DNC Board Meeting Minutes - April 5, 2012

DNC Board Meeting

April 5th, 2012

Chair: Herb

Minutes: Jada

Attendance:  Jamie, David, D., Herb, Tami, Wendy, Harold, Kelvin, Jen, Ann, Ivan, Jada, Richard

1) Opening & Rounds

Kelvin

• Openings

Herb

• Rounds

Jada

• Reads Constitution

*Continue at 6:30pm

Herb

• Adoption of agenda

2) DNC Development Statements

Ivan

• Pantages declaration
• The endth hour for this
• The staff is proposing the pantages, a year ago the director of planning turned it down
• Since then there was an election, and they fired the director (pantages could have been a part of it)
• The proposal probably hasn’t changed too much
• In 2 weeks it goes to the development permit board
• This is our last hurray, that makes a strong statement that the community is against this project
• One guy’s business investment shouldn’t trump the will of the community
• Organized through the DTES not for developers coalition
• Rally – we’re doing an old style union rally
• Point is to bring people together
• We’re inviting city councillors and media
• Drafted one with Vandu, tomorrow we’ll do the Balmoral and the Regent
• AFD is going to come to the rally
• DNC has to make a statement, it’s critical. Without us this wouldn’t be going on
• The City can stop this if this is a “displacement project”, a tsunami of gentrification
• We’re facing the 5th greatest displacement of people on this land
• First was Coast Salish - 1910
• 1913 smashed the sex workers
• Japanese community 1940s
• Hogans Alley of the Black Community 197_
• “This Moment”, Today
• If you looked at any one of these moments

Wendy

• Do they want to be the Council want

Jen

• Do they want to be known for displacing these marginalized people

Ivan

• Do they want to become the Council that displaces the low-income community in2012?
• We’ve had some good media, national media (Doug Ward), Global TV News,
• My feeling is that the City is sending back the definition of social housing back to the LAPP because of that
• If they allow this displacement….it will be a major mistake, they will create a social crisis, and the media is giving them a warning

Harold

• Displacement is a linking theme, it’s useful
• There can be other points under that, like homelessness
• Reference to harm reduction

Ivan

• Under displacement, we need to include homelessness

Herb

• If they do this, they are going to undermine the LAPP

Ivan

• Undermining community control, community development, community plans

Ann

• I’ve participated in so many of these, they’ve undermined all of these

Tami

• Undermines the community vision

Wendy

• Stress the breezeway connecting the alleys
• Behind our minds

Ivan

• Puts consumers before community
• Gated shopping alley
• People in Asia pushed out

Herb

• Ignoring people over property

Ivan

• Against every point in our constitution
• Social mix doesn’t work in this community
• Ending homelessness

Wendy

• Not just hide people in shelters
• The DEOD is helms deep (lord of the rings reference, where they go to hide)

Ivan

• We need a powerful statement, with a distinct strong statement

Wendy

• This is more than symbolic, cracking open the DEOD, busting us apart by moving in here

Jen

• This is going to endager survival sex workers
• Where are they supposed to go?
• Marc Williams doesn’t acknowledge the low-income community who live here
• It displaces the survival sex workers community
• With the drug community, if you displace them, then they can die
• We also tell survival sex workers to always buy from the same dealer, but if they are displaced then they aren’t safe, they can die

Ann

• How many times you move from one Hotel to another is a “predictor” of HIV

Jen

• The drug workers are women’s first line of protection, if they are displaced, who are these women going to turn to?
• It’s a social services network

Ivan

• Middle-class people have this perception of the drug trade

Jada

• There are micro-economies that are going on in the DTES

Ivan

• This is a human strategy

Herb

• All the City did was make decisions based on the long standing

Ivan

• I have something to work with here, and I’ll draft a statement and circulate it

2.5) Fighting Alley Revitalization

Table.

3) DT East next issue theme discussion

Harold

• We had an initial discussion
• Talk about the issue of violence, expanded way
• Violence against women, aboriginal, incarceration of the poor

4) City Related Work

Wendy

• The DNC focuses our organization to the street, and stop the condos that we did not stop at city council, stop gentrification, and continue to participate with the LAPP
• Proposed this to our membership
• This means that we lost a lot of things at City Council, we won a few things, we did not stop retail gentrification or condo development projects under current applications, and focus our efforts on street level outreach more than the LAPP
• Ivan would do less LAPP and more street organizing
• Splitting up a bit of the energy

5) Wonder Palace Crisis

Ivan

• Foreclosed by a bank, April 1st
• Under control by a receiver
• Not interested in rooming house
• Want to sell it to the highest bidder
• City and the Province have to buy it, but they won’t be going to
• I want to organize a very last minute short press conference
• Should have been done this week
• We should do a demonstration to get the city and the province to buy the buildings
• Everyone who lives there wants an action
• It’s really important

Group

• Thumbs up

6) Greg the filmmaker visiting to talk about his documentary proposal

Ivan

• He has received federal funding

Herb

• We’ll hear him out, we can ask questions, before we make a decision

Harold

• I agree, I’d like to hear what he’d like to say

Herb

• 3 years a really long time
• He’ll be at almost every board meeting

Ivan

• We could tell him not to come to our board meetings, but maybe our public meetings

Ann

• He’s going to get both sides, which is fine
• There’s nothing uncompelling about what we’re doing
• This could be a vehicle for us

Tami

• I feel uncomfortable when he says things like us having a say of what gets produced and what goes public, it’s disingenuous
• We should sign a contract, not like a huge 40 page document, but something simple
• Maybe shows DNC in a bad light

Greg arrives at 5:50pm

(item moves to point 2 – moved by Wendy, Second by Tami, motion carries)

Greg

• Appreciate modifying the agenda to accommodate me
• Speak about project, research project, received funding for 3 year project that I’m doing with my brother
• Part of sharing results of research is through art, through photography and documentary film
• About me: made copies of the documentary project, my brother wrote this, it’s academic sounding
• Brought a couple extra copies of past films
• The way I met Ivan was through the Powell Street Festival advocacy committee, but here my other hat as a film maker for this research project.
• Lived in Vancouver for 5 years now
• When I first moved here, I wasn’t aware of the DTES and what was happening here, including the “revitalization”
• My brother was doing a project at UBC, did photography project to take photos of the DTES, did this through the DTES Neighbourhood House, worked with Joyce, worked with her and teaching photography
• I’m a Japanese Canadian, my grandparents worked at the Confectionary down here in the 1930s
• Connected with Hope and Shadows, teaching photography
• I was a juror on the photography competition
• Volunteered here, and I like this neighbourhood, it’s unique, people walk down the street and look you in the eye and say hello to you
• My heart is here, volunteering and family roots
• Joyce is one of the partners in this project, out of Montreal
• Questions?

Wendy

• Is it similar to the film we just watched?

Greg

• It was a promotional film, there was never an intent to go deeper on issues, it was a teaser
• This would be the big film
• That film was pretty mild when talking about issues

Harold

• There are some good ideas in this, could be a good starting point
• Concern, is about our level for our access and input
• I gather we’d be a part of this, as well as others? You did approach us and ask us which is good, but who else?

Greg

• Wanted to do the film regardless of funding
• The DNC is one of the many groups we’ve been speaking with
• During our application, we didn’t speak to you
• A lot of partners include the Japanese community, but we’ve also approach other organizations including the Neighbourhood House, Pivot Legal is supporting it in principles, Vancouver Native Health supporting it in principles, Gallery Gache possibly.  We want to get a broad perspective of groups in the DTES
• This is not going to be a propaganda film, or use a propaganda tool
• It will be objective
• The film is going to look multifaceted from all perspectives, including developers sides, city’s side, and neighbourhood/residents side, so the audience doesn’t feel that they are getting something rammed down their throats. So the audience can make their own intelligent minds up about the issue
• Want people to speak openly when filming
• I promise to preserve people’s intention with their message, I won’t twist people’s words
• Revitalization – development is happening, and happening quickly, a lot of people would say that’s gentrification, I would too but I want to be objective

Ivan

• My point of view is there is no objectivity, it’s impossible to reflect all perspectives
• They tend to reflect dominant positions
• Objectivity is a code word for dominance
• Those relations are invisible

Greg

• You’re right, there is no such thing as objectivity
• Let people who is watching make up their own minds of what is going on
• Try to be as objective as possible
• Try to show as much of a multifaceted look as possible
• This is not going to be a Michael Moore movie, with argument after argument of what is happening with a one-sided view, that is a propaganda film, and that’s not what I want to do

Jen

• Have you talked to any of the survival sex workers groups?
• This type of thing will affect them the most

Greg

• I am interested in talking to them, everyone who is going to be affected negatively and people who will be affected positively
• I don’t know who these people are, that’s part of my research
• I’m interested in talking to everyone

Harold

• We may be willing to grant you some access, but might be limited
• Would you work with a Memorandum of Understanding?

Greg

• Asking for access to some meetings, or certain people – to go into greater depth in what is going in their lives
• Anyone who will be filmed will have to sign a release film

Harold

• Less chance of misunderstanding with what our concerns are

Greg

• Film will be part of a greater research
• Maybe take this to film festival, need to follow all of the rules

Ivan

• Final product – I asked if we can veto, can we say that this is not capturing what we meant to say

Greg

• I do final editing
• I am sensitive to if people don’t want something filmed
• I don’t want to misrepresent anyone or anything

Wendy

• Personal opinion on social mix?

Greg

• I don’t know a lot about it.
• I know gentrification is not just condos going in and rents going up, it’s also the services going up around that are affordable, and the people who you run into
• I know a bit about the Woodwards, I side with the neighbourhoods side
• I made a displacement art piece of Japanese, walking east of Woodwards
• The changes that are happening couldn’t possibly be for the benefit for the people who live here
• Filming a guy who is being displaced for the sake for people selling a place

Wendy

• People have a hard time empathizing with people on the street

Greg

• I don’t know a lot about the deserving poor and undeserving poor

Ivan

• People are forced in the positions of multiple oppressions, asking for handouts

Harold

• Presumably, if we have stories to talk about, we can bring that forward

Greg

• Absolutely, I would like to film someone to represent that
• I may be following several people over a few years
• The final product will be about an hour and a half
• When I did the Powell Street one, I talked to 4 or 5 different people
• My contact info is on our paper
• Also going to speak with BIA’s and other LAPP Committee meetings
• I won’t attend every meeting

Herb

• Table or discussion?

Ivan

• Less complicated because he’s going to ask permission on a meeting per meeting basis

Harold

• Wouldn’t mind thinking about it

Wendy

• I don’t think his instincts are very good, to pick up on what’s happening

Herb

• Table.

7) DNC general meeting details

Herb

• Jen to Co-Chair?

Jen

• Definitely
• What are the responsibilities?

Herb

• Encouraging discussion, moderating discussion
• Being the face of the organization for the night

Harold

• Keeping order so meeting doesn’t get out of help

Jada

• Every board member should help out, spread out to make sure people are quiet and cooperating

Jen

• I need to gather police complaints

Tami

• I agree that a woman and man co-chairing the meeting
• I think one person needs to have experience with chairing, to mentor the other

Herb

• I would be cool to set aside this one

Ivan

• Maybe we can split up the meeting
• Different chair for the discussion
• I can co-chair the meeting with Jen
• The Beat is Jen and I co-chairing
• The second part, Herb and Tami? LAPP, Campaign against condos, forming shelters bill of rights, and not go into small groups

Herb

• Dave D., would you like to discuss the pantages?

Dave D.

• What do you want out of this for the Sequal 138 at the meeting?

Harold

• We want to get people motivated and excited, making sure people know what’s happening and how to get involved
• We are trying to mobilize our members

Dave D.

• Matter of passing on information? What has happened, and what is coming up, why this is such an important fight? Offering bits of information, as well as solicit some type of response or commitment to something?

Ivan

• Tonight draft a Pantages Declaration
• DNC needs a strong statement of why we oppose the pantages, ratify it at the meeting
• Brainstorm with our members, and add their points
• And invite people to the rally

Dave D.

• I can do the background, and then someone from the board can lead the discussion?

Harold

• I like Dave’s proposal.

Wendy

• Phoning, we have 30 pages

Ivan

• Wendy to lead the discussion on the LAPP
• Roland and Yasek to lead the discussion on shelters

Wendy

• Phoning
• Logistics – I arranged for childcare, I’m going to pick up speakers

8) Feed the Roots workshop reports

9) Random Email!

Ivan

• Residents Association opposed to DNC
• False Creek Residents Association, Crosstown Residents Association
• FCRA
• Balanced economic opportunities
• Balanced mix of market and non-market housing
• City Gate Crosstown and False Creek Residents Association are trying to setup an alliance with W2 to argue balance entrepreneurs, and agree to work with the coalition that has formed in opposition to the DNC and CCAP
• So far it’s been ALIVE and Raycam and the BIA’s, but now its Crosstown Residents Association, the False Creek Residents Association, and W2

Kelvin

• Goal is to work together
• All of a sudden, he’s stretching his arms around the outskirts of our borders and trying to get their backing
• You don’t go forming coalitions with outside agencies
• False Creek is not a part of our jurisdiction
• The LAPP was formed by organizations within this community
• We need to form a letter to Scott Clarke
• We need to know who’s with us, who wants to be with us and who’s against us

Herb

• Table it to next week or the week after.

Harold

• We need to know where Woodwards stands

Herb

• We’re

**

Missing Women’s Inquiry

Jen

• Explains letter
• These are not survival sex workers or drug dealers, these are people “representing”
• These people want to do a thing with the United Nations with the inquiry on Canada, they’ll take forever
• I’m going to continue to participate in this
• I can’t speak at the actual inquiry because of the timeline, I wasn’t here, but I’m knowledgeable

Ann

• They came to us, dialogue between community and the police

Jen

• The inquiry is a circus, but it’s what we have to work with
• We have real social issues here, we need services in place to save these women’s lives
• I can’t sign on to this letter, if you guys want to I understand that

Tami

• I think it’s fine, but then again I believe what you said it’s a bunch of service providers, the majority
• I went to the very first meeting, haven’t got minutes from that
• I find it problematic at best
• When I saw the letter, I had a critical thought immediately because of my experience so far, I really find it difficult to have a letter written by people who, it hasn’t been drafted by the community, but drafted by the service providers

Jen

• They don’t even have anything about survival transgender sex workers

Tami

• I didn’t get a chance to even speak up, say that I’m with the Co-President of the DNC
• It didn’t resonate in the room that we’re a low-income community
• The service providers weren’t interested in the DNC

Kelvin

• This letter was helped written by one of our AFD who is a former worker with the City, another was a lawyer
• As a member of this board, I would have to say no I can’t do that
• But as a worker with AFD…I’m on the fence
• There are issues here that need to be brought to our administrator at AFD because of what I’ve heard here
• It’s not grassroots wording

Harold

• I’m not ready to make a decision on this
• I’m ambivalent on this
• I appreciate that Mona has participated in this process
• It wasn’t grassroots, I don’t know if there is anything there that would prevent me from opposing this

Wendy

• Jen and Ann are supportive of this second level of participation?
• Even if it’s a shitty process, survival sex workers still want to have their say.
• Tami tried to inquire, but the process wasn’t good, we didn’t feel like we were really included early on it.
• Most of the groups pushing for this are not grassroots
• We should support this boycott because we already supported this boycott earlier, we’re supporters to the sex workers groups, some of the ED’s here are former survival sex workers themselves, I feel I could support the boycott based on that, and I feel solidarity with AFD and Mona because they work closely with DNC and support us and we support them, I support Mona
• Jen will still continue what she’s doing
• Vandu is abstaining
• I don’t understand this entirely, but politically I think we should support Mona and AFD
• Motion forward that we support this boycott the second phase
• Harold Seconds
• Discussion

Ivan

• Speak in favor of the motion
• DNC is not going to do anything for or against this, no one has asked us to participate in the inquiry or the second phase inquiry
• The problem is, what is our role in this
• Sign onto this is discussion for our membership and solidarity with our allies
• No practical implication on the DNC

Ann

• The first boycott was for cash
• We didn’t use any of our creative juices to be a part of this to have people in action at the courthouse
• The second part is for consultation
• Use it as a shadow inquiry, use their money, grassroot movement from our community, make it community-based
• We demand they do our research, how many missing women have warrants
• Policy forums – big meetings or something? And we own them, demand to be in control of them, make sure they are taking proper minutes
• It doesn’t matter if DNC matter signs it or not sign it
• Speaking against the motion.
• I should make another motion.

Kelvin

• When this group was put together, it started on no wheels
• AFD has gone out, because they are in debt by a previous administration, re-built relationships with the community at-large
• Why are all of these agencies jumping on the bandwagon
• AFD has gone to bat and reconnecting to the police department and to Carnegie and the community
• Mona’s put this agency back and able to connect with other agencies

Wendy

• Are you supporting the boycott?

Kelvin

• I will have to abstain for DNC’s part

Jen

• I don’t think we should sign based on our allies
• Is this going to pit organizations against each other?
• I don’t think the DNC should sign this because the DNC has nothing to do with the inquiry
• Then why all of a sudden are we being invited to boycott?
• You only turn down something when we have something better to replace it
• We don’t know if we will have the UN to investigate, we need to work with what we’ve got
• We finally have the police coming to the table
• We need to focus on the positives of this
• Women who is sitting on the corners who’s lives are in danger

Tami

• Interesting thing you brought up Ann
• The very first meeting was the money that was being spent on this
• The only reason I’m entertaining signing this letter is because of AFD, everyone else is looking for recognition from this fiasco
• Where were they before the inquiry? Little bit too late, posture move for some recognition and possibly some money
• Apparently there is a whack of money available for agencies to do their own inquiry
• I feel less comfortable with the DNC logo or supporting it
• Agencies sucking out all the money in the community, no consultation with our community

Ivan

• It doesn’t feel like a good way for us to make a decision
• Setup that we didn’t have this letter ahead of time
• We need to organize a discussion with our membership so people can understand things
• I think DNC has never been involved with the inquiry, who cares, we were never invited
• We supported the application to the UN, we can consistently stand behind something like that
• I feel strongly that the DNC not be involved in the inquiry, we might undermine the efforts of other groups
• For DNC to start now, it would appear desperate from us
• Not sure if that means we sign on the letter
• I don’t think we should vote

Ann

• My motion is to support them but not put our logo on their

Herb

• Back to the first motion, to endorse the letter…..
• All against: 5, abstains: 7

Ann

• Write a letter to Mona saying we support AFD, and say that we’ve never been a part of this and won’t be, and won’t put our logo on this

Tami

• We can present our position

Ivan

• We support their initiative for an inquiry that represents the low-income community and vulnerable women.  We think its not appropriate for us to sign this letter because we’ve never been offered standing and we’ve never been a part of the process.
• Moved by Jen, second by Tami,
• Herb and Kelvin abstain.
• Motion carries.

Closing.