[van-announce] Feb 15: Rally for Housing and Support the Olympic Tent Village

[Harsha W.]

SUPPORT THE OLYMPIC TENT VILLAGE!
No More Empty Talk, No More Empty Lots.

*** To receive breaking news updates about the Olympic Tent Village as of
Feb 15 check http://olympictentvillage.wordpress.com/ and
http://2010.mediacoop.ca/

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

Organized by DTES Women Centre Power of Women Group. Endorsed by over 90
groups and organizations:
http://olympictentvillage.wordpress.com/rally-endorsers/

SUPPORT THE OLYMPIC TENT VILLAGE!

The Olympic Tent Village, a grassroots and autonomous community effort,
which will be public on Feb 15th will need YOUR support and solidarity to
keep going! We are relying on the determination of the DTES community and
the strength of our supporters during the Olympic period.

1) Stay the evening, night, and/or morning after the rally to protect the
Tent Village, especially the first 24-72 hours. If your organization,
group of friends, or community network can commit to a six hour supporter
shift (6 am to noon, noon to 6 pm, 6 pm to midnight, midnight to 6 am)
with a presence of 8 people, please let us know by emailing
streamsofjustice at gmail.com or call 604-253-1782. We definitely need to
ensure a high presence during night times when we are most vulnerable to
law enforcement activity.

2) Donations of tents, sleeping bags, blankets, foams, non-perishable food
items (granola bars, trail mixes, peanut butter, rice, beans, couscous
etc) are particularly needed. Donations can be dropped off at Baaad
Anna’s: – 2667 East Hastings St., Vancouver. Monday – Sunday (11 am to 6
pm). 604-255-2577. Or alternatively, donations can be coordinated through 
Streams of Justice (Email: streamsofjustice at gmail.com, Phone:
604-253-1782)


NO MORE EMPTY TALK, NO MORE EMPTY LOTS:

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.

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,  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, Downtown Eastside
Residents Association, 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, BC Persons with AIDS
Society, Progressive Forum of Nepalis in America, Grassroots Women,
Grandview Woodland Food Connection, Ethical Environmental Consulting,
Purple Thistle, Bridgeview Community Action Group, Ahavat Olam Synagogue,
The Under One Umbrella Society, Bridgeview Community Action Group, Neworld
Theatre, St. James’ Social Justice Group, West End Residents Association,
Fraser Valley Peace Council, Homes not Highways, Jacob’s Well, Faithful
Public Witness Committee of Van-Burrard Presbytery of the United Church,
Longhouse Council of Native Ministry. 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, Atira Women's Resource Society, Philippine Women Centre of
BC, SIKLAB-BC (Filipino workers organization), Filipino-Canadian Youth
Alliance-BC, Filipino Nurses Support Group, BC Committee for Human Rights
in the Philippines, UBC Social Justice Centre, Neworld Theatre