SEPTEMBER 15,2005

www.carnnew!.o!]/,carnnews@xcn.bc.ca

604-665-2289

401 Main St, Vancouver V6A 217

Always Ask Why?!The TD Bank is part of a group called the Task

Force on Modernizing Income Security for WorkingAge Adults (MISWAA) that includes the City ofToronto, the Canadian Labour Congress, the DailyBread Food Bank and many more . The Bank says ithas presented this report to assist the Task Force and"provide insight into the recommendations it isconsidering."Here's my take on it:The Bank report makes some observations that do

sound "refreshing," especially coming from a bank :· We've had "stagnant wage growth" over the lastfew years;· The number of unemployed people covered by EIhas fallen (it's 22% in Toronto!);· People on social assistance have been hardest hit:· The Ontario [and BC] welfare case load declined'not because people were leaving for jobs, but be­cause welfare rules restricted the number who couldget on;· Income from welfare or work is "invariably lowand almost certain to fall short of meeting needs" ;· Many working adults can't earn enough to supporttheir families ;· Life on welfare is demoralizing;· It's possible that EI cuts of the 1990s "may havegone too far in raising hours of work requirements."

The report makes some assumptions that I don'tagree with :· Welfare should provide an "incentive to work ." Inmy experience this really means , "an incentive towork at low wage insecure jobs."· "People who can work should work" in the paidlabour force . I believe with all of this technology, weshould bedevising ways that people can take breaksfrom paid work , and that mothers have a right to stayhome and raise their children, even if they're poor .And all people have the right to freely choose theirwork as the UN Declaration on Human Rights says,

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1~,.ieven, in my opinion, if it is work that doesn't make aprofit for someone else .. "Welfare benefits cannot be adequate to meet needsbecause that reduces the attractiveness of work.". We can't increase minimum wage substantiallybecause that "risks labour market repercussions."There are many studies that refute this assertion.

The Bank makes only one new recommendationabout welfare for Ontario: increase welfare assetlevels , the amount of money you can accumulatewhile on welfare or have in the bank and still applyfor welfare. It approves of new Ontario welfare rulesthat allow people to keep half of what they earn andprovide, they say, about $1500 worth of extendedhealth benefits to people who leave welfare forwork. In my opinion, these recommendations are okand should be implemented in all provinces. Rightwing groups like the Fraser Institute have argued forincreasing the earnings exemption because theywant people to be able to work for low wages andthey can work for lower wages if they are receivingincome from welfare too. But having an earningsexemption also decriminalizes a lot of work thatpeople on welfare do because they can declare theirearnings without losing them .

Of course the recommendation that is crying out tobe made after the Bank's analysis of what's wrong, isthat minimum wages should go up, especially sinceprofits are surging. But the Bank rejects this andpromotes, instead, a working income supplement. Inother words, taxpayers should pay what employerswon't, to people who have to take low wage , parttime , and casual jobs. In the US they have an earnedincome tax credit that is similar to this . It was pro­moted as an alternative to increasing the minimumwage . I hope the Canadian Labour Congress can seewhat's happening here and demand to replace theworking income supplement with increased mini­mum wages.

The Bank also wants a refundable tax credit for lowincome Canadians. lt doesn't say whether or not thiswould go to people on welfare. I'd need to see somedetails on this . It could be another form of corporatewelfare, ensuring that people can survive on meagerwages.

The Bank also wants the completion of the NationalChild Benefit, which , I'm assuming, means that theincreased rates planned by the government should beimplemented. The Child Benefit plus provincial re­quirements that parents (mostly women) have tolook for work when their children are young is partof a corporate plan from the C. D. Howe Institute to"take children off welfare" so their mothers can af­ford to work at jobs that pay the same low rate thatsingle people can afford to work at. Most provincialgovernments also claw back about $80 per monthper child of the Child Benefit Supplement fromfamilies on welfare . Remember all the campaigningto Stop the Clawback of the Child Benefit Supple­ment? That's what we need to improve lives for lowincome families on welfare .The last recommendation from the Bank is to re­

duce the hOUTS of work required for an EmploymentInsurance claim so more people will be eligible forEI and fewer will have to go on welfare. Thissounds good to me.My hope is that the CLC and anti-poverty groups in

the Task Force on Modernizing Income Security forWorking Age Adults (MISWAA) can make theothers, including the Bank and other right wingmembers, agree to recommendations that replace theworking income supplement with minimum wageincreases and stop the Child Benefit clawback andprovincial rules requiring mothers on welfare towork at paid jobs.Of course there are a host of other recommendations

that would do a lot to reduce poverty : a just settle­ment of Aboriginal land claims; increasing welfarerates; ending welfare rules that deny help to peoplein need; a progressive income tax system; makinglabour laws more favourable to unions; building af­fordable housing; and so on. But if we're going toget these things we'll have to fight hard for them,and analyze carefully proposals put forward, alleg­edly on our behalf, by corporate interests .

By Jean Swansonswancam@vcn.bc.ca

3

Fall ConcertSeries in theCarnegieTheatreOn the following Wednesday evenings :September 21 West Vancouver Concert BandOctober 19 Royal City Concert BandNovember 16 Ambleside OrchestraDecember 21 Metropolitan Band

All concerts are/rom 7:30 PM to 9:00 PMEveryone welcome !

"New e-mail: rika.uto@vancouver.caRika UtoArts & Education ProgrammerCarnegie Community Centre401 Main Street, Vancouver, B.C. V6A 2T7Tel. (604) 665 3003 Fax (604) 606 2736Website for DTES Community Arts Initiative :www.heartofthecitvfestival.com

The Vancouver Aboriginal Friendship Centreinvites one and all to the

Our Elders Speak Wisdom SocietyElders Fair and Dance

Friday, Sep 30,2005,4:00-10:00 pm.Admission is by donation. There wiII be craft

tables, flea market tables, information tables, foodconcessions and more!Wellness providers are welcome. Tables are only

$10.00 For tables, contact Jodi at the Center. Hernumber is (604) 251-4844, Extension: 311.

Volunteers are also welcome to help out at theraffle table, at the door, conducting the cake walk,donating a cake.. and especially to help promotethe event. The last event was a success and somuch fun .

Stephen Lytton

FOE-TRYDowntown Eastside Poets

-shit-disturbers-historians I herstorians

balladeer! and rappers

Free admissionFree coffeeOpen Mike

Saturday, October 1,7pm

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mdIm e'fYWhat is that? the Red Road? Indian Pride!Hell , all I see is suicide, genocide.Police in a car chase with youth from the Red Ra~Cars and alcohol are a deadl y combination ~for our Nation. No winners here . ~

A youth dies , a mother cries in this tragedy ..-.Potentially with so much to offer.. so much to give ..But, sad to say, this child no longer lives . "T' -

" Blame alcohol! " screams one voice ;Another cries, "They had a choice..

Still in the night! Silence!Not a murmur, not a word.What a shame, this deadly game,Family and friends numb in their pain,Sorrow is deep , some can 't even sleepNo tears , anger, just disbelief filled with griefAnd answered questions lie.

What must we do to deal with this issue ?What must we say for our leaders to fighOur Elders to speak up?

When will we begin a new legacy?When will we ever be

dtesnso@te!us.net

Do you recognize thisman in civilian clothes?Dave Dickson can nowbereachedat the Neighbourhood SafetyOfficeas a Community Uasion

N..n 501EastHastings St,.~..., Vancouver, BCV6A1P9Down!UWD PH: (604) 687-1772E=;RHOOD FAX: (604)687-1776UfETYOfFICE www.nso.vcn.bc.ca

Re-aquaint yourself with yourNeighbourhood Safety Office (NSO)

The Downtown Eastside Neighbourhood SafetyOffice is a storefront community safety office run bythe Downtown Eastside Safety Society. The Societyand Office's goal is to: Improve community safety,well being, and quality oflife by increasing positiveoutcomes for inner city residents and workers inthe community.

We assist in safety concerns through our programsand meetings with Community Advisors, our agencyand resident based Board of Directors. We hostregular workshops and gatherings to support thecommunity in strategizing with Vancouver Police,City of Vancouver, and Provincial and Federalagencies to promote and address safetv initiatives forDowntown Eastside ci tizens. •Drop by the Safety Office to speak with Dave Dick­

son, retired VPD member who is now a communityliaison . Dave Hancock, VPD constable has beenassigned to work with the NSO and community asan active VPD member. Continued focus on streetinvolved youth keeps our Interim Coordinator Hora­cio busy, while Interim Coordinator Lyn keeps theoffice running, organizes meetings, and assists adultresidents who visit the NSO .

We are open Monda y 1-5,Tuesday to Friday 9-5 .Unfortunately we are closed on weekends, holidaysand for meetings .Stay tuned for the interesting history of the Neigh­bourhood Safety Office, a bona fide example of theDTES community acting together for its own sakeand safety!

COME IN OUTTA THE DARK

much as you can. Tell yourself how well you arcdoing with every little thing.SUPPORT YOURSELF Find ways to supportvourself. Reach out to friends and allow them tohelp you. It is being strong to ask for help when youneed it.BE LOVING TO YOUR NEGATIVES. Ac­knowledge that you created them to' fulfill a need,Nowyo» are finding new, positive waysto fulfillthose needs. So lovingly release the old negativepatterns.TAKE CARE OF YOUR BODY. Learn about nu­trition. What kind of fuel does your body need tohave optimum energy and vitality? Learn about ex­ercise. What kind of exercisecan you enjoy? Cher­ish and revere the temple you live in.MIRROR WORK. Look into your eyes often.Ex­press this growing sense of love you have for your­self. Forgive yourself looking into the mirror. Talkto your parents looking into the mirror. Forgive themtoo. Once a day say 'I love you, I really love yOIl !DO IT NOW. Don't wait until you get wei! orlosethe weight or get the new job or the new relation-ship. Begin now... do the best you can.

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Lost and forlorn, the universe non-existentThe time warp is contorted, it suits the reflection

That you see in the broken mirror images of ashen gremlins portrayingThe mediocrity of your mind's eye view of today's society.

This image covers/follows you like a cartoon's black cloud. It follows and interrupts your every thought.Your mind the surveillance eye as in a B movie sci fi flick.

A smudge covers the lens and you try to wipe it away but the informant to your resentful hearthas given in to the seemingly uncivil norms of those unenlightened who act as a virus

to the people, children, men, women and youth.. and those whose hearts are defenselessagainst the indifferent standards of ' who does not fit. .'

In time , those of us who do not because of Race , Place, Bills or Frills

Will realize the validity of our own magnificence and rich brilliant colorsOf sun-drenched earth.. caramel light or deep brown, red, olive colored burnt sepia dream of sunset

brilliance. Open your eyes to the rainbow brilliance of a culture so richYour eyes smart at the intensity of an exalted people who are not IN the way

We are ON our wayComin in outta the dark.

HOW TO LOVE YOURSELFBy Louise Hay

STOP ALL CRITICISM. Criticism never changesa thing. Refuse to criticize yourself. Accept yourselfexactly as you are. Everybody changes . When youcriticize yourself vour changes arc negative . Whenyou approve of yo~self, your changes are positive.DON"T SCARE YOURSELF. Stop terrorizingyourself with your thoughts . It's a dreadful way tolive. Find a mental-image that gives you pleasure(mine is yellow roses) and immediately switch yourscary thoughts to a pleasure thought.BE GENTLE AND KIND AND PATIENT. Begentle with yourself. Be kind to yourself. Be patientas you learn the new ways of thinking. Treat your­self as you would someone you really loved.BE KIND TO YOUR MIND. Self-hatred is only ­hating your own thoughts . Don't hate yourself forhaving the thoughts. Gently change your thoughts .PRAISE YOURSELF. Criticism breaks down theinner spirit. Praise builds It up: Praise yourself as

Kat Norris, Coast SalishlNez Perce

Fridays 1:OOpm to 3:30p mfrom May 13th, to S~pt~mb~r 29th. 2005Downtown Eastside Women ', Centr., )02 Columbia 5t

For Info rma t ion ~nd regIstrat ioncall urol at 604 681 &480e)(t.233

l ight snac ks and bus tICkets pfoYlde d

SessIon 19Legal resources forAborig inalworMns.p_U,200S

Ses510n20Celeb rati on,.............,.,.2005

Seulon 18Family LawlUgha ol .-ndodl>mlly.~lf.200S

FREE Workshops fer-and-byAboriginal Women

.wors TlUS?W OTS stands for W or d on t he Street, the annualone-day' festival held at the Central Library and onthe streets bordering it. Come Sunday, Sep1.25, to360 Geo rgia to celebrate reading and writing withfree exhibits, performances, readings and hands-onactivities. Last year there were 40 ,000 visitors!

ART OPENING FRIDAY SEPT.9

1:00 TO 3:00

THIRD FLOOR GALLERY

During the course of a day we're bombarded withinformation, ideas and images from all sides . Thiscan be both stimulating and overwhelming. In aneffort to make some sense of chaos, we 're learned todiscard a lot of what comes our way . Making a col­lage is a way of seeing and incorporating "garbage"and a steady stream of words into a creative artform. It gives those of us who love to collect thingsan outlet for our obsessive tendencies. Anyone canmake a collage - a word which comes from theFrench word colle which means "glue" . For sevenweeks this summer, a group of us have been creatingsome fabulous art !take a look at these original pieees and talk with theartists. TIle show ends Thursday, October 20.

From an activist in Ottawa: 7d~5m~d;a video librar!J/Iounge:A collection of collaborative videotapes made in theweekly desmedia (downtown eastside media) work­shops, including a selection of unedited interviewtapes from our DTES (Downtown Eastside) videoarchive. The archives are conversations/oral histo­ries of residents of the downtown eastside and mem­bers of the community who have passed through ourdoors .

We think of this project as a living archive as it re­cords the experiences of people and gives them thetime to reflect upon the past in the context of thenresent state of things .The individual accounts make evident and become

part of the narrative of the DTES as a whole , reveal­ing links that exist between community and individ­ual or self, both inextricably connected.The archive also consists of conversations with in­

dividuals from various organizations - people whohave lived and worked on issues central to theDowntown Eastside and who arc often invisible andunrecognized by the general public .The dominate media 's over-arching image of the

DTES is one of drug induced disfunctionality, whenin fact the area is a confluence of thriving communi­ties dynam ic issues , and interests . It is representedby the rest of Vancou ver as a separate and distinctholding ground of the disenfranchised when, in fact,many are empowered and have articulate voiceswhich we work to present.We are interested in the intense stratification of sys­

tems of survival at work in this community of com­munities recent , established, and disappearing.The recordings document some of the diversity of

lives and the active history or history of actions inthe DTES .

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Attached is a copy of the bylaw quietly passed onAugust 24 prohibiting all street vending with orwithout a license except for Hotdog Stands, ChipWagons and Ice Cream Peddlers .Arts and crafts even displaying one 's arts and craftsis illegal as well as distributing street newspapers,

flowers , busking and street theatre.I was arrested at the Human Rights monument for

mischief on July I . I was engaged in a small , quietpeaceful protest where I was trying to warn the p.ub­Iic of this street vending bylaw. No charges of nus­chief were laid nor was I told what I was to havedone to be charged with mischief. I was handcuffedand placed in jail and all the protest material andsigns were confiscated. .I was released 6 hours later with a trespass ticket

and a letter from the city that I was not allowed toenter Citv Hall until September 2. The city obvi­ouslv did not want the public to know about the by­law; prohibiting street vending they were about topass August 24. ..The city did not properly consult WIth the public on

this by law change as they advertised it as vendingon highways instead of vending on all streets andsidewalks.

-- Jane Scharf, Anti-Poverty activist , Ottawa

[This is here to mirror Mayencourt ' s stupidity infoisting the Safe Streets Act on Be. An old saying:" It' s not a crime to be poor but it might as well be."]

INTERURBANHastings & Carrall(Southwest corner)

The Shadows ProjectA shadow play for the Downtown Eastside

Til t~ SIIADOWS I.R().J.~cr

Sunday October 9, 7-10 pmCarn egie - 3rd Floor

UPCOMING EVENT:2005 Heart ofthe City Festival Outreach

& The Shadows Project

Giving Voice: Poems andLetters to the DTESWriters'WorislTop led by Rosemary Georgeson

Two-sess ions on a theme of addiction and recovery

Thurs d a ys Sept. 22 & 29, 7:30 - 9:30 pmCarnegie Commu nity Centre - J,d Floo rNo registration required. Free All Welcome..

Rosemary Georgeson has been working with MariaClements and urban ink for five years, where sheco-facilitated the " Downtown Eastside Women ' sWriting Group" . From that group were created two '.rbooks Scape...ofthe DTES and Ritu als ofRock.They went on to create Rare Ea rth A rias - a playwri tten by six participants in the writing group.

After Ra re Earth Arias Rosemary went on to out­reach work for The Downtown Eastside CommunityPlay in 2003. As a writer in residence and commu­nity liaison, she worked with Marie Clements creat­ing Women in Fish Serie..., Ho ur... of Water .Presently she 's working with The Galiano Commu­

nity School he lping grades 5-7 learn about their fam-ily history and helping to get First Na tions educationinto school. She 's a co mmunity director for urbanink's Fathom Labs Project - a developm ental labo­ratory for aboriginal and diverse new work. Rose ­mary is also wo rking on her solo theatre pieee and isa co-writer on The Shadows Project.For f urther information please call Rika at 665-3003

Thanks toVanCity Savings for theirsupport of this workshop.

We are looking for a cast and crew of 26 peo ple: 12ac~or puppeteers, 8 narrator/singers, 4 production

assistants. Performers and crew will be paid hono ­rariums during rehears als and perform ances which

take place days and some eve nings Oct. 18 - Nov. 5.

PUPPET MAKINGWORKSHOP

AT THE RUSSIAN HALL(600 Campbell St.)

Learn to make puppets, have fun, meet oldfriends and make new ones!

Shadow Puppet Makingwith

Tamara U nroe

Monday Sept. 26, 2005, 7-10 pmEVERYONE WELCOMEI

Storytelling Workshops

Saturdays, Sept. 3 - Oct. 222 hours from 6 to 8 pm

every Saturday except forPoetry Saturdays - from 6 to 7 pm

in the Atrium (3rd Floor).

Far.Jar away. in an ancient land. .Once upon a time .I remember when. ..

Who told you your first story? Who told you the .last one? All the time, we are relating stories - it ishow we communicate. We are natural tellers oftales; each of us the main character in the story ofour lives, and narrators of the lives of others . Thereare all our attempts to plunge within and soar out­wards : the story is our "getting there" .

Karenza Wall

St. James Thrift Store Powell Street

September 8, 2005To whom it may concern,

I'm in my early seventies and I have been a cus­tomer at your St. James thrift shop on Powell forover 20 years. I am writing this letter because I amconcerned about the clothing being behind thecounter in your shop.

My understanding is that because of fear of theftyou moved the clothing behind the counter so thatcustomers can not get at it. It makes me feel like I

9People-Lending!A verrmy innterrrresttttinggg story was in some

daily rag. It reported a rather unique experiment (forlack of a better word) that has had astonishing publicappeal in one of Holland, Denmark or Luxemburg .The local librarian started a program whereby peo­

ple could 'borrow' a live person. The person-on-Ioanwould go with the borrower for I hour to the librarycafeteria, sit together, and for about 45 minutes an­swer any questions the borrower had to ask. Simple.The response to the idea was huge. During the first

week, hundreds of requests came in from all over thearea . Those calling asked to speak to the types ofindividuals that they would almost never get to talkto and ask what, to them, were deep questions .The ' types' of individuals? Lesbian women ; Gay

men; people who had been on social assistance for along time; schizophrenics, sex-trade workers , corpo­rate CEOs, drug addicts , professional athletes,abused women, Aborigines and even a genius .

The librarian who came up with the idea also re­ported that he 'd had over 30 requests , many from the' types ' mentioned, to be a volunteer person-on-Ioan.This would be an amazing thing to happen in down­

town Vancouver, or with people going to differentlibrary branches (depending on who was requestedin other neighbourhoods).And I' d bet there would be hundreds of volunteers !

PRT

am not being trusted when I have to ask to see apiece of clothing I want.

I have noticed that sometimes they let people be­hind the counter and my feeling is if they let oneperson they should let everyone do it.It seems to me that much of your clothing is do­

nated and customers should be free to look at it, tryit on and buy it if they want , rather than beingtreated like a possible thief.

Every store has as certain amount of stealing goingon but you don't see them putting up barricades andhiding everything from the customers.Thank you for your understanding. I'd appreciate it

if you took the barricade down.

Norma SilveyLong time DTES resident

Back to SchoolSeptember 2005 - well it's back to school time and Ifeel like a kid again . This is the time of year whenmost parents can relax because the automatic babysitter kicks in. Although you love your kids, it's niceto have them back in schoo l.

When I was a kid, I used to like this time of yearbecause of the anticipation of seeing old friends andthe challenge of meeting new ones (although backthen I was kinda scared of strange new teachers ' nthings).

When I was young, about a million years ago, mymom used to leave us to our own devices during thesummer and I loved it. Run around , fish, swim - dowhatever I felt like in small town Canada . I guessthe old sayin " It takes a village to raise a child" istrue. Mom had to work to support her family (uskids). Dad was a year round fisherman and he wasgone most of the 4 seasons of the year. School wasour babysitter. I imagine mom was pretty happy tohave us looked after in a safe environment.Anyway I'm getting off the subject. I just wanted to

say that I'm back in school. I was lucky enough tobe chosen as part of this years Humanities 101 class .Mom would be really happy now because one of herkids is going to university. I can hardly believe itmyself. I look at the year ahead and I'm going to bestudying Philosoph y, Architecture and a wholebunch of other stuff including Shakespeare. Our firstclass was on Critical Thinking and that carries overfor another class then we move into Plato, Aristotleand Sophocoles. Critical Thinking is about the prosand cons of each side of an argument or as we phi­losophers might ask, " Is there an argument?"Wednesday was the lSIday of "First Nations Jour­neys" (Mon and Weds -IPM to 3PM.) It's sortalike going back to school , meet and greet old friendswho we haven 't seen all summer. We are makingplans for this year's class . You're welcome to comeandjoin us. It's a fun and interesting coupla hours .

We like to welcome new people. If you don't like ityou don 't have to come back but should check it out.

Friday, I went on another Sarti Walk and we wentto Burns Bog down in Delta . The place is hot andfull of things to trip over , but Bob made it interest­ing. An added perk was the different kinds of ber­ries, some of which we got to taste. All day, it waslike walking on a deep foam cushion or a marshmal­low ("marsh" mellow.)When we left the Bog, Bob took us to a place where

the first people (Pebble Tool People - l SI people tosettle in the lower mainland) had their village . It's atthe foot of one of the pilings of the Alex FraserBridge. There 's not even a marker there. Do youthink maybe we should go about making one andgetting it recognized by the provincial or federalgovernment? We could even say something aboutthe Bog and how important it is too keep it alive ornatural. It is about 10,000 years old and we 're de­stroying it. Oops, getting off the subject again .

(UPDATE: Mon. - The Bog is on FIRE this morn­ing. Someone should get more info and write a storyon the importance of the Bog.)

I finished off the week by going to "The Fringe ."(Vancouver Fringe Festival-Granville Island - over700 performances) I'm volunteering there for the l"time. I got to see 2 very good shows because I wasthe Usher at Venue 10. " The Fear ofGoing Down"is an inspired performance. Its about 3 people stuckin an elevator. My opinion is " 2 thumbs up" and ifthey can be compared, another even funnier show" Timmy 's Sexual Adventures." This show is a oneman riot ' n he does the work of 4 or 5. You'll love

;

,I

.(

it. I think they still need volunteers (volunteer@vancouverfringe.com) so get on down, have somefun and watch a play or two. I have a coupla moreshifts this weekend and I plan on going to a fewmore shows.(UPDATE: seen another really good shoo this eve­

ning (Sat) called " Girls Like Me" another one per­son riot , but this time it was woman or after watch­ing the show you might want to call her a FemmeFatale. WARNING: some partial nudity )

Oh a friendl y reminder that our book club will bereading " Monkey Beach" by author Eden Robinsonstarting on Wednesday, September 21

st• Come and

join us at 1130AM on Wednesdays-hal

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Hi All,

I just finished reading A Short History OfProgress.by Ronald Wright, a condemnation of the directionour civilization is headed (i.e., self-destruction).Here's a quote that I thought would interest:

"Marx was surely right when he called capitalism,almost admiringly, 'a machine for demolishing lim­its.' Both communism and capitalism are materialistUtopias offering rival versions of an earthly para­dise. In practice, communism was no easier on thenatural environment. But at least it proposed a shar­ing of the goods. Capitalism lures us onward likethe mechanical hare before the greyhounds, insistingthat the economy is infinite and sharing thereforeirrelevant. Just enough greyhounds catch a real harenow and then to keep the others running till theydrop . In the past it was only the poor who lost thisgame ; now it is the planet."

Submitted by Rolf Auer

Art Against Brutality is history.

September 10,2005, proved to be an amazing day inOppenheimer park. Over the course of the morning,people gathered, bringing their displays and helpingto haul out the things that had been gathered andstored in the park 's breezeway.

Berndt the Neon Wizard arrived and transformedthe video room , highlighting the art already on thewalls . DES Media grabbed a couple of tables andimmediately set up a craft area, preparing the canvasfor the group mural that would unfold over thecourse of the day . When Kxx from Radha Yoga wasfinished helping with that , she organized The Pavil­ion of the Healing Arts , where her group olTered anoasis of calm, moving closer to the centre as the dayprogressed.

Heroic measures were called for and given as folkswho had never worked together before accomplishedthings that had never been imagined. From bits andpieces of donations, cast-offs and magnificent finds ,the ways of brutality were mapped out with theirstreet signs.

Chaos reigned, and out of it emerged the labyrinth.Stacy's triumphal arch of sheep was erected and thePath of Least Resistance was delineated with a dou­ble row of clothesline hung with the trophies ofmodern consumerism.

Desolation Row took minutes to create while thegallery of Lost and Found Objects grew slowly overthe day and was never completed.VANDU set up at the intersection of the Boulevard

of Lost Dreams, with PIVOT close by and DERA ,Anti-Poverty Committee, and various women 'sgroups including DAAMS and Atari ...and the Gal­lery Gachet. In fact, those tables hosted leaflets fromvarious groups that could not be there but sent someliterature, or giveaways.

We even had the new poster and hot olTthe pressteaser catalogue sent to us by the Vancouver Interna­tional Film Festival, thanks Niko.The Downtown Eastside Women's Centre was a

great hit , running in with a full bin of bannock thattook 3 minutes to disappear. THANK YOU CAROL!The Falon Gong People arrived; their beautiful pres­entation was also the most graphic. Corinne arrivedwithout her rocking chair: I had forgotten I had

promised to get it for her. She grabbed another chairand quickly set up and began to tat.

Only two hours behind schedule, the main stageburst into sound. Delanye welcomed the crowd andshared the story of her beating by the police for pro­testing their rough treatment of a woman in custody.

Gloria La Roque brought one of her incrediblepanels commemorating the Missing Women andshared the story of their creation.

Maggie deVries then shared some more of her andher sister Sarah's story. While she was speaking , Inoticed that the picture of Sarah that Maggie hadplaced on the memorial pole had flipped over so thatit was facing the stage.

Then Jean Swanson spoke about poor-bashing, ty­ing everything all together with her broad perspec­tive.

At last there was live music . The Carnegie Irregu­lars kept the beat going as we enjoyed first the irre­pressible Aboriginal Duo, The Genetics . Theyknocked our sox ofTas people came running from allover the park to catch the sound. Mary Sue thenmesmeri zed us with her elegant keyboards. Eliza­beth Fischer and Ron Samworth challenged us towake up, and Damian made sure that we did, joiningin with the Carnegie crew and some talent in theaudience to play requests . As always, Peggy mademe cry with her heartfelt gusto .The day passed too quickly, full of surprises and

some disappointments that morphed into opportuni­ties. There were those who had been committed thatcouldn't be there , and people that I had never beforeseen who suddenly threw themselves into doingwhatever it was that needed to be done to keep theday flowing.So many thanks are due, that listing them all would

have me miss this newsletter's deadline. First andforemost is the financial support we got from theVancouver Foundation through the NeighbourhoodSmall Grants Project that funded us.

Carnegie Centre supplied coffee and tea, DERAdonated photocopying and sponsored the insuranceand park permit. The Powell Street Festival Board ofDirectors sent us a huge message of support andMiko especially went out of her way to give us somecrucial, tangible help with lattice .

Most special thanks to Lilly and her crew for hermiracle that produced a great meal for everybodyThanks go to those places that donated prizes .

Darcy from VANDU won for the best cart display ­a lunch for four at Franny's Delicatessan on Cambie(between Hastings and Cordova). Ray won the lunchfor two at Cooks Studio on Cordova (he said he'dtake me if I could find him). Rudolf won the back­pack from 3 Vets on 6th Ave. We will have to makeother arrangements for the fellow who won theRIME gift certificate for $25 as he doesn't yet feelsafe in places that sell liquor.Weare grateful to all these people and places and

to the learning centre which helped with computerglitches and is closing in five minutes . I guess thiswill have to be continued.

'one ofmany'

A

~l:?{!a~1?}1~{!a w@£'t]{!aW~l:?~rr1?w@l:?~~

An artisans' co-operative created for and by women inVancouver's Downtown Eastside

Register now for our next orientationsession

Call the EWMA Coordinator at 604-331-1407

2.. I 7

TIM E co nsumes mesince I began

within this Unive rsecreating my ownrhym e + reasonto ex press mysel f

as this world revol vesaro und the SUN

mak ing Day + Nighta reality for all

one Revolution completedthis plan er' s time

ord ered + del iveredNow all (h)ours

how to usc it bestis decided by us

each and every dayunt il

there is no more Ti me for usDeath is the End

or co ukd beif we let it

2 B continued?

Teresa Grav~~~ . .

~~...J ~<"

MENTAL HEALTH FILM SERIES OPENSWITH FREE SCREENING

Step into arealm of the unreal Friday night at GalleryGachet (88E. Cordova) and attend a free filmscreeningof In theRealms of theUnreal, the firstin aseries of filmspresented bythe gallery along with PacificCinematheque,USC Department of Psychiatry, and the ArtStudios.The series, Madness of the Muses, will examine the linksbetweencreativity, artistic temperament, and mental ill­nessfromboth apsychiatric and aestheticperspective.Opening night.with areception at7pm and screeningat

8pm, features this filmabout the life of Henry Darger. Hespent his childhood in Illinois's asylum forfeeble-mindedchildren and his adulthood working as ajanitor. He lived a

quiet, nearly solitary existence, but his imaginary life wasexciting, colorful and sexually provocative. When he diedinChicago in 1973, his landlady discovered in hisroom300 paintings, some over 10 feet long, and a 15,OOO-pageillustrated novel.The concept of the "mad artist" iscommon insociety Oneof the arguments forthe relationship between creativityand madnessis the importance tothe creative processof those experiences that can becaused or intensifiedbypsychiatricillness. The validityof this link remains an in­tensely controversial topicwithin academiccircles.For more information, stop by88E. Cordova St. (Wed­

Sun, Noon-6pm), call 604-687-2468, orvisit the websiteatwww.gachet.org.

U.S. Poverty Rate Rises to 12.7 PercentWASHINGTON (AP) -- The nation's poverty raterose to 12.7 percent of the population last year, thefourth consecutive annual increase, the Census Bu­reau said Tuesday.The percentage of people withouthealth insurance did not change.Overall , there were37 million people living in poverty , up l.l millionpeople from 2003.Asians were the only ethnic group to show a declinein poverty -- from 11.8 percent in 2003 to 9.8 per­cent last year. The poverty rate among the elderlydeclined as well , from 10.2 percent in 2003 to 9.8percent last year.The last decline in overall poverty was in 2000,

when 31.1 million people lived under the threshold ­- 11.3 percent of the population. Since then, the pov­erty rate has increased steadily from 11.7 percent in200 I , when the economy slipped into recession , to12.5 percent in 2003.The number of people without health insurance

grew from 45 million to 45.8 million. At the sametime, the number of people with health insurancecoverage grew by 2 million last year .

Charles Nelson, an assistant division chief at theCensus Bureau, said the percentage of uninsuredremained steady because of an "increase in govern­ment coverage, notably Medicaid and the state chil­dren's health insurance program that offset a declinein employment-based coverage."The median household income, meanwhile, stood at$44,389, unchanged from 2003. Among racial andethnic groups blacks had the lowest median incomeand Asians the highest. Median income refers to thepoint at which half of househol ds earn more and halfearn less.Regionally , income declined only in the Midwest,

down 2.8 percent to $44,657. The South was thepoorest region and the Northeast and the West hadthe highest median incomes . The increase in povertycame despite strong economic growth, which helpedcreate 2.2 million jobs last year."I guess what happened last year was kind of similarto what happened in the early 1990s where you hada recession that was officially over and then you hadseveral years after that of rising poverty," Nelsonsaid. "... These numbers do reflect changes between2003 and 2004. They don't reflect any improvementsin the economy in 2005"

Tim Smeedi ng, an economics professor at theMaxwell School of Syracuse University, says thenation has experienced a shift from earnings incometo capital income and capital gains, which aren't re­flected in the Census Bureau's latest numbers."Most of that growth in the economy over the lastcouple of years has gone to higher income p:copleand has taken the form of capital income -- interest ,rents, dividends," Smeeding said.

The poverty threshold differs by the m~keup andsize of a household. For instance , a family of four .with two children was considered living in poverty Ifincome was $19,157 or less. For a family of twowith no children, it was $12,649. For a person 65and over living alone, it was 9,060.The estimates on poverty, uninsured and income arebased on supplements to the bureau's Current Popu­lation Survey, and are conducted over three months ,beginning in February, at about 100,000 householdsnationwide.

The only city with a million or tnore residents thatexhibited a significant change in poverty leve~ lastyear was New York City, which saw the rate 10­

crease from 19 percent to 20.3 percent.1*As an addendum to this article . almost a!l ofthepeople left in New Orleans when the Hurricanestruck were too poor to buy transportation. rent aroom in a hotel. or transfer any assets to safety. Loalmost all shown on the news are black people.What is really telling is that two almost identicalphotos, one ofa young black man in chest-deep wa­ter and one ofa young white couple in chest-deepwater had the following explanations below themwhen they were published:I) A black man after looting a local grocery store ;2) A couple after finding bread and soda left In theruins ofa corner store . Ed)

Joanne

+This page was blank

As I wasNow it's future

Is mineLei me exp lain

If possible

Being blank is internal, personalThe year before I was born

There was blanknessThat I belonged to

Thenfrom that, like everybody elseI appeared

Once we were all blankYet

Here we areAll

Not blankFor a brief time

We are not blank ...

We are aliveWhat you doIs your choice

Teresa Gray

Celebrating Our JourneysThe Downtown Eastside Womens' Centreinvites you to our 2nd Annual Street Partyon Columbia between Hastings and Cordova

In recognition and celebration of the women in thiscommunity - their struggles, accompl ishments andsurvival. Men are welcome.

Sunday. September 18, 12 - 4 pm..

Free Food, Entertainment, Games, Activities,Workshops, Presentations

& A Special Artisans MarketSupported by :Camegie CommunityCentre, Cheam Fishers, DAMS, DERA,Downtown Eastside Food Co-op, PHS, Downtown EastsideNeighbourhood House, Positive Women's Network, PowellPlace, Vancouver Native Health and YWCA Crabtree Comer.

Winners aren't claiming prizes!Some days you just can't give things away. PathwayInformation Centre held a successful "Trades Train­ing and Jobs" expo at 390 Main Street back in July .At that time we had a number of great door prizesincluding, at the last minute , a 2-day fork lift coursedonated by Hunter Industries. [The gasp of the win­ner was worth the whole day!)

However, there are a number of smaller prizes thatno one has claimed. Every day I catch someone fon­dling the great gear provided by LogoTech andwondering ifit is for .the taking. We have hats, totebags, and a fleece pullover.,-------------------------------------- - --------------------------~-I

i So.... last chance. If your name is on this list comet1------ - ---- - \~A.clai~J.:~~~-c.And bring som~_!:_'!~we_4~t!.~I . •\GIve >-'..~!"..~ _~~~X_!~_~o.!!8..E~~!1L .~_~~~~_~atherine Newstec!, Rick La!!&i.!!g

~t;_~~.!"_~~~

Hi Carnegie:

I know 65 is considered elderly by D.E. standardsbut I j ust wanted you to know I spent the summerswimming lengths (to escape the heat and humidity)

Also I just purchased icc skates for the cold , coldwinter.

Guess Who Is 65?Joanne Hamen (Smyth)

Lots of love and admiration from your entirefamily. Rock on Joanne!

•

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~--- These days we all sensewe arc running oul of timethe disasters COIllC quicker and harderonc day the world is one way. then tomorrowits forever changed and we're adriftin a river moving 100quickly,100 fast we race over the edgeinto the ApocalypseSeems like its always teetering on the brinkSince I was a child: before that even

- people lived with a sense of forebodingalways in a rush 10 do it allbefore the whole universeblows itself to hellNever enough timetime 10 relax enough, 10justlivc

Soul UpOIl S .....Bv and large thats the way life will go at certain

_ times To take a chance or maybe 10 play il safe.either riskv or sublime Do YOU have sonic goalwithin vour reach, in your liie of calm and strife

or arc they lost - 10'bc found - don 't waste yourtime. do not lose your hallowed ground.

As this spinning earth rotates around. go oul andreach from sea 10sea within your brimming eyes Ilear . I cnn almost sec your soul so ncar .With your flowing gown and softly lighted hair in

braids . I catch my breath as you leisurely sip from a_ cup of Mandarin tea did I ever mention or drop you

a linc 10apologize for feelings hurl. with you left intears' if. maybe not , please consider this now.

Who 's 10blame when situations go awry " hold 10your strong thoughts : choose whether 10 live or dielor thcm as the moon tides ebb slowly away Youknow you mentioned 10 mc once , I think as I recall ,about certain demands on your time, both before andafter thc fallI should have listened 10you more carefully when

_ you spoke 10 me heart 10heart, of your inncr veiledsecrets or ~ ct was it a pica"Alwavs in a hurry. that 's my nature , as you do thiswcIl know and vet no onc exists who is so perfect To play thc hand as deal!as purc as windswept driven snow I fc II it to be One chance, slim odds cry foulnecessary at this time .. just thought to ICI you know ""!!I Forsaken, appeal the One. yet [clt

about mv being wrapped up in the cocoon of your No reason. purpose, a soullove as il ever will glow . as it surely will warmly Reckoning fate, futilily . the futureburn, slowly yc: forever moving inside of my being Whims and whyfors. woes untold

as you know I always go with the 110\\ 10 live or Become bitter bane, a trickle10die for the love of you . a love that never 110ws Swollen upon hate. too boldI just felt I had 10 Ict you know. • • Embracing deceit. deception , lies

Robyn Livingstone Rampant , raging "gainst all' Iii reproached, rueful , remorseful fliesTo Faith, last refuge of a scoundrel

Stephen Lytton

Ocean of Humanit!Jr;--r....,....,.An ocean of humanityCome, embark on a journey with me,Travel into the world of the unknownperhaps the twilight zonea world of fantasy , reality, insanity.Capture the hearts ; shake the very coreof our being. Paint your collageExamine your innermost fears,or even an ocean of tears ,Colour Your World .Give us a taste of sanity, pain, or even beautyReach into the very depths of our soulsThere, silence is not golden..maybe touch the darkest comer of our livesWhere dreams are real or maybe notEscape is the only way : run ! run! run!Easy but bittersweet.

We all then headed for the Pebble Tool PeopleHomestead (the underpart of the Alex Fraser Bridge)one of the oldest settlement sites unearthed in NorthAmerica. Sarti pointed out that after it was proven tobe one of the earliest settlements, it was quickly

'I'.' made into an offramp for the bridge.I I (

, I had no idea of such history in Vancouver and was)~m \ most thankful to have learned this .

Burns Bog ( :;:' ,,','/ It's the day after and I can hardly walk, but the ex-/ " , perience was well worth my having gone . It does

iactuatly burning as this is readied f or the Newsletter) one good to reconnect with nature. I highly recom-I was reading the September I, 2005 issue of the mend this kind of trip and am looking forward to the

Carnegie Newsletter and found this announcement next one. Thank you all very much,of a Sarti Walk through Bums Bog. So up to the _~ ~ Colleen Carrollthird floor I went and signed up. I was the last one to ~I " r~//;~ .get a space but I wondered just what I was in for? It\.~~ ~~B f d' ffi I lki I h d I ~. \~" " " \(ll (r'~'f-: .~''''1''-tl[ ~ . '!t-ecause 0 great I ICU ty wa ung, a a ways .... "~.:'i '~'f .I'\~\' ~ , - yl

Ik ..u.,,,~ ;:: "f" ::'{ "f ~'\,~ ~ , J' , .passed up these wa ts. ,,~ /. )"'\"~ '\\ ' ~¥( "" >

The big day came, and we all got on the bus for a NY .!'\J <Yo

most enjoyable ride out of Vancouver, thru Rich- ~ II ~{' I

mond and into Delta. The bus finally stopped at a J (. .~landfill site. All were issued a bag lunch as we dis- . ~\ .{~ ,embarked (and I thought: The cooks at the Carnegie \,\'0: .1-. • . r .(Zthink of everylhing) and I was so thankful for the .=>" ",- ' .~,\ / "r-l+-+--+-+--f~~"'--~:rllbottle of water. Ilf 11

As we walked along a power line path we pickedj uicy, ripe blackberries and enjoyed the feeling ofwalking on something besides cement. It is so muchnicer to walk on the forgiving bog . We passed anhistorical place where well over a century ago a fel­low who lived in the bog had been murdered in hishome there and the case has never been solved.Time for Cold Case Files to step in I'd say.

Shortly thereafter we turned into the bog . It washigh and dry (for a bog) and very easy walking forthese old knees and hips on the sponge like moss .We made our way past stunted bonsai-like treespicking muscatels, a small blue berry , and as wewent along admiring the coral-like growth of mossesin red, yellow, orange, light green and grey. We fi­nally arrived at our destination - an old peat-miningarea that was in operation before WWII.

We ate, talked and even took a bit of a nap, but alltoo soon it was time to gather up what we had takenin with us, and go further down the trail. The floraand fauna continued to be fascinating and many ofus filled our lunch bags with wild berries on the wayback to the bus .

•

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OWNTOW NEASTSIDEYOUTHACTIVITIESSOCIETY49 W.Cordova604-251-3310

FIXED EXCHANGE SITE - 5 E HastingsNEEDLE EXCHANGE VAN - 3 Routes:

604-685-6561 City - 5:45pm - 11:45pmOvernieht - 12:30am - 8:30am

Downtown Eastside - 5:30pm - 1:30am

O~~,Q) U@] o/IFlW <C<Qb([l)JP> JRlAID)IT([})

THIS NEWSLETTER IS A PUDLICATION OF TH ECARNEGIE COMM UNITY CENTRE ASSOCIATION

Articles represent the views of individual

Editor: PaulR Taylor; cover a rt by Diane Wood,layout by Lisa David & Stephen Lytton.

Submission Deadlinefor nest issue:

Tuesday, September 27

---------- ..w~ .('knowlrdll~ tIuIt CameKl~ Commmdty Cent re, llI1d thb

Nnnlfttu, .~ IuIppmlnl: on th~ Squambh Nation'. t~nitory. I

ContactJenny

Wai ChingKwan MLA

Working for You1070 -16-11 Commc:n:ia l Dr. VSL 3YJ

Ph one: 775 -0790 Fax: 775·08SI

The Downtown Ea~t.side Residents Association

At 12 East Hastings St. or caJl 604-682-093 1

• ._ _... .... . . .. ,..,.. .. 'u,. . .•. " -' - . .-" - " -. .-" - '--. .-.'-' "-.

Definition (if"cha r ity":(pre-socialist usage) <in an exploi tative soc iety>[a we ll-to-do person or institutionJ which givesdonat ions to selec ted 'poor people' in a humiliatingmanner while using philanthropic and rel igiousslogan s in order to con ceal the necess ity of radicalsoci al cha nges .

2005 DONATIONS Libby 0 .-$40

Barry for Dave McC.-$50 Rolf A.-$45

Margaret 0 .-$25 Christopher R.-$50Mary C-$ 30 Bruce 1 -$30 U'mista - $20Heather S.-$25 RayCam-$30 Gram -$200Paddy -$30 Glen B.-$50 John S.-$80Penny G .-$21 Jenny K. -$20 Dara C.-$20Sandy C.$ 20 Audrey-$20 Wes K.-$50Joanne H.-$20 Rockingguys -$20The Ed~e Community Liaison Ctt -$200Pam B.-$ 25 Wm B-$20 Janice P.-$20Michael C.-$50 Sheila 8.-$ 25 Beth 8 .-$20Anonymous-$2.50

DO YO U HAVE A LEGAL PHOULEM ?

Come to our FREE CLINICOn Carnegie 's 3rd tl~or

US C Law Students ' Legal Advice ProgramYou must make all appoilltment.

Tuesdays 7pm - 9pm.

Articles represent the views of individualcontributors and not of the Association.

Contrbutorsarenotpermitted tomalignOf attack Of relegateanyperson Of gr~ orclass, indoong adcicts and poor peo­ple, to a Jevel referred toor impying 'less than human'..

She's back!! !Margaret Prevost, who has been vacationing in

sunny locales for months, has returned to pick up herduties as President of the Carnegie Community Cen­tre Association.

She actually started a stay in Vancouver GeneralHospital in November 2004 , went home as 'better'just before Xmas, checked herself back in two dayslater and had to spend the next Eight Months fight­ing all manner of infections, complications, allergicreactions to powerful antibiotics, seizures, even lossof the ability to feed herself. .. but Margaret, as al­ways ,just spit in the eye of the Man with the Sythcand is now looking and feeling better than she has inyears .

Day-pass outrages ('"You let all my plants die!")were mostly like water off a ducks back. They usu­ally got one or more people scrambling but the die­hards (us) are used to The Wrath of Margaret.

After being transferred to G.F.Strong for rehab, shetried to convince visitors that stories of escapadesfrom there were about stufT that had happened yearsago. Yeah , fat chance. If you know Margaret youwon't even blink when she says sortees of her andfellow patients (all disabled and confined to wheel­chairs or even bed) varied between Safeway, thebowling alley and even the local pub (and then hav­ing to all sneak back in so nurses wouldn't readthem the Riot Act) .

Maybe her timelines are accurate as the photographhere is Margaret at her AA birthday party .

Welcome home to the Downtown Eastside!

By PAUL;R TAYLOR

TAKE BACK THE NIGHT

Wheelchair pusherswill be available.Women are asked tocome prepared andimagine what thisspace could be usedfor if none of us hadto fear violence, es­pecially as the eve­ning on any daydeepens into night.

Male supportersare asked to callVancouver RapeRelief & Women'sShelter for informa­tion on how yourrespectful supportcan be best util ized.

Women Take Action Against Rape.Create Safety & Freedomby being Together in Public Space.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16,2005 - 7:30PMLOSY LAG O ON, STANLEY PARK (ALBERNI & C I-IJLCO)Come walk , run , cycle, yoga, stargaze.•. in Stanley Park. Call to sign up.

Wear black to accentuate your experience of the night.free childcare available IW ".

please call to register, 604-872-8212 B1 ...~ o'loni...<1 by Vonco u. .. , RnpeRelr.( & Women', Sh..Ir.,..o m..mh., o( ,he Conod,on Anoel,,' ion o( Sex",,' An",,'r Cenr,e, .

_ ~w rO~/~'lpf~"ehe,. bc. . t:o