[van-announce] Updated - Feb 15: Rally & Olympic Tent City No More Empty Talk , No More Empty Lots

[Harsha W.]

- please forward widely -

No More Empty Talk, No More Empty Lots.

* February 15th, noon at Pigeon Park (Carrall and Hastings, Downtown
Eastside of Vancouver, Coast Salish Territories). Rally with all our
neighbours and supporters. Organized by DTES Women Centre Power of Women
Group.  Food will be served. For information, email project at dewc.ca or
call 778 885 0040.

* Support the Olympic Tent Village! Endorsed by Streams of Justice. Stay
the evening, night, and/or morning after the rally to protect the Tent
Village, especially the first 24-72 hours. To find out how to support,
visit http://olympictentvillage.wordpress.com/ or email
streamsofjustice at gmail.com or call 604-253-1782.

The upcoming 2010 Winter Olympics has escalated the homelessness crisis in
Vancouver's Downtown Eastside 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 will be taking the streets to affirm our call
for justice and dignity. We 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.

No more empty talk and no more empty lots.

Rally endorsed by: Carnegie Community Action Project, DTES Elders Council,
Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users, Impact on Communities Coalition,
Streams of Justice, Vancouver Action, Walk 4 Justice, Community Advocates
for Little Mountain, Anti Poverty Committee, DTES Community Arts Network,
Indigenous Action Movement,  Citywide Housing Coalition, Association of
Chinese Canadians for Equality and Solidarity Society, Solidarity Notes
Labour Choir, No One Is Illegal – Vancouver, Food Not Bombs,  Vancouver
Status of Women, Indigenous Environmental Network, Organizing Centre for
Social and Economic Justice, Bus Riders Union,  Alliance for People's
Health, Women Elders in Action, Canadian Union of Postal Workers –
National Representative,  UBC Students for a Democratic Society, East Van
Abolitionists, Gatewaysucks.org, Justice for Girls, W2 Community Media
Arts Society, Submedia, Vancouver Catholic Worker,  Pivot Legal Society, 
UBC Centre for Race, Autobiography, Gender, Siraat Collective, The
Rational Coop-Radio, Bulland Awaaz- Coop-Radio, Pink Resistance, CIPO
–Vancouver (Popular Council of Indigenous Nations of Oaxaca in Vancouver),
Rhizome Cafe, Native Youth Movement, Network of Sri Lankan Law Students,
Oxfam Canada, Whistler Watch,  no2010.com, Warrior Publications, Workless
Party, Teaching Support Staff Union, 2010 Welcoming Committee, Latin
America Connexions Collective, Servants Vancouver, Building Bridges Human
Rights-Vancouver, Check Your Head, SFU Interfaith Institute for Justice,
Peace and Social Movements, Stopwar.ca, Headlines Theatre, Student
Christian Movement-UBC,  Community Olympics Watch, Rain Zine, Industrial
Workers of the World, The Press Release Collective, Simon Fraser
University Public Interest Research Group, 2010 Homelessness Hunger Strike
Relay, Friends of Women in the Middle East Society, Iran
Solidarity-Vancouver, Federation of Iranian Refugees, Wake Up With Co-Op!
at CFRO, UBC Colour Connected Against Racism, Women Against Violence
Against Women.