[news] APC: Olympic Bid Mobilization

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---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Tue, 11 Mar 2003 05:45:15 +0000
From: Big Garlic Bobcat <streetpoet77 at hotmail.com>
To: sutikalh2003 at telus.net, monaj at telus.net, bella_donna_36 at yahoo.com,
     thefishiest at hotmail.com, apc-discuss at lists.resist.ca, elp at telus.net,
     kymhothead at telus.net, telquaa at hotmail.com
Subject: [APC-Discuss] APC: Olympic Bid Mobilization



APC: Mobilization Against the Olympic Bid
By Joey Only

The Anti-Poverty Committee signed on to the Gloves Come Off Campaign against
the 2010 Vancouver/Whistler Winter Olympic Bid.  Our members organized were
part of many actions when the International Olympic Committee Tech Team came
March 1st-5th.

APCs action on Wednesday March 5th was the last thing the IOC saw of BC.
Speeches began at 4PM from Indigenous allies, APC and Health Employees Union
as people arrived at the Art Gallery.  Soon a snake march went to the Pan
Pacific Hotel where the IOC was.  The crowd (over 200) featured the disabled
community (14,000 facing benefit re-assesment), Indigenous people (BC is
untreatied soveriegn land), HEU allies (BC government is firing 4000 women
hospital workers), masked anarchists, homeless, and more.

The crowd yelled: “NO OLYMPICS ON STOLEN NATIVE LAND” & “IOC GO HOME.”
Racist Gold medalist Nancy Greene-Raine wants to build a $550 million ski
resort at Sutikalh (Cayoosh Mountains north of Whistler) to go
along with her Sun Peaks resort at Skwelkwek Welt.  The media portrayed APCs
action as an embarassment to the Bid Corps because the 2000 Sidney Games had
been caught expropriating indigenous lands.

At the Pan Pacific traffic was blocked while police waited nervously.

APC and its allies gave more speeches about the deteriorating conditions in
our communities while our governments hype ridiculous sports Games.  The
Housing Action Committee said they were going to fight homelessness.  APC
said that if the government will not build income affordable housing we will
take action this June during the National Housing Campaign.  People on
disability expressed rage about changes to the Disability Benefits.

Then the march walked up Georgia and blocked a major intersection at Robson.
  We made a mighty circle holding hands and received blessings from our
Indigenous allies as rush hour yuppies honked horns and the police remained
confused.  Telquaa and Rose asked the Spirit to protect us all and change
the minds of the IOC.

Afterward we dispersed in groups, with many of us being followed by police
on bicycles.  This action was a positive sign to APC as it was our first
major mobilization in four months, we have been overcoming our setbacks.
The crowd was large, loud, diverse but largely willing to escalate the
movement and push it forward.

Our demands are: Stop the Disability Re-Assesments.
End the Three Week Wait, Welfare on Demand.
Restore Funding to Social Housing.
No Olympics on Stolen Native Land




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