MARCH 1, 1993. 401 blain St. , Va~~couver.V6A 2.1'7 (60h)605-22Uy . .from the front page of some paper. As they present a "new start". ."a clean with Vanderzalm, this joke gets off free slate". .bullshit piled so high they hope with a fat wallet while hundreds of thou- it blocks the light of simple facts. sands of people are left unemployed, poor The North American Free Trade Agreement or both. Like when the stock market did is still top priority for the corporate its thing in 1929. .the rich killed them- agenda. Their mental disease of greed is selves while the poor just starved. st ill consuming our planet. Take heart ; Now the Tories will try to get us to we've won a battle.. .let's win the war. 'speak nothing but good of the dead' as PAULR TAYLOR THE $100 MILLION QUESTION Che Coalition was founded a year ago, at We all know that there is a lot of mon- che suggestion of ,Harcouxt to try to ey coming into the Downtown Eastside and ,ring some coordination into all the soc- ' Strathcona from various gov't sources but ial programs. The premier has now told until a meeting with Premier Harcourt re- the agencies they have to come to Coalit- cently, we really didn't know just how ion meetings & explain what new programs many dollars were involved. they are planning & listen tb the people. Wow we know: the figure is a whopping He offered $60,000 to help coordinate $100 million a year & that doesn't even the effort, if the Coalition can show the include the welfare payments to people. community is really involved & other lev- The $100 million covers all programs, els of gov't help out too. services & facilities, from the Sally Ann to Carnegie & Ray-Cam, from street work- Community groups like Carnegie, DERA, ers handing out needles to the construct- Strathcona Residents Association & Ray- , ion of new special housing. On a per cap- Cam are starting to play a stronger role ita basis, that's the equivalent of in the Coalition. That's the only our co- $5000 per resident. mmunity can get the services it needs. It's a lot of money, the most to any neighbourhood in BC, but how well is it By NGGS SIGURGEIRSON . being spent? President, Carnegie CCA. That was a question the Premier posed to the Downtown EastsidelStrathcona Coal- ition. And it leads to other questions. How much duplication is there? How effec- tive are the programs? How accountable to the community are the agencies? There are a total of 278 agencies oper- ating in the area, probably more than in any other urban neighbourhood in Canada. The Premier told them that from now on they will have to consult with residents before introducing new programs or facil- ities in the community. Residents said they are concerned that in some cases the ever-increasing qumber of programs is attracting people from other parts of the province who could be better served where they live. The residents also want the agencies to be more responsive to what the commun- ity identifies as priorities. This inclq- des things like: * A new supermarket to replace Woodwards; *More affordable daycare for our kids; * Education, jobs & housing for people who want to get off the street; * Programs to reach out to isolated seni- ors & ex-mental patients who live in hotels & may need help. That's where the Coalition comes in. of the many women who have been killed in the Downtown Eastside in recent years. PRESS'STATEMENT Social Services Community groups & individuals of the Before Christmas I was fighting with ~~~t~~ Eastside have organised & partic- Social Services for my BC Medical card. I ipated in this memorial because we believe had three social workers 4 they had(.me the violence must stop. running around, After that I went to Shar- ~t is time we remembe~the women who on at First United Church 5 she was the have met violent death in the Downtown one who helped me. I told her that welfare Eastside, We haye to sta~tsaying that Z this is not an individual problem; it is was giving me the runaround. Her 6 sat down & she asked me some information. a societal problem, She started phoning theswelSdrep4asked Violence has taken the lives of many women who were aembe~sof our community, me who my social watrker was. I didn't know who did not deserve to die, and have much anymore. Welfare didn't know either; they didn't know who was looking after my file to give in life to all of us. We need to or my case. They gave me an appointment recognize that these women who have been with Randy. victims of violence & death have families, This morning I had troubles with my relations and friends who love them. We dentures 6, knowing I'd have to go to wel- cannot look the other way any more when , fare about medical again, asked the Great someone says that the Downtown Eastside is a violent community. We need to look at Spirit for help. I went to the Free Clinic & the dentist gave me a piece of paper, a the men who ape committing these murders, form, 6 I took it to Dockside Welfare. many of whom ape outsiders & come into this community to prey on women. The worker there said, 'Sorry, Randy's We need to look at the women who have out." I told her I needed some help. She said, What for?" I said, ''For my false been murdered oveT the last 10 years. The teeth," I stayed there until someone fill- majority of them veTe native fnw reserves %cross Canads,, A high percentage of the ed out the fom 6 I got new plates. I was not going to 'come back later' to see murders comitted ~emainunsolved. Their murderers are still out there, Randy. You cannot let them get away with We believe that the Downtown Eastside it, you've got to push hard & stand up for needs more support semrices for women, who your rights. If you can!t it the first are among the most dep~ivedinoursociety. time, try harder next time..keep pushing! How many more women need tq die a sense, I got the disability, I came to school, less 6 brutal death before we start saying I seen Sharon & she noticed a difference it has to stop? in me. The weekend was beautiful! The media,, the police & other institu~ By MARIE ROSE MERCEREAU tions need to help the women in this com- \ Carnegie Adult Learning Centre munity to create a safer 6 better environ- I ment by ensuring that these deaths are vindicated in the proper way, and result / WE LIVE IN A TELEVISION MENTALITY in real protection for the women of the A Carnegie ESL (English as a Second Lan- Downtown Eastside. guage) student will return to Hong Kong in The sexism & racism & indifference of April with the belief that people on Van- the authorities towards the death of our couver's Main & Hastings streets do not sisters must STOP! help women in crisis. The student, a tiny 0 " Chinese lady in her early twenties, was walking along Main Street in the middle oi a bright afternoon, carrying her passport Another case of vlSociety S~cks.~I'm E all her ID in her shoulder strap purse. sick, really sick and tired of how the A, shall we call her 'street walker1, grab government and society are treating us bed her purse E tried to take it away fror aboriginal people. Why don't they just her. Despite the young lady's screams and put us in kennels or stables? protests that it was 'her purse,' no one I mean we have to have a stupid little interfered as the street walker tugged at orange card with a number on it, or pap- the purse that was obviously on the stud- ers, to prove we're Indian, which to me ent? person. Eventually the street walkei is pure bullshit! I mean we are people! gave up E wa~lked away. I don't see the caucasian (white) people Television has keadened most people9s have a card to say they're white, or the awareness of the importance of helping out Chinese, or the Blacks to say they9re those who are in a combat position. What black. Stupid, that's what it is. if the student had lost her passport? It What brought this anger is what happen- would have caused her much trouble. One ed last week regarding this man who was has only to protest, ask what is going on, a 'status Indian1 or an aboriginal or to do some little thing to help. whatever, but because he didn't have the One night, about 1:30 am a neighbour of stupid little card they, the government, a Carnegie member screamed several times 6 wouldnn't help him or his family - so we shouted for help. The Carnegie member phon did..his street family/extended family. ed her building's manager E told him some- Everybody in this whole wide world will one was begging for help. It took 3 other someday not have a name, they'll have a neighbours, from farther down the hall, at number . least 5 minutes to react E another few Anothe~thing - this Pharmacare Card! more minutes to gather their wirs G call You ox your child could be practically the police, By that time the manager had dying, you go see the doctor, but he dressed E knocked on the still screaming won't see you, let alone help you, cause wornants door,.