DNC Board Meeting Minutes - May 31, 2012

DNC Board meeting

May 31 2012

Present: Roland, Kelvin, Ivan, Harold, Ann, Dave M, Wendy, Tami, Joe, Ivan, Jenn

Guests: Jacek, Nadine, Joseph (DJ Wreckbeach), Dave D, Danielle

Clean up crew: Ivan, Roland, Tami

Agenda

1. Opening, constitution and rounds
2. Clean-up crew
3. Committee reports
1. Street market
2. Shelter committee
3. Policing
4. LAPP
5. DTES Not for Developers Coalition
6. DT East coalition
7. Courier scandal
8. SRO Tenant organizing
9. Social housing coalition
10. Musqueam

4. Committee discussions
5. Board business

11. Treasurer
12. General meeting organizing

DECISIONS

• To put together a meeting with the publishers of the Courier with DNC, Pivot, VANDU, AFD, PHS, and Atira to ask them to lay off. We will send them the articles that are the problem. If they don't respond to us well we may threaten them with boycotting their reporters and other actions. (Ivan to coordinate)
• To check in with the family of the man who was shot to death by police downtown and, if they agree, to organize actions for the police officer responsible to be charged and prosecuted. (Jenn to coordinate)
• To ask the editorial collective of the DT East newspaper to include a section in the paper that features the committees the DNC is running, who is the contact person for the committee, bios on the board members with pictures and focus of work and contact information. It could be a regular column space. (Dave will coordinate bios of board members)
• To attend the first Social Housing Coalition meeting on June 18 organized by CCAP. Tami and Harold to be DNC reps. (Moved, Ivan. Seconded Wendy. Passed unanimously)
• For all DNC spending to be tracked and recorded, even when it is in-kind or a direct-donation.
• Logistics of the DNC general meeting:
• Co-chairs: Richard and Tami
• “Where we're at” presentation: Ivan
• Musqueam discussion: Interactive discussion with short reports on the delegation trip. Kelvin to fill in the gaps.
• Rest of the agenda to be sorted out by: Tami and Richard and Ivan will meet at 12noon.
• Food: Dave D and Teresa
• Space: Ivan to ask for a deal on the space this time because we're short on money
• Tech: Ivan to ask for use of the projector and maybe sound equipment

COMMITTEE REPORTS

STREET MARKET

Roland

• We met with the city and they seemed unconcerned with our market
• We have some paperwork to do and say that if we do it then we will get $10K

SHELTER COMMITTEE

Roland

• Not much to report

Jacek

• Met with the First United folks today

POLICING

Jenn

• The police are calling us to meet about one complaint and we're having Doug King meet with them for us.

LAPP

Wendy

• We hope that tensions with Alive are getting smoother
• There are still unresolved problems with the city's removal of Ivan
• I am working on the LAPP too much, I went to 12 meetings in April. That's a lot
• The city has put together a plan for now until next July, when they plan for the LAPP to be finished
• The viaducts take-down plan might come to the LAPP for discussion. That's what we're pushing
• There are still new proposals coming in. There's a new one for a 15 storey tower at 633 Main

DTES NOT FOR DEVELOPERS COALITION

Dave D

• We have been doing tabling with information about the upcoming actions against Pantages condos. Tabled this week Tues, Wed, Thurs.
• On Saturday we have an action in the street outside of the Pantages site, 12-2pm.
• We are planning an action when the presentation centre opens, whenever that is.
• There is some interest to organize a bi-weekly picket action in front of gentrifying storefronts. Could be Fridays, coordinated by CCAP, and Wednesdays, coordinated by POW
• Also we are working on reorganizing the coalition structure to be more sustainable and more representative of the low-income member groups.

DT EAST NEWSPAPER

Dave D

• The new issue came out this week.
• One of the things we talked about at the board development meeting is that we want a closer relationship between the DNC board and the paper. So if you have something to contribute then please send your ideas along.

Harold

• We have a functioning editorial collective that meets Fridays, so send your suggestions to us before that

COURIER

Ivan

• I was asked to speak to lawyers and figure out a strategy of responding to the attack-articles in the Courier
• I met with Doug King from Pivot today and came up with a proposal:
• MOTION: To put together a meeting with the publishers of the Courier with DNC, Pivot, VANDU, AFD, PHS, and Atira to ask them to lay off. We will send them the articles that are the problem. If they don't respond to us well we may threaten them with boycotting their reporters and other actions.

SRO TENANT ORGANIZING

Ivan

• I met with the Renters Union last night and asked them to partner with DNC to work on organizing tenants in SROs. They agreed.
• Will have another meeting to work out details and bring other DNC board members too.

SOCIAL HOUING COALITION

Ivan

• CCAP is organizing a social housing coalition to put social housing on the agenda before the provincial election.
• The three demands are: Social housing program, rent controls, and real estate speculation and investment controls.
• The slogans will be around stopping displacement and defending social housing as a right and a social responsibility.

MUSQUEAM

Ivan

• Remember we're going to the Musqueam protest site Friday morning, 9am meeting at CCAP

COMMITTEE DICUSSIONS

POLICING

DECISION: To check in with the family of the man who was shot to death by police downtown and, if they agree, to organize actions for the police officer responsible to be charged and prosecuted.

DT EAST

Wendy

• I think we should have a section in the paper that features the committees we are running, who is the contact person for the committee, bios on the board members with pictures and focus of work and contact information. It could be a regular column space.

Dave

• I was assigned to put together board member bio information a few months ago but it didn't pan out.
• I am willing to try again.

COURIER

Ivan

• Motion (From above)
• Passed unanimously

SOCIAL HOUSING COALITION

Harold

• I like the idea and it's timely, but we should be clear about what DNC's role would be in this coalition and I think we need a more rigorous report-back mechanism than we have for other groups like RTR

Ann

• People I talk to complain about the social housing they live in because they have no rights, and are treated like patients and clients not tenants

Joseph DJ Wreck Beach

• I live in the PHS side of Woodwards and they come and do room checks every night. And if you're not there they just come in. They broke into my room and got hit in the head with something and now I'm supposed to clean up or they'll kick me out.

Richard

• In my building they're threatening to throw me out for having my nieces and nephews visit

Nadine

• The DT East should have an article about the problem with Woodward's.

MOTION: To attend the first Social Housing Coalition meeting on June 18. Tami and Harold to be DNC reps. (Moved, Ivan. Seconded Wendy. Passed unanimously)

TREASURER REPORT

Roland

• Recommendation for hidden DNC spending to be tracked and recorded.
• If there's any spending done for the DNC then we should record it along with our spending.
• We should record this so that the board has control over our spending and the work of the organization.
• It is also important so that we understand our budget and can use an accurate read of our spending to apply for money.

Tami

• I applied for money from SF Pirg and we're waiting for a response
• I worked with Roland because we need to have a presentation

GENERAL MEETING

Tami

• This Saturday at the Dodson Hall, after the action at Pantages, we will have a general meeting

Wendy

• We need some people to do calling for the general meeting
• Money is a problem right?

Ivan

• I will contact them and ask for a break on money
• I will also ask him for access to the projector system
• I will put together a video to show, others should send ideas

LOGISTICS:

Co-chairs: Richard and Tami

“Where we're at” presentation: Ivan

Musqueam discussion: Interactive discussion with short reports on the delegation trip. Kelvin to fill in the gaps.

Rest of the agenda to be sorted out by: Tami and Richard and Ivan will meet at 12noon.

Food: Dave D and Teresa

(closing, 7:40pm)

DNC General Meeting - May 5, 2012

Please see the meeting minutes below from May's monthly general meeting.  Props to Roland who gave a remarkable presentation on the homeless committee.....




DNC Monthly General Meeting
May 5th, 2012
Location: Dodson Hall
Chairs: Ann & Roland
Meeting Minutes: Jada

1) Opening

Kelvin

·         Provides Traditional Opening

Board Members introduce themselves

Ann

·         Explains DNC, role, members

Roland

·         Explains how the meeting will go forward

Ann

·         Explains stipends

2) Constitution

Roland

·         Reads constitution

3) Rules of Meeting/Stipends/Agenda

Roland

·         Motion to accept agenda

·         Second by Teri

·         Motion carries

4) Agenda


a) Movie & Lunch


b) Shelter Issues

i) 1u Council


ii) Bill of Rights

Roland

·         There is a break out group later today

·         We have a regular meeting every Monday at Jacobs Well, please come to the meeting if you want to participate

·         We’ve been running a peer Council at First United Church (shares powerpoint presentation)

·         It’s about dignity in a normally undignified environment

·         6 meetings so far, the meetings have been productive

Elvis

·         Member of any committee down here

·         Voted to be on the committee on homeless shelters because I useto stay there

·         There were issues with the staff at First United Church, pedofile

·         Things are going a little more on the straight path

·         Women are getting hassled by staff and drug users, and other people who are staying there

·         Their concerns are falling on deaf ears

·         There is also the issue of theft

·         So we formed this committee

·         If anyone has complaints or anything, come to our meetings every Thursday at Vandu or Monday’s at Jacobs Well

Roland

·         This all started last year when I was staying at the Yukon Shelter

·         Incredible system, so many things going wrong

·         Since then I’ve been trying to understand it, how it’s funded, how it’s regulated

·         They are dehumanizing, they are expensive

·         These shelters cost between $50-$150 per person per day

·         It’s completely unregulated, nothing is defined

·         It boils down to about the attempt to push people out of this neighbourhood and to build condos

·         Commonality with previous historic displacements that have happened in this neighbourhood

·         They “treat us like children”, it’s so obvious

·         I bet you anyone here would rather stay at Rosellen Suites than a homeless shelter, and it’s cheaper than what the tax payers of BC are paying for shelters

·         Nobody can tell us what the rules are or how it’s regulated, we’ve even asked BC Housing

·         But, it’s also incredibly necessary

·         The only thing between the street and cold and rain and hunger is warmth, dryness, food and shelter

·         System where there is zero input, where residents can’t have control over their own lives

·         We need to ask ourselves “What do we want?”

·         What we should have is choice in our outcomes

[Applause]


·         I’ve talked to people at shelters, they ask me how can it be any different?

·         Force people to listen to what we have to say

·         The people doing gentrification are think it’s ok to do it, they don’t think they are doing anything wrong

·         This is because they have dehumanized this neighbourhood, they don’t respect the community here

·         What is the solution? Anyone who wants to participate should be allowed

·         Peer run groups - A few exercises to shift the power is healthy and productive

·         What you think you deserve as a human being, and what other people like friends, what they deserve too, from the heart

·         That’s why over the last few months we have formed a Homeless Shelter “Bill of Rights”

·         There are lots of ways to amend change or discuss the bill of rights, this is evolving

·         We are going one by one,  I invite anyone to come up and to speak to any of these points

·         One: You have the right to feel safe

·         Two: You have the right to be treated humanely with respect

·         Three: You have the right to be free from discrimination

·         Four: You have the right to understand the rules under which you live

·         Five: You have the right to have written policies and procedures clearly communicated to you

·         Six: You have the right to due process

·         Seven: You have the right to help from an outside advocate of your choice

·         Eight: You have the right to not be discharged without a viable option presented to you

·         Nine: You have the right to privacy and personal property

·         Ten: You have the right to have your doctors orders respected

Member

·         Dignity Village in Portland, it’s a choice example

Member

·         Motion for an amendment, suggests medical/legal needs, doctors/advocates orders respected/enforced

Roland

·         We’ll talk afterwards, I want this to be an ongoing process

Ivan

·         The one about safety, should be explicitly spelled out for women and transgered persons should have the right to have separate spaces

·         They are constantly in spaces of stress, we should add something about this

·         We should add some statement in the introduction that shelters shouldn’t exist, because they are forced there by market conditions, and their rights are taken away already

Roland

·         Any additional comments on this project?

Member

·         I think there are too many points, maybe some of them can be amalgamated

Roland

·         That is probably true, this is a result of the evolution of this process

·         We’ll look into that

Jasek

·         I believe that we will avoid misunderstandings with the Bill of Rights

Roland

·         Motion to make a ratification of a version in progress

·         We’ll do a yearly review

·         Second by Richard

·         Motion carries

iii) Shelter Survey

Jasek

·         We have learned interesting things

·         It’s very complex

·         We need special people doing just this survey only

·         We need as many people as possible to do the survey

·         26% didn’t get better housing when they left the shelter, we want to fight for them

·         27% said that the shelter kicked me out onto the street

·         16% said that they were not treated with respect by shelter staff

·         19% did not feel safe or comfortable in the shelter

·         21% said that the staff didn’t listen to their concerns

·         21% were discriminated

·         17% said that the shelter did not follow health and safety rules

Member

·         I did the survey, you have made 2 mistakes

Jasek

·         He did the survey

·         I just took his survey and simplified it because it was so complex

·         14% said they are not satisfied with the medication policy

·         We need the surveys to have more people to participate, it will help us

c) 189 Keefer

Ivan

·         We just finished that big campaign around the pantages project

·         2 weeks ago on Monday last week the city approved them, said yes to the condos, approved 79 condos at the pantages demolition site

·         The coalition will continue fighting

·         Strategizing, so if anyone wants to help us, we’re meeting Wednesday at 11am at the Carnegie on the 3rd floor

·         There are other condos coming, they are coming really fast

·         611 main on keefer, 17 story condo

·         And one across from Raycam

·         The highest density condos in the city

·         Another project that is going to be voted on by the DPB on Monday, 189 keefer

·         It doesn’t need a hearing because it fits with the zoning heights now

·         This is the first of the condos coming into Chinatown

·         We’re not doing a big rally, we don’t have the strength, it has come up really fast

·         Reads letter “Stop 189 Keefer “

·         We can do some minor editing, in principle does this sound like a good statement?

·         The danger here is that this project in Chinatown could start the rolling back of policies in the area, and eventually get rid of all SRO’s and all low-income people in Chinatown

·         Motion to endorse it, moved by CJ, second by Kelvin

·         Last year the value of the properties went up 150%

Ann

·         It’s called land speculation

·         As soon as it’s rezoned it goes from 1 million to 3 million

·         We need to burrow down

Ivan

·         Calls the motion

·         Motion carries

·         Build social housing, not condos

d) LAPP Report

Harold

·         This is not a full report

·         There is one problem has come up, let you know what the situation is

·         There are lot people who don’t like low-income people on the committee

·         Penny Ballem has been concerned about this and had a conversation with Wendy and suggested that Ivan should not be co-chair of the LAPP

·         People have been reading the Vancouver Courier, horrible articles by Allen Garr

·         Second article quotes Penny saying that Ivan is off the LAPP

·         It’s a totally unfortunate thing

·         Wendy wrote a letter to Penny, but she ignored it, then there was this move in the Courier

·         Board has agreed to write a letter to Penny to seek clarification on what happened and what it exactly means

·         At this point we don’t have a definite answer but I just wanted to let everyone know what is happeninng

Rob Morgan

·         I am concerned that the city is allowed to do this

·         Ivan is a strong people and stands up for other people

·         They are picking on us poor people

Kelvin

·         AFD will not stand beside the decisions of the City of Vancouver if Ivan is forced out of the committee, we will pack our bags and go with it because we believe he is doing a great job

·         The question is to ask how many other agencies are willing to take a stand beside someone who they believe in

Ann

·         Allen Garr wasn’t at the event

·         There was an article by the Mainlander that does describe the meeting accurately

·         They want to divide up these groups and have them fighting among themselves

·         I encourage people to write to the courier in support of Ivan

Member

·         We want to stop the oil spills

·         I have a few postcards to protest against this

·         This is our homeland, we need to fight for what is rightfully ours

·         I want to thank all the outside people who have been pulling for us


e) Breakout Groups

Ann

·         Policing Committees are at my house

·         Vancouver Cop Watch, Jen Allen is more of this, it’s on copwatch

·         The beat has been filmed

·         Jamie Richardson has been sending emails to mayor and council every time he sees the Beat

·         Our strategy at this point is to get as many meetings as possible with the police

·         If you have pictures on your phone, you can contribute your pictures with us, put a place and date of the picture

·         It’s an open committee, you can come when you want

Roland

·         Committee on Homeless Shelters meets every Monday night

·         Street Market committee meets semi-regularly

Ann

·         Street market on Sundays

·         11:30 Friday mornings meetings at Vandu office

·         Everyone is getting stipends at the front stage

Rob Morgan

·         I’m with Edge

·         Story about our group, on CTV.bc.ca/first storey

Ann

·         DTES not for developers meeting, learn how to laydown in front of bulldozers

·         Motion to adjourn

Closing