[van-announce] Support the Safe Site

[resist admin]

From: mirth at resist.ca
Subject: Support the Safe Site
Date: 13 May 2003 14:37:14 -0700

SUPPORT THE SAFE SITE!
Saturday, May 17 - 2pm
Victory Square Park (Cambie & Hastings)

A demonstration is being called by the Coalition for Harm Reduction to
publicly  re-state our three demands:

1       Safe Injection Site Now
2       Immediate Withdrawal of the 50 re-allocated police from the
Downtown Eastside

3       The implementation of the other three pillars: prevention,
           treatment and harm reduction

This is a demonstration of support and solidarity with poor drug users
who are under attack by a campaign of brutal police enforcement and
harassment.  We are also calling on all levels of government to be
accountable for their inaction as people become sick and die.  While
surveys are conducted and promises broken, drug users in the DTES have
come together to fight back!

A series of escalating actions has come out from the DTES targeting
different levels of government, exposing them all for their backtracking
on their responsibility to ensure the health of marginalized people.

With the opening of the safer injection site by drug users and
volunteer  supporters, we have declared that we can wait no longer for
the bureaucracies to legitimize a site.  SAFE SITES SAVE LIVES and that
is why we have taken this initiative upon ourselves. Since the Human
Rights Watch released their report, Abusing the User: Police Misconduct,
Harm reduction and HIV/AIDS in Vancouver, on May 7/03 there has been no
actions or response made to address serious charges of human rights
violations by the police. We demand the Vancouver Police Department show
some accountability and responsibility to the people in the DTES whose
lives they are oppressing. We demand for the immediate withdrawal of the
41 re-allocated police in the downtown eastside.

The safer sites official opening has applied pressure to COPE Council
to do  what is necessary to ensure the site is opened as soon as
possible.  However, their feet are still dragging.  We have called this
demonstration to utilize  the diversity of supporters and to show
solidarity with those struggling for  their rights and dignity.  When
COPE sees the broad-based support for harm  reduction, they will have to
accommodate our demands or be forced to explain  why they have turned
their backs on election promises.

We call upon you and your associates to stand with us, to support us
physically, to listen to speakers from the coalition and march with the
people  of the Downtown Eastside as we state our demands.

Contact: David Cunningham 604-780-5117