Demands to be delivered to Vancity tomorrow, April 18th

Hi Tamara Vrooman, CEO of Vancity,

As you may know, a man named Dave (resident of Downtown Eastside, artist, formerly homeless) is, as of today, on the 27^th day of a hunger strike.  One of his/community’s demands relates to a controversial project that Vancity is involved with:  Sequel 138 (138 East Hastings Street).  A delegation from the DTES is coming to your office to deliver a letter of demands to you or your representatives on:

Thursday, April 18^th at 1:15pm

We’re hoping that you can come downstairs or send a representative at that time to receive the demands and hear what Dave and others have to say.

Sincerely,

Wendy Pedersen

Independent Organizer/Hunger Strike Representative

604-839-0379

DAY 27

UPDATES:
 
Coalition of Progressive Electors (COPE) Endorses Homeless Dave's Hunger Strike!
http://cope.bc.ca/ 
 ________________________________________

Paint Party for Housing
GEORGIA STRAIGHT ARTICLE

DAY 26 - Tuesday Apr 16 Actions

 

CALL OUT FOR SUPPORT -- TUESDAY :
Come along with Homeless Dave to Dix's fundraiser in Chinatown tomorrow night. Stop BC Housing subsidy of condos at Sequel 138. 100% social housing! Why is housing for homeless and low-income people not an election issue? We're tagging on to the social housing coalition (see below). DTES residents meet on 2nd floor for dinner 5:30PM.

END THE LIBERAL LEGACY • SOCIAL HOUSING NOW!
So it looks like Tuesday evening will be a busy one for the NDP, and that means opportunities for the Social Housing Coalition to engage NDP members and supporters with our demands for social housing and rent controls. There are two back-to-back events that night:

"RALLY FOR CHANGE KICKOFF"
with Adrian Dix
Tuesday, April 16th, 2013 at 5:00 pm
Hotel Vancouver (900 W. Georgia Street)
 

AND

NDP FUNDRAISING DINNER (Homeless Dave going to this event)
Tuesday, April 16th, 2013 at 6:30 pm
Floata Restaurant (180 Keefer Street)

This week, the NDP released their 2013 election platform fiscal plan and there is not much room in there for housing. After 12 years of BC Liberal rule, the housing crisis in BC has made Vancouver the most expensive place in North America and one of the most unaffordable places in the world. The only city with a less affordable housing market than Vancouver is Hong Kong, but the difference is that in Hong Kong, about half the housing is social housing for low-income people.

Come to one or both of these events to call on the BC NDP to take action to end the Liberal legacy by launching a serious social housing program and put in rent controls to end the housing crisis in BC.

Organized by:
Social Housing Coalition BC • www.socialhousingbc.com • info@socialhousingbc.com
Stay Connected with Social Housing Coalition BC
fb: facebook.com/socialhousingcoalitionbc
twitter: @stand4housing

Dave and friends went to NDP Adrian Dix’s fundraiser at the Floata restaurant in Chinatown with crowd of www.socialhousingbc.com supporters. The goal was to try to break the silence around socialhousing in upcoming election. Dave and DTES residents want to know why BC Housing is using tax payer’s dollars to bail out a condo developer in the DTES when 1000’s of people are homeless, 5000 working class homes (SRO rooms) in the DTES are being wiped out by gentrification, rent control is desperately needed (especially in the 2nd most expensive city in the world) and 10,000 units of social housing are needed a year across the province for women, for Aboriginal people on and off reserve, for migrants and everyone else who is hurt by systemic poverty.

Councillor Adriane Carr came to the picket, but didn’t endorse demands. She promised to look into their feasibility as a first step. Plus she said she would try to get a motion passed to discuss the demands at City Council.

The Mayor’s office has virtually ignored Dave’s request to meet and we need to do something about this.

Dave’s health getting worse and there is not much time to get the demands met. Still need your help at the pickets! Weekdays noon to 2pm (first hour at sequel, second hour at cop shop) and
Tues to Sat from 6-7pm at Pidgin.

DAY 25 - City workers remove Social Housing mural

Well, that didn't take long...

PAINT PARTY FOR HOUSING!

For Immediate Release
April 14, 2013

Downtown Eastsiders paint old police station to claim it for 100% social housing

About 75 Downtown Eastside residents and supporters gathered at the former police station at Main and Cordova today to claim the empty building for social housing and a community space for Aboriginal women and social justice groups. “No corps here. 100% social housing,” said one sign. “People not profit,” said another.

Every resident based group in the Downtown Eastside supports this demand, including the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users, Downtown Eastside Neighbourhood Council, Carnegie Community Centre Association, Downtown Eastside Power of Women Group, Aboriginal Front Door, Gallery Gachet and Western Aboriginal Harm Reduction.

The action was one of a series by Formerly Homeless Dave and his supporters. Dave is on day 24 of a Hunger Strike. His demands include using the city owned former police station for social housing, having the city buy the site at 138 E. Hastings for social housing, and declaring the Downtown Eastside a Social Justice Zone where low income people won’t be pushed out.

Wendy Pedersen, an independent organizer and DTES resident told the group that 5000 SRO residents and over 600 shelter resident in the DTES are in dire need of housing. But instead of using the empty cop shop for what the neighbourhood desperately needs, the city “wants to put in a high tech venture capital hub that will bring more condos, fancy restaurants and displacement.”

Pedersen said we need “drastic action now” because “we’ve been to every city council meeting in the last 10 years and we lose every time.”

Ten year old Agnes, started painting the wall with a three foot high daisy, part of a DTES tradition begun in 1995 when now MLA Jenny Kwan painted a daisy on Woodward’s as part of a fight to get it turned into social housing.

But the 125 units of singles social housing at Woodward came with 536 condos which pushed up land values and prices nearby, and over 400 SROs raised rents, within a block of Woodward’s, beyond what people on welfare and pensions can afford.

“We won’t be tricked again,” said Dave Hamm of the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users.

Homeless Dave said that the Hunger Strike is “not fun.” But it’s necessary because the Mayor is planning to give this building to corporations and then subsidize them instead of building social housing in the community.”

“This gentrification and displacement of human lives is not right,” Elaine Durocher, a DTES resident, told the group. “Housing is a right. I was homeless once and I know what it feels like.”

VANDU president Dave Hamm said that VANDU “is in total support of Homeless Dave’s Hunger Strike and housing.”

DJ Joe of the DNC board said she was also in support of the Hunger Strike.

People drew pictures of flowers, houses, and people on the wall of the old police station. Their slogans read: “100% social housing today.” “We are Human!” “Human capital, not venture capital.” “Homes here now.” “Condos create homelessness.”

Formerly Homeless Dave plans to continue the Hunger Strike until action is taken on his demands.

www.dteshungerstrike.blogspot.com

Contact: Tami Starlight 604.790.9943; Wendy Pedersen 604. 839.0379;

-30-


Click here to see more beautiful photos!

TOMORROW: PAINT PARTY FOR HOUSING

Come support Dave, the hunger striker, and the community for this tomorrow!

PAINT PARTY FOR HOUSING  
Sunday, April 14 12 noon  
Old empty Cop Shop 312 Main
Kids Welcome! Food! 
Paint supplied
(organized by DTES residents!)

Watch this for background on the hunger strike: 

http://aptn.ca/pages/news/2013/04/12/vancouvers-homeless-dave-now-in-third-week-of-hunger-strike/

Day 21 - Daily Diary

Stella August, collecting a record number of signatures on Day 21

Ben spreads the word on Day 21

Day 21:

Mark calendars for noon, Sunday Paint-In at cop shop! WP’s 10 year old daughter and friends offer to paint first daisies, nod to our Woodward's experience as Dave Hamm, President of VANDU said today: "WE'LL NEVER BE TRICKED AGAIN." Lovely woman in Europe Hotel donated her rebel mother’s wheelchair to Dave. Not letting Dave walk anywhere, or too tired to show up to picket the next day. Good thing dear neighbor gave me her car, says WP. Stella and Victoria collect amazing number of petition sheets - have about 40 completed now. Some cash donations coming in, thanks everyone! Some flames from the sparks!

Tonight -- Serious assault/pepper spray on Dave, Fraser, Kim, Joe and others at Pidgin picket. Who did it? Media continually attacking picket and dehumanizing people there – fueling vigilantes, maybe paid by pro-gentrification? Calling on all picketers 7pm Friday night show of peace and strength.

@homelessdave0 tweets:

2/5 IT WAS SAME PERSON WHO VIOLENTLY TORE UP FLYERS AT @Sequel138 PICKET YESTERDAY & KICKED SIGNS AT PIDGIN RECENTLY.. #VANPOLI #DTES

3/5 NO BRANDON GROSSUTTI AROUND-PIDGIN WAITER ADRIAN CAMEOUT 20MIN LATER THREATING PPL "I'LL CRACK THAT THING OVER YOUR HEAD" #DTES

4/5 WE BELIEVE THIS WAS A COORDINATED HIT-ON ALL OCCASIONS HE NEVER SAID ANYTHING- PICKETER WENT TO HOSPITAL-WE STAYED #DTES #VANPOLI

Tomorrow Dave, Tami and Wendy meet with Police Chief Chu to discuss support for demands. @homelessdave0:

1/2 I & MY SPOKEPERSONS WILL BE MEETING WITH POLICE CHIEF JIM CHU TOMORROW FROM 1-130PM IN BLDG BEHIND #DTES 312 MAIN COPSHOP #VANPOLI

1/2 AFTER MEETING WITH POLICE CHIEF CHU--WE WILL BE HAPPY TO TALK TO MEDIA #DTES #VANPOLI #BCPOLI #VANCOUVER #YVR #VPD

WE’RE NOT ABOUT SMASHING WINDOWS. WE’RE ABOUT SMASHING THE OLD BROKEN PARADIGMS & BUILDING NEW PARADIGMS THAT ARE MORE JUST AND EQUAL. #DTES

Blog | http://dteshungerstrike.blogspot.ca/
Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/DtesHungerStrike
Twitter | @dteshungrstrike