Olympic Village Tent City 2011
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0:09 - 0:13It was an unusually cold and snowy day in Vancouver
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0:13 - 0:18but the frigid, negative temperature didn't stop over 200 protesters from taking to the streets.
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0:18 - 0:21[chanting: "hell no, we won't go"..]
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0:21 - 0:25The rally started at the Panttages Theatre on East Hastings.
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0:25 - 0:30one of 10 sites protesters are demanding the city buys to create 100% social housing.
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0:30 - 0:32Nothing less.
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0:32 - 0:34Downtown Eastside ( DTES) residents like Fraser Stuart
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0:34 - 0:36wants gentrification in the area to stop.
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0:37 - 0:43"Get the people living in self-contained units that they can afford
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0:43 - 0:49Then maybe, possibly, there'll be room for condos down here.
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0:49 - 0:52But not for the next 50 years.
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0:52 - 0:53Thank you"
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0:54 - 0:58The city wants to allow developers to build new condos in the neighbourhood
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0:58 - 1:02but residents are worried it'll break up the community and push many out.
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1:02 - 1:07"In DTES we are, we take care of one another
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1:07 - 1:09We look after one another.
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1:09 - 1:13We are a community and we don't need to be taken out of our community
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1:13 - 1:20where they can build their condos, which is not our way of life. Thank you."
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1:23 - 1:27But the rally wasn't just to protest the lack of social housing
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1:27 - 1:32it was also the kick off of the Tent City 2011 at Olympic Village,
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1:32 - 1:35the space where the city and developers broke their promise
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1:35 - 1:41and reduced social housing from 66% to 10% of the units.
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1:41 - 1:45Just like the Tent City last year, this one is making several demands.
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1:46 - 1:48"The purpose of Tent City this year is we have three demands
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1:48 - 1:51One is that the city reinstate the 2/3 affordable housing
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1:51 - 1:53that they promised here at the athletes village
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1:53 - 1:57Um, our second demand is that the city purchase 10 sites each year
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1:57 - 1:58to build affordable housing on.
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1:58 - 2:01And our third demand is that they end the criminalization of the poor,
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2:01 - 2:04so, scrap some of the bylaws, to get rid of some of the bylaws
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2:04 - 2:07like project civil city and clean streets sweeps
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2:07 - 2:12um, arrest people, take people from vending, for j-walking, for spitting, for lying down
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2:12 - 2:15Um, the reason that it is the criminalization of the poor
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2:15 - 2:17is because it only applies to that four block radius
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2:17 - 2:19the poorest [off reserve] postal code in canada, so
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2:21 - 2:23Um, we ask that they repeal those laws
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2:23 - 2:26and we ask, we're not asking, we're demanding that they reinstate the housing here
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2:26 - 2:28and we're demanding that the next electioin
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2:28 - 2:30that they purchase the tent ?"
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2:30 - 2:36But the Tent City was quickly disrupted by a growing presence of police
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2:36 - 2:40and eventually there was an announcement made that they had to leave the public space
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2:40 - 2:42or face arrests.
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2:42 - 3:04[police announcements and loud protester feedback: "You are on city-owned land"... "shut the fuck up!!" ...can't make out the rest ]
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3:04 - 3:06So the campers picked up their tents
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3:06 - 3:08and left athlete's village.
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3:08 - 3:13They moved to an empty lot about 2 blocks away.
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3:18 - 3:20But this Tent City didn't last long either.
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3:20 - 3:26The private owner of this space filed an injunction and had them evicted.
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3:26 - 3:31The campers then looked for a space to have a meeting and plan what to do next.
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3:31 - 3:32They couldn't get into the community centre,
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3:32 - 3:36the ? suite where they could meet.
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3:39 - 3:44But the police saw this as illegal trespassing and break and entry.
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3:44 - 3:47As a result, they arrested 11 peple who were in the space
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3:47 - 3:51hoping to have a quiet, warm meeting.
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3:51 - 3:54In the spirit of solidarity, other protesters remained
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3:54 - 3:57until they were driven off in a paddywagon[sic].
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3:57 - 4:04[chants of "let them go!"]
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4:04 - 4:07Tent City could't happen in the end.
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4:07 - 4:09But the message remains
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4:10 - 4:15"What is happening here today should happen right across the country.
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4:15 - 4:21Because homelessness is an issue from one atlantic to the pacific,
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4:21 - 4:25from the great lakes to the arctic circle.
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4:25 - 4:28We need a housing plan here in canada,
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4:28 - 4:31and only the federal government can do that.
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4:31 - 4:34We haven't had one since the 80's.
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4:35 - 4:39And since then, homelessness has gone up in this country
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4:39 - 4:41right across the board.
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4:42 - 4:44Enough is enough."
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4:44 - 4:58[chanting: the people united will never be defeated...El pueblo unido, jamás será vencido...]
- Title:
- Olympic Village Tent City 2011
- Description:
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A rally with over 200 protestors marched from Pantages Theatre in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver, to Olympic Village in False Creek.
The rally was the kick-off to the Olympic Village Tent City 2011. The tent city had three demands:
1. Resident-controlled 100% social housing for ALL unsold units at the Olympic Village.
2. The purchase of a minimum 10 sites per year in the Downtown Eastside, and the creation of resident controlled 100% social housing on all those sites.
3. An END to the criminalization of poverty by immediately abolishing Project Civil City, overturning anti-street vending by-laws and all anti-poor discriminatory legislation and by raising welfare rates.
- Video Language:
- English
- Duration:
- 04:59
Radical Access Mapping Project edited English subtitles for Olympic Village Tent City 2011 |