CCAATTCCHH DDAA FFLLAAVVAA www.catchdaflava.com March/April 2006 Volume 12 Issue 1 RREEGGEENNTT PPAARRKK IISS FFAALLLLIINNGG DDOOWWNN!! THOUGHTS ABOUT THE PAST AND FUTURE OF CANADA’’S LARGEST PUBLIIC HOUSIING PROJECT ALSO IIN THIIS IISSUE:y -WHAT’S CAUSING GUN VIIOLENCE IN TORONTO? -WHY TTC FARES ARE GOING UP...YET AGAIN -SHOULD DROPOUTS GET DRIVER’S LICENSES? -PROMINENT AFRIICAN CANADIIANS -HOW TO THROW THE ULTIIMATE PARTY A Youth Health and Culture Magazine Serving the Greater Toronto Area TTAABBLLEE OOFF CCOONNTTEENNTTSS FEATURE: Regent Park: Community of the Future ..12-13 FEATURE: Before Rosa Parks Was Viola Desmond...5 FEATURE: Prominant African Canadians from Toronto...6-7 FEATURE: Shop Till You Drop Dead...8 FEATURE: 50 Cent Lyrics Promote Gun Violence in Toronto...9 FEATURE: Why TTC Fares Are Going Up...Yet Again...18 FEATURE: My Home, My Igloo...19 EDITORIAL...3 WHAT’S YOUR BEEF?: TTC Fare Hikes and Government Responses to Gun Violence...4 LET CATCH DA FLAVA FACE OFF: Should High School Dropouts Be Prohibited from Getting Their Driver’s BE YOUR VOICE Licenses?...10 IN CONVERSATION WITH former residents Cathy Brennan and John Swindell...14-15 Catch da Flava youth magazine GLOBAL STRUGGLES: You Say You Want A Revolution: An Insider's Look at the 2006 is published by the Regent Park World Social Forum...16 Focus Media Arts Centre. The POET’S CORNER: Untitled...19 magazine is distributed free to THE CHOICE IS YOURS: Throwing the Ultimate Party...20-21 COMICS...22-23 libraries, community groups, and selected schools across down- town Toronto. VOLUME 12 ISSUE 1 MARCH/APRIL 2006 Subscriptions are available outside our delivery area. THE REGENT PARK FOCUS MEDIA ARTS CENTRE IS COMMITTED TO THE USE OF COMMUNTY-BASED MEDIA TO PROMOTE HEALTH AND ENGAGE YOUTH.REGENT PARK Catch da Flava welcomes letters FOCUS IS HOME TO: CATCH DA FLAVA YOUTH HEALTH AND CULTURE MAGAZINE, and articles from young people CATCH DA FLAVA ONLINE, CATCH DA FLAVA YOUTH RADIO ON CKLN 88.1 FM, (up to 24 years of age). EYE VIDEO YOUTH PRODUCTIONS, THE ZAPPAROLI STUDIO FOR PHOTOGRAPHY, Submissions should be no longer & THE UNDERGROUND MUSIC RECORDING STUDIO than 1000 words in length. PROGRAM CO-ORDINATOR: ADONIS HUGGINS If you would like more EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: BO WEN CHAN information about how you can TREASURER & ADVERTISING MANAGER: EMMANUEL KEDINI contribute to Catch da Flava, call us at (416) 863-1074 YOUTH WRITERS AND EDITORIAL STAFF: BO WEN CHAN, CRAIG FORTIER, JENNN or submit directly to FUSION, OMAR HASSAN, ZAHRA KARA, EMMANUEL KEDINI, IAIN LEW KEE, [email protected] CHRISTIAN MUABI, ANGELA MUSCEO, RAYMOND WILSON, & TYRONE MACLEAN-WILSON. NEXT DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS IS: GUEST WRITERS: BO SAN CHAN, MICHEAL ALPERSTEIN, NATHEERAN L.K, ELLEN April 15, 2006 MIHAILOVICH, LISA VALENCIA-SVENSSON, ADAKU HUGGINS WARNER, IKORO SEKAI HUGGINS WARNER. Catch da Flava reserves the right to edit submitted articles THIS ISSUE OF CATCH DA FLAVA WAS SUPPORTED BY: THE TIPPET FOUNDATION, THE for space and clarity. ROTARY FOUNDATION, UNITED WAY AND THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH PROMOTION. Circulation: 6,000 REGENT PARK FOCUS IS LOCATED AT: 600 DUNDAS ST. EAST, TORONTO, ONTARIO, (including 85 community sites M5A 2B9 (ENTRANCE AT REAR BASEMENT). TEL: (416) 863-1074, in downtown Toronto) FAX: (416) 863-9440. WEBSITE: WWW.CATCHDAFLAVA.COM Published Since 1995 © 2006 NO PART OF THIS PUBLICATION MAY BE REPRODUCED WITHOUT THE EXPRESS PERMISSION OF THE PUBLISHER. Catch da Flava 2 March/April 2005 Editorial 399 black men in the late ering the dangers associated with stages of a disease called tobacco use. But the tobacco compa- syphilis. These 399 peo- nies lied to the public by saying that ple were very poor and there weren't any known negative lived in Alabama. During effects of tobacco use and continued the experiment they to sell their products. weren't told what disease they had or how serious A more recent example of lying by the it was. They were U.S. government was when official informed that they had Donald Rumsfeld stated to the press "bad blood" and that they on March 30, 2003, "We know where were being treated for it, [Iraq's WMD] are. They're in the area but the doctors had no around Tikrit and Baghdad and east, intention of curing their west, south, and north somewhat." illness. The object of the The truth is that no such weapons experiment was to see if were found, not to the east, west, there was a difference in south or north. Vice President Cheney the way blacks respond- said on March 16, 2003 "We believe ed to syphilis compared [Saddam] has, in fact, reconstituted to whites. By the end of nuclear weapons." The truth is that the experiment, 28 of the there was absolutely zero basis for men had died directly of this statement. CIA reports up through syphilis, 100 died of 2002 showed no evidence of an Iraqi Illustration by Micah Ian Wright related complications, 40 nuclear weapons program. of their wives had been ying outright to the public is infected, and 19 of their children had How is it that the governments and considered immoral, even by been born with congenital syphilis. large corporations were able to fool so Lthe media. But big businesses And all this happened just to find out many people? Because we didn't real- and governments have done this many that there was no difference in the ize the difference between news and times throughout history, swaying mil- way blacks and whites responded to propaganda. So the next time you hear lions of people's opinions away from syphilis. Not only is this an example or see something too unbelievable to the truth. of lying but it is also a case of med- be true, it probably is. ical racism. One of biggest examples lying hap- pened in the United States. Between Around the time that this was happen- 1932 and 1972, the U.S. Public Health ing--as early as the 1960's--scientists by Ikoro Sekai Huggins Warner, 12 Service conducted an experiment on from tobacco companies were discov- City View Alternative School Catch da Flava’s Special Magazine Issue id you know that Catch da Catch da Flava has evolved again into more. Also check out our new comic Flava is Toronto’s oldest run- a full-blown 24-page mini-magazine. section featuring drama from River Dning youth publication? It’s High. been around for over a decade, and The focus of this issue is on the has expanded from a stapled 6-page Revitalization of Regent Park, which We’d love to hear what you think quarterly booklet to a 12-page bi- is Canada’s largest public housing about our content and new format. monthly newspaper delivered to project. Other features include articles Email us your questions and com- schools, libraries and community on gun violence, TTC fares, promi- ments at: groups all across Toronto. This issue, nent African Canadians and much [email protected]. Catch da Flava 3 March/April 2005 What’s Your Beef? TTC Fare Hikes I think it's unfortunate for students in Well I think the TTC price hike is going I think it's rotten. I think that the TTC general to pay that extra and for it to to cause a lot of problems for people should be more accessible and afford- go up. Because there are a lot of stu- who are not rich. I'm in a program able, especially to students. Having a dents out there trying to get their [Pathways] that gives me tickets to go viable transportation is really key to a Metropasses and tickets and doing all to school. For others it's going to be city's growth economically and if they they can to work part-time and do well hard for them because they are going hike it more people are going to take at school. So it's not right. to waste a lot of money each month and cars and bog down the way the city each year for people to go to school. moves, which is not going to be good for Toronto. -Nayan Kabir -Thaseepan Mariyanayagam -Benji Degraaf Government Responses to Gun Violence Dear Primiere, mum sentencing and a harsher justice tences and more police on the streets system approach overall will not work will be effective at reducing youth gun I am very concerned about rising inci- to address issues of gun crime by crime dents of youth gun crime in my city, youth. It also became painfully obvi- - repeal of the Safe Schools Act but I am even more concerned about ous that our public schools in Toronto - public awareness campaigns of how the simplistic responses of many of are really failing youth of colour, par- interrelated a) availability of racially- my political representatives to this ticularly black youth. conscious schooling and community issue. programs, b) creation of meaningful I urge politicians and leaders of all employment opportunities, and c) Regent Park Focus organized an political persuasions to work towards youth crime really are important panel discussion at the comprehensive, in-depth, real solu- - involvement of the youth themselves Toronto Reference Library last night, tions to the issues of youth gun crime who are at risk and who are involved Jan 26th. During the course of the in our cities. These solutions must with local organizations and initiatives evening, panelists and audience mem- include: such as Regent Park Focus. bers spoke of how mandatory mini- - no more pretence that tougher sen- by Lisa Valencia-Svensson Got A Beef? Don’t Just Sit There, Write About It! Submit to [email protected] Catch da Flava 4 March/April 2005 Before Rosa Parks Was Viola Desmond iola that blacks were not allowed to sit in people should have to sit somewhere Desmo- the downstairs section; blacks were else.