FREE
- donations accepte
In planning, preparing for the worst
possible, talking to everyone and covering everything (you hope), the Force
throws the one unexpected event in the
middle ...winning the election of the
Carnenie Community Centre Association
by acclamation!
The order of the meeting was smooth
and p
bCLuI1.
olm.
P1U55J
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The Board of Directors and Executive:
President-Muggs Sigurgeirson (Gardens,
Fundraising, incumbent)
Vicepresident - Bill Deacon (Learning
Centre tutor)
Treasurer - Paul Taylor (Editor of NL.
Pres.
of Poolroom, Bingo, inc)
- - ,.
- -- - 9 7 7 7
Sigtti-geii-<i~llg i _ ?i ~k ~ -,xw-reT
President's report and the meeting was
opened to nominations..l8 names were
entered..one was absent without a letter of acceptance..one declined..and
16 people accepted. (Two were unable
to attend but letters of acceptance
of nomination were entered into the
minutes. )
Then something totally
------ unexpected
as the one person who had been in the
Centre for six months stood and amiably
said that the fifteen seemed fine to
him and he voluntarily withdrew!
Anton Kofhan will be first should any
director choose to resign.
--A
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JulLen Lc*;csqide
(Le&i-iiiiig
Centre, 'Volunteers Treas.)
Director-at-Large - David Todd (Volun.)
(inc.)
Jim Bahen - c o m i t y Lawyer
Sheila Baxter - Advocate
Cora Case - Women's Centre
Danny Korica - President of Volunteers
Norm Mark - Seniors Volunteer
Bell Mayer - Volunteer
Lillian Nossey - Learning Centre tutor
Irene Schmidt - Cub Leader, Native and
childrens' rights
Peter Sherstobitoff - Volunteer
Sam Snobelen - Director for 3 years,
Co-op board, Residents
I
FROM THE EDITOR'S DESK
5
... on the
inner rage we feel
uation because the sistem just won't
work for (or with] you, .nuclear
castrophe .and on. .and on. .and on.
To be conscious and a woman and/or
non-caucasian and/or poor and/or
simply aware - to be conscious - is
t o be i n a constant s t a t e of rage.
But l i f e is so good and so worth
living. Things w i l l never be just
the way we want them to be 'cause
that's l i f e too.
I think a l l any of us can do i s t o
fight against injustice while fighting for spiritual progress and social
change. As the song goes:
..." Y c?: ."?.?:STh2Ve z cod~,
that you can l i v e by."
PAULR TAYLOR
..
...
Often the only outlet i s against
ourselves - with abuse of alcohol,
drugs, ne ighbours and even friends
O r petitions, lobbying politicians,
trying t o get people together on
issues that are affecting us daily
or i n the future.
B i l l s , no job(s) , City Hall decisions, threats of mistakes/bad
.policies/bad moves/evil people making l i f e or death decisions,.
R i l l s 1 9 6 20; Meares I s l a d ; ?!ztive rights and the children; wildl i f e and wilderness preservation;
level of education and experience
being judged solely by the papers
in your hand-or in your bankbooE;
pollution and waste; pornagraphy Ff
rampant mental disease; living a t
50%below National poverty levels
t-
.
..
.
It's CRAB Park
.
.
11~'~~~~~11111111l~llllllllllllllllnm~llllllllllllllllllllllllll~lllillllllllilllllllllllll
" I W E - donations accepted.
City info staff can't accept
-Newsletter donations, as' t h i s paper
is a hot l i t t l e item of discussion
with the Carnegie Review Panel. I f .
'
, you can help with spare change (! )
!find Paul Taylor, and he111 give you
a receipt= Thanks everybody.
A recent a r t i c l e i n the Vancouver
Sun highlighted the d i f f i c u l t i e s that
CRAB w i l l be having a day-long celebration with l i v e music, games for
handicapped individuals have i n gettkids, food and a general victory romp,
ing t o CRAB Beach. The next day, the
even though the impetus of Parks and
work crew had increased fourfold. The
the Port i s t o have a half-hour cerePark is t o be officially opened on
mony and c a l l it quits. ?Pi'& hadchapgck
July 29th, a t 1 2 : O O noon. Great!
t o have about 200 people
the
neighbourhood and that "s a l l . Low- key
. .but. always but, ,
and quiet on the local scene, but with
Create a Real Available Beach is a
sympathetic media cover
coalition of community people who
great guys they are f o r
fought for years t o get our park. The
recreational and t o u r i s t haven..
Port of Vancouver wants to name it
CRAB w i l l have speakers too: from
"The Portside Park . I 1 . . . They had plannDEW, Jim Green; MLAs Mike Harcourt
ed t o have a stage s e t up for the open- and Fmery Barnes; a representative of
ing, have three of their staff make
the BC Coalition of the Disabled;
short speeches, give away some lemonpossibly Pat Carney, ;p.
ade, and say g o ~ d ~ b y e And
.
then.
Tear down the stage !
.
.
from
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:The interview you are about t o read
is true. The woman who consented t o
do the interview wishes t o remain
! RE: Carl McDonald1s l e t t e r .
I anonymous. )
In answer t o the l e t t e r , on the date g ( 2 . How old were you when your father
: f i r s t made you watch him "perform
June 1, 1987, I f e e l compelled t o
s t a t e , f i r s t of a l l , t h a t I am outrag- 5 ;ext1 on an animal?
A. 2%
ed a t the treatment t h a t i s being giv2
.
H
o
w
old
were
you
when
your father
en t o the female members of Carnegie. E (
Furthermore, in reference t o the r e - 5 s t a r t e d showing you hard core pornyi-4
mark t h a t was made about "BRA BURN- $ (~graphy- b e a s t i a l i t y ?
ING HOMOPHONE HYPOCRITS", I would l i k e g (2. How old were you the f i r s t time
t o know what gives you the r i g h t t o
8 t h i s man made you give him o r a l
put down another person's way of l i f e
!;ex?
A. 5%
o r preferences? The l a s t thing I
(2. How many children i n your family?
heard was, t h a t CANADA is a FREE coun4. Four boys and f i v e g i r l s .
t r y . I , myself, have no varying sexA
=
(2 . How old were you when t h i s man was
ual tendencies. However, I have the I
utmost disrespect f o r someone o r any- $ f i r s t physically abusive? A. 2%
one who puts down another member of
2. What did he do?
the human race (in reference t o you,
,A.
I was crawling up t o him f o r a hug
I use the term "humanf1 loosely) beg and he was smoking h i s pipe; so I
cause anyone i n the habit of harassIpulled myself up by his pant leg f o r
ingwomen, menor c h i l d r e n a s a r e support and he said, "Beat it. Beat i t ,
s u l t of what they want, what they l i k e I'm busy." Then he h i t me hard enough
or what they prefer CANNOT be a very
t o send me flying up against the piano
humane person.
i n the corner where the wheels are.
As my s i s t e r has been a frequent
recipient of sexual harassment, I f e e l 3 'Q. What did you do?
t h a t it is my duty as a concerned c i t - A. I never cried as a child; I was fiot
izen, as well a s a concerned brother, $ about t o give t h a t Bastard the pleasure of seeing me cry. When my brother
t o do everything i n my power t o prec2zc
hcze frzn? schnnl, T l i d and said
vent any furiiler sexial hzxissmcr;t t
: :
t h a t I ' d f a l l e n off my swing. He took
ALL w o m e n w n i n the community.
$m
Furthermore, I demand a written r e t r - I e t o the hospital and I got 9 s t i t c h e s
above my l e f t eye.
action of the above mentioned l e t t e r .
1111111111111111111IIIIIIIlIIIIllllllllIItIIIIIIIIIIIIllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllIlll1lllllll
To protect my s i s t e r , I would l i k e you
t o sign me as A CONCERNED CITIZEN
: 1. I f someone touches you i n a way
I I I I I I I I I ~ I I I I I I I I I I ~ I I ~ I I I I ~ I I ~ you
I I I know
I I ~ is wrong ,
ye11 For the Children:
"stop t h a t , I don't l i k e it!"
2.
If
someone You t r u s t (Grandfather,
Children a r e supposed t o be happy,
brother..)
bribes you t o touch you,
but sometimes adults take advantage
say,
"No.
I
f you love me and you're
of them. Believe me kids, i f t h i s
happens t o you, t e l l someone. Tell
sick, then get help."
your teacher o r minister o r someone
Please kids, be careful. This world
you t r u s t - someone who w i l l believe
is f u l l of maniacs that abuse kids.
you. Here a r e some pointers:
-I
1
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z
z
I
you
SCAMP
Lo"ff@
Let me not pray to be sheltered from dangers
W
But to be fearless in facing them.
Let me not beg for the stiliing of my pain
But for the heart to conquer it.
Let me not look for allies in life's
battlefield, But to my own strength.
Let me not crave in anxious fear to be saved,
But hope for the patience to win my freedom.
Grant me that I may not be a coward
feeling your mercy in my success alone;
~ u t me grasp your hands in
my failure.
Joseph Johnson
d
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Etarm~bQy
You can approach a child with trust
But approach a man with caution
In lifersroad there is much sadness
and danger
Regardless of this we shall have a few
Hours of happiness
As we grow older we realize this sad
existence
All we'll remember is our old friends
who went home before us with fondness
For we know we'll see them soon
As we pass on and a generation goes by
The only known existence is a name on
a granite stone, That will be ours, As
years go by, even that will fade into
eternity
For We are just a flash of light.
in eternity.
Joseph Johnson
Beyond Help
they want me to
get my teeth fixed
6 buy a new suit
my image holds me back they say
meanwhile I've established
a listening post on the void
6 overhear the angels
assessing my condition
I camp inside
the rim of a volcano
of unknown proportions
G subterranean rivers of myself
appear E disappear
below me
t I
I am beyond recognition
beyond help
memory banks inaccessab
energies unemployable
6 , my welfare worker
understands my case
having seen so many
strange creatures pass
this way before
TORA
I t began when I was eight years 01
irrhbours had a son who was mv ba-b i t t e r and he physically abusdd me '
ifor two years. I t o l d my parents
but they couldn't believe t h a t such a
?'nice boy" would do such a thing. The
'neighbours were t o l d t h a t I ' d cry beLause I didn't l i k e being alone.
When I was ten, I began t o ' bud'
p d matured e a r l i e r than other g i r l s .
use, when I was ten, my father began
o touch and suggest things t o me. By
he time I was t h i r t e e n , he decided
t I wasn't a l i t t l e g i r l anymore
sexually abused me. He is a chemc a l analyst f o r a large mining coni n Saskatchewan, and living i n
nton meant t h a t he would be home
r periods a l l day and then away f o r
eks a t a time.
we always had f o s t e r cniidren stay/ingwith us, and he abused the g i r l s
regularly. When one of them got voca l about, they wouldn't be living with
~s again.
, The sexual abuse continued u n t i l I
pas sixteen, and my emotional anxiety
ver not being believed when I t r i e d
o get help prompted me t o run away.
lived on t h e s t r e e t s f o r about three
ths, u n t i l a police o f f i c e r stoppme one day and asked me it I wanted
coffee. He s a i d t h a t I looked l i k e
hadn't eaten f o r days (he was r i g h t )
d ?that he'd
observed my reactions
-
I t turned out t h a t he spec&d in child abuse cases and my
horror with incest gradually came but.
He followed procedure, and took the
matter t o family court. Their decision had t o predicate any criminal char
-ges. The judge was associated with
my f a t h e r I think, or he didn't want
t o ruin h i s career o r something; he
ordered a court-appointed psychiatrist
t o t a l k t o me and put me back i n my
parents house.
I t r i e d t o wake my mother up t o what
had been happening. I said t o her,
point blank, "I don't want t o l i v e
here because your husband has been
raping me f o r years." She just could
not deal with t h a t . The implications
were a broken home, being ostracized
socially, whatever..I guess these
.&L;,-,
..-------L L l l l l l g 3 W G l G 111"l G LI,,,UI L d I L L U 11e1 t:liill
my sanity. She had the rules f o r my
stay i n her house tightened - i f I so
much a s squeaked, I would be i n a
youth detention home u n t i l I was 18.
Well, when I f i n a l l y did turn 18, I
packed my bag and l e f t . Left a father
who had emotionally scarred me, l e f t a
mother who was so freaked about her
position i n society t h a t I was unimportant i n comparison, l e f t a brother
who had threatened t o k i l l me i f I
said anything about h i s sexual abuse.
I 've been i n Vancouver about three
.years now, but the nightmare s t a r t e d
here almost as soon as I had unpacked.
4 --a_--
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81a fwent
for a iob interview two days
t e r arrivini, and the man who was i n
personnel assaulted me. Then going t o
the police about it l e t them get my
f i l e , and they saw the "under psychia t r i c care" thing as evidence t h a t I
was nuts.
I finally got through to the detective investigating the incident that
I hadn't "imagined" anything and he recommended the Downtown Eastside Women's
Centre as a place t o find support.
Since walking in there, the r e l i e f I've
experienced is almost beyond words.
I ' m not a freaked out broad; I ' m
not subconw ioixly g i ~ i n _ 9e2
g
2 CCEEon; I ' m not a whore or a s l u t o r a
hooker or anything else. Sexual harassment and abuse are as common as
cigarette butts on a sidewalk. For
too long women have shrunk from reporting harassment or attacks - not out
of fear of the perp - because of the
present justice system and police handling of such cases is like, It's so
frustrating to have some pervert or
rapist get on the stand i n court and
l i e through their teeth and get off.
Or get a slap on the wrist and "community service work" for a few hours
a week.
I've been coming into Carnegie more
often i n the l a s t few months, and socalled respectable men, and seniors,
and three members of the l a s t board
that got thrown out in April have sexually harassed me. One man, aboutu45,
came up t o me when I had my niece and
quietly said, I I I h going t o rape your
daughter." She's TWO YEARS OLD!!!
Wake up people, 'cause it hap~ens
everyday, a l l around you. I f some man
is bad mouthing women in general, or
a younger woman or child i n particular,
then watch him. Bad thoughts and words
get translated into bad action ~ e a l
fast. Thanks for listening.
LETTERS
I manage a hotel-in-the eastend
and have seen and experienced a number of happenings around the place.
The oddest one was about four months
ago - with a tenant who was into
cooking wine.
He came home one night quite plastered and brought a bottle with him.
He passed the desk and went t o his
room ( I thought).
About fifteen minutes l a t e r , I
found him in the h a l l outside his
door passed out. He had the key on
a shoelace, t i e d t o h i s b e l t , and
.=y~w-b4- +LA 1--1u-U1.. L,rL A V L ~ . 3 . 5 piillis were
undone and he'd urinated himself but
he had the cooking wine clutched i n
his hand.
I went back to my room, got my
camera, and took his picture. Then
I dragged him into his room, threw
a blanket over him, put a pillow under his head, and l e f t .
A week l a t e r I gave him an enlarged picture (9"xll").
He was angry
and said t h a t he was going t o thump
me (but he d i d .' t )
The point is, I have not seen him
drunk even once a f t e r that.
I passed him today and he was cold
sober. He started t o smile but held
it back. I don't feel bad because I
may have found a cure f o r someone
else. I honestly hope so.
By D.W. TODD
Nancy J, ,
I wish t o thank you and Val K. f o r
the flower you gave me on Father1s
Day. It was a beautiful thought.
Since you gave the m e n a flower
on Mother's Day, I 'm so glad that
both of you believe i n equal rights,
' Yours t o share,
David W, Todd
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On Fishermen
This'll gill you: - What's life
like under the sea? Is it a dogfish
-eat-dogfishworld? Is everybody united for a common porpoise, or do they
split off into special groupers? One
tragic story indicates that it's pretty bad down there.
There was once a brilliant sturgeon
on the staff of the Community Health
Fishility. He was, in fact, one of
it's flounders. Wiser than Salmon, a
fin fellow who would never shrimp
from his responsibilities, he was happy and successful; he always whistled
a happy tuna.
O k - day, one of his patients [a mere
whipper snapper), told the sturgeon
that his medical theories were full
of abalone, and started trouting around telling everybody that the sturgeon's treatment had made him more
eel than he had been. then actually
conched him with a malpractice suit!
Well, the sturgeon was in a real
pickerel. The board demanded his
oyster and chased him off the staff.
But the case smelt to high heaven,
- - rr*
-- n
u u r l c ; u LIE p a u ~ i l rs~ .
clam, The board tried to hire the
sturgeon back, but by then he had hit
the bottlenose pretty hard.
And the end of our shad tale is that
the sturgeon had ended up on squid roe.
Buoy! Isn't that a fine cuttle of
you-know-what!
A. Nonymous
Cocaracha
In the days of the Inca
In the days of the Sun King - the
impoverished of the village paid
what was commonly known as a lice tax;
assuring a clean living environment
and active participation by all community members.
So, in keeping with ordinances of
antiquity, I would like to propose
a cockroach tax. Eastside residents
could in fact distribute the cockroaches at vsrious public health
institutions.
ZORO
.
7
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JUu&b
A
Happy Birthday to Val g l k Her birthdays may be creeping up
on her,
but her beauty is a match for
her energy!
My PASSION
-..
-- gr&he5 rr,e arcl;n,2 zy slender neck
I could not shout nor scream,
He carried me into his room
Where we could not be seen;
He tore away my flimsy wrap
And gazed upon my form I was so cold and damp
While he was wet and warm.
His feverish mouth he pressed to mine
I let him have his way He drained me of my very self,
I could not say him nay.
He made me what I am - alas !
That ' s why you find me here A broken vessel - broken glass That once held bottled beer.
HP
A. Non
Where b e l f r y ' d tower s t r a i n s upward t o t h e sky,
O r lighted neon cross offends t h e eye;
Where p r a i r i e t e n t with paid revival groans,
O r mashing mower moves o ' e r mouldering bones,
There, blessed i n divers ' c l o t h s - of divers ' creeds
'!'he l J y e ~ h ~E yQ I I ~- i t ) 11i;IjfiY g ~ dmzy'
~ s needs.
If he be Christian, d i f f i c u l t h i s chore-Equating Prince of Peace with wilful war.
I* showTng naive children Christian path,
ffe must teach f e a r of jealcus God of Wrath.
To mystify the mystery more, h e ' l l boast
O f Father, Son - and Blessed Holy Ghost:
fIow can, i n t r u t h , i f educated, he
Wax eloquent about such t r i n i t y ,
fIis sleeve worn f a i t h - i n c o n f l i c t with h i s sense,
Bids Preacher ask, "Lord, wherein my offense?
flow can T reason with Thy g i f t - my brain If t r u t h deny I must - blind f a i t h retain?"
'Illus Preacher begs, but s t i l l no answers hear:
Ile begs f o r money too. I t c o s t s him dear
'To know t h a t hard earned monies w i l l be spent
On new church roof - o r proofing canvas t e n t .
In h i s own parish many c a n ' t afford
To r e n t a home - o r even bed and board.
So Preacher, t o r n 'tween t r u t h and Holy See;
Contemplates belated 'postacy.
1,ike Moses (without benefit of schools,
Who brought from mountain h i s archaic r u l e s ; )
To shame the Devil - Preacher's vowed i n t e n t
Summer Leisure
Wistful daydreams a l i g n me t o the torpid day
The park suspends me in a sweet, dreamy timelessness.
I wallow i n t h a t large indifference, face up t o the sun,
teased by sleep-caresses and the occasional raucous bird,
laughing woman o r fragi1.e breeze, d r i f t i n g ever further
from the knowledge t h a t I ' m older than my dreams.
The walk home gathers my portion of sadness from the waning day
Steven Belkin
Grounded
The c i t y is the u n i t of the other i n my l i f e \
I would welcome a woman closer i f I h e w how.\
Ky welfare days flow around a hollowness:
All wells a r e hollow, no well without i t s core.
l&l'L_~
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V V I I ~ L I
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L
:P
~1 I ~
I.--,1 1 1 ~I I O 1 I O W I I ~ - \ \
~1.-
was
iii
IIIP
C i I-\??
I f bricks of subjectivity grew up around?
What matter t h a t time sinks the well deeper?
The ground of being is no l e s s hallow.
Steven Belkin
NEED
HELP
?
DERA can help you with:
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any welfare problems
UIC problems
getting legal assitance
unsafe living conditions
in hotels or apartments
disputes with landlords
income tax
DERA is located at 9 East Hastings
or phone 6 8 2 - 0 9 3 1 ,
D E R A HAS BEEN SERVING THE DOWNTOWN EASTSIDE
FOR 13 YEARS
ath ~enalt
aeist
By PAUL OGRESKO
A decade has passed since
Parliament officially abolished the
death penalty in 1976. The last
exqcution in Canada took place in
1962. But all that may change this
fall wben a free vote on capital
punishment takes place in the
House of Commons. While the
right has played upon ignorance
and media sensationalism to demand "their pound of flesh" the
actual statistics behind the noose
remain conveniently hidden.
The abolition of capital punishment in Canada has not coiticided
with an increase in the murder
rate. In fact Canada's murder rate
has decreased since its abolishment. In 1975 there were 3.09
homicides per 100,000. By 1986 .
that number was down to 2.19 per
100,000. The other favorite hue
and cry of the right, the so-called
leniency of the parole board sending convicted murderers onto our
street& also flies in the face of
reality.
Accordingto figures released by
the SolicitorGeneral's Ofice, betw x n !??! 2nd !9E4 m!;~23 ~f 3R2
murder'parolees were ever sent
back to prison. In the whole history of the criminal justice system
p
d
a only four paroled murderers have ever repeated their
crime.
But there is an even uglier side
to the whole capital punishment
debate. The links between racism
and the use of the death penalty
have been brushed aside by those
calling for a return to law and or! der. Recent studies have revealed
1 how strong those bonds are.
/ A study released by Prof. Kenneth Avio, of the Univ. of Victoria, disclosed the true face of
capital punishment in Canada.
Using computers to take Into account hundreds of variable circumstances, Avio's study took
into consideration every capital
murder case in Canada from 1926
to 1957 - a total of 440 cases.
Avio spent five years poring
over files in the National Archives
in Ottawa. What his research revealed is startling. Uncovered
were memos from the then Ministry of Indian Affairs recommending that Native offenders be executed because Native people "require special deterrence."
Avio's study also uncovered
statistics showing that after Native~,Ukrainian immigrants and
those of Eastern European background stood the next best chance
of being executed. According to
the computer data there was a 21
per cent chance ofexecution for an
English Canadian facing the death
penalty. For a Native inmate the
likelihood of executionjumped to
% per cent.
The drive by the right to rz-instate the death penalty in Canada
takes on chilling implications
...mar..
.,LP..
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-4
u r l r ~ U U A J ar
I L
,I
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iirc smuauctn
south of_tbe border.
On April 21-22 the Supreme
Court of the U.S., by a 3-4 margin, dismissed the last legal challenges to the death penalty and
gave the go-ahead for executions
across the country. The most significant challenge to the U.S. law
on capital punishment was the
McClesky appeal.
McClesky was convicted for the
murder of a policeman in Atlanta,
Georgia during a hold-up. But
what distinguished the McClesky
sentence from 14 other cases of
police murder in Atlanta was that
McClesky was Black while the
policeman killed was white.
~ c ~ l e s k lawyers
~ ; s argued that
the death sentence McClesky received violated both the 14th
amendment of the United States
constitution guaranteeing equal
protection and the 8th amendment
prohibiting cruel and unusual
punishment.
McClesky's appeal had volumes of evidence to back it up. A
study by Prof. David Baldus of the
Univ. of Iowa found evidence of
racism within the justice system of
the U.S. remarkably similar to the
Avio study in Canada.
Using ,data from 2,484 cases
Baldus revealed that 11 per cent of
those accused of killing whites
were executed compared with one
per ,cent of those found guilty of
killing Blacks. The statistics (went
on to'disclose that Blacks were
twice as likely to be sent to their
death than white inmates on death
row. As well Hispanic and
American Indians made up a disproportionate percentage of inmates receiving the death sentence.
In spite of pages of documented
evidence backing up the
McClesky case the Supreme
Court uf iilc ii.5. ruieci rhwr
McClesky's sentence did not signify any violation of the constitution or of human rights. The recent
appointments of neo-right judges
by the Reagan administration to
the Supreme Court was instrumental in swinging the balance
in favor of the death penalty. The
right in the United States applauded the victory and called for
an even more committed retum to
"law and order".
Given the attempts by the procapital punishment forces in
Canada to stir up public hysteria
we should remind ourselves that
cold winds do not always come
from the North.
y-There has never been an Indian with
ks much courage and media coverage as
Chief Sataiacum. If Lyn Crompton (Chief
Sataiacum's lawyer) stood up f o r three
weeks, she could not portray the amount
of persecution t h a t was involved in
t h i s case.
The witnesses who t e s t i f i e d on the
Chief's behalf gave a great deal of
testimony t o verify t h i s t e r r i b l e injust ice. Ramona Bennett , Kitty Spar-:'
row, Elders and a fomer prosecutor
also gave valuable evidence.
Kitty Sparrow has a wealth of information concerning Indian and U. S law.
She has the Indian Child Welfare Act
which came into being in 1976 and i s
sending me a copy of t h i s .
Chief Sataiacum belongs t o the Pullayup nation near Tacoma, Wash. He
f l e d the U.S. in November, 1982 and
was apprehended i n North Battleford,
Sask., eleven months l a t e r . This
happens t o be my home town.
The Crown Prosecutor took the position as Advocate f o r the Government of
the U.S. This i s not r i g h t , as we a r e
conducting an inquiry. She said t h a t
Chief Sataiacum's allegations were
vague and unclear. According t o the
Medicine Creek Treaty and the Congressional Act of 1871, one of the r i g h t s
of Indians i s tax exemption. Misinformation by M r . Wilson resulted i n
two criminal convictions f o r the Chief.
The prosecutor never answered the
jurisdictional problems. In order t o
make Indians citizens of the United
States, the constitution must be a l t ered. The granting of r i g h t s a r e from
the Illdims t o the s e t t l e r s . The legal
obligation i s t o keep the promises
contained in those Treaties.
.
The common belief i s t h a t Indians
are not civilized. Even when they buy
back land which was stolen from them,
the White Man has used h i s laws t o
terminate the survival of a people.
Chief Sataiacum has spent 3% years
i n a 9x12 c e l l a t the instructions of
the U.S. Government. Kitty Sparrow is
the fourth generation t o f i g h t f o r the
rights of the Indian people. The Treaty
contract i s not eroded with the passage of time.
The t r u t h and non-Indian law are not
the same. The obligation t o protect
Chief Sataiacum's people brought the
Rico Act against him. Hereditary obligation t o help h i s people survive
brought the I.R.S., embezzlement and
Rico charges against t h i s man.
The prosecutor questions the credib i l i t y of our witnesses and Chief
Sataiacum. They f a i l e d t o realize
that each t r i b e i s a separate nation.
Chief Sataiacum suffered t h i r t y seven years of persecution fighting
f o r fishing r i g h t s and land claims. He
was framed because they want him out
of the way. There were many attacks
as the t r i b e fished along the r i v e r
which ran through t h e i r reservation.
One time, 550 Tacoma police came
charging a t them.
Chairman Chazbers closed the hearing with the following remarks:
"The Board's jurisdiction is limited.
I t does not give us the r i g h t t o a c t
on compassionate and humane grounds."
Thank you t o Lyn Crompton and everyone who supported Chief Sataiacum. 1
f e e l as i f we were a l l one big family.
The Chief's closing remarks were very
emotional and brought many t e a r s .
This is only a brief outline of
the persucation of Chief Sataiacum
and h i s t r i b e . They went through
eight lawyers on h i s case.
Following i s the speech of Chief
Sataiacum t h a t ended the hearing. I t
was very emotional and he broke down
half way through it.
"Since you are discussing my l i f e ,
family a d t r i b e , I must C ~ O St h~i s hearing with my feelings. I must
thank the Appeal Board for t h e i r
patience.
I have never been able t o present
information l i k e t h i s . I am very
grateful. The Hollywood producers
are interested i n my story. A l o t of
people are standing by t o write about
my situation.
I t is the history of why and how it
happened. A l o t of things have been
said by my friends. As I was going
through l i f e and growing up I was
told never t o apologize as it is a
sign of weakness.
My friend the Prosecutor mentioned
something about fear. I have read
something about people who have l i v ed i n fear. Until the day she is
shot a t o r h i t by a 2x4, she does not
qualify as a volunteer.
M r . Wilson has said some very bad
things about me. I f e e l t h a t he i s a
very e v i l man. Mr. Wilson t e s t i f i e s
t h a t he graduated from South Carolina.
I don't know if you are aware of the
history of the deep south. Perhaps
then you would know M r . Wilson comes
from an e v i l background.
I t was mentioned t h a t our problems,
the Treaties and t h e i r s t a t u t e s , were
subjected t o courts that were sympathetic t o special i n t e r e s t groups.
..
I
I
The Vice-chairman of the t r i b e and I
went t o d i ~ x u s sthe problems concerning land disputes.
I t gave us the opportunity t o have
a special order by the President of
the United States t o s e t t l e our disputes. What it boils down t o is Survival - Survival of Dignity. Because
I was locked up, everything has come
t o a s t a n d s t i l l . I am asking you as
representatives of Canada t o l e t your
conscience be your guide.
Someone from the Ukraine was found
guilty i n two courts, yet he was a l lowed t o stay. Let your conscience
be your guide. Time has gone by f o r
3% years i n Okalla. There have been
a l o t of changes i n my physical and
mental well-being.
The news media have kept on top of
me. I have had t o walk the s t r a i g h t
and narrow path. I ask you on behalf
of my Morn t o do the best possillle."
TheMinister of International Trade,
Pat Carney, is meeting with Chief
Sataiacum and Lyn Crompton tomorrow
morning a t 1 0 : O O a.m. H i s case also
goes before the head o f f i c e of The
Human Rights Branch of the United Nat ions i n Geneva, Switzerland around
September. We are hoping justice
w i l l f i n a l l y prevail.
By IRENE SCHMIDT
Mitchell pushes for
Criminal Code amendment
Every week in the crime reports, you will see references to
the use of knives in violent crime.
In the past few years, knives
have been used with increasing
frequency in robberies, assaults,
rapes and murders. According to
the Vancoyver police department, between 1981 and 1985,
there was an 80 percent increase
in the use of knives.
So far this year, six of 12
hon~iciriebi l l 'vhr~ouvzihav.i iiivolved knives. The Vancouver
police respond to about 90 kniferelated calls every month.
Clearly, knives pose a serious
threat to average citizens.
Despite the alarming growth
in the use of knives-not just in
Vancouver, but across the country-politicians have been slow
to respond. At the federal level,
my New Democrat colleagures
and I have for years urged the
federal government to amend the
Criminal Code to restrict the car-
rfing of knives in public.
At the provincial level, New
Democrat MLA Emery Barnes
has urged the government to prohibit the carrying of knibes in
licensed drinking establishments.
Although the government has
yet to take any concrete steps,
public pressure is mounting. The
Dowptown Eastside Residents'
Association has started a petition drive that is gaining support
---A"-
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--.."*..
ruL ~ v u r . ~ ~ .
Because the issue is potentially
tricky, it will take a lot of
pressure to g d the government to
respond. Legislation would have
to be carefully worded so that
workers who use knives on the
job OF people who carry ceremonial knives are not unfairly
restricted.
I believe that, by working with
the community, the government
can develop legislation that
would protect average citizens
from the criminal use of knives.
'
FROM 7HE ~ E H S E N D ~
There's new music happening a t Carnegie. Starting July 6th, a l l music
programs are changing. We want t o
welcome everyone who has any i n t e r e s t
i n music t o participate i n a l l our
new programs:
Tuesdays 6:30 - 9:30
Open stage - everyone welcome t o sigg 6--entertain. Run by
Alex Chisholm.
CABARET:
MUSIC LOVERS1 JAM: Tuesdays 12-6
Everyone welcome. Run
by Alex Chisholm. Guitars, drums,
f l u t e , saxaphone, accordian, bongos
piano and more instruments available.
DFMO TRPING:
It is of particular importance to
unsure that knives and alcohol..
are kept separate.
If people are not carrying
knives during emotionally charged or violent moments, lives will
be saved.
You can obtain a copy of
DERA's petition on knives by
calling Sue Harris at 682-0931.
For more information on efforts
to amend the Criminal Code,
p!ease ::.rite $3 m - p s t l g e
free-at Margaret Mitchell, MP,
House of Commons, Ottawa,
KIA 0A6.
-Margaret Mitchell, M P
Vancouver East
Thursdays 2-6
Bring your own quality
tape. Run by ~ o k n nC.
j and Dean 0 .
MUSIC LOVERS1 MEETINGS: F i r s t meeting
Saturday, July 11
a t 2p.m. i n the Theatre. Here" a
chance t o get involved i n suggesting
music programs, planning concerts,
organising workshops o r classes o r
just t o come and l i s t e n . Everyone
welcome. Chaired by Red Robin.
PIANO LESSONS:
Tuesdays 10:30-11:30
Fridays 2:OO-3:00
Taught by Greta Yardley
I
I
i
If you have any suggestions or ideas ,
f o r programs o r want t o volunteer t o
teach music of any kind, please see
Earle Peach o r Red Robin. We'd love
t o t a l k t o you.
Robin Sabrino
had known of and approved the spraying. (The chemical is technically
known as Manceta Round-Up and has
caused genetic mutat'ons i n the offspring of birds and k a l s A mora- .
torium had been declared on i t s use
by Parks, but the time period passed
and they simply started using the same
stuff. .again. . a l l over. )
Such swzft action shows t h e i r disl i k e for hearing rational arguments.
.
I T ' S BACK A'L'
CA RNEG IE
.
.
8:;:
s e ~ d p ~ ~ k t ~ d d ~ ~ ~ h a :
green spot i n the downtown-of a large
c i t y t and i s n ' t it grand that the
I-;+.. ..-a
W I L Y
CULU
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..
L U I L
U I
..- -.--
TTa~
L&
V ~ I L U U V G L L l l u u g l L L
-c
UI
buiiding it.
Again, the opening is s e t for July ,
the 29th a t l 2 : O O noon. Donvt miss it. 11
By PAUL TAYLOR
(from pg.2)
.
.--.-The beach is . f a r from satisfactory
as improvements on access and safety
are s t i l l i n limbo. .the bridge is unusable for handicaps, many seniors $
families with very young children..
maybe a wait of two years while the
City and Port 'decide1 t o reopen the
old underpass a t Columbia. .dangerous
chemicals are being trucked in and
out of the area..the heliport is v i r tually on top of the park
These are not responsive t o need.
The l a s t indication of Port/Parks '
concern for peoples voices around
here happened when a local resident
saw two small, homemade, cardboard
s i p s dated 23/6/87 (Tues. ) saying:
"NOTICE: in the next few days, t h i s
area w i l l be sprayed with the herbicide Round-Up . Cedarcrest Lands.
When approached on Friday morning(26)
a worker responded t o the question
'when1 with "It's already done, on
Wednesday (24th!). Parks was contacted and informed the caller that they
.....
Friends of theid-4'
To: CCCA - A t t . B i l l Deacon
Dear M r . Deacon
As per your request of June 8, 1987,
t h i s l e t t e r i s t o confirm t h a t the
Annual General Meeting ad f o r the CCCA
scheduled f o r publication in the Vancouver Sun on June 4 , 1987, did not
run a s scheduled.
This was due t o an outstanding account from January 1984, incurred by
The Carnegie Theatre Guild. The b i l l ing information on t h i s account, c/o
Carnegie Centre, 401 blain, and the
telephone number was the same as on
your ad. The computer rejected yours.
We thank you f o r your cheque f o r
$34.72 t o clear up t h i s matter.
Also, please accept our apologies
f o r any inconvenience caused by the
non-publication of the ad which necessitated the rescheduling of your
Annual General bleet ing .
t
Different from the dream
Dreams took over my mind the other
night - I saw VanDer Zalm kidnapped
by a flying squad of Haida shamans
i n a big red van.
They blindfolded him and drove
l i k e h e l l a l l night and delivered
him t o a c i r c l e of super shamans on
Meares Island.
They were s i t t i n g there r i g h t i n
the middle of the f o r e s t with a l l the
---:
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-,a
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allu
-n;mol
'- =+; 1 1
c u l u t ~ u r aJ
GI*
I
+hnr,z
CJLUI
TORA
I
around them. I t was a good hour's
walk from there t o the edge of Frank
Bevan' s logging, where slash was being burned C, stumps C, f a l l e n t r e e s
1i t t e r e d a dead mountainside l i k e
some big chunk of heaven freshly k i l l ed 6. b ~ i = -;r;g
- d : n tl~v name of progress.
I dreamed they pushed VanDer Zalm
into the centre of a c i r c l e of elder
shamans and made him s i t there f o r
seven days and seven nights.
They talked t o him, even i n the
middle of the night - f o r 7 nights.
On the l a s t night , R O helicopt e r s hovered overhead.
VanDer Zalm's mind snapped. By the
time those old Haida shamans led him
t o the edge of Frank Bevan's logging
operation, the guy could hardly t a l k .
He wandered around i n the stumps 6
slash f o r a long time before the
police helicopter picked him up.
/I-11 the old Haida shamans and
ihcir youthful apprentices gave themselves up and got put i n j a i l . The
next day, VanDer Zalm appeared on TV.
He looked l i k e he'd seen a ghost.
lie s a i d he was changing the name of
the Queen Charlottes t o Haida Islands
6 it would be North America's f i r s t
independent Indian Nation 6 nobody
was allowed t o mine or log there
ever again. .
.
I-Ie l e t a l l the Haida out of j a i l .
Nobody could believe it.
When the papers came through, the
Haida held a potlatch l i k e never before. People broke down and cried.
Dreams took over my mind l a s t night.
They &ten do.
And then, t h e r e ' s always the r e a l i t y . . d i f f e r e n t from the dream.
Wish I was the Fellow
As I was walking down a crowded
City s t r e e t , j u s t the other day
I overheard a- l i t t l e fellow
t o h i s comrade turn and say:
"Say Chimney, l e t me t e l l youse
I ' d be happy as a clam
I f I was de f e l l e r
Me Mudder t ' inks I am
She t l i n k s I ' m a wonder
'Cause she knows her l i t t l e lad
Wouldn't mix w i t ' n u t t i n '
Dat was ugly mean o r bad
Of'en I s i t and wonder - Gee whiz
I wish I was de f e l l e r
Me Mudder t ' inks I is . I 1
Whether your l i f e be one of t o i l
O r undiluted joy
Many a wholesGme lesson can be learned
From t h a t small, untutored boy
Don't aim t o be an earthly s a i n t
With your eyes fixed on a s t a r
J u s t t r y t o be the fellow
That your mother thinks you a r e .
This was given t o the WART by h i s
paternal grandmother on her eightyeighth birthday.
I
P
'
Cigarette And Coffee Spergism
The sounds of r a i n against the window
evoke images of children detained
From: Slanders
Dear Beefbrain,
You're so stupid! And ugly too!
You make me sick!
I t o l d you, you d o l t , t o t e l l e v l r
mind is on
ybody t h a t "Sam slZ?i?Ersrs'
vacation but h i s mouth is working
overtime." But no, you had t o go
and p r i n t some other slimy s t u f f
t h a t I didnl t say o r write.
I f you don't smarten up, you're
going t o be writing the damn' sleaze
column b ours elf. Yrs. truly,
Sam Slanders
Amiable verbal salad pervades
the sanitary scene
of synthetic flowers and
styrofoam cups as
herds of cars and t h e move
interminably slow l i k e a
classroom clock
Zigzagging i n between a herd
of parked cars
To: Slanders
From: Taylor
Dear Meathead,
..
i r -r r r a t & murfl %en:t c ~ t
-r r-c-l -i -; ~-any i c e wzth me. When you were born,
the doctor t r i e d t o put you back.
You were so ugly, he spanked you i n
the face - corrective surgery!
You're mumbling about the few hone s t words t h a t have managed t o s l i d e
between your usual puke. I ' d buy
you a tape recorder, but you'd probably t r y t o e a t it or smash it a f t e r
hearing your incoherent babble once.
Your friend,
T-.
.
PRT
i thought i descerned a rabbit but no
it was only a puff of exhaust
tHe adaGe we leaRn bUy hour miSSacheS
wUs rEiterated 10Kg aGO
And iF t h i s Tz SEW
Sasquatch Feast
We are good looking
Scouts than you.
Don't be too hasty
I t i s n ' t very t a s t y ,
We lve saved the worst f o r Baloo.
Now t h a t we have warned you,
Take heed of our Sasauatch Stew
yuui
I t i s strange that the
miasma emanating from my shoes
reminds me of you
T
r~wly-mIp.n+
2111~ ~ r i i
I am benign
ICCL,
Everything is overdone,
I t ' s-part-of good camping fun
On t h i s Bigfoot Run!
TheMorrisValley Cooks.
.->-
And i f you d-isagree again
I wi1.1 kick: you one more time
O p e n Letter
mx
questing :
* The Director of Carnegie be r e quested t o hold a meeting of the patrons t o discuss and explain proposed
program changes.
* The Association be assured of input and become a part of the process
involving the renovations t h a t a r e
about t o happen i n t h i s building.
The current impasse has l e f t the
patrons of Carnegie without a voice
and no mechanisms t o work with City
s t a f f on programs or events i n t h e i r
own community. As you are aware, a
group of people l e f t voiceless for
too long w i l l find avenues t o express
themselves. With the new Board i n
place, the potential for a construct i v e and optimistic atmosphere i s
enhanced, but t o achieve t h i s , the
community must have a voice.
We anticipate your prompt attention
t o t h i s matter. Please contact mys e l f or the Vice-president, B i l l
Deacon.
Beck, Director of Social Planning
Dear Max,
Last night, Thursday, June 25, 1987,
the Carnegie Community Centre & S O C ~ ation held its 1987 Annual General
Meeting. The Board of Directors was
voted i n by acclamation a t a meeting
that was orderly, calm and constructive.
The attached sheet lists the new
Board of Directors f o r 1987-88. As you
can see, there is a strong element of
continuity with the previous Board
that was elected on April 22 a t the
Special Membership Meeting.
We view the r e s u l t s of the AGM as
evidence that the Carnegie membership
and users have restored confidence i n
t h e i r association and Board, and t h a t
the Association i s t h e i r authentic
voice. Unfortunately, some recent
developments a t Carnegie are causing
concern. Apparently, there a r e t o be
certain changes i n the programming a t
the Centre t h i s summer. This informat i o n has come t o the users of Carnegie
Muggs Sigurgeirson: 253-4718
through the worst possible channels,
665-2220
namely rumours. This can only lead t o
B i l l Deacon: 665-3013
negative reaction in the building. The
~ ~ e m h e r s h h2-s
l p ?xen left w i t h n i ~ t
-*--*-,t,,c-,*-,c,,r,,.i~~in~inhi~ninntrc,iocI~~&&~.1:~~
'Jt". .&..&..&,&.. ..& u p 4.. I'F1 "'"q.4 *a" "p Y"
input intb these changes.
The freeze on communication and co-,$
SCHOOL DAYS
operation between City s t a f f and the %
The Sun had j u s t woke me up, so I
Association has been i n e f f e c t f o r
almost three months. The Panel inve-+said t o my-self t h i s has got t o stop.
stigating the situation a t Carnegie +,+ So I pulled the covers over my head
is already behind i n t h e i r timetable,+r and did my best t o stay in bed. For i n
and it does not appear t h a t there i s ++our house it was the rule, that none
going t o be a quick outcome i n t h e i r #of us got t o miss school.
investigation. We know t h a t even af--3 Mom shakes me gentally, I pretend t o
t e r the Panel has concluded, it w i l l *groan, Mom I ' m sick and I have t o stay
take further time f o r t h e i r recommen- +home. Mom f e e l s my head and say's
dations t o make way through the City +your not sick get out of bed. I'am a
s t a f f and aldermanic levels.
qti'ool because t h a t I quit school.
In l i g h t of the above, we are r e - +
SCAMP
Y .
a
+
.
I
,
*
-1-
-a-
When the Mirrors S t a r t Closing
She came i n on a one-night stand ...and when the mirrors s t a r t closing
they w i l l do it without a witness - suitcase i n her hand
so t h a t our lives w i l l stay the same;
She didn't want t o hurt no-one
f o r only our p o s s i b i l i t i e s w i l l have died
and she didn't think she'd stay,
once
they've f i n a l l y seen enough.
She didn't want t o use l i f e ,
just be a part of it, she'd Say,
And a f t e r there a r e no mirrors:
But her good intentions Were l o s t
and glasshas lost its magic,
as everyone used her up.
ponds t h e i r depth, eyes t h e i r mystery a myth w i l l grow up among us
She came i n on a sunn;,er t r a i n
of a way we used t o see...
laughter i n her heart,
But somehow something went wrong
Steven Belkin
it seemed everyone wanted too much.
They s t o l e her happiness, s t o l e her laughter,
, n A .."..
-~ETI~ 2E~he-Pist Fy-scn
Hl\JIlC H ~ c l l l l
looking f o r wh6 she is and was. When you've liked someone,
But you know she's gone,
A t one time everyone would hang around her
When you f e e l regrets..
because she made people smile,
But the damage i s done.
But now she just stands on the corner'
and no -onevknows what she needs.
When you clearly hear
The grandfather clock,
Desperado, what's your name And
the only Voice
haven't I seen you somewhere before?
Becomes
your own.
Desperado, what's your name?
arenvt you - - - a friend of mine!
When S o l i t a i r e
Becomes your friend,
Dave McConne11
Then you know..
Yousr e alone again.
Submitted by David Todd
/A-l---
A
. . .-
n m . 1
A--:-
---
AR@ SWINGS
-
----
(for Robin and Angel Jack)
by Wayne Rymer
S w e e p i n g downtown s p a c e s
from under sidewalk-blocks up
t h r u arc-lamping alleyways
C e r t a i n l y t h e r e a r e h a l o e s o f humans
merely being
among t h e bums o f B a s t i n g s
Hell I've seen
vision'ry poets lying ecstatie
a l o n g s i d e d r u n k s a t work
h e a d s h a r d as h e l m e t s p i l l o w e d
on c l a s p e d h a n d s
on c o n c r e t e s l a b s r e n d e r ' d t e n d e r
a s c l o u d down & l e a v e s o f g r a s s
t h a t crack t h i s a r t i f i c i a l rock
I
-
IL
guilt-free
bythe
irstword
in
theface
O r bidedings
Those n a r n i a n b l a c k dwarves of Vancouver & V i c t o r i a
,
who s e e o n l y g r u b b y g r a y c e m e n t .
.
here
where t h e r e i s r e a l l y g o l d - d u s t
gold sand and g r a v e l
& that radiant green grass
& f o r e v e r t h e sky blue deepening
t o royal evenings
.
t h e d a r k n e s s shadowing s k y s c r a p e r s
t o black tombstone s t a r h ~ i s t e r s
So we o r d e r h o r s d t o e u v r e s o f t h e s o u l
s e n s u o u s a s f r e s h smoked s a l m o n
f r o m t h e h a n d s of N a t i v e a n g e l
fishermen
& cold gold beer
Some s e e o n l y s i n
here
Some s a n c t i f y i t i n t o t h e i r M a s t e r ' s
body & b l o o d
some j u s t w a t c h i t a l l w i t h awe
6 le
words work
t o read t h e world its r i g h t s
Y O wonder
1
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