History or

Piddley-Ass Shit In high school, I remember knowing what the stricter penalties for drug dealing and more cops

important questions were, and I remember asking arresting more people, while at the same time them, though they were never answered so much admitting thB1 more cops and more arrests are ac-as negotiated or skirted. During that time, there complishing nothing, saying that simple things was famine in Pakistan, among other places, l re- Like an ann-conversion by-law are controversial cal~ and some people at the school took to calling while going against all the experts and the police me "Pak-pak-pakiiiiiiieeeeeee," since my com- themselves in insisting, like the nco-fascist shop-plexjon was somewhat dark and my hair long and keepers and shopkeeper-like institutions (the archi-my activities, my reading and pseudo- tectural ignorance institute on hastings) that addic-phitosophizing. suspect, and because I ~ly tion is a moral issue. What about zero tolerance talked about famine. The most important question for white collar crime down on Howe St., or zero was how to challenge the murderous, destructive, tolerance for theivery, intimidation and abuse by arrogant, lying and cheating people and groups hotel owners? The city is silly to listen to the that ran everything, people and groups responsible trendy shop owners, who are quite possibly tbe for, tor instance, famine and war and medical ar- most ignorant people alive, believing they have rogance/stupidity (thalidomide, insulin shock ther- their fingers on the pulse of the new, but acting out apy e.g.), for poverty and fascism and the anti- the whole gamut of recieved ideas and expecta· educational slave training. brain-killing institu· tions, practising what they think is new and cool, tionali.zation that passes for an educational system, but which is just commercialization of anything for the piddley-ass shit that teachers and academ- and everything. ics, following the lead of corporate hooligan trai- Dan Feeney tor scum that run the show, business class trash that benefit from famin.e and war and medical stupidity, claim is all important and significant and is all there is to society, telling us that such pid­dley-ass shit constitutes contribution to society, when in fact their piddley-ass shit only contributes to the corporate exploitation and destruction of everything. The same mentality will justify the deaths of hundreds and thousands, even millions of people on the basis ot: for instance, who fired the first shot. Much of history, for example, as it is taught is piddley-ass shit history, a history thl\1 disengages itself, as in Camus' The Fall where it is always just a blltoo late, that is, the damage has. been done, and nothing now can be done about it. Whereas we can always do something about it, right now, but would rather not get involved in such an immediate and difficult undertaking.

The city thinks it can get away with piddley­a.t~ shit in the downtown eastside, talking about

PACIFIC BLUEGRASS & Heritage Society

A variety of bands playing Bluegrass, Folk and Country Music!

Wednesday, April13, 7 -10pm Carnegie Theatre

As a part of Arts and Culture week, join Community Arts Council of Vancouver and Sharon Kallis in weaving a new structure for the CRAB park pond. The old ivy boat is slowly sinking ... it is time to work together and weave a new structure that can conti nue to act as a bird perch and protective shelter for ducks and ducklings. Working on a woven branch frame, community of all ages can assist weaving spirals of ivy to create a web-like structure for the centre of the pond. Meet under the CRAB Park Pavilion.

Weave the New CRAB Park Canoe!