[van-announce] Oppose the Olympics at Britannia - May 5th - 7 pm

[edoherty at portal.ca]

PLEASE FORWARD WIDELY!

OPPOSE THE OLYMPICS AT BRITANNIA - MOBILIZE FOR BRITANNIA MEETING!
  
Monday May 5th - 7 pm - Britannia Auditorium

We've just found out that the Britannia Community Centre Board has organized a
community meeting (on very short notice) for Monday May 5th (7 pm) in the
Britannia Auditorium to consult with the community about having Britannia as an
Olympics hockey venue.  Given the short notice and lack of publicity from
Britannia, please call/email your friends, contacts, etc., and ask them to come
out and voice their concerns about Britannia as an Olympics venue.  

VANOC is pressuring Britannia Community Centre to become an Olympic hockey
venue, regardless of how you feel about having your community centre taken from
you.  Please come out and have your voice heard!  The Britannia board will be
voting on whether or not to have the Olympics at Britannia after this meeting.  

Sunday Action:

To let people know this is happening, we'll be having a creative theatre/street
action on Sunday May 4th (10:30 am) - meeting at Charles and Commercial.  We've
done the action twice now, and it's been fun and people were supportive and
interested.

For more information:
thetorch at resist.ca

Concerns about the Olympics at Britannia:

Security and Surveillance:
 
More than 12, 500 police, military, CSIS, and private security will be used for
the 2010 Olympics (Globe and Mail) we are concerned about:
- increased police/military/security presence at and around Britannia
- the size of a "security perimeter" around the community centre
- the use of checkpoints, special ID passes and heavy surveillance including
closed-circuit cameras and satellite surveillance (Industry Canada website)
- that security would be set up at Britannia long before the actual Olympics and
remain long after
- the impact on homeless people including "sweeps" by police and harassment
- increased racial profiling and targeting of indigenous youth
- heavy weaponry (guns, lasers, tear gas, pepper spray, helicopters) near our
schools, libraries, and daycares
- the constant threat of police violence and repression of opposition and dissent

Community Values:

The Britannia Board represents our community centre, and demographically, this
community voted against the Olympics coming to Vancouver in the 2003 referendum.
 If you voted "no" in the referendum, this process at Britannia is in essence
the same vote (referendum was "No to Olympics in Vancouver," this vote is "No to
Olympics" in our community centre).  This project will take place on unceded
Coast Salish territory and will impact urban indigenous people.  

Concerns include:
- security perimeters will cut off or severely restrict access for our seniors,
students and children
- increased in traffic and rents, due to the proximity of an Olympic venue, and
general increased gentrification
- That rink upgrades would be carried out at the expense of more pressing
upgrades at Britannia
- That needed upgrades shouldn't be tied to the Olympics.  Britannia and its
strong community-based history  should be a leader in demanding that community
centres need better funding and upgrades in general
- The Olympics machine (which includes corporate sponsors like MacDonald's)
targets youth and children with mascots, advertising, and school curriculum

Services Disruptions:

- lack of access to the rink and other services such as the seniors centre, the
pool, the library, teen centre, etc.
- possible room rental disruption at the centre
- disruption to surrounding services and their clients including the Kettle
Friendship Centre and REACH clinic
- the effects on bus routes/services, traffic, and pedestrians
- the displacement of kids and adults in the hockey and skating programs

Accountability and Transparency:

Although private talks have reportedly been held for close to a year between
Britannia and VANOC, the community has not been consulted about Britannia being
used as an Olympics venue.  The details of these talks have not been made public
 We are concerned that:
- The use of the Britannia Community Centre was not included in the Olympic Bid Book
- VANOC has repeatedly been described in local media as "undemocratic"
- VANOC is not subject to freedom of information legislation
- VANOC holds meetings that are closed to the public and of which no official
minutes are kept