[Stopwar-l] Upcoming Events & News

Tue Feb 23 07:25:51 PST 2010

1. OLYMPIC TENT VILLAGE NEEDS YOUR ONGOING SUPPORT! 

2. Games Over!
Resistance Lives!
 *Celebrating Unity ">3.StopWar monthly general meeting
Wed March 3rd, 5:30pm Maritime Labour Centre 1880 Triumph Street     4.
Public forum:HOPE FOR HAITI IN LATIN AMERICA  Friday, March 5, 7 pm  
Vancouver Community College, Room 420  250 W. Pender St., Vancouver   5.
THIRD ANNUAL SOCIAL JUSTICE FILM FESTIVAL
TRINITY UNITED CHURCH
SHAUGHNESSY
AT PRAIRIE, PORT COQUITLAM
MARCH 12, 13, 2010  6. News from the Canadian
Peace Alliance "No Olympic Truce in Marjah"

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1.
OLYMPIC TENT VILLAGE NEEDS YOUR ONGOING SUPPORT! 
 Since Feb 15, 2010 the
Olympic Tent Village has been set up at 58 West
 Hastings, an empty lot
owned by notorious condo developer Concord Pacific,
 currently being leased
by VANOC as a parking lot for the Olympics.

 The first few days at the
Olympic Tent Village have gone strongly and
 smoothly, thanks to the
community effort to support and defend it.
 Hundreds have gathered during
the evening and through the night,
 especially DTES residents, homeless
people, and youth.

 Over the next week, we are calling on all supporters
to continue to defend
 the Olympic Tent Village and to support the
residents. We need:
 - Volunteers to help cook at the Tent Village anytime
drop-in starting at
 8 am till 8 pm.
 - Supporters to be present during the
day 8 am to 4 pm and overnight 6 pm
 to 6 am.
 - Independent media, legal
observers and others with cameras in case of
 emergencies (please note
there is no recording in the Tent Village
 otherwise)
 - On site medic
support especially overnight from 6 pm to 6 am.
 - Donations of non
perishable food items, tarps, tents, blankets, sleeping
 bags.

 The
Olympic Tent Village has been an inspiring action to take over public

space and empty lots, a powerful testament to the building of community,

and a reclamation of dignity and freedom amidst daily systemic poverty and

injustice.

 Updates and how to support:

http://olympictentvillage.wordpress.com [1]

 BACKGROUND:

 The 2010 Winter
Olympics has escalated the homelessness crisis in
 Vancouver's Downtown
Eastside - Canada's poorest postal code - and the
 Greater Vancouver area.
Since the Olympic bid, homelessness has nearly
 tripled in the GVRD, while
real estate and condominium development in the
 Downtown Eastside is
outpacing social housing by a rate of 3:1. Meanwhile,
 a heightened police
presence has further criminalized those living in
 extreme material poverty
in the poorest postal code in Canada.

 With the eyes of the world on
Vancouver, residents of the Downtown
 Eastside and our supporters of the
Olympic Tent Village want:
 1. Real action to end homelessness now
 2. End
condo development and displacement in the Downtown Eastside
 3. End
discriminatory ticketing, police harassment, and all forms of

criminalization of poverty.

 * Watch videos of DTES residents and homeless
people who are currently
 residing at the Tent Village, videos available
at:
 http://olympictentvillage.wordpress.com/2010/02/17/media/ [2]

**********************************************************************

 2.
Games Over! Resistance Lives!
 *Celebrating Unity & Solidarity*

 *Sunday
FEB 28th, 2010 1PM
 Smithe and Cambie*

 Bring the NOISE! Pots, pans, drums
and noisemakers welcome! Join us in a noisy public festival to celebrate
our communities and our resistance.

 Our struggles for justice as
indigenous, migrant, poor, working class and queer communities existed
before the games and will exist after. The games have also provided a spark
that we hope will inspire all affected communities to bind together in our
coming struggles to attain justice.

 These were not the greenest games -
they were the corporate greenwash games. They were not the socially
responsible games - homelessness tripled as billions were spent on highways
and convention centers for the rich. And these games occurred on un-ceded
territories where the indigenous communities continue to be on the front
lines defending lands from industrial expansion.

 In the coming budget BC
residents likely see massive cuts to healthcare, education, affordable
housing, public transit, sports and recreation, and other priorities. While
the IOC, VANOC and the games will be gone, we are still here!

 *Solidarity
">3. STOPWAR MONTHLY GENERAL MEETING Wed March 3rd, 5:30pm Maritime Labour
Centre 1880 Triumph Street   ***featuring updates on Palestine and a
report-back on the anti-Olympics events and protests! 
********************************************************************************
       4. PUBLIC FORUM:    HOPE FOR HAITI IN LATIN AMERICA     Friday,
March 5, 7 pm  Vancouver Community College, Room 420  250 W. Pender St.,
Vancouver  A new, continent-wide and progressive social force is rising in
Latin America, spearheaded by the ALBA alliance of eight countries,
including Cuba, Venezuela and Bolivia.    What is Haiti's history in the
Americas? How can alliances be created with the progressive governments in
the region as Haiti fights for a just and meaningful reconstruction?  
With:    * Federico Fuentes, resident of Venezuela, editor of
venezuelaanalysis.com [4],   Bolivia Rising blog, and Marea Socialista
magazine  * Jon Beasley-Murray, Professor of Latin America Studies,
University of British Columbia  * Andrea Pinochet, Haiti Solidarity BC  *
Other invited speakers   

*****************************************************************************************************
  5. THIRD ANNUAL SOCIAL JUSTICE FILM FESTIVAL

TRINITY UNITED
CHURCH
SHAUGHNESSY AT PRAIRIE
PORT COQUITLAM

MARCH 12, 13, 2010

Friday
Evening 7:00 p.m. March 12

"THE LEMON TREE" - This film embraces the very
essence of life in Israel and Palestine. It is based on a true story. The
Israeli Minister of Defense moves into a home directly facing the lemon
orchard of an Arab woman. A smile develops between his wife and the Arab
neighbour, and it is that smile that brings hope to the thousands of
Israelis and Palestinians seeking a true and lasting peace. Panel
discussion afterwards.

Saturday, March 13 10:00 a.m.

"Rethinking
Afghanistan" - Absolutely powerful presentation that will make you rethink
many aspects of this war--including the civilian casualties, staggering
economic cost, danger of a destabilized Pakistan and the question of the
assumption that life will be improved for Afghan women.

"TAXI TO THE DARK
SIDE" - this documentary carefully makes the case that U.S. officials are
implicitly encouraging torture, often of innocent prisoners. This film
links the situation we have today in Canada of accusations that Canadians
are complicit in the same thing.

1:00 p.m.

"Playing for Change" - Peace
through music. How the power of music can unite us all. An uplifting film
telling how the "Playing for Change" movement is influencing people with
music. It is a remarkable example of the simple transformation power of
music to touch something in each of us.

"NOT A GAME" - this film, produced
by Vancouver's Odd Squad is an educational tool on the dangers of crystal
meth, and sends an appropriate message for our most vulnerable and valuable
resource, our children. 

"CONNECTING THE DROPS" - This tells the story of
the recent KAIROS ecumenical delegation to the Alberta tar sands and the
effect of the tar sands on the environment and other implications.

"THE
SACRED BALANCE" - This film celebrates a new scientific world-view, an
inclusive vision of nature in which human beings are intimately connected
to all life processes on earth. David Suzuki narrates.

3:00
p.m.

"Belonging" - a film narrated by Dustin Hoffman. Beyond the climate
change debate, dozens of undisputed economic and environmental issues
warrant our own immediate concern and action. Luckily SCIENCE and SPIRIT
now converge and they deliver a message of respect and common sense that we
can all apply to our daily lives.

"POOR NO MORE" - narrated by Mary Walsh,
TV star. This film offers solutions to Canada's poor. The film takes
Canadians to a world where people do not have to beg, where housing is
affordable and where education is free. They take a journey to Ireland and
Sweden to see how those countries tackled poverty while strengthening their
economy. They ask if other countries can do this why can't we?

FRIDAY
NIGHT -BY DONATION. ALL DAY SATURDAY $10.00 OR $2.00 FOR STUDENTS OR LOW
INCOME. $5.00 FOR HALF DAY

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6.

Links:
------
[1] http://olympictentvillage.wordpress.com/
[2]
http://olympictentvillage.wordpress.com/2010/02/17/media/
[3]
mailto:2010gamesover at gmail.com
[4] http://venezuelaanalysis.com/
[5]
http://www.olympictruce.org/
[6]
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/feb/16/civilians-killed-afghanistan
[7]
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/20/world/asia/20afghan.html?hp
[8]
http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/afghan-civilians-risk-during-nato-offensive-against-taleban-20100217
[9]
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/18/world/asia/18aid.html?emc=eta1
[10]
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/canadians-to-be-tip-of-the-spear-in-kandahar/article1470572/
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