NEWSLETTER 401 Main Street, V6A 217 604-665-2289

MARCH 15, 2009

carnnews@vcn.bc.ca www .carnnews.org ( 373 hits per day!) http://harvesters.sfu.ca/chodarr (INDEX)

Annual Memorial March for the murdered and missing women.

Each panel in this banner is in memory of one or more women. Over 80 are

currently represented.

Never to forgive, never to forget

Why does the best place on Earth have a homelessness crisis?

By Jenny Kwan

Welcome to the best place on Earth, where street homelessness has exploded by 367 per-cent and it is estimated that there are 10,000 to 15,000 people sleeping on the streets. Recent reports of homeless people dying in our streets reflect the direct out­come ofyears of public-policy failure. We also have had the worst child-povetty rate in the count­ry for tive years in a row. Minimum wages have not risen since 200 I.

The police repott that 30 percent of all service calls citywide are associated with people who have mental-health challenges. The 2008 Metro Vanc­ouver homelessness count identified that 32 per­cent of homeless people are aboriginal.

B.C. has the highest poverty rates in the countty. The poverty rate for single-parent families is 40 percent. The poverty rate for the abori~inal.po~­ulation is 36 percent, and for people wtth dtsabtl­ities it is 30 percent. As of March 2008, there were 12,050 people on B.C. Housing's wait list for subsidized housing. Somehow we don 't have the ability to address these issues, but we seem to find $900 million of public money for Olympic security without any questions being asked. In 200 1, when Gordon Campbell became pre­mier, one ofthe Liberal government's first acts was to cancel B.C.'s pennanent affordable hou-

sing program. Approximately 2,000 units of affordable housing slated for development was cancelled. Our social safety net was gutted and legislation like the Safe Streets Act and Trespass Act was brought in. Now, on the eve of the 201 0 Olympic Games, the Campbell government is desperate to sweep the poor and the homeless under the carpet, and as a result we have seen a rash of announcements and photo ops. All of a sudden, there is funding for temporary shelters and ad hoc initiatives. And coincidentally, street sweeps, which serve to criminalize underlying issues of poverty and mental health, were also accelerated by the Vancouver Police Department.

The litmus test for how well govenunent is treating the most vulnerable is most apparent in the poorest neighbourhood in Canada, the Downtown Eastside. Our community is more desperate than ever and it has not recovered from those devasta­ting ~olicy blows. The additional market distortion created by the speculative environment of the 2010 Olympics led to massive propetty value increases of SRO housing units fi·om about a half million dollars to well over $2 million in some cases. Despite the government's purchase of some SRO hotels, there have been over 1 ,300 conversions of low-income rental units in the Downtown Eastside. In addition, the province has continued to have one-sided tenancy legi slation which allows owners to evict tenants far too easily. The current legisla­.tive framework will easily lead to hundreds more evictions leading up to 20 I 0 in places like the West End, the Downtown Eastside, and Commer­cial Drive. In a few weeks, funding for the five temporary

shelters will run out at the end of March. As well, the 12 sites which were identified for social hous­ing in the City of Vancouver have not been provid­ed with resources to begin construction. The athl­etes' village social-housing units are now under threat due to the mismanagement of that project. Without a comprehensive plan to address homelessness, Premier Campbell and Housing Minister Rich Coleman seem to think that they can fix everything as they move fi·om photo op to photo op with a fragmented, illogical plan to address the root causes of this crisis. With more and more public money being spent to deal with Olympic cost overruns, the lack of investment in

important areas such as social housing and a poverty reduction strategy is glaringly apparent. That is why even the most conservative estimate has B.C. with over I 0,500 homeless people. It is important to note that the Downtown

Eastside should not be placed in a position to absorb the entire region's social problems. Services should be distributed around the region. But it is also incorrect to blame the organizations based in the Downtown Eastside for four decades of municipal NIMBYism in the region. The tendency of media and other commentators to talk about a "poverty industty" is out of context and dehistoricized. The situation that exists today was created through misguided public policy and cross-jurisdictional political agendas that do not stand the test of time. We need to deal with this situation immediate-ly,

or we will no doubt be having the same civic debate I 0 years from now. lt is better to invest now, rather than deal with the financial and human impacts of homelessness later on.

BRITISH COLUMBIA

'1 he Best Place on Eanh

We have an obligation not to perpetuate this vicious cycle because too many lives have been lost and too many neighbourhoods have been traumatized by inappropriate pol icy intervent-ions.

We need to re-engage in a process where the federal, provincial, and municipal governments and other institutions such as the Vancouver Police Board, Vancouver Coastal Health, and Metro Vancouver are at the table for the long term. Most impot1antly, the community must be consulted and civil-society organizations must be given the resources to be equal players at the table. Without that trust and respect, we will continue to spin our wheels.

More specifically, govemrnents should heed the advice of international expetts such as former UN special rappot1eur on housing Miloon Kothari, and expetts on the impact of hallmark events such as l<r·ic: Olrlc: llnri rlllil'f> Mllhrm whnallar!JIIP. that

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Vancouver should follow the precautionary ') principle and ovetTeach when it comes to tenancy) protections and ensuring a social-housing legacy tl·om the 20 I 0 Olympics.

The cornerstone of any solution in the Down­town Eastside must be embedded in human rights and health. Without these principles being respected, this will not be a neighbourhood where economic development plans or public-safety initiatives will be successful over the long tetm. My five-year-old child asked me the other day ­

why is that person sleeping on the street? Doesn't he have a home? Why can't someone give him a home? To be honest, r don' t really know how to answer that. After all, homelessness is not like cancer; there is a cure for it. It's called building affordable housing.

Jenny Kwan is the NDP 's critic for homeless-ness and mental health, and the MLA.for Vancouver­Mount Pleasant.

i ¥-... ~,t~: . .. , .. • .. ! •~ · .....

If·~ •

- - ---- .... u • • ww•~.., vauo.,uuvt:r. Alayne was an advocate with DERA, the Downtown Eastside Resident's Association, for many years and then worked at the BC Public Interest Advocacy Centre. (PJAC). As PIAC's representative on the PovNet Board, Alayne made enormous contributions to PovNet' s ongoing work and we have missed her greatly since she went on sick leave last spring. We know that she continued to keep her eye on social justice issues and in January she made her last public appearance in the Vancouver Sun speaking out for a snow shovelling by-law to support seniors and people with disabilities in Vancouver. Alayne was a good friend and a tireless advocate. She will be much missed by all of us but we will all continue to be inspired by her

' work and her passion for justice. A fund in Alayne's name has been set up with the VanCity Community Foundation. Instead of flowers we urge you to donate towards the Alayne Keough Fund to keep her fight against poverty and social advocacy alive.

Please make checks Payable to: Vancity Community Foundation; Alayne Keough Fund Mailing address is PO Box 2120, Station Terminal, Vancouver B.C. V6B 5R8

\

. ··-· - - .. ~· ........ c .. ;) udy ve1eorat10n Every year on March the 8th almost every part of

the world celebrates the International Women's Day to raise awareness of respect due to women and to recognize the ir contributions to humankind. For thousands of years women have been discrim­inated against, tortured and deprived of their legiti­mate rights such as owning property, suffrage, and the right to equal job opportunity and equal pay .. Canada's touted as a bastion of justice and equality but women in Canada still do not all have equal pay for equal work. In most professions men are much more frequently promoted to top posts than are women. We must pave the way for women as politicians, medical doctors, and engineers. At this time most of the part time, low paying jobs are given to women who often are single parents and must raise their children on wages lower than those earned by their male counterparts.

Our governments should put in place regulations which allow women to more easily access post secondary education by providing loans and tax breaks to those who can successfully complete academic training and have the will to work as professionals in our society.

The perceived inferiority of women should be discouraged. Women should be treated as equal_s anywhere in the world. Many homeless people m the Downtown Eastside are women. Many people lining up for food are women. Many people who go to the Food Banks are women. These people are homeless because they are unemployed and they have no sup- port. Women have to go to the Food Bank because what they earn from their jobs is no~ sufficient to maintain the needs of their families. Women often become addicted to drugs because they are poor, they have no support and they are unable to obtain a place to live.

Canada is a rich G8 country which could easily solve the problem ofhomelessness ifthe funds allocated for social housing and health care were channelled properly. The political will is not strong enough for the needs of the homeless to ?ecome a priority when billions of dollars are requtred for the Olympics. We are celebrating International Women's Day but

then we see that thousands of women here in Canada are homeless and in need of a sate place and a warm bed to live in. Our government must

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treat homelessness and the ills that homelessness engenders as a top priority item. During this financial meltdown period throughout the world, the governments of all countries should consider constructing basic housing units as the most sound infrastructure which will help their economies to recover. People cannot work if they cannot sleep and are ill. Without a home a person cannot look for work or present themselves with dignity recognizable by a potential employer. Perhaps we should work toward the organization of a People's Movement toward protecting the rights of women, their dignity and their safety.

By Dr. James ChiMing Pau

The Top 25 Canadian Immigrants- 2009

(Dr.) James ChiMing Pau is one of the finalists. James is well-known throughout the Downtown Eastside for his work over the past 30+ years, in the healing arts of Traditional Chinese medicine, acupuncture, counselling and involvement in many aspects of our community. He was instrumental in the establishment of the Consumers Board for IOU and HIV/AIDS affected residents and has been a staunch supporter of housing efforts, the missing women 's inquiry and much much more.

The selection of the top 25 Canadian immigrants is in the form of voting online and a contest with one email address (used for casting your vote) the winner of $500!

1. go to www.canadianimmigrant.ca/top25 2. move arrow to top right box "Top 25" 3. click on "P" 4. find James' picture and name, click it 5. follow instructions to vote

Their computer records the email address you've typed in on their form; all voters for the one with the most votes will be entered for the money prize and one will be selected at random to receive $500.

British Columbia Persons with AIDS Society Treatment Information Program will host an information sessio n on Thursday, March 19111 at 6 pm at the Carnegie Centre. We will have Dr.Brian Conway present on what's new in HIV treatment. This event is open to persons living with HN and any other interested participants. You can phone 604 893 2274 to rsvp or email zorans@bcpwa.org.

Councillor Ellen Woodsworth writes Dear Friends, . 1 hope that you will submit your resume for a C1ty

of Vancouver Advisory Committee. The comm ittees listed below are seeking diverse

representation of citizens interested in volunteering their time to advise staff and Council on matters pertaining to these areas of expertise. These particular committees are open at this time. See below for more information.

Bicycle Advisory Committee Chinatown Historic Area Planning Committee First Shaughnessy Design Panel Gastown Historic Area Planning Committee LGBTQ Advisory Committee Multicultural Advisory Committee Persons with Disabilities Advisory Comm ittee Seniors Advisory Committee Vancouver Food Policy Counci l Womens Advisory Committee

This information is available on the Advisory Body website: http://vancouver.ca/ctyclerk/civicagencies/civicvo lunteer.htm All applicants are encouraged to use the on-line

application form: https://vancouver.ca/ccadvisoryboard wa/

The deadline for applications is 5:00p.m. on . Friday, April 3, 2009- City Clerks Office.

Call for Advisory Committee members for the Vancouver Foundation Small Arts Grants­

Downtown Eastside

We are looking for e ight Downtown Eastside artists representing a range of disciplines to sit on an advis01y committee for a newly established granting program. This will be a voluntruy position The purpose of the program is to award grants of up to $ 1000 to individual artists living in the Downtown Easts ide to suppo1t their art practices. The advisory committee wi ll be responsible for

establishing the granting criteria and for jurying and distributing awards in two rounds (June and October, 2009).

We expect that the process of developing the granting criteria will require approximately 8 hours (four 2-hour meetings between Apri l IS and April 30) and each jmying process will take up to 12 hours depending on the number of applicants (June 1 to 22; Sept. 28 to Oct. 16).

Please subm it a letter desclibing your experience in the arts in the Downtown Eastside and why you are interested in participating in the committee.

Deadline for submissions to join the advisoty committee is Monday, April 6th, at 5:00 PM.

The letter goes to Rika Uto, Alis & Education Programmer: rika.uto@vancouver.ca" or mailing/dropping it off at Carnegie Community Centre, 3rd Floor Program Office, 40 I Main Street, Vancouver, B.C. V6A 2T7. She'll take questions at (604) 665 3003.

You're Invited:

8,000 Sacred Drums Gathering March 21,2009 2:00-5:00 pm

Victory Square Park E. Hastings and Cambie Street

This is a worldwide call to Indigenous Peoples and humankind to join together.

According to a 500 year old Otomi (Mexico) Prophecy, the day when the sounds of eight thousand sacred drums join together, an intense healing of Mother Earth will commence.

The earth we share today is in total disequilibrium. Let's work together so we can live together on the road to sacred peace, in harmony with the universe, Mother Nature, the community, the

family and our own hearts.

PROGRAM: - Gather at 2 pm

- Elders opening, followed by speakers - 3 pm: Drumming circle (ALL NATIONS, PLEASE JOIN US!)

- 4 pm: Elders/youth storytelling and sharing circle hosted by Indigenous Action Movement and No One Is Illegal.

Organized by Indigenous Action Movement with the support of No One Is Illegal, Anti Poverty Committee, and BCGEU.

*****' * Snow Up My Yin Yang

~ After months and months of whiteout ~ waking up in the morning to snow

* brings out the psycho in me unfortunately all you can do is ... wait

* After years and years of blackout wake up at night wondering if this nuclear winter will last un for1unately all you can do is ... wait

After years stretch into decades and the general level of ignorance only grows to hellish proportions all you can do is .. . wait

I pray the snow finally goes away and nuclear winter is held at bay

Disappeared

The streets are empty, empty of your blood the rags have been picked from the backs of the poor and are now used by the Power That Be to soak up the life from the used-to-be streets

the used to be people are invisible now peeking from bridge pi llars and shadows

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they used to have lives till the ir ex istence became inconveni ent the Pens worked overtime to erase any proof of their used to be lives

now they' re just Numbers to be used in Reports presented to Com m ittecs that STUDY the lives that used to be but we're not quite sure HOW?

they disappeared and the idiots Jlnally figure out what to say but II I do is . . . wait

all we know is this emptiness that used to be full.

for Jesse

Ocean clear sunny morning this joy springs up without a reason other than just being alive in this moment

my schizofrank son out in Trail eating his ecstacy babbling his bit if you insisted he make sense with a gun to his head poor li'l bugger'd get shot can't talk straight even if his life depended on it

his train of thought gets going so fast he egis thrown off in his own nervousness and eagerness to please a crazy puppy is he but

AI

everyone loves this befuddled teenager never guessing he's 32

so far away but not forgotten my long lost bastard son knows this I think of you and wish you many mornings as beautiful as this

R. Loewen

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Muse sick R. Loewen

The old line: If wishes were horses . . . if words counted and, strung out I itt le beads that sum up to more of its parts I would wish a song with meaning more than the usual ranting, madmen are seldom quiet The scaredy-cat psychos pretending to be tough The parade of days stumble along without purpose or meaning dancing thru time and the changes we go thru always searching for love, never getting as much as we want There I go aga in speaking for someone other then just me and after all I try to be more than I am, in truth I know less than nothing a crow cawing to hear its own voice a child calling out another old man on the strip lost in the memory of life truly lived, when these last days dwindle into dust

AI

HUM 101

MARCH DOCUMENTARIES CARNEGIE THEATRE

SATURDAYSSTART~G6PM

March 21st Blueprint for Truth tile A rchitecture of Destruction. Tile Magnificent Deception R obert Arthur Menard (teaching you your rights). Vets Against War (telling their stories.) March 28th Zeitgeist Addemlum and Zeitgeist

the Movie Parts 1 2 ami 3 So much to learn so little time.

STEERING COMMITTEE J.\IIEETING Saturday March 21, 1 to 3 pm Th ird Ooor c lassroom at Carnegie Centre Open to All Humanities 101, Writing 101 and Humanities 100 Students and Alumni Agenda items include: reports and feedback on all courses, public programmes and new initiatives.

STUDY GROUPS New H urn I 0 I series: What is 'gentrification'? Wed March 18 from 6 to 8 pm in classroom II All are welcome to come to the first set of work­shops in this series, What is 'gentri fication'?, which s tarted on December 3 at Carnegie Centre and will meet once or twice a month. Teacher and architect Arthur Allen will teach participants how to read and make architectural drawings. Starting out with the idea of designing the cottage of your dreams, based on feedback from the first session, partici­pants will now design one block of housing with a ll participants' dreams drawn in: what participants would really like to see there. Please call 604-822-0028 or email hum I 0 I fatlinterchange.ubc.ca for more information about this set of workshops. Philosophy of Science Study Group Introduction to Philosophy of Science with Kevin Bardosh, UBC student, in Classroom II S unday Mar 29 12 to 2 pm This study group provides a varied introduction to science topics. The group will be supplemented w ith both scientific and historical readings with the a im of placing scientific discoveries in their histor ical and philosophical contexts. This reading/ writing group is open to all. We encourage partici­pants to attend regularly in order to get the most out of the group. Reading materials will be supplie

Are we free yet? A Downtown Eastside Women's Centre Hum I 0 I Study G roup for women students and alumni of · ll um I 0 I, Hum I 00 and Writing I 0 I with Erin Graham, UBC Graduate Student and DEWC staff This study group will wrestle with ideas of free­dom. What is it, how can we get some, can we find it on Craigsl ist? We will talk about our own lives, and about what freedom means to us, and we'll talk about (read and discuss, that is) people who wrote a lot about'st ructures of freedom'; 'freedom and responsibility'; and whether it is something you can just be in your own self, or something you do with other people. We'll approach these questions and related issues by doing artistic things and writing and reading and going to galleries and other places, and by generally creating together. The sessions take place at the Downtown Eastside Women's Centre, at Columbia and Cordova. They started on Sunday November 16, and met on Sundays in the winter; they' ll continue to meet on the 4th Monday of every month from 5-7 pm unti I April 2009. The next meeting is on March 23.

Survivors of Incest Anonymous, Inc.

For women. Every Thursday, 6:15 to 7:15pm

Avalon Women's Centre. Contact Michelle: 604-263-7177

For more information, call or send a stamped, self-addressed envelope (SASE) to:

Survivors of Incest Anonymous, Inc. P.O.Box 190, Benson, Maryland USA 21018

1-410-282-3400 www.siawso.org

"Man's heart away from nature becomes hard :lack of respect for growing, living things soon {lead!,] to lack of respect for lumums too. " - CII IEF STANDING BEAR, Oglala Sioux, in William Devall, Simple in Means, Rich in Ends

Respect is the consideration for others, w hic h means taking into account their feelings, perso­nal matters, or general wellbeing. Having resp­ect for someone means to consider one or more of these areas prior to each action made, and to be thoughtful whi le caiTY- ing out actions that

Those who

do not learn

from or forget

the past are

condemned

to repeat it.

-·

l I

r

may affect another directly or indirectly. Before one can respect another person, they

must fi rst fi nd respect for a ll growing, living things on Ea1th. Respecting the life of plants, animals, and humans alike comes from respect­ing nature in genera l, and knowing. that w~ a ll serve a purpose . We are all equals m the b1g p icture; we all inhabit the same planet in which we must share acco rdingly. Selfish attitudes make room for greed, which leads to waste, and eventua lly war. One who considers only his self w ill demolish a hundred forests to build his home, destroying the homes of many creatures that will have no hope of staying alive. If people took only what they needed and we re cons iderate o f other living things, there w ould be a common level of kindness that gave each living creature an equal chance of survival. Because not all of us have developed respect

for all living things, there is a Jack of respect among human be ings as well. Because we a ll dwell on this Ea.th togethe r, we' must be able to depend on each other in order for all of us to reside peacefully. .

We find ourselve s harming each other 111 order to gain recognition. We fight for power a1~d money. When utilizing only our self-seekmg abilities rather than our cooperation skills, we are accomplishing nothing. Instead of explo it­ing each oth er in our pursuit o f dominance, ~e should be combining our strengths and workmg together as a team to make magnificent things happen. .

Some things we can do to make our existence together more pleasant include cons ideration for all life no matter what we perceive the ir importanc~ to be, and treating all forms o f life w ith the same level of respect in which we would treat our families. Defining our mora ls regarding respect will improve our ability to work together as o ne and make a ll of our e fforts much more meaningful and worthwhile. ~ \ l By Cherie Wesson

n -~..41 ~ ~ . I

News from the Library

New Books How tile Rich A re Destroying tile Earth by

Herve Kempf (338.92) describes the inv incibil­ity that many of the worlds wealthy feel in the face of glo ba l warming and othe r ecological disasters, and how the ir unchecked priv ilege is thwatt ing action on the most vexing probl ems fac ing o ur world. Black Diamond: Tile Unauthorized Biography of KISS (781.57) peels back the myths and stories for fans, no n-fans and the cur ious. ln this fully updated edition, Da le Sherman takes a look at the story of the legendary band from the early 1970s right up to 2009.

f eared, loathed and dreaded by the squeamish, the rat has been charged with be ing a di1ty carrier of plagues, an uncontro lled m enace to modern soc iety, and the embodiment of all that is low and shi fty. Jerry Langton a rgues that the tar is a lso a stunningly remarkable and e legant example of pure evolutionary adaptation, thriv­ing a ll over the world under the harshest and most inhospitable o f cond itions. See what you think by reading Rat: How the World's Most Notorious Rodent Cltnved Its Way to the Top (599.35). So you wanna be a star? You need Po£/casting: Tlte Do-it-yourself Guide (62 1.38), w hic h shows you everything you need to produce and distribute your podcast.

Congratulatio ns to Joan Morelli , who was the first to let me know that the We lsh nationa l veg­etable is the leek. Joan wins a VPL shopping bag.

Beth, your librar ian

Ambleside Orchestra of West Vancouver makes a return visit to Carnegie Centre. The group will entertain the audience with big band music ranging from light classics to popular musicals to sophisticated jazz styling. There will be something to delight every musical taste!

Wednesday, March 18, 7:30-8:30 PM, Carnegie Theatre

}Aetropolitan Concert Bant~

Wednesday, April 1st 7:30PM

in Carnegie Theatre

Repertoire wi ll include a wide variety of music : Broadway , the classics, marches, ballads, jazz, movie them es .. . Come and enjoy the big band!

Vancouver Public Library presents

Clear the Clutter- Simplify Your Life

Too much of everything you don't use, clothes you don't wear, magazines you don't read?

PAUL TALBOT, the "clutter guy" helps you plan to simplify your life.

Friday April 3, 3:00 pm Carnegie Theatre Admission is free & all are welcome!

Admission is'free- All are welcome!

Bead & Read The Main & Hastings Book Club

has had a spring makeover! Join us to read short stories, learn to bead,

or just listen

Wednesdays llam Carnegie Centre Third Floor

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~covery 'Rap By Cherie ·c-Dawg" Wesson

Stayin' sober like every single day Me? I, neva wanna go and get high. It don't make you cool, cause you act like a fool And you'll get your dopey ass kicked out of school

Jails, institutions, and eventually death That's what you get do in' crystal meth Crack cocaine? It ain't part of my game Realized all that shit is lame

Just got my 30 day fob, yes sir'ree bob Clean and serene, that's what I mean It's the best damn shit I ever seen Why live a lie when it don't make you fly?

It's not worth makin' loved ones cry I beat my grandfather with a fly swatter Just so I could drink his firewater Yeah FUCK -I'm done with gettin' drunk

l'ma get back on track, don't wanna go back Cause man that shit was fuckin' whack! I feel good stayin' outta the hood Havin' more fun than I eva' could ... with drugs

I don't wanna be a fiend I got goals and dreams, and lots'a non-usin' friends I got too much to lose, that I don't wanna jeapordiz• '1 wanna get by without tellin' lies

I thought I was alone, but man, I was wrong I couJda' got help from you cats all along I was full of fear, and I couldn't think clear Which is why I'm so glad that I ended up here

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CARNEGIE VILLAGE PROJECT Do you want to sing, and speak from your

roots? What are your roots? Is it family, neigh­bourhood, home, land, country, culture, tribe, nation??? Is it in the language you speak now, or in another language, the language of your ancestors? What is your MOTHER TONGUE?

Do you know any songs from your roots? Would you like to dig deep down and discover what these roots sing? For years I have been . . fi 3'd smgmg songs rom my own roots as a gen-

eration Ukrainian Canadian and I am very int-

erested in joining with other Carnegie Villagers to dig up and share the roots of this place and time that we inhabit together. Would you like to join me on this journey of discovery, sharing, and creating?

We will start by listening and learning from each other; collecting, gathering and sharing our own songs and stories. We will go out and meet our neighbours and learn their songs and stories as well. Once we have begun to gather these songs and stories, and record them, we will meet regularly to learn them and perform them as singers and tellers. I will also be offer­ing regular vocal workshops and lessons to bu ild a strong foundation for the singing and spoken voice; ear training sessions to build strong intonation and harmonic skills; and deep listening sessions to increase our attunement to ourselves and each other, and open ourselves up to wider creative potential and a wide range of vocal and narrative possibilities.

The final phase of the project includes both the presentation of what we have gathered and identified as our roots in their original tradition­al state; as well as the creation and presentation of something new which both encompasses and is inspired by all that we've gathered together. This may be arrangements oftraditional songs, or NEW compositions based on the gathered stories/songs, and/or the experience of this shared process.

If you are interested in any part of this project, please come to our first meeting, March 30 @ 1 pm in the Carnegie Theatre. If you are unabl e to come but are interested in getting involved or even just curious, you can leave messages for

me at the Info Desk or at 604-665-2220. Look forward to meeting you!

Beverly Dobrinsky Carnegie Artist in Residence carnegiev illage@gmail.com

Mr. 4.50

Our own sense of self-importance leads us to anger when our li ' l ego feels disrespected like that dude whose honour ain ' t worth the four-fifty he so shrewdly coned offa me imagine digging a steel ball bearing out of the frontal lobe for four-fifty, the price of a beer some people will never know honour it's a big joke the Head Honcho talks about in corny Western Late Shows on ad nauseum cracke1jack ethics wasted on illiterates

Saw Mr 4.50 today .. couldn't decide whether to laugh or waste energy getting mad people like him eventually rot into insignificance when you lend assholes power by getting mad its only your own time you've wasted anger makes assholes noticeable noteworthy and you know they ain't worth the energy they just ain't worth your time

ALI

Clocks are burning the Time is now to right all that has gone wrong, like ten trillion$ that's the States' national debt clock & it can't clock on it's run out of digits like a hostage's last wish here is how to look scared - for whom? for what? that FEAR that's what I'm just curious to see who really cares, We had our own clock at Victoria & Powell it even told you how cold you are though the icic-les gave it away then the Birks' clock downtown gets pushed around and ' poor it's just gone one day; they say Time heals wounds & brings discoveries to ease our pain no more clocks it 's now illegal to tictoc that hand with a watch must go chop-chop if only the faces could talk. At Richmond Square there's been a huge clock acrossthestreetifitweredigitall2:00 12:001 2 Oclock although this one died at I :30 one reason why cell phones are so dirty, how many trembling fingers have touched & borrowed betrayed their tomorrow trust turns to sorrow, the clock that was at Broadway & Cambie with time & temp, one day the entire block went down around our feet it worked so well they tore up the street, like trying to watch Time stand still let's see it stand on its head or better still drag out a chair & watch man­kind kill itself over & over Hey man they're dead, like a planet without a plan a plane without its driver an exotic bird born with one wing I know someone who knows someone that'll be 20$ plus a fiver, like god being told DO NOT DISTURB after a brief thousand years to cry it's that damn Time to try again Time to exploit Time to explore a bit ofTime to explain the majority we will ignore, lloly Expletive it's Officer Down (is it just me or does every silver lining have a clown?) after a halfmast apology he slithers down the fl oors no cellular cancer for me take your global positioning leeches & you can have my blood too I'm B nega­tive flavour Time will tell or so they say I see evi-

dence to the contrary everyday now Time is on lire can it put itself out once again I will grab a chair & wait this one out but wait! Officer Down is waving his hands like a clock Right Crisis- wrong place there 's that pendulum getting closer I think it's Time we talked now how many of us have had too much Time to kill, like an avalanche of men crashing through walls & doors for the reading of Liz Taylor's Will (in Time) it's Time to say good­bye & mean it why do the simplest ideas get push­ed aside the most important words never get said because of sellishists & that damn pride ·awards' parades & oh yeah I've got the ncverending TIME it's half-past time bye-bye

ROBERT McGILLIVRAY

Photography of Casey-Dale: Bowman

is being shown for the first time at the Carnegie Centre in the month of March.

This is a great showing. Don 't miss it!

My dearest friend and enemy Meth amphetamine My dear friend betrayed me Brought me through a world of obscenity

I ran away with Meth But now 1 want a chance to catch my breath Trapped in its addiction My sorrow smoothed by Meth's affection

Took me in with open arms Caressed my body with fatal harms Gave me a non-refundable gift A gift that takes my tears away in blowing swifts

My friend became my foe Took me under to my very bottom low Meth took my breath Meth will surely bring death

My enemy I hate with all my life The one that backstabbed me with a blunt knife Hurt and forsaken is all that is left of my old friend 1 know now it's always just me in the end.

Heavenly Stonechild

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DOWNTOWN

EASTSIDE NEEDLE EXCHANGE VAN·-3 Routesa

. . 604-685-6561 gg,- St4~pm -llc45pm YOt)TH

ACTIVITIES

SOCIETY

541 E. Broadway

ti04-l51-3JIO

Ovornlehl- t2:30a~ ~ 8s30nm

Downtown Ensftlde ~Salop.., - I :Jo, ..

CFRO 102 .-7 FM CO-OP RADIO Next issue is April 1, 2009.

SUBMISSION DEADLINE Monday, March 30

· Free showers for homeless persons at 327 Carrall Wed 7 -8:30am; Sat 7-1 Dam; Women Only Fri 6-Spm

THISNEWSLETTERISAPUBLICATIONOFTHE · ,------- - ------- ____ , C..i.RNEGIE COMMUNITY CENTRE ASSOCIATION We acknowledge that Carnegie Community Centre, and

Articles repre5ent the views of individual I this Newsletter, are occurring on Coast Salish Territory. I Contributors and not of the Association. 1

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.-E~ito~~ ;auiR Tayl-;; Cover photO b~Sh_a~ _Burns.! ; WANTED Artwork for the Carnegi£ Newsletter I Collation & distribution crew: Harold, Lm Lm, Btll , ~ary

I Ann, Miriam, Rolf, Tina, Videha, Kelly, ~al,_ ~oby~, Ntcl<, I • Jackie Matthew, Lisa. Red, Pablo, Ida, Pnsctlha. L1sa.

r - ~ - - - - - - +~---~--.:...~...! Small illustrations to accompany articles and poetry

TIM STEVENSON CITY COUNCILLOR

SERVING THE COMMUNITY WITH PRIDE

CITY HALl. -451 Wm U"' AVE. V5Y 1V4 Phon~: 604.87l· 7247

Jenny Wai Ching Kwan MLA Working for You

1070-1641 Commercial Dr, VSL 3Y3 Phone:604-775-0790

oo you Have a Legal 'Probletn7 Are you Charged with a crltne7

VIsit the UBC Law Clinic In the 3•d floor gallery of carnegie Centre for free advice & representation.

line Law Stude nts Lega l Advice Program (LSLAP) Dro p - In, Tuesdays, 7 - 9pm.

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Cover art -Maximum size: 17cm(6-3/4j wide x 15cm(6") high. Subject matter relevant to issues pertaining to the Downtown Eastside preferred, but all work will be considered; Black & White printing only Size restrictions must be considered (i.e. if your piece is too large, it will be reduced and/or cropped to fit; All artists will receive credit for their work; Originals will be returned to the artist after being copied for publication; Remuneration: Carnegie volunteer tickets.

Please make submissions to: Paul Taylor, Editor.

2009 DONATIONS: Barry M.-$150, Libby 0.-$70 Rolf A.-$50, Margaret 0.-$40, Jenny K.-$23, Sue K.-$30, Sandy C.-$25, Christopher R.-$1 80 Mell.-$25, Greta P.-$25. Java 8.-$75, Alayne-$25 Anonymous -$1500 Leslie S.-$25 The Edge -$200

The time when I had freely fantasized of a perfect life was long forgotten. Those vivid images of blue and yellow beaches that I env is ioned had vanished from my desires. That was then, when I dreamed. That was when everything was so simple. That was. when my dreams seemed reasonable. It's peculiar how things change when you have an addiction.

Now survival was my only priority. If I woke up with a pulse, my only mission was accomp lished. I cared not for what before I would have strived. My · complacency left me indifferent to matters that before would have intr igued me. I lacked courage and love for my self. Thoughts of my future rapidly turned to feelings of fear. With no fr iends to encou rage me, I stopped trying. Even being alive sec so hollow and meaningless at this point.

I forced myse lf to snap out of my self-inflicted misery and decided to make a change. However small , I needed any kind of change. I found myself sitting alone in the back row of seats in my first Narcotics Anonymous meeting. It was terri fy ing. I listened to the add icts share their experiences with drugs. One woman who had a vibrant glow about her really caught my attention. I was shocked when she started speaking to me mid-story. "To the young woman at the back: It's rea lly wonderful to see you here. You're in the right place! We are all here to support you in any way we can, so keeping showing

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up to these meet ings and I promise you that you wi ll see a positive change in your life. Welcome ." She smiled, and continued with her story.

There were a few tears running down my cheeks, but many people had turned around to give me a genuine smile that let me know it was okay. I believe these small acts of concern to be a miraculous pass­age into my soul. I allowed the compassion that was being offered to transfer into my spirit and strengten my mind . The meaningful acknowledgement of my presence that was demonstrated gave me a great amount of certainty that I was in the right place and that I was going to transform my mighty being into one that would use its power for greatness rather than evil and destruction. Without the compassion of those wonderful people

I would have no match to light my candle. I would not have the confidence in myself that I required to peacefully proceed into my recovery. Simply know­ing that others were going to be there to support me through struggle and sadness gave me the willpower I needed. They let me see my world from a new angle, and gave me a light that would guide me on my path. I boldly began my journey to reclaim my life from the chaotic containment that once absorb­ed me.

By Cherie Wesson f ~· _,

we, the homeless We the homeless, rule in numbers: uptown, down­town, around town, surround you .. some say hound you; yeh we catch you r fl ack, maybe j ust spit it back in your faces, jaded, tense, uneasy .. insults you, spew, Buzz Off, Get Lost - take heat, downbeat, com pletely groundless attitudes - we take tons of that unholy crap rat-a-tat-tat just because we make a place on the map to lay us down each & every night. You prudes who accuse got no tact; you in vade our space, this ain 't no fu n, ain' t your Romper Rm 'cause we don' t get high on doom & gloom it is not child's play to slag around plied/pried from day to dreary day, when will it all end th is terri ble treadmill, this state of body and mind who pays -you do, your fault with cash invested and overdue tax rip-offs added up it hurts you and me in the long run but you say you got no choice but to do what you gotta do Mondo Condo, the so-called yuppie dunce, a proto­type that snitches & snitters and calls us names: Homeless lowli fe layabout guttersnipe ... but it takes two to tango you fake and phony in a cluttered mind dreaming of be ing an el it ist class contemplating high society uppercrusty who should know better ... playing it by the scrip ted book, unabashed and right down to the last se lf-righteous gilded letter! ........ .. But we don' t care, ya know, we move to the beat of a very different drummer; ' nd we the homeless are gonna win, j ust gona make it happen like battling demonic mad dogs, gnashing/flashi ng/ snapping when we can' t run or hide 'cause we're outside, left hanging out to dry in the cold but with faint dreams shining But right now they' re still uncounted 'ca use we got

nothin' - no home- and for dead certain no long lost stash. We're still wishin 'n hopin ' ' n puttin' out what seem to be endless fires but we' ll never ever lose our burn ing, price less but definitely tangible desires

ROBYN LIVINGSTONE

The Downward Slide

When did my heart become a great dark yawning mouth Swallowing light in great gulps?

When did my gut become a pipeline for pain Constricting, then belching acid into my mind?

When did sleep become ungraspable Beckoning like a Siren then laughing at my gullibility?

When did the faces in the photographs stop smiling, The tears soaking and distorting the images?

When do I get to go back? Judy Morrison

Hope in Shadows book editors nominated for B.C. Book Prize

Editors Brad Cran and Gillian Jerome have been nominated for a B.C. Book Prize: the Roderick l-la ig­Brown Regional Prize to recognize the authors of the book that contributes most to the enjoyment and understanding of British Columbia. The nomination comes after Cran and Jerome's book Hope in Shadows, Stories and Photographs of Vancouver's Downtown Eastside won the Citv of Vancouver Book Award in October. Jerome and Cran's book is still sold on the streets of Vancouver by vendors who also sold the annual Hope in Shadows calendar. The calendar features winning images from the annual photography contest in the Downtown Eastside and is a micro-credit operat ion where the vendors reinvest profits back into their calendar or book sell ing business. "Brad Cran and Gillian Jerome have promoted und­erstanding of some of the most vul nerable people in B.C. in a very balanced and empathetic way. The Hope in Shadows book was instrumental in the huge growth that the Hope in Shadows calendar sales had last year," says program coordinaor Paul Ryan, adding that the people interviewed for the book were consulted about their stories before the book was

Jiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii_,. published and that book royalties were given back to Poets and writers interested in submitting worl< to them by the edi tors. the Megaphone, email paulhiebert@hotmail.com Public support for book and calendar street vendors

!!:~~~~~~~============~ in 2008 resul ted in a 140 percent increase in income ~ for the vendors over 2007, says Ryan. " More than For coffee as good as Carnegie's, forget Waves; Get French Press·,and $2 Americana cups at

l8kiJr C IIIII, 247 Main Street. Used books!

10,000 Hope in Shadows calendars and 3,000_ books were sold through our street vendor program tn 2008, resulting in $130,000 revenue for the licensed vendors who sold them."

Citywide Housing Coalition's Grand March For Housing takes place on Saturday April 4." Dozens of community, faith and union groups have endorsed this march calling for an end to home­lessness by building social housing, raising welfare & minimum wage and better protection for tenants.

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-" Start at Noon at Peace flame Park, Thornton Park or Carnegie Centre. March to Vancouver Art Gallery Rally I :30, music and speakers. Information & to order printed posters:

grandmarch@gmail.com . Download posters & flyers at: www.citywidehousingcoalition.org