The downtown eastside dtes is one of vancouvers oldest neighbourhoods, and the historic heart of the city. Also ranging across the continent, from ohio to california to florida, travis. As a district renowned for police violence, drug addition and sex work, the downtown eastside maintains the highest hiv infection rate in north america, affecting 30 per cent of the local population, mainly women. Gastown, chinatown, japantown, hogans alley and victory square are all areas within this neighbourhood. The mental load of life in vancouvers downtown eastside. The downtown eastside plan, approved by city council in 2014, provides a vision, policies, and strategies for the downtown eastside that focuses on ways to improve the lives of lowincome dtes residents and community members. How do you explain vancouvers downtown eastside to. Those people are danillo estrada, jens spoons petersen, dianne tobin and james jim mcleod, and you will soon know them. Elee kraljii gardiner founded and directs thursdays writing collective. Fighting for space how a group of drug users transformed. She is the editor and publisher of seven anthologies from the collective and the coeditor with john asfour of v6a.
Michael christie received his mfa in creative writing at the university of british columbia. Gillian jerome vancouver, host of the 2010 olympics, is a city of startling contrasts. Residents of vancouver s downtown eastside are not bound by poverty or addiction but rather driven by a sense of community, kinship, and above all, hope. George fetherling, seven oaks seven oaks 20080601 this book is not just about the downtown eastside, though its pages are alive with photographs and stories of its. For two decades, women living in a tenblock stretch of vancouver, british columbia, canada, were disappearing without a trace. Eastside stories follows the lives of four disadvantaged residents in the downtown eastside, as they navigate the streets, their lives and their pasts. Illustrator lauren brem captures the stories behind the faces on her sketchpad in this documentary that chronicles the spirit and struggles of the residents of vancouver s downtown eastside. Set in vancouver s downtown eastside, the beggars garden is christies debut collection of nine linked stories, each full of wit and sensitivity for its misfit characters. Downtown eastside documentary watch news videos online. The mission of the downtown eastside womens centre is to provide a safe, nonjudgmental environment for women from all walks of life, who live andor work in the downtown eastside. Vancouver s harmreduction history revealed in new book fighting for space. Members of pigeon park savings bank lineup in the downtown eastside in vancouver on wednesday.
After nearly four decades in public service, the former mp for. These are full of stories on the downtown eastside, she is soon telling me, standing before two filing cabinets. Fighting for space how a group of drug users transformed one. Years after picktons arrest, the killings have stopped in. These pieces are not fixed in the downtown east side. Book of short stories set in downtown eastside wins vancouver. Story based content continues to dominate social media, and were going to leverage this by activating the creative community in vancouver. Libby daviess memoir outside in tells a grassroots story of her journey from the downtown eastside to ottawa. The downtown eastside of vancouver is the poorest postal code in canada. The downtown eastside dtes is a neighbourhood in vancouver, british columbia, canada. Finalist for the city of vancouver literary award 2012. Ten years of writing from vancouver s downtown eastside, edited by heidi greco, is a collection of poems, stories, haiku, and prose ramblings that captures the essence and depth of daily life in the west coast city. Gastown, chinatown, japantown, hogans alley and victory square are. Reflections on life in downtown eastside vancouver.
Edited by john mikhail asfour and elee kraljii gardiner. Many indigenous people also live in this neighbourhood. Ask vancouver stop calling it the downtown eastside, please use the local terms. Vancouver north youth services team rgb or by yankee 20. A book about harm reduction and the opioid epidemic. His poem exemplifies the spirit of the snap research project, the goal to tell our own stories about hat trials in the downtown eastside of vancouver, the quest to set up hat programs and ultimately end drug prohibition. Pain drove her to streets of downtown eastside after.
Writing from vancouvers downtown eastside, poetry and prose, arsenal pulp press, vancouver b. Explore vancouver, the north shore, and the capilano suspension bridge on a fullday coach tour that takes in some of the citys top sites. Up and down on the downtown eastside by chris walter goodreads. Getting to know the people of vancouvers downtown eastside. Many of his patients suffered from a combination of mental illness, drug addiction, and hiv. This report examines the life and death of paige, an. These pieces are not fixed in the downtown east side dtes, but they were created there. The area, one of the citys oldest, is the site of a complex set of social issues including extremely high levels of drug use, homelessness, poverty, crime, mental illness, and prostitution. Women from vancouvers downtown eastside release book on. Ben nelmscbc advocates fear a covid19 outbreak could devastate the downtown. This weeks episode is part one of a twopart series. Up and down on the downtown eastside is a fastpaced but harsh story involving.
A book of short stories set largely in vancouvers downtown eastside has won the city of vancouver book award. How do you explain vancouver s downtown eastside to tourists. The downtown eastside and strathcona are some of the first places in vancouver settled by european, african and asian people. Writing from vancouvers downtown eastside paperback mar 19 2012. Where vancouver where vancouver 20080701 the result is a collective selfportrait, one that does indeed show the vareity so essential to the neighbourhoods view of itself. Advocates worry about spread of covid19 in the downtown. Ahead of its premiere at the italian film festival, jennifer palma learns.
You could make a long list indeed of the books that draw on the downtown eastside and especially the. Watch downtown eastside documentary video online, on globalnews. He published his first book, the good life, in 2001 and his most recent book, hope in shadows. It runs from burrard inlet south to false creek and great northern way, and between carrall street and clark drive. Vancouver downtown 2020 all you need to know before you. The downtown eastside is home for thousands of intravenous drug and crack users. Sandy cameron was a longtime activist and poet in the downtown eastside. Collaboratively planned and implemented with residents of the downtown eastside dtes who patronize the usc learning exchange, the story case study reveals how a total of 19 dtes residents helped nearly 70 immigrants practice what they need to effectively integrate into society. Stop calling it the downtown eastside, please use the. Erica is one of the many residents of vancouver s downtown eastside who have struggled with depression and suicidal thoughts in the midst of what she describes as the overwhelming realities of.
Vancouver downtown eastside dtes fentanyl methamphetamine heroin cocaine. Fighting for space is a colourful, fastpaced, wellresearched account of the unique circumstances, tragic and inspiring events, and the courageously maverick characters that established vancouver s downtown eastside as north americas harmreduction capital. The story of the downtown eastside is one of the most inspiring, moving, and. In may 2015, the representative for children and youth released paiges story. Any list of 10 important books about vancouver is bound to be subjective in the extreme. The hastings street supervised injection site, insite, has 600 visits each day estimated to be only 5% of all injections each day in the downtown eastside.
Telling a fastpaced story about downtown eastside activists, veteran reporter travis lupick searches the. Stories from the downtown east side vancouver canada. Writing from vancouvers downtown eastside elee kraljii. Eastside stories promo plan focuses on scaling the reach of our project online through social media. Vancouvers harmreduction history revealed in new book. Its a story of tragedy and triumph and of one man who terrorized the vancouver s downtown. Reflections on life in downtown eastside vancouver as want to read. City of vancouver book award short lists city of vancouver. It features candid interviews with women and their experiences with violence. For twelve years, he was the staff physician at portland hotel, a residence and resource center located in downtown vancouver. Women from vancouver s downtown eastside have just released a book called red women rising. Stories and photographs of vancouver s downtown eastside with gillian jerome, won the city of vancouver book award, was shortlisted for the roderick.
News stories of the less fortunate, the socioeconomically disenfranc. Darkrimmed glasses, pulledback hair the librarian, no doubt. Downtown eastside vancouver a walk through hell youtube. A young man sits on the wet sidewalk, his legs spread wide, sucking the smoke from a burning fragment of dope with a plastic tube. A thousand dreams is a very thorough, if partisan, overview of the events in the downtown eastside des over the last twenty years. Opioid user lorna bird poses for a photo in vancouver s downtown eastside, friday, june 23, 2017. A prosperous urban center, it is also home to the downtown eastside, canadas poorest neighborhood and one of north americas. Writing from vancouver s downtown eastside arsenal pulp press, 2012, which was shortlisted for the 2012 city of vancouver book award. Its just another day on vancouver s downtown eastside. The books strength comes from the indelible image the stories and poems.
What i saw in a day on the downtown eastside shocked me. He worked in harm reduction clinics in vancouver s downtown eastside. Through their naked eyes, vancouver s downtown eastside burns with a terrible light that mirrors all humanity. It is, thus, an artificial geographical space defined by a bureaucracy housed far from v6a itself. Libby daviess memoir outside in tells a grassroots story. Years after picktons arrest, the killings have stopped in the downtown eastside, the violence has not sam has stepped away from her corner for a quick cigarette. Vpl vancouver in literature downtown eastside vancouver. To achieve this goal, the centre provides supportive surroundings with meals, counseling, advocacy and programs which nurture and empower members. The partisan aspect is due to the overwhelming voice of larry campbell and the resulting emphasis on what he did and what he considers important. The downtown eastside is full of tragic stories, but somehow v6a strikes the.
Pain drove her to streets of downtown eastside after medication cut off. Stories from the neighbourhood paint a different picture than the bleak headlines and grim statistics often associated with it. These stories from the downtown eastside will make you. This is a book that is full of contrasting images, emotions and stories, which is fitting since its a story of city of extremes. Its complicated courier investigation examines how tourism is affected by the ongoing issues on the downtown eastside.