East van has spoken, and it has good things to say.
I went to a play about Bruce Erickson last night. It was a musical put on by Theatre in The Raw. I am not a particularly big fan of musicals, but something about this was exceptional. Bruce Erickson fought tirelessly for the residents of the downtown eastside in the late 70’s and early 80’s. He started DERA (www.dera.bc.ca/), and pushed the city to reopen the Carnegie library. A heritage building which is now a thriving community center in the neighbourhood with a cafeteria, library, computer center, meeting rooms, and place for people to spend time together, safely, away from the street. His wife, Libby Davies (our van east MP), has fought tirelessly as well. She has registered homeless voters, and maintained the velocity of a movement for social change in the eastside.
Some people have lived in 12 by 12 rooms in decrepit hotels for over 20 years, some even longer. The play reminded me of this and of so many things I had forgotten about the history of the neighbourhood.
It is hard for me to think about the downtown eastside sometimes. Since I left the work down there, it has left a bit of an open sore on my whole self. Things have definitely moved forward from that point of reopening the Carnegie in 1976, but I don’t know where we are now now. People are still openly injecting drugs in the street, and living in substandard housing. Although I go through waves of feelings and thoughts about the place, for the most part it makes me incredibly angry. My eyes seethe red like my dad's when he is upset. Most days I don’t know whether to cry, or start throwing firebombs. I know neither of those things will accomplish a solution. So most often I walk around with my heart clenched and lips pursed…waiting. waiting for people to take back what is rightfully theirs
How far can we push people into the proverbial mud? I think we might as well stone people to death. It seems that letting them waste is essentially the same thing to me.
When I was in Austin for NPS two summers ago, team van got picked up in a taxi by an older Russian male driver. He was angry with us and our choice of Harper. We told him we had about as much to do with it as he had choice with Bush.
He said he had left Russia 40 years ago to live in America and have a better life for his children than he had had for himself. He said that he wished he had never left his entire family and roots because he felt no better off in America than he did in Russia waiting in bread lines. He concluded by telling us that people were so angry in the US that shit was about to go down. He said you can only push people so far and have them be so poor and so angry before there is “blood in the streets.”
If things didn’t start to change, he predicted that it would be all out warfare. maybe a bit macabe, but his anger has stayed in me in ways I am sure he does not know. It has become my anger.
I am always waiting for this day to come in the Downtown eastside. When people are so goddamn fed up that they all abandon their decrepit housing and move to City hall and start really fighting and saying WE are right HERE, you can’t ignore us anymore. In other places in the world, people throw rocks and burn things down. How far can we push it here? Will this ever happen?
Maybe change really does need to come in positive ways. Not by way of metaphorical tree spiking. Violence rarely solves problems. People solve problems.
All this “Obama” has really put a fire into people’s throats. It is a good fire, it has moved from a vicious throat burning streptococci virus, to a large, loving, warm hearth that is burning back the desperation like a flame thrower with ample sweeps of hope in the form of brilliant light.
Obama lit a fire that has not subsided and does not reside only in the United States. Vancouver voted yesterday in city elections for a new majority government with Gregor Robertson at the keel. The power base has shifted in Vancouver. Vision is a good choice. Olympic and development interests have been ruling this city for too long now. This is a responsible choice which will take care of the interests of many, instead of the few of years passed.
I believe they will mobilize communities and inspire people to end homelessness, create real solutions for green building, push for real bike lanes, tax the assholes who vacation rent their homes when people here have nowhere to live, and actually employ the principles of other world renowned cities which have left us in the dirt by comparison due to a severe lack of leadership by the people for the people.
It is a validating feeling to put faith in leadership. It mobilizes people to undertake things they only felt hopeless before. It mobilizes me. Fills me with a brilliant stroke of purpose. Thanks to Vision Vancouver. Thanks for the votes.
Thanks to Bruce Erickson. Even though you are gone, just know that what you started 30 years ago was not in vain.
East van has spoken, and it has good things to say.
vancouver.ca/electionresults2008/#mayorrace
Some people have lived in 12 by 12 rooms in decrepit hotels for over 20 years, some even longer. The play reminded me of this and of so many things I had forgotten about the history of the neighbourhood.
It is hard for me to think about the downtown eastside sometimes. Since I left the work down there, it has left a bit of an open sore on my whole self. Things have definitely moved forward from that point of reopening the Carnegie in 1976, but I don’t know where we are now now. People are still openly injecting drugs in the street, and living in substandard housing. Although I go through waves of feelings and thoughts about the place, for the most part it makes me incredibly angry. My eyes seethe red like my dad's when he is upset. Most days I don’t know whether to cry, or start throwing firebombs. I know neither of those things will accomplish a solution. So most often I walk around with my heart clenched and lips pursed…waiting. waiting for people to take back what is rightfully theirs
How far can we push people into the proverbial mud? I think we might as well stone people to death. It seems that letting them waste is essentially the same thing to me.
When I was in Austin for NPS two summers ago, team van got picked up in a taxi by an older Russian male driver. He was angry with us and our choice of Harper. We told him we had about as much to do with it as he had choice with Bush.
He said he had left Russia 40 years ago to live in America and have a better life for his children than he had had for himself. He said that he wished he had never left his entire family and roots because he felt no better off in America than he did in Russia waiting in bread lines. He concluded by telling us that people were so angry in the US that shit was about to go down. He said you can only push people so far and have them be so poor and so angry before there is “blood in the streets.”
If things didn’t start to change, he predicted that it would be all out warfare. maybe a bit macabe, but his anger has stayed in me in ways I am sure he does not know. It has become my anger.
I am always waiting for this day to come in the Downtown eastside. When people are so goddamn fed up that they all abandon their decrepit housing and move to City hall and start really fighting and saying WE are right HERE, you can’t ignore us anymore. In other places in the world, people throw rocks and burn things down. How far can we push it here? Will this ever happen?
Maybe change really does need to come in positive ways. Not by way of metaphorical tree spiking. Violence rarely solves problems. People solve problems.
All this “Obama” has really put a fire into people’s throats. It is a good fire, it has moved from a vicious throat burning streptococci virus, to a large, loving, warm hearth that is burning back the desperation like a flame thrower with ample sweeps of hope in the form of brilliant light.
Obama lit a fire that has not subsided and does not reside only in the United States. Vancouver voted yesterday in city elections for a new majority government with Gregor Robertson at the keel. The power base has shifted in Vancouver. Vision is a good choice. Olympic and development interests have been ruling this city for too long now. This is a responsible choice which will take care of the interests of many, instead of the few of years passed.
I believe they will mobilize communities and inspire people to end homelessness, create real solutions for green building, push for real bike lanes, tax the assholes who vacation rent their homes when people here have nowhere to live, and actually employ the principles of other world renowned cities which have left us in the dirt by comparison due to a severe lack of leadership by the people for the people.
It is a validating feeling to put faith in leadership. It mobilizes people to undertake things they only felt hopeless before. It mobilizes me. Fills me with a brilliant stroke of purpose. Thanks to Vision Vancouver. Thanks for the votes.
Thanks to Bruce Erickson. Even though you are gone, just know that what you started 30 years ago was not in vain.
East van has spoken, and it has good things to say.
vancouver.ca/electionresults2008/#mayorrace