MARCH 15, 2010

604-665·2289 camnews@shaw .ca www.carnnews.org http://harvesters.sfu.ca/chodarr (INDEX)

CHRONICLES OF THE

OLYMPIC TENT VILLAGE

CHRONICLES

OF

THE

OLYMPIC

TENT

VILLAGE by Harsha Walia

[Written with the memories of Laurie P. in the minds and hearts of many of us at the O lympic Tent Village­Laurie was an active member of the DTES Power of Women Group, a long time member of the Downtown Eastside Women Centre and a deeply loved community member in the DTES. Despite being tenninally ill, Laurie sat around the fire many evenings at Tent Vil­lage. Laurie passed away on Feb 24, 20 I 0]

This started out as an attempt to update you all about the important developments that have transpired over the past 48-72 hours at the Tent Village. However it is impossible for one person or even a group of people to provide you with a complete picture of what has taken place, what wi ll take place. or how we have arrived here together. So instead, this is a (hasty) letter of sorts; an attempt to document and share with you the birthing of the Village over the past two weeks, with those criti­cal updates buried somewhere in there.

On Feb 15,2010 the Olympic Tent Village was set up at 58 Westllastings, a site that became an obvious choice for a Tent City when planning for it began in Jan 20 I 0. The site is on an Olympic corridor and thus has high visibility. It is also in the core of the Down­town Eastside and therefore easier for DTES residents to access. Importantly, the empty lot is owned by noto­rious condo developer Concord Pacific, currently being leased by VANOC as a parking lot for the Olympics. Concord Pacific is Canada's largest developer and in 2008 Concord's proposed "Greenwich" project for the lot was a seven storey condominium building. In 2008, a sustained DTES community campaign - which in­cluded community forums, rallies, delegations to City Hall and action5 at Concord Pacific's Sales Centre­forc~d the stall ing of the Project. The slogan that de-

veloped around Concord Pacific was "Stop Concord Pacific's ' Discovery' of the Downtown Eastside", drawing parallels between the processes of colonization and urban gentrification, both of which disproportion­ately affect and displace Indigenous people. The lot has since then largely sat empty over the past two years.

The year 2008 onwards saw ongoing organizing against the broader 'condo tsunami' as over 1500 mar­ket housing - primarily condos - were being built and proposed in and around the DTES. Meanwhi le over 1600 units of low-income housing have been lost in the DTES due to closures, rent increases fuelled by Olym­pic-related real estate speculation, and s low conver­sions including for tourist use. According to the City's own reports, market housing is currently being built at a rate of 3 units to every I unit of social housing in the DTES. A demand developed in a series of DTES com­muni ty meetings: " We demand no displacement, no evictions, and a moratorium on condo development." On Feb 15 20 I 0, the 58 West Hastings site was secured during a rally No More Empty Talk, No More Empty Lots: Homes Now! attended by hundreds ofDTES residents and supporters. Since the Olympic bid, home­lessness has nearly tripled in the Greater Vancouver Regional District, while reat estate and condominium development in the Downtown Eastside is outpacing social housing. Meanwhile, a heightened police pres­ence has further criminalized those living in extreme material poverty in the poorest postal code in Canada. The rally and tent city were originally envisioned and organized by the Downtown Eastside Power of Women Group, Streams of Justice, and Vancouver Action in close collaboration with other DTES-resident groups and with the endorsement of over I 00 organizations. The Tent Village focused on three initial demands: I. Real action to end homelessness now; 2. End condo development and displacement in the Downtown East­side; and 3. End discriminatory ticketing, police har­assment, and all fonns of criminalization of poverty.

Based on a call for supporters to defend the site for the first 24-72 hours, the first night brought out hun­dreds, including DTES residents and homeless people. Over 80 tents - supplied with tarps, sleeping bags and blankets - propped up within a few hours. Dozens of banners and flags adorned the chain! ink fences, a sa­cred fi re with sweetgrass and sage was lit by Indige­nous Elders, Food Not Bombs prepared our first of dozens of meals under the kitchen tent, Solidarity Notes Labour Choir shared uplifting songs of res is-

I .

tance, the Carnival Band drummed alongside Indige­nous warriors, a medic tent emerged stocked with sup­plies including herbal teas and natural remedies, legal observers lined the perimeter, and a dedicated team of security (including many of out-of-town a ll ies here for the anti-Oiympics convergence) started preparing to protect the site overnight from law enforcement and other unwelcome trespassers. Later in the evening, the Stopwar.ca anti-militarization march ended at Tent Village, bringing solidarity from hundreds of anti-war activists. Under pouring rain and heavy police surveil­lance, the inaugural evening also featured a "Reading Resistance" event with Brad Cran, Vancouver's 2009-20 II Poet Laureate who refused an invitation to par­ticipate in the Cultural O lympiad, along with poets Mercedes Eng, Maxine Gadd, Cynthia Oka, and Doro­thy Trujillo Lusk.

A press conference, highlighting the powerful voices of DTES residents and homeless residents of Tent Vil­lage, took place the following morning of Feb 16 20 I 0. Since then, the Village has truly taken on its name and developed as a critical space of genuine community resistance. Every day and every evening two fires gather dozens of peoples to share stories, food, poetry, song, and conversation. In addition to residents of Tent Village, hundreds ofDTES residents drop in for food, for a sanctuary from the street and into a space that is welcoming and free of unnecessary institutional rules and regulations. DTES residents and supporters alike seem to seamlessly and organically take shifts prepar­ing and serving food, doing dishes, cleaning up the site,

doing security, and lending an ear and mediating con flict as needed ~

The Tent Village is deeply decentralized, no one p~ son is really in an overall leadership position or unde stands the totality of the functioning of the Village. While this may seem disorganized and a weakness to some, this structure has really allowed the Village to flourish as individuals step-in and take responsibility for areas and undertake tasks they feel they are most capable for. Decisions that many of us, as original o r­ganizers, had made were quickly debated in a series< meetings involving the participation of all those in­volved in Tent Village in any way. As an example, 01

media policy was quickly altered from the Vi llage be ing open to media to no cameras being allowed on-sit as concerns about privacy arose within the fi rst 24 hours. A sophisticated media protocol has developed since and is posted on the fron t gate. Plans to remain on-site were also extended to at least the end of the Olympic Games. Community agreements, under the leadership of DTES Elders and DTES Power to Women group, were drafted. These include: respect f all Tent City residents, no discrimination, a drug and alcohol free s ite though those who are under the inf1u ence are welcomed without judgement, no violence against other residents, and prioritizing decision­making by DTES residents, those who are homeless, and DTES Elders. Autonomous committees have sprung up including organizing skill shares, a building crew, gardening committee, recycling and Green committee, and a

committee to work on a newsletter entitled ·1 ent V 11-lage Voice. Just in the past two weeks, two issues of Tent Village Voice have been released to bring forward the stories of Village residents; dozens of structures have been constructed to protect residents from the rain and provide a more comfortable living environment; a garden has sprouted at the entrance; and a series of workshops including guerrilla art, improv theatre, bike bui lding, and knitting have taken place. Several groups and individuals have taken the initiative to organize evening concerts.

I do not mean to romanticize the Tent Village; indeed there has been tension and conflict and disagreement from everything about the role of security to where the fires should be located to what to do when there is a violation of the Community Agreements. However these are natu ral and expected. What is unique is the process of dialogue, decision-making, and resolution in light of having no hard-and-fast rules, being flexible and sensitive to people's lived experiences, and collec­tively relying on the good faith and judgement of each other. All this has facilitated a sense of ownership, enti­tlement, and commitment to the space and those within it as something beyond yet another service or tempo­rary shelter in the neighbourhood. It is an affirmation of community, offering the possibility of what it means to live together in a self-determined space beyond the immediate bounds of the government and the police. It has been deemed 'paradise' and a place where ' real freedom lives' by DTES residents of the Village. This is critical, because although our demands as an anti­poverty and housing rights movements tends to focus on having basic needs meet via the welfare-state, we must simultaneously strive to create alternatives to this system and understand that real justice will not from those who are responsible for marginalizing us in the first place. Much more than mere symbolism, the Olympic Tent

Village is a serious blow to the rhetoric of housing, human rights, and compassion that all levels of gov­ernment have been touting, especially during the Olympics. Despite being an 'illegal' squat, it forces a challenge to the state and our society: on notions of land and property ownership; on legality versus moral­ity; on broken promises and having false expectations of our governments; on acceptable and unacceptable forms of protest; on why a police-free zone draws hun­dreds ofDTES residents; and how even a glimmer of freedom and autonomy might turn people to choose

living rather than surviving and to fight for justice rather than beg for charity. All these appear to have placed the authorities in the position of not sh~tting the site down forcibly and instead maintaining a s1lence on the Olympic Tent Village; indeed what greater embar­rassment for Vancouver and Canada during the Olym­pic Games than - under the gaze of the international media- removing a group of homeless people from an empty lot in the one of the poorest neighbourhoods in the country.

Despite government silence and inaction on the three Tent Village demands, over the past week a more spe­cific and concrete demand was added, calling on the municipal and provincial government as well as BC Housing to immediately provide housing to occupants of the Tent Village who are homeless, under-housed, and precariously housed. At a community meeting, it was decided that the Tent Village would continue at least until the government took action to house the homeless residents of the Village. Over the week, sev­eral of us did intake and signed up approximately 50 homeless residents of Tent Village who had decided it was time to put the pressure on for BC Housing to pro­vide them with safe and affordable homes.

A campaign was launched by Vancouver Action call­ing on supporters to write in to the Mayor, City Coun­cillors as well as the BC Ministry ofl-lousing and So­cial Development and BC Housing to demand immedi­ate action. Hundreds of letters were sent in, forcing a response from municipal and provincial offi.cials. Pre~ dictably, the letters received from several C1ty Council­lors as well as BC Housing attempted to shift the blame on Tent Village organizers, stating that we had denied access to BC Housing and City staff on several occa­sions. It is unclear what we might have done had that actually been the case, but the reality was that no offi­cial housing workers ever came to the site. The one exception was that the Vancouver Police Department sent their "Homeless Liaison", escorted by two uni­formed police officers, who were promptly asked to leave the site, as per everyone's desire to ensure that

site was police-free. In add ition, two press conferences, which included

supporters from Carnegie Community Action Project, Impact on Communities Coalition, and Pivot Legal Society, drew mainstream media attention. A Tent- In at BC Housing was staged by Tent Village supporters including representatives from Ci tywide Housing Coa­lition and Vancouver Status of Women to increase the pressure to immediately house the 50 individuals.

As a direct result of the grassroots campaign and the popular support for the Tent Village amongst incredi­bly diverse communities and social justice groups, over 40 homeless Tent Village residents have now been housed in BC Housing units across the Lower Mainland while others have chosen to return home to their com­munities. This group includes everyone at the Tent Vil­lage who signed up for B.C Housing and who we could track down over the week. Originally offered mere shelter spaces, the group of homeless people worked with Tent City advocates to ensure that all were appro­priately housed based on their specific needs, prefer­ences and circumstances, not ware housed in shellers or unliveable single room occupancies.

In the coming days, it is likely that the mainstream media wi ll parrot the government line about how much the government cares about the homeless and how BC Housing has graciously provided people with homes. In light of this, it is imperative to reiterate that these homes- especially apartments not SRO's - had to be forced out of BC I lousing. It also makes obvious how the government absolutely has the resources- includ­ing housing units, though certainly not enough for all the homeless in Vancouver- available, it is j ust not their priority to house the homeless. In this case, gov­ernment officials were motivated not by good will or good intentions, but the g laring and stark visible re­minder of homelessness that the very existence of Olympic Tent Village represents amidst a $7 billion party for the rich.

While not a complete measure of justice as thousands are still homeless on the streets of Vancouver, as hun­dreds of thousands are forcibly displaced off their land

.I

or out of j obs into poverty and substandard housing, .­and many more try to survive through the death sen- ? tence of capitalism and colonization, this is still most definitely an important and concrete victory not only for those who now have these homes, but for al l of us. It reinforces the importance of political struggle and pro-active direct action, rather than passivity and reli­ance on the government. in the face on an unflinching bureaucratic system that perpetuates poverty, misery, corruption, and systemic oppression on a daily basis. It is unclear what the coming days bring as there are

growing concerns amongst many about capacity, sus­tainability, and resources; along with a desire to not have the site continue from a place of vulnerability rather than strength as many of the homeless residents leave for their new homes and the number of support­ers who are present slowly dwindles. Regardless of if, how, and when it ends, it is clear that the Olympic Tent Village has accomplished so much more than it set out to and has a fostered a very meaningful and uplifting sense of community along with a strong sense of politi­cal mobilization.

To the scores of DTES and homeless residents who have become family with the potent combination of constant bickering and unconditional acceptance and compassion; to the Elders keeping the flames of the sacred fires; to the DTES Power of Women Group who command not only mine but so many of ours' deepest respect; to all members of Streams of Justice, Vancou­ver Action, DTES Elders Counci l, Walk 4 Justice, No One Is Illegal, A W@ L, 20 I 0 Welcoming Committee, no20 I 0, and the many others who have held down at the Tent Village for more hours than not; to the tireless Food Not Bombs and everyone in the Kitchen Tent who are our foundation; to the phenomenal crew that redeems the word 'security' by serving the people and keeping the police out; to all anti-Olympic resisters; to all Indigenous defenders on the front- lines of land de­fense and anti-gentrification struggles; to all the allies in the DTES Justice for all Network; to the hundreds of endorsing groups and all others who have supported with generous donations; to all independent media es­pecially Vancouver Media Co-op; to all Legal Ob­server teams; to all the healing medics; to the hundreds of unnamed who have bui lt, sustained, fed, fue lled the Olympic Tent Vi llage and whose time and loving ef­forts have not gone unnoticed: you bridge fire and sky. You have an undeniable place in my heart and much solidaritv and strength in the long struggle ahead.

DRUM CIRCLES with Ron Stelting and Joseph Danz

'Radar' 'Pepe'

HUG YOUR INNER DRUMMER! COME OUT TO THESE DOWNTOWN EASTSIDE DRUM CIRCLES LED BY RON STEL TING AND HAVE A GREAT TIME PLAYING DRUMS WITH YOUR NEIGHBOURS AND SOME HOT PERCUSSIONISTS. No experience necessary! For all leve ls from beginner to advanced. Free. The two drum circles wi ll lead to a performance with local drummer Joseph ' Pepe · Dan at the Carnegie centre.

Drum Circle Friday Ma rch 26, 3pm Oppenheimer Park

Drum Circle Monday March 29, 2:00 Ca rnegie T hea tre

Performance F riday April 2, 7:30 Carn egie T hcatJ·c

This program is made possible by funding from the Face the World Foundation. Produced by Carnegie Community Centre with Vancouver Moving Theatre.

Margaret Prevost is Celebrated 1 am so very sad that Margaret has left us. This is hard to believe, that she is gone, and hard not to get mad about. I'm very glad for her, that she is in a peacefu_l painless place. It 's not that I think s~e was nec~ssanly ready to go, but I picture her light I lightened; liberated from pain and other heavy things. I send lovmg thoughts to her and to all of us who miss her. I' m sad for me, sad for us, for the hole in our lives she leaves behind. Among other qualities, Margaret was a role model fo r me, a good example of many things, includ­ing handling difficulty with grace. She is irreplaceable and I miss her very very much.

Juliet Pendray

Ma rgaret Prevost (1956-2010) Because of a car acc ident when she was eighteen

years old, Margaret lived with chronic pa in, but she refused - she absolutely refused - to allow that pain to define who she was. ! low did she find the s trength to live such an inspiring life? Partly, I think, from First Nations traditions that said meaningful work involved doing things so that the people. the family, the nation, might live- the beauty of working for the community and not j ust for oneself.

In Vancouver Margaret found the Four Sisters Co­op, the Carnegie Centre, and the First Nations commu­nity in the Downtown Eastside. She was a driving force behind the campaign to control the d istribution of rice wine, and she fought strongly for wheelchai r access to Crab Park. She was on the Carnegie Board for a long time, and was vice-president and president of the Board Also, she was on the Board of Vancouver Native Health, and a volunteer with the Community Policing Program. Margaret worked day and night so that the people might live, and she was awarded the Queen's Jubilee Medal for community service.

What is Margaret telling us? I think she is telling us that suffering is overcome by working with others to make things better. She lived through hard times and survived. She knew pain and reached out to others. That's soul. In the determination, courage and compas­sion of her life she showed what was best in our com­munity of the Downtown Eastside, the soul of Vancou­ver.

Rest easy, Margaret. The community will carry on the work to which you dedicated your life. Thank you for J:ghting the way.

Sandy Cameron

Statement by Jenny Wai Ching Kwan, MLA for Van­couver-MI. Pleasant in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, Afternoon Sitting, 3 March 201 0

Ma rgaret P revost , also known affectionately as Princess Margaret, passed away on February 6, 20 10 after a heart attack at the age of 53. A catastrophic car

accident left her paralyzed from the waist down when she was only 18. Unfazed by the setback, Margaret became a member of the Canadian National Wheel­chair Basketball Team, and in 1992 the team won gold at the Pan American Games.

Margaret, also known to her community as the mayor of the Downtown Eastside, was a tireless advocate for the people of the neighbourhood. She went from store to store telling store owners to remove rice wine from the ir shelves because it was killing people who were drinking it. She lobbied vigorously for wheelchair­accessible ramps to make the city more accessible. She served on the Vancouver Native Health Society board and volunteered at the community policing centre.

Margaret Prevost officially retired from the Carnegie community centre board of directors last year after serving on that board for 20 years, ten of which she was the president. The Carnegie Centre currently cele­brated its 30th anniversary. To this day, it's the busiest community centre in the city of Vancouver.

From housing to poverty to addiction to policing, Ma;J garet fought every battle on behalf of the community. She sat in rooms w ith politicians, bureaucrats, pol ice officers, community workers and the media. When she finished her say, it was impossible not to take her side.

She had the gift of bringing people together where divisions were everywhere. Margaret demonstrated that women in this community can be strong leaders. She mentored dozens of future leaders. Margaret was awarded the Queen's Jubi lee medal in recognition of her community service.

I had the pleasure of knowing Margaret for close to 20 years. 1 will miss her e-rnails raising issues that she's passionate about. 1 will miss her calls just to say hello. I will miss her great hugs. Thank you, Margaret ­Princess Margaret.

BASKETBALL LOW Louis Hurd - Basketball Coordinator

This is just starting and it's open to everyone! -giveaway of clothes & running shoes

-TOURNAMENTS!! -Good for exercise and a Great T ime!!!

Friday: : 't1to • ,, JO Saturday: 6 - 8 pm Sunday: 4- 6 pm

Margaret's contri butions were immeasurable. She was a steady hand and a rock during these turbulent times.

It all happens in the Gym at Carnegie

WtJere ]s T!Je Love

There is a display of this book and photographs in the Carnegie Art Gallery for the month of March.

WtJere ]s TtJe Love uses transcripts and piCtures

that document the firSt year Of the Carnegie CommunitY ACtion Project

and the CitYwide Housing Project

politiCal meetings proteSt marches and rallies

during our firSt year Of addressing the issue Of

homelessness

Zimmermann's Coffeehouse: FREE CONCERT with the

PAClFlC BAROQUE ORCHESTRA

The first installment in an ongoing series devoted to J.S.Bach's exciting programming at the famous Zim­mermann's Coffeehouse in Germany during the 1730s. Savour this music like a fine cup of coffee!

Friday March 19, 7:30pm -St. James Anglican Church, 303 E Cordova St.

FREE

Come up to the Carnegie Art Gallery through the month of March to view the Vancouver Park Board's "Remarkable Women" posters in hon· our of International Women's Day on March 8th.

The women selected for this year's posters are athletes from the 1920's to the present day, from

diverse backgrounds and abilities and representing different sports and levels of achievement.

Vancouver ... British Columbia ... March 1...

So hello Folks and the shouting an' the tumult hath died

-FOR A WHILE­a Ia prochaine; we seem to have survived those of us who wi ll survive anyhoo Ya' ll know what I be talk in' ' bout chillen? Them's what GOT GETS The rich get ri cher and the poor die ...

S'pose we do inherit the infrastructure Can we benefit here? I lave we learned any lessons? Are we better for it? Dites-moi pow·quoi Ia ville est belle

brer Wilhelmina - at the Front!

The Endless Ironies of Being Homeless

to occasionally have a roof doesn't mean you aren't as homeless as all the folks out there we just take turns living out of doors yet in the end we have no resting place no safe harbour to park yer ass in no refuge no safe place to hide the people who really need a place are too screwed up to even fill out the forms they end up under bridges babbling niceties to no one the people who are adept at playing games are snug in bed while the really sick shiver under a bridge if'n yer lucky in the rain them in a SRO you gotta put up with

neighbours who steal, endless beggars at yer door 4 the crazy people who, at J a.m., want Brillo yj r sane choose to camp and be free 'cause hotels are jails you pay fo r your rent guarantees a place in another cell block loony bin beyond that I know nothing years since I had a place with a bathroom and privacy oh precious privacy safety from them it's e ither the cops or the crazies always pounding on the door me I'm going camping can't take this living no more

V./..fi'J OF-~- Vt- £ t'

.l'tgeon rarK ~entences ©B.Basil

You should know that in the drug kingdom Rock cocaine holds a unique dishonou: It has never come to the service of an artist In the creation of a song, a book, or a building or anything II You quit doing coke because there were just too many people in your room. III You started doing coke because there was just one person in your room. IV You were an unsuccessful hermit; Your quiet had the gentleman in it v You almost know how much you cherish the downtown eastside as an incarnation of your lovely Shame. VI You are safer walking outside anywhere in the downtown eastside at any time of day than you are anywhere in any American city at any time. Same can't be said when you're inside though, in a room or on the stairs. VII You are terrified of the downtown eastside, Your vice-ridden wishes louder with each step toward Pigeon Park. vm In Pigeon Park your gyroscope pops right off its string. IX You talk about the downtown eastside the way you talk about God -

with reverence with righteousness

and with unwarranted certainty. X It's rude to convey your worries to the people you're worried about ... it' s hypocritical as well. XI You have a best friend but she's no longer alive. xn There's no one left for you to leave behind.

XIII Sham virtue pollutes your neighbourhood. XIV Pigeon Park is your dream den; it's no park. XV Your first friend in the downtown eastside had three names: The name she greeted new people with, the name she used with people while getting high and her real name, known in the 'hood only by the two or three people she tried to trust. XVI That person helping you has more resentments than a Palestinian. XVII Your stench sti ll ambushed you and didn' t leave with your socks. XVIII You get high not to find new sensations but to return to original sensations of safety and power and delight XIX You learn waiting by more waiting that's the nuance of Pigeon Park. XX Heroin & rock cocaine are daughters of your nostalgia XXI Heroin can finger love that finds no other technique XXII Rock cocaine promises more than it gives but it does give a really nifty experience there .. for a moment or two xxm Going to Pigeon Park for the first time was as thrill­ing as the first time you professed love to a friend, the first time you had sex, your first and last wedding XXIV Nothing that happened to you in Pigeon Park was as bad as what led you there in the first place; you took more out of Pigeon Park than it had taken out of you. XXV Next time you would bring your identical twin who could make art out of that venereal collapse and share your snacks. XXVI Twenty dollars would be ok; you can conreal your disgust. XXVII You' re just scared of the options the good ones have. XXVIII You would have been more of a menace had you not

enjoyed conversation most of all. XXIX You take on men and women, depending; depending on whether you want conversation before or after. XXX Violet ruled the dream den; Violet was the Princess of Pigeon Park. XXXI When you told Violet smoking rock cocaine made you lose your good judgment, she reminded you that you lost your good judgment the moment you came down here to smoke rock cocaine in the first place. XXXII Violet could give retroactive empathy and your own.

XXXIII Violet injected herself halfway, purring the rig containing the rest of her blood and heroin into the fridge for later, then she'd go out for cigarettes and ice cream, pointing out you need to be smart in Pigeon Park. XXXIV Violet gave you a notebook shaped like a Valentine &

insisted that all reverie be written, demanding that yu compose with plain openness, or at least quickly. XXXV The Princess of Pigeon Park had authority, good language, reason and no self-p ity, reminding you to pay attention. XXXVI The Princess of Pigeon Park saw, in the remainder of people, who they first were .. before they blinked hard. XXXVII The Princess of Pigeon Park woke up wantin' to fight and she asked you to stay and to go away. XXXVIII Violet never made you promise. XXXIX The downtown eastside appealed to you because you wanted to be part of a club. XL The club was the Lonely Club, strangers in any room, together, sharing their times of trusting no one, of having no friends, of losing the game. XLI The Lonely Club was the only club you belonged in, where you could witness and be recognized exactly right, totally high, afraid of fights.

XLII You need to return to your mind, the way it original!_ fe lt when it was curious and you were confident; tha: is to say you want to smoke crack again right now. XLIII For you love was its own aversion therapy. XLIV God hears three prayers of true complaint to recall h own great sinning: prayers from the evil, from the insane and those from the abandoned; you are not 0 ' XLV When middlers sell you bunk you're imperturbable, reluctant to jeopardize your enjoyment of Pigeon Pr XLVI You sang with wishes; you ran with your fright. XLVII No love deserves the death it gets; same can' t be said of the lover, or of you. XLVIII You wanted to die in the arms of the Princess of Pigeon Park, or at her hands; you need to be known at your end. XLIX Violet died first. L Stealing is your promise.

In the downtown eastside people are often called dea or found to be dec~.

they usually are; there are also mistake~.

I learned yesterday that Violet is not dead, whL , she asked me to tell yc

Violet's name was given to a woman who was stabbed death in a stairwell; Violet's police photograph w ~

circulated throughout the neighbourhoc.

I came back to Pigeon Park and was halfway through r first rock when there were about a dozen people right thE

in front of me seeing a gho•:. I told them to go aw<

Bless y .

he sits on the corner his eternal perch ti ll one day they kill him fe llow the other day died indeterminate internal injuries means someone killed him kicked him to death most likely heard that he gave away flowers 'round here they always git the good guy who dares defy de satanic gloom of the street that's what5 you get being another old bum

1 nere·s nu u••c acu. •v• JV .... ...... ·--

'1",;.._-:A ~ Y" ~ t?J."~ .r;t'- fi:Uy) ~-•.

Wo~·~·

Work in this ' hood means getting screwed the outcome's the same be it man or woman both leave you unfulfilled, craving more either it's cheap sex or bad dope either way you get screwed your pocket's lighter, your head more messed up than before when they ask you "you workin '?" you just smile say "well yes I am!"

what is it I can do for you? walk right this way

AI Kabong

Rebelliousness subdued Persona non grata. Do Not Disturb, Standing room ONLY. Sorry, suckers, completely sold out! Don't call us we' ll cal l you - yeah, right, like when hell freezes o~cr. Get the message?!? or do I have to paint you a p1~ture or maybe just spell it out for you: 'cause 1 don't thmk you can or will sec the writing on the wall... and maybe you could learn a lesson in Gratitude. Whatever it takes take a hike to ~here to the wrong tum to yesterdays where there lies no fun, regrets, and words you didn't just couldn't say. That hurts you now, having been given lots of deep profound thoughts although won't it be a bitter bother because you cannot rewrite the past. If you decide to take this trip you won't win, you' ll lose; no happy thoughts, all you' ll get is grief and some deep-felt blues :-So why not take the high road, that keeps going, ris­mg, on the up and up -- this sage advice is nothing new it's been around forever - it's a Forever Rule all tried & true but I can't imagine what in the world lies ahead for me? Questions with answers sometimes don't come cheap and pursuing dreams you can' t play it safe just got to take risky leaps yeah? If it's all about win or lose who's keeping score? The roads are many, the way is long and it comes down to who's weak 'n \\ ho is strong. Take your pick - it's only up to you to choose. And that's not trite this sage advice it 's been around since I don ' t know when· it 's been proven over and over, again and again. Wh~t 's the bottom line .. how would I know .. think it out all by your self then get movin' ... dust or get do~n from the shelf. Take out the trash. Start now, clean slate, no fuss, no muss, no tedious de­bates, square one, be cool, don't panic, relax, no redun­dance. I guess that's it from me to you. In the beginning don 't fret about gains or losses or what you may have accrued, just take it slow n' rachel down to a steady pace. There's no hul) to arrive at your extra special time and private space

ROBYN LIVINGSTONE

Consciousness Contains the Truth

My way has been described as that of the heart But it is not true. ' The heart will give you all kinds of imaginings, llallucinations. illusions. sweet dreams -But it cannot give you the truth. The truth is behind both; It is in your consciousness, Which is neither head nor heart Just because consciousness is separate from both It can use both in harmony. The head is dangerous in certain fields It has eyes but no legs- it is crippled. The heart can function in certain dimensions ­It has no eyes but it has legs - it is blind but it can move wi th great speed -Not knowing where it is going. Consciousness can manage very easi ly Because the head and the heart both belong to it.

Videha

In these Olympics, Canadians only paid attention to Canada

(Fort Worth/Dallas) Star-Telegram, 2/28/10 By GIL LeBRETON

VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- After a spirited torch relay ignited pride in every corner of the country. the O lympic Games began and quickly galvanized the nation. Flags were everywhere. The country's national symbol hung from windows and was worn on nearly everyone's clothing. Fervent crowds cheered every vic­tory by the host nation.

But enough about the 1936 Berlin Olympics. At the opening of these Olympic Winter Games more

than two weeks ago, Vancouver organizers expressed

0~ I the hope that they could show the world a truly "Cana- I At the Games' outset, Canada's obsession with finally dian Games." That they succeeded in that, there is little winning its first gold medal as a host nation was under-doubt. standable --quaint, almost.

For 17 days we were barraged with Canadian flags, But that story swiftly swept the luge tragedy off the rode buses and trains with people in sweatshirts and front pages. There were no follow-up stories about in-jerseys adorned with Canadian maple leafs, and were vestigations, memorials or retributions to the family. serenaded at venues by Canad ian spectators. lustily Kumaritashvi li himself was blamed for the fatal acci-cheering for Canadian athletes. dent. The luge competition went on. Some Canadian

The first Olympics I ever attended were in Canada, lugers even callously complained about the shortening the 1976 Summer Games in Montreal. For a kid not of the track. And so the tone fo r these Games was set. long out of college, it was a profound experience, see- It was Canada's party, and no dead luger, no critical ing Lasse Viren, Alberto Juantorena, Nadia Comaneci-- British tablo id and no visiting Americans were going to the athletes of the world-- on the sporting world's spoil it. That attitude is regrettable, because a good, if grandest stage. not especia lly memorable, Olympics followed.

One of the speakers at that Olympics used a phrase US skier Lindsey Vonn won her cherished gold medal that lingers with me still : the family of man. in the women's downhill, validating all the product en-

There is no earthly event that reinforces that notion as dorsements and cover shoots she will have between we ll as an Olympic Games. For all of the latter-day now and 20 14. Games' inherent commercialism, that ideal pers ists. I Evan Lysacek struck a blow for U.S. men's figure skat-truly be lieve that. It persists, despite the overwhelming ing, g iving legendary coach Frank Carroll an Olympic chauvinism of the past two weeks. champion for the first time.

They showed us Canadian Games, all right. And in Texas-based Olympians fared well, winning five med-most cases, nothing but Canadian Games. I'm not talk- als, which is as many as Finland, Japan and Italy. ing about TV coverage. I have no idea what Bob Co- Speedskater Chad Hedrick of Spring earned silver and stas and NBC were televising back in the States. bronze medals, Denton's Jordan Malone won a relay

But from the opening ceremony to Sunday's c losing, bronze in short track, and the Dallas Stars' Brenden from the tragic death of Georgian luger Nodar Kumari- Morrow (gold) and Jere Lehtinen (bronze) arc going taslwili to Sunday's gold-medal hockey game, on the home with hockey medals. streets of Vancouver and at the Olympic venues, on ly a But a lot happened that didn't make the front pages of token nod was given to the rest of the world's athletes. the Vancouver newspapers or find its way into theCa-l was as surprised as I was disappointed. nadian TV network's opening montage. Had the classic Canad ian inferiority complex finally Norway's Marit Bjoergcn won three gold medals, a decided to bite back? Or was this a dark consequence silver and a bronze in cross-country ski ing to become of the Own the Podium program? the ninth athlete to win five medals at a s ingle Winter

l • • •

Olympics. Skier Maria Riesch finished in the top 10 in all five

Alpine events. Her native country, Germany, won at least one medal on every day of this Winter Olympics.

American short track speedskater A polo Ohno won three medals. giving him eight and making him the most decorated U.S. Winter Olympian of all time. But that's nothing-- Norway's Ole Einar Bjoerndalen, at age 36, won two biathlon medals and now has I I.

Canada's rush to the victory stand over the Games' final week resulted in a Winter Olympics record for a single nation, 14 total. The U.S. hockey team can take solace that its sil ver-medal fin ish Sunday was the Americans' 37th medal. also a record for one nation. But for the most part, the most underappreciated soul these Olympics was an American or a European on the medals stand.

Yes, every host nation cheers lustily for its native Olympians. But never in my experience to the extent that we saw here, where the rest of the world's athletes were little more than drink coasters at the party.

South Korean Kim Yu-Na's dazzling gold-medal per­formance in women's figure skating, for example, was overwhelmed here by the attention given to Quebec's Joannie Rochette, whose mother tragically died. Chief organizer of the Games, John Furlong, men­

tioned Kumaritashvili briefly in his C losing Ceremony remarks. But the hosts' insensiti vity had long ago been duly noted.

At a news conference Saturday, for example, someo asked Ken Melamed, mayor of Whistler, where the luge run was located, if the vi llage planned some sort of memorial to the luger from Georgia.

Why, yes, the mayor said, "We have to find a way to I acknowledge Nodar ... and the Canadian athletes that .

have done well." See? They don't get it. The Vancouver Games' ticketing policy didn't help the partisan scene at the venues. To order Olympic tickets through the Vancouver 2010 Web site, a buyer had to have a Canadian address.

China sold 6.8 million tickets to its 2008 Summer Olympics. Vancouver only made 1.6 million available. The Canadians wanted to "Own the Podium*" but or­ganizers made sure that they owned the grandstands at each venue as well.

I'm sti ll mystified that Canada fans were able to grab what seemed to be 98 percent of the tickets at the hockey venue. Olympic crowds have always been more inclusive.

In his closing news conference Sunday. IOC president Jacques Rogge acknowledged that there were "teething pains" as the Vancouver Games began.

"There was an extraordinary embrace by the city of Vancouver." he said. "Something I've never seen be­fore." There was embracing. all right. but then Canadians

have always had the reputation for drinking a lot of beer. The loose marijuana laws only added to the nightly revelry in the downtown streets -- which, frankly, seemed to have little to do with the O lympics. Canada wanted to hold a party, and the Canadians did. The gold medals only seemed to fuel them.

Team Canada hockey jerseys became the uniform of the streets. Maple leafs were either hanging or on cloth­ing everywhere. One thing I never saw: a simple flag or shirt with the

five Olympic rings. Not anywhere. After 15 Olympics, that was a first.

I didn't attend the '36 Olympics, but I've seen the pic­tures. Swastikas everywhere. No political reference is meant, just an Olympic one.

What on earth were the Canadians thinking? An Olympic host is supposed to welcome the world.

This one was too busy being (their word) "patriotic." "Now you know us, eh?" chief organizer Furlong said. We thought we did two weeks ago. Now, I'm wonder­ing if Canadians can even recognize themselves. N ice party. But so was 1936. [*Own The Podium is not really a Canadian concept .. it sounds like the ideation drilled into American ath­letes to Win at all costs, and seen all the time as tele­vised hysteria. Gil's last paragraph is dead-on. Ed.)

READER RESPONSE to My Letter "Depressed About the 01) mpics"

I have a box of Kleenex that is half full, as I too cried during these Olympics- only my tears were mostly tears of joy and celebration, not depression.

I cried unexpectedly when the torch relay came along Mountain Highway and a group of school kids burst into "0 Canada." I also had tears in my eyes when figure skater Joannie Rochette lost her mother just days before she was to compete, then won a bronze medal in her honour.

Seeing the Canadian women's hockey team get their gold medals and the men's team game against the Rus­sians brought pride to Canad ians everywhere.

These 17 days have brought so much joy to so many. How can you possibly say that we should feel guilty for having them? The dollars you say are gone aren't really gone, they have merely changed hands and are just as available as they were before to help the less fortunate.

Our lives are full of reasons for tears- poverty, un­employment, natural disasters, racism- surely we can allow some tears fo r joy and celebration.

So I offer you my half full box of Kleenex, even though I expect you'll see it as half empty. GO CAN­ADA GO!

Ralph McLennan, North Vancouver

RESPONSE TO THAT: There' s a huge di ffe rence between being an optimist

and being an ostrich. I am confused by the statement that the dollars spent on the Olympics have only changed hands and are still as avai lable as ever to help the poor .. ?

lf this dear gentleman truly believes that Olympic pro~teers will spend their tax-sheltered dollars to set up soctal programs and affordable housing to reverse our raging epidemic of drug addiction and homelessness then either he knows someth ing that I don't. or he's ' salving his conscience with the same na'ive rhetoric that keeps getting Campbell re-elected.

As for a guarantee that any expected government revenue from the much-promised-but-yet-to-be-seen­post-Olympic-economic-boom will find its way to those people most in need, let me point out that the best predictor of future behavior is past behavior. And that is not glass-half-empty pessimism. It is realism.

Maureen Kerr, North Vancouver

~he Neighbourhood Smal.l .Grants Marc.h. 24 is World Tuberculosis Day. gtve up to $~00.00 to successful grant rectptents. ~ln. r~cogmtton of the growing concern over Tubercu-Would you h~e to make ~our community a better losts Ill Canada, UBC will be hosting a communi ty place? Websne www.ne tghbourhoodsmallgrants.ca. round table event at the First United Church on Tues-

,.day March 23 rd, 20 I 0 from I :30pm-3pm. ~eadline for.applications is March 31, 2010. Applica-s Four professionals, including a scientist, physician, lions are avat labl~ throughout the downtown eastside ' nurse a~d a c~mmunity member of the DTES will as well as Carnegte, RayCam and Strathcona (ask at lead a dtscusston open to public participation about front. desk) and.drop off the completed form at a com- Tub:rculos~s and the DTES. A lunch will be provided mumty centre listed above. by Ftrst Unned Church following the discussion.

COMPLAINT CAMPAI6.N As I watched in disbelief & wonder every vehicle

testing it's thunder "GOLD or DIE" was their war cry for better or much worse this is how I'll start this verse

open to interpretation -then investigation, more or less is the more that confess really for the best? Well, to many mythinformed, no one sticks their head out any more like a bulls hop in China it kind of reminds ya­Haiti*Chile & much further down the line you know this new generation wouldn't know Paul Henderson fro Florence Henderson suddenly I've gotten veryverycold.

I thought this must be what war sounds like at the be­ginning someone said being your own god isn't sinning then I saw it clearly on Page 9teen! Sorry Haiti there's another country needing earth's help & money it seems that in between pre & post circus parties there was an 8.8 magnitude party going on down in Chile sorry get in line we're sure we can get there in time maybe? like giving a buspass to a prison lifer now your good deal is out of the way as for those medals are you sure they aren't rentals one country's party is another's catastro­phe they now live their lives for delays, as for the peo­ple here we have all types some will help the others sell the hype so for now hope is on hold I sip my coffee & think they must be cold as charities are told where & when to operate be it battered wives-shattered lives less is good when the goal is to survive, now I forget what've ya got oh some out-of-prop01tional hell called an 'earthquake' fifth worst since I 900 .. this planet has earned the right to hate our guts day ' n night, asleep or awake, and in this corner Mother Nature! the other seems to have taken flight... When push comes to shove from below or above then

love pushes pain, it's charity time again, will anyone feel for the stickman in the rain? Another beaten still no retreatin' they must think air & water grow on trees, still with me - then Do I have your A TfENTlON!? not to mention atrocities so demented I'm thinking Page 19 - those without conscience full steam ahead (they'd really be better off dead) do you do children's parties you'd be a scream; just because you pay your tax you think St Minus will relax you are as stupid as you seem -like taking a trip on Taliban Airlines & why is the pilot wearing clothes made up of wires & fuses KABOOM.

Sorry Haiti & Chile you've company let's make some room .. these things I'll never understand - anyone who

By ROBERT McGILLIVRAY

Around me, beside me my neighbours, friends die

when enough have an awakening will come

appalled, with indignation those who count themselves civilized will say

"Surely we are better than this

We can not allow this to continue"

action will be taken something will be done

so that · the deep easy slumber of self-satisfaction may return

where outrage lies dormant

If we who can speak, will not

what will happen to those who can not

Matthew Matthew

is anybody now has an understudy (decoy)so the under-r---------------------taker can take a break even Mr Death sometimes can't DANCING YOUR EDGE understand. March 61

h and 201h, 3 - Spm in Carnegie's Gym

Under different indifference we could all have been Mar. 6 will be auditions for upcoming performances buddies, but Page 19? Underrated is the understatement (See dancingvouredge. wordpress.com) yet the banners read GO WORLD GO and by the look ._ __ :.;;;;;.i;iiiiii;;~ii;iii;ii:;iiiili;i~ii;iiiiii~--of things this new city is on the go, close-minded but

401 Mai-o S1n::t, V6A 2TI

TliiS NEWSLETTER IS A I'U8UCA110N OF 'TilE CARNEGE C<liDIUHJTY CENTRE ASSOCIATION

Mides ~the ... of individual ConlriMon and not of the Association.

WANTED Artworlt for the Carnegie Newsfetfer

Small illuslralions to aa:cmpany articles and poetry Cover art -Maximum size: 17an(6 Y.j wide x 15cm (6") high Subject m~ rele~ant to issues pertaining 1o the Oo>Mllown' Easlside, but aR w.n considered

• Black & While prinlilg only Size restridions wil ap~y (Le. if your piece is 1Do large, it will be reduced and/or cropped ID Iii;

• AD artists wi l"eC2iw aedit for lleir .n; • Originals wil be returned lo lhe artist after beino

copti!d 1bf putlti:afar, .

• Remt.neralion: Carnegie Vllluneer 1i1ie1s.

Carnegie Hiker's Haven- 2010

"Never doubt thata small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world. Indeed,

· it is the only thing that ever has."' -Margaret Meade

~ 112.-i Q;'i m-OP IIUlRtm

. Next issue is Thursday, April 15t.

~-~ Monday, March 29th.

:··· .. . .. .:--;~~ ... ~ ·.· ~. · .. · .. · .... ;...,..; .... -......... . • ··.· .- ~.· .- . ~-· .·· .· .-.... ,. ·.· : ... :~~ .. · We acknowledge that Carnegie Community Centre and

:: .. this _New~fetter, are occurring on Coast Salish Tenffory . . ~ . :;, ··~· .. ::::.-:: ..... :-.~. . . :,.· . . : · .. : :-: ·.· ~-: . : .. :,: ·. ,

Editor: PauiR Taylor; cover art by Paul StGermaine Collation & distribution crew: Bill, Lui Lin, Ke lly, Ada, Mary Ann, Miriam, Videha, Harold, Lisa, Robyn, Nick

2010 DONATIONS: Libby D.-$50 Margaret D-$4 Sarah E.-$46 Rolf A.-$50 Barbara & Mel L.-$50 Sheila B.-$25 Laurie R.-$60 Jenny K.-$25

SHIATSU MASSAGE (Starting Jamuuy 2:1"')

Fridays, 1-4pm, Carnegie Centre Gym

First come - first serve, Please slgn up with the Therapists

§§Lifeline§§§. . · .

For our hiking enthusiaStS - a series of 28 differ- Tenny Wai Ching Kwan MLA ent hikes in and around Vancouver, North Vancouver Working for You & Fraser Valley. Hikes range between easy to moder- l0,0 - 1641 Coinmen:ial Dr VSL 3Y3 -.. ate/intermediate to difficult. Beginning Monday Phone: 604-773-079o ~ March 29- ending Tuesday September 28 - a hike scheduled every week! Sign ups will be available in the Program Office - first · come first serve. A Hiker's Haven Stamp Book will be available for our hikers. Do 5 hikes and you will be eligible for a Hiker's Prize!

KEEP AN EYE ON THE HIKER'S HAVEN POSTERS.

Solder & Sons Used books- Colfee .cl Teo

Curious ~udio recordings & equipment · 247 M:UnStrcct - 315-7 t'IR

TEEPEE ARTIST CALL Carnegie Community Centre and Oppenheimer Park

have obtained a brand new 18' teepee. We are seeking individuals who may be interested in painting their design on the teepee in time for National Aboriginal Day on June 21, 20 I 0 .

Submit a sketch of your First Nations design (West coast or Prairie designs welcome) & your name and contact phone number where you can be reached

A committee from Oppenheimer Park and Carnegie will select four designs, one for each direction of the tipi, please state if your design is for the front, back 01

left or right side of the tipi on your sketch (four direc­tions). Artists will be notified if their design is se­lected. Winning artists will then be paid a stipend to paint their art onto the tepee.

This sketch call out is open to any individual who is interested in submitting a sketch for our new Teepee. The open call is from March I through to March 3 I st with painting expected to begin in early May (weather permitting).

Selection committee Teepee Art, Carnegie Aboriginal Programming 401 Main Street, Vancouver, BC Y6A2T7

Attention Marlene George &/or Sandy McKeigan

Dean I And so we all came together to celebrate the life of

our friend and fellow Dean Obrol. Wednesday nile brought out the tried & true "Camegie'' people; other artists, the staff and John Q Public.

Michael Clague put in an appearance during the p.m. and Rudolf Penner brought many musicians onstage for the final number. It was nice to see Earle Peach- his group will be performing in the Theatre in March.

Dean 's long-time friend and fellow artist sang and played. She talked about the time she introduce4d Dean to her family and the good time they all had jamming.

Windy, a teacher at DEEC, has been making a video­a long one- and promised to show it here at a later date. Old friends Peggy, Susie and others joined in to com­memorate Dean's life in song and story. Too numerous to mention all and everyone ... however

all went seamlessly due to the combined efforts of staff and volunteers and friends.

Good-bye Dean- go well into that good night W.Miles

An Ode to Your Heart

I'm sure that you notice it all the time People dismiss you as not being worth their energy Because of your funny way of walking. talking Society dictates, " Be kind to the disabled if you must interact with them but ignoring them is best.'. Those of us who truly care about you Know what they are missing .. A friend who lis tens A philosopher & writer with compassion for humanity; A ready sense of humour; A smile that can brighten your day; A man who does whatever he can for his community.

You fall down more often than most, Sometimes you fall hard. You have a lot of practice Picking yourself up, Checking for damage, And carrying on. Broken bones heal faster Than a broken heart Or damaged self-esteem. You teach us to heal ourselves

With your living example. Continuing with dignity Ignoring the pity in strangers' eyes. It is easier w ith practice-Dust off the bruised pride And find the courage To wear your heart openly once more.

Lisa David