opnewseditor@email.com Homeless in the City Why are so many living on the streets? Nakie Pannu, OP Contributor The last decade has seen homelessness become prominent in major cities and some rural areas across Canada. As much as some right-wing pundits would like to attribute the problem exclusively to derelict, lazy, drug and alcohol-addicted vagabonds, this is not the case. The num- ber of homeless people who do not abuse alcohol or drugs and don’t have a mental illness is an astonishing 80 per- cent. This then begs the question, “If a majority of home- less people are able bodied, why can’t they sustain basic shelter?” The federal government amplified the problem when they decided to almost obliterate transfers to the provinces for social programs. Provincial and municipal governments were expected to bear the burden of funding social pro- grams, which obviously has overwhelmed both. There has also been a cancellation of large governmen- tal housing programs. In addition, several mental institu- tions have closed down due to a lack of funding, leaving many ex-mental patients to fend for themselves on the street. The cumulative increase in the cost of housing and decrease in accessibility of low-cost social housing has fil- tered more people on to the street. Neglecting to maintain social safety has had dehuman- izing consequences on people who are forced to live on the street. This past Wednesday, CKUT 90.3 aired its fourth annual Homelessness Marathon from Montreal, which was broadcast through the Internet to other non- commercial radio stations including Simon Fraser University’s 90.1 fm: For many, this was the one opportunity for homeless people and their supporters to air grievances pertaining to issues involving the failing social safety nets, shelters, receiving medical care or finding work without a perma- nent address, dealing with police, and the artistic culture that many cling to as a means to attain salvation from their misery. Some homeless people were a little apprehensive to talk, but homelessness advocates were successful in facili- tating a discussion that articulated homeless people’s con- cerns. In spite of the prevalent health issues that homeless people face, they cannot easily access health care without proper identification. The burden of living on the street day-to-day is not something that one can adapt to and remain sane. It’s demoralizing. Quite a few people forced to live on the street gradually turn to drugs and alcohol to numb their circumstances. The broadcast was enlightening, but at the same time it was shocking to discover the approach that is often taken by law enforcement officials towards homeless people. The sentiment against the police was vehemently articulated. One individual vociferously screeched, “Fuck off to all the cops and kill them all!” Often, police subjugate homeless people to what can be described as their own fascist whims. Routinely home- less people are apprehended and searched for drugs. Sometimes they are beaten. There have been many circum- stances where homeless youth have been arrested for being in a park when it is closed, jaywalking, panhandling, and “squeegee-ing” in restricted areas. They are also incarcerat- ed for outstanding fines. Once released from prison, they are still expected to pay the balance of their fines. Okay, fine, criminalize the poor to temporarily conceal the problem so the electorate won't realize how substantial the issue of homelessness is. Obviously, the government’s agenda is not to sustain the well-being of the poor, but to preserve the equity of big business. Fewer social programs translate into less taxes and more money in the coffers of the rich. The elites are taken care of—but on the other lower tier, society is desecrated emotionally, physically, and spiritually. It may sound naive, but in the long run the social costs of not resolving the homelessness problem will eventually come full circle to the rich and middle class tiers of society. We already see it now. Many buildings in gentrified areas of downtown Vancouver have private security, as do as many businesses. This is done to prevent homeless people from congregating on or near the property, as well as a precau- tion against ex-mental patients who will potentially be hos- tile. And what about diseases? Unsanitary conditions usu- ally breed an epidemic. Decent low-cost housing is essential in order for these people’s lives to stabilize. Missing Women Remembered February 14th brings hundreds to Vancouver's Downtown East Side Nicole Burton, News Editor Over 800 women, men, students and youth, elders, friends, and family members marched through the Downtown Eastside last week to pay tribute to women who have been murdered or gone missing from the neigh- bourhood. The event began with more than 300 family members and close friends of victims gathering at the Carnegie Centre on Main and Hastings to discuss their pain and loss. Outside, supporters gathered to show their sympathy. Decorative pieces of artwork bearing missing women’s names and faces dotted the crowd. Speakers included family members of missing women and social workers from the neighbourhood who gave vivid descriptions of the lives of women in struggle in Canada’s notoriously poorest neighborhood. One woman, who worked at a homeless shelter, noted more than 50 women she’d met over the years have now gone missing. February 14 is now recognized in Vancouver as the day of remembrance for these victims of assault and vio- lence. Women living in the Downtown East Side (DTES)—many plagued by poverty and driven into the sex trade or drug use—live with a huge risk in their lives. More than 90 women are marked as missing, alongside hundreds of cases of sexual and physical assault. _ “I’m here today to remember my friends because they _ were so much more than prostitutes and junkies,” one _ we oman said from bag hes with her eyes full of © " Many linked this oars ‘Remembrance March—already in its 15th year—with the current court case of Robert Pickton, who is currently being tried in a New Westminster courtroom for the gruesome murders of ar Se Pa - EVENTS CALENDAR February 23 Writer-in—Residence, Stephanie Bolster Reading at 12pm Room 1808, New Westminster Campus Presented by Douglas College Literature Alive February 24 Writer—in—Residence, Stephanie Bolster Reading at 11am Room B2030 David Lam Campus Presented by Douglas College Literature Alive Launch of Pearls 2006 i Featuring readings by Writer-in—Residence Stephanie Bolster and Creative Writing students 7:30pm, Douglas Room, New Westminster Campus Presented by Douglas College Literature Alive A Night of Music Art & Resistance Legal Defense Fundraiser For Mayuk and Beverly Manuel and the Skwelkwek’welt Protection Centre Defenders Video In Studies (1965 Main Street, Vancouver) Doors at 7:30pm | Show at 8pm Organized by Mobilization Against War and Occupation (MAWO) Supported & Endorsed by: Skwelkwek’welt Protection Center Defenders, Redwire Native Youth Media For more information: info@mawovancouver.org | www.mawovancouver.org | 604.322.1764 February 26 March & Rally to mark the 2nd anniversary of the Canada/France/US invasion of Haiti US/UK Out of Iraq! Canada Out of Afghanistan! Canada/France/US Out of Haiti! Self—Determination for Indigenous Nations in Canada! Self—Determination for All Oppressed Nations! US/EU Hands Off Iran! 3pm at the Vancouver Art Gallery (corner of Robson and Howe, Vancouver)