0:00:02.331,0:00:05.273 20 years ago, I was here 0:00:05.581,0:00:09.042 and easily any one of those [br]women could have been me 0:00:09.042,0:00:13.814 and it's just by luck and not design [br]that I'm here and I have my children. 0:00:13.814,0:00:17.017 And it was because of women in [br]the community who looked out for me 0:00:17.017,0:00:21.588 and helped keep me safe [br]in a really hard time. 0:00:21.588,0:00:25.626 And so, I march now, [br]cause some of them are gone 0:00:25.626,0:00:29.730 and because taking up space [br]and holding our presence here is so important. 0:00:35.469,0:00:37.671 Tiffany Drew 0:00:37.671,0:00:40.407 Angela Jardine 0:00:40.407,0:00:43.696 Tanya Holyk 0:00:44.711,0:00:47.892 Sherry Irving 0:00:48.415,0:00:50.566 Inga Hall 0:00:50.751,0:00:53.362 Diana Melnick 0:00:53.824,0:00:55.789 Debra Jones 0:00:55.989,0:00:58.071 Wendy Crawford 0:00:58.225,0:01:01.072 Andrea Borhaven 0:01:01.134,0:01:03.036 Cara Ellis 0:01:04.898,0:01:07.386 Carrie Kosky 0:01:07.801,0:01:10.202 Dorothy Spence 0:01:10.771,0:01:16.376 We acknowledge this film was made on the traditional territories of the Coast Salish People. 0:01:16.376,0:01:21.968 The Burrard, the Musqueam, the Tsleil-Waututh [br]and the Sḵwxwú7mesh. 0:01:24.092,0:01:33.790 My name is Janet Pete, and I've lived here in [br]the Downtown Eastside off and on for 40 years. 0:01:35.128,0:01:39.817 0:01:39.909,0:01:42.547 I feel like I've been here a long time. 0:01:42.763,0:01:46.736 I've lived down in the Downtown Eastside [br]for very many years. 0:01:46.736,0:01:50.172 It's probably one of the most [br]honest places in the world 0:01:50.172,0:01:54.385 and a lot of people have [br]a really hard time with that. 0:01:55.816,0:01:58.552 My friends here are like my family. 0:01:58.552,0:02:02.661 And one important aspect I found out [br]is that you'll never starve down here. 0:02:03.123,0:02:08.695 Downtown Eastside is accepting, and the [br]Downtown Eastside is home to a huge cross-section 0:02:08.695,0:02:11.245 of diversified people [br]with diversified interests. 0:02:11.999,0:02:17.256 And, um, I've never been afraid [br]of the Downtown Eastside. 0:02:17.671,0:02:20.540 When I first got down here I was very lost 0:02:20.540,0:02:27.400 and today I can honestly say [br]with being part of this community that 0:02:27.400,0:02:31.193 I have a lot of support like family, [br]through my sisters' love and support. 0:02:31.885,0:02:35.580 I have had an opportunity [br]to go back to school, 0:02:35.580,0:02:39.159 which I mean I would have never had [br]an opportunity to do had I not lived here. 0:02:39.159,0:02:45.199 and I've made great friends and, um, I expect that I'll[br]probably have the Downtown Eastside as my home 0:02:45.199,0:02:46.596 for the rest of my life. 0:02:49.703,0:02:55.575 It's like I belong here, you know, [br]and, uh, I fit right in, you know? 0:02:55.575,0:03:00.244 And, uh, I do a lot of work there [br]you know with the Power of Women 0:03:00.244,0:03:04.265 and marching and you know [br]and things like that. 0:03:29.342,0:03:35.281 This film is not another alley diary. 0:03:37.851,0:03:42.398 This film presumes no happy endings. 0:04:02.393,0:04:05.297 0:04:05.312,0:04:08.949 Last year, during the 2010 winter olympics 0:04:08.949,0:04:15.141 over 5 thousand people marched to honour [br]women who have died as a result of violence 0:04:15.141,0:04:21.123 or who have gone missing [br]in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver. 0:04:34.007,0:04:37.244 <\VOICEOVER> Since its beginnings 20 years ago 0:04:37.244,0:04:44.844 the Women's Memorial March has become the [br]longest running march in recent Canadian history. 0:04:56.429,0:05:04.377 The March began in 1991 when a woman [br]was found murdered on Powell Street. 0:05:10.146,0:05:14.748 I recall Phillippa Ryan, [br]who passed away last year, 0:05:14.748,0:05:24.258 telling us how the first few years [br]of the march brought out only a handful of women. 0:05:25.150,0:05:32.394 The women marching had objects [br]thrown at them from passing cars. 0:05:52.363,0:06:00.281 Women began disappearing from Vancouver's [br]Downtown Eastside as early as the 1970's. 0:06:00.281,0:06:09.878 But community members raising the alarm [br]were ignored by the police and officials. 0:06:10.171,0:06:34.828 Hart-Bellecourt and Lisa Muswagon-- please clarify> 0:06:34.828,0:06:40.934 Undeterred, women in the neighbourhood [br]organized persistently. 0:06:40.934,0:06:45.238 The issue has now started to receive [br]international attention 0:06:45.238,0:06:54.581 with the release of Amnesty International human rights[br]reports and condemnations of Canada at the United [br]Nations 0:07:01.073,0:07:05.592 My Indian name is Shining Eagle Woman 0:07:05.592,0:07:10.297 and we seen eagles up there [br]and those are our ancestors 0:07:10.297,0:07:18.616 and our sisters letting us know, they know what [br]we're doing down here for them in this world. 0:07:23.216,0:07:29.582 <\VOICEOVER> The Memorial March is planned by the [br]Annual February 14th Women's Memorial March C'tte. 0:07:29.582,0:07:34.448 The March follows a similar pattern each year [br]as described by Marlene George: 0:07:34.771,0:07:39.199 We gather in a circle [br]usually at Main and Hastings 0:07:39.430,0:07:42.974 Often there's a prayer [br]said at that time, 0:07:43.051,0:07:47.633 and then, um, we'll start [br]with the elders lining up 0:07:49.002,0:07:53.746 or the family members [br]followed by the elders 0:07:53.792,0:08:04.451 then when we stop at, um, the hotel sites or the places, [br]the alleys where women were murdered or last seen, 0:08:04.451,0:08:08.988 our elders will go over and do [br]a smudge ceremony at the site, 0:08:08.988,0:08:15.362 and leave either a red rose for murdered women [br]or a yellow rose for the missing women. 0:08:15.362,0:08:21.868 The memorial banner it's [br]96 pounds of 18x20 inches, 0:08:22.529,0:08:28.221 and that was created by women [br]and men in the community. 0:08:29.129,0:08:34.714 <\VOICEOVER> Christianne created the design for [br]the Women's Memorial March. 0:08:34.714,0:08:40.820 I was thinking, how can we get a design [br]that would combine the colours of the march 0:08:40.820,0:08:43.337 the purple and yellow 0:08:43.614,0:08:48.080 but it's valentine's day so of course [br]the ribbon heart came very easily 0:08:49.095,0:08:55.970 When you walk, uh, along this street here, [br]you walk into, uh, the money district, 0:08:56.139,0:09:00.140 within like three blocks, [br]so its very surreal, 0:09:00.140,0:09:06.346 when you walk through the streets here and then find [br]that this is a place where women can just go missing. 0:09:06.346,0:09:08.715 And nobody pays any attention. 0:09:08.715,0:09:17.123 So this particular neighbourhood, area, is where [br]a woman was thrown from the window, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 0:09:17.123,0:09:21.521 out of there, yeah it [br]was the 5th floor 0:09:22.429,0:09:29.502 and, uh, and this spot will be something, a place [br]that will be added to the Memorial March this year. 0:09:29.502,0:09:32.272 I think it's of particular [br]significance this year 0:09:32.272,0:09:35.842 because of the inquiry [br]into the missing women, 0:09:35.842,0:09:41.448 and that the report from the vancouver police which stated [br]that they were taking some responsibility 0:09:41.448,0:09:46.619 for what happened; and yet as we've continued [br]to see women, uh, being killed 0:09:46.619,0:09:51.758 you also see that the death of this woman [br]inspired the community to come together, 0:09:51.758,0:09:59.666 and that we saw hundreds and hundreds of people from this [br]community gather and honour this particular young woman, 0:09:59.666,0:10:03.112 Ashley [Machiskinic]. 0:10:04.204,0:10:09.843 <\VOICEOVER>The tragedy of missing and [br]murdered women is paralleled across the country, 0:10:09.843,0:10:15.975 and memorial marches in honour of [br]the women are held in various cities. 0:10:19.052,0:10:24.891 Family members and activists have [br]organized a walk for justice 0:10:24.891,0:10:31.838 to press the federal government for an inquiry [br]into missing women along Highway 16, 0:10:31.838,0:10:37.669 now called the Highway of Tears. 0:10:44.377,0:10:49.682 In the past decade, there have been a number [br]of high profile convictions, 0:10:49.682,0:10:56.189 including of former provincial [br]court judge David William Ramsey, 0:10:56.189,0:11:00.094 and serial killer Robert Pickton. 0:11:01.494,0:11:06.633 I think the systemic violence against women [br]is not an anomaly. 0:11:06.633,0:11:12.264 It's not a phenomena that one man [br]has done this horrific thing. 0:11:12.264,0:11:20.874 I think it is, um, a result of the systemic, um, attitude towards poor women. 0:11:21.858,0:11:27.820 We also march for the women [br]that have died of other causes like, um, 0:11:27.820,0:11:30.890 some women die from [br]being homeless on the street. 0:11:30.890,0:11:35.428 Some people, or women die from overdoses. 0:11:35.428,0:11:41.551 Some women die from not having access [br]to proper medical care. 0:11:53.413,0:11:57.450 Numerous of women have been missing. 0:11:57.450,0:12:04.490 And the years that I have been down here [br]and seen these women go missing 0:12:04.490,0:12:11.197 hurt me so I'm here to be a support [br]of all the working girls, 0:12:11.197,0:12:14.872 the families, and watch over the kids. 0:12:17.272,0:12:20.045 Sandra Amos George 0:12:21.343,0:12:23.179 Ramona Lisa Marie Wilson 0:12:23.548,0:12:25.474 Peggy Snow 0:12:25.905,0:12:27.406 Nellie Spence 0:12:27.499,0:12:28.623 0:12:28.761,0:12:30.532 Marilyn Moore 0:12:30.609,0:12:32.418 Rose Peters 0:12:32.418,0:12:34.153 0:12:34.153,0:12:35.874 Sarah deVries 0:12:35.997,0:12:37.549 Lisa Francis 0:12:37.965,0:12:40.052 Connie Rider 0:12:42.791,0:12:50.792 <\VOICEOVER> Who are the missing and murdered [br]women whose names we invoke? 0:13:04.484,0:13:10.990 Describe myself? A very strong woman [br]that doesn't take a whole lot of shit. 0:13:10.990,0:13:15.762 I was a very active heroin user, [br]every kind of drug user, 0:13:15.762,0:13:22.534 um, for about 27 years, [br]28 years, um, yeah. 0:13:23.626,0:13:30.343 Then I got clean and sober, because, I don't [br]know why I got clean and sober, I just did. 0:13:30.343,0:13:37.750 I mean, it, I, you know, I was 44 when [br]I cleaned up, when I got clean and sober. 0:13:37.750,0:13:44.390 So it's certainly not um, i don't expect it, I absolutely [br]don't expect them to get clean and sober. 0:13:44.390,0:13:50.354 But I don't expect workers [br]to tell me that they can't. 0:13:51.231,0:13:58.371 A lot of the missing women, um, I actually [br]did jail time with, actually did drugs with. 0:13:58.371,0:14:04.177 I think that's one of the things that um [br]separates me from a lot of the workers, 0:14:04.177,0:14:07.319 is because I'm one of the women. 0:14:07.319,0:14:10.783 All the Downtown Eastside women [br]are lumped into one, 0:14:10.783,0:14:21.007 but they're women, they're absolutely living, breathing [br]women that each have an individual character. 0:14:21.961,0:14:27.633 Um, but, you know, we're talking about dead, [br]definitely murdered women, 0:14:27.633,0:14:31.907 and we should definitely [br]put that one day. 0:14:31.999,0:14:36.948 But you know what, we have over 300 other days [br]to think about the women that are still living, 0:14:36.948,0:14:44.474 think about the women that are still [br]homeless, and living in poverty. 0:14:54.952,0:14:55.452 0:14:55.452,0:14:55.952 Stretch 0:14:56.348,0:14:57.124 skin 0:14:57.324,0:14:57.990 hold 0:14:57.990,0:14:58.887 blood 0:14:58.948,0:14:59.616 lay 0:14:59.662,0:15:00.705 land 0:15:00.844,0:15:01.344 learn 0:15:01.434,0:15:02.745 shame 0:15:02.745,0:15:03.507 taught to pray 0:15:03.507,0:15:05.160 wake 0:15:05.160,0:15:06.272 broke 0:15:06.272,0:15:07.005 choke 0:15:07.005,0:15:08.107 bruise 0:15:08.107,0:15:09.108 taste 0:15:09.108,0:15:10.309 white boy 0:15:10.309,0:15:11.344 spit 0:15:11.344,0:15:12.451 pull 0:15:12.451,0:15:14.379 pay. 0:15:21.887,0:15:25.844 Jacqueline McDonell 0:15:25.951,0:15:28.772 Dianne Rock 0:15:28.987,0:15:31.896 Heather Bottomley 0:15:31.973,0:15:34.830 Andrea Josebury 0:15:35.014,0:15:38.161 Jennifer Furminger 0:15:38.776,0:15:41.239 Helen Hallmark 0:15:42.208,0:15:45.263 Georgina Papin 0:15:46.524,0:15:49.182 Heather Chinnock 0:15:49.182,0:15:56.198 <\VOICEOVER> The only way to understand the heinous [br]violence committed against missing and murdered women 0:15:56.198,0:16:03.029 is to understand the lives and the struggles of those [br]women who continue to survive in this neighbourhood 0:16:03.029,0:16:08.401 under the same circumstances every day. 0:16:08.801,0:16:17.560 the issues are that are really harsh are addictions [br]and homelessness are the number one issues outside my door. 0:16:17.560,0:16:23.516 I am a volunteer and a survivor [br]of abuse when I was a child, 0:16:23.516,0:16:28.221 And what I can see is that there is [br]a higher concentration of mentally ill persons 0:16:28.221,0:16:30.523 who live on the Downtown Eastside. 0:16:30.523,0:16:41.000 I have many friends that are [br]living with HIV, AIDS, Hep C. 0:16:41.000,0:16:45.424 I've been clean for a year since February, 0:16:45.424,0:16:50.910 and I am trying to quit smoking [br]this year I'm trying but, I don't know. 0:16:50.910,0:16:53.646 I've been a survivor of [br]the residential school, 0:16:53.646,0:16:57.283 and they've silenced me [br]while I was in school, 0:16:57.283,0:17:02.388 but since I've been with the Power of Women [br]I've broken the silence. 0:17:02.388,0:17:13.344 I protest for housing, violence against women, [br]police brutality, apprehension of our children. 0:17:14.267,0:17:18.170 I currently have some issues with the Ministry [br]of Children and Family Development 0:17:18.170,0:17:22.542 concerning housing issues, and that turned [br]into a whole bunch of other issues. 0:17:22.542,0:17:26.178 I've been in the Downtown [br]Eastside since 1996, 0:17:26.178,0:17:36.644 and, uh, to me it is the family oriented district [br]in Vancouver to the lonely and the homeless. 0:17:37.890,0:17:44.869 <\VOICEOVER>The Downtown Eastside is one of [br]the oldest neighbourhoods in the heart of Vancouver. 0:17:45.131,0:17:52.204 It includes Chinatown, where several [br]thousand Chinese seniors reside. 0:17:52.204,0:17:59.211 As well as the Oppenheimer district, which was [br]home for many Japanese Canadians 0:17:59.211,0:18:06.617 prior to their internment [br]during World War Two. 0:18:06.755,0:18:13.753 Cynthia Low talks about the historic significance of this [br]community as a cultural meeting place. 0:18:13.753,0:18:23.703 And as early as the 50s 60s and 70s there was really [br]only certain spaces that were allowed to Chinese people. 0:18:25.037,0:18:30.042 The values and the politics that was [br]established in those days have carried on 0:18:30.042,0:18:39.518 and become sort of a meeting place, um, for Chinese [br]seniors and Aboriginal people to I think to be allies. 0:18:39.518,0:18:47.827 <\VOICEOVER>Today, Vancouver's Downtown Eastside is [br]known as the poorest off-reserve postal code in Canada. 0:18:47.827,0:18:54.368 Approximately 16,000 people reside within [br]these 2 square miles. 0:18:54.706,0:19:03.943 Unfortunately, it's becoming less and less [br]of a choice that fits one's pocketbook. 0:19:03.943,0:19:09.081 The land, everything down here [br]is extremely overpriced 0:19:09.081,0:19:13.958 and the developers have been [br]allowed to get away with it. 0:19:14.220,0:19:19.225 <\VOICEOVER> Lack of safe and affordable [br]housing is one of the primary issues, 0:19:19.225,0:19:26.453 with average rentals under 100 square feet, [br]with no bathrooms, and no kitchens. 0:19:27.099,0:19:34.465 The neighbourhood is also home to an open [br]drug trade and a visible survival sex trade. 0:19:34.465,0:19:40.413 One third of sex workers say they [br]have survived an attack on their life. 0:19:40.413,0:19:44.050 Of the 4,000 intravenous drug users 0:19:44.050,0:19:50.726 90% are infected with Hepatitis C, [br]and 30% with HIV. 0:19:53.526,0:19:58.364 You know, if you look at the alcoholism [br]and the drugism and all that right, 0:19:58.364,0:20:03.069 but once you get past all that, there are [br]actually beautiful people down here, you know? 0:20:03.069,0:20:08.250 But there's so much stigma [br]and judgement on people, 0:20:08.250,0:20:10.851 and it's really sad because [br]you know we're all human beings. 0:20:10.851,0:20:14.246 And not everybody down here is [br]a drug addict or an alcoholic. 0:20:14.246,0:20:21.287 You know, people have problems here, and [br]people outside this area they have problems too, 0:20:21.287,0:20:24.536 and they deal with it in [br]their own fashionable way. 0:20:24.890,0:20:28.594 If you look at the ripple effects [br]of the residential school 0:20:28.594,0:20:31.130 and just how it isolates us 0:20:31.130,0:20:33.699 It isolates me from my own body. 0:20:33.699,0:20:37.536 It isolates me from my [br]own identity from who I am. 0:20:37.536,0:20:41.803 It, um, it's almost like ripping your [br]skin off of you and you know 0:20:41.803,0:20:45.922 you kind of live in disassociation for years. 0:20:46.245,0:20:50.416 Every, all the struggles that our people [br]are going through right now 0:20:50.416,0:20:52.719 this is where everybody ends. 0:20:53.088,0:20:56.555 <\VOICEOVER>Despite being overly researched [br]and deeply pathologized, 0:20:56.555,0:21:03.150 the Downtown Eastside remains invisible [br]to most of our society. 0:21:04.196,0:21:08.934 Is there one thing that you think people don't know about [br]the Downtown Eastside that they should know? 0:21:08.934,0:21:14.061 Yeah, that everyone's got a story, you know, [br]everyone's got an angle. 0:21:14.707,0:21:17.330 <"And I Cry" performed by Dalannah Gail [br]Bowen> People living in misery. 0:21:18.515,0:21:22.715 People lost and alone. 0:21:22.715,0:21:26.452 I'm just trying to get by. 0:21:26.452,0:21:29.688 I ain't got a home 0:21:29.688,0:21:35.023 and I cry 0:21:35.023,0:21:37.670 and i cry 0:21:37.670,0:21:41.339 and i cry 0:21:41.339,0:21:43.068 and i cry 0:21:43.068,0:21:45.604 There's blood in the alleys, 0:21:45.604,0:21:49.496 blood in my breath 0:21:49.942,0:21:53.746 Theres the blood of my sisters 0:21:53.746,0:21:58.184 and no one asks why 0:21:58.184,0:22:15.822 0:22:34.499,0:22:42.061 For women in the Downtown Eastside [br]who are Aboriginal or Chinese, um, 0:22:42.061,0:22:49.327 you know, working or poor, [br]lack of access to education, um, 0:22:49.327,0:22:52.738 having had a lot of [br]crisis in their lives 0:22:52.738,0:22:57.570 or not having had the opportunity [br]to reach their potential, 0:22:57.570,0:23:03.282 I think all the barriers [br]add to their marginalization. 0:23:03.282,0:23:10.690 The fact that they're poor women is huge, um, I [br]think is probably the biggest systemic discrimination 0:23:10.690,0:23:12.547 that they encounter. 0:23:12.547,0:23:17.429 There are barriers that we put as a society, [br]place in front of people. 0:23:17.429,0:23:24.494 There isn't a day that goes by that i don't see [br]a woman being handcuffed and taken somewhere. 0:23:25.156,0:23:32.470 So now we're talking about the police officers [br]getting involved with "violence against women". 0:23:32.470,0:23:36.248 You have to really look at it [br]with a different angle now. 0:23:36.248,0:23:40.953 We're talking about men [br]and violence against women. 0:23:40.953,0:23:44.290 Has anyone really talked about [br]the police officer being the men? 0:23:44.290,0:23:48.727 Giving them the suit to wear, 0:23:48.727,0:23:53.232 guns, tazers, the power [br]to misuse the power? 0:23:53.232,0:23:55.095 Why doesn't anybody ever [br]question that fact? 0:23:55.741,0:24:00.572 <\VOICEOVER> The disturbing reality is that [br]nothing we are seeing < OR SAYING?>today 0:24:00.572,0:24:05.146 will come as a surprise. 0:24:07.546,0:24:12.320 Rachael Davis 0:24:32.905,0:24:37.217 Serena Abotsway 0:24:37.448,0:24:40.513 Tamara Chipman 0:24:40.636,0:24:43.395 Fern Charlie 0:24:44.103,0:24:46.514 Mona Wilson 0:24:46.652,0:24:49.288 Nancy Clark 0:24:49.688,0:24:52.491 Cara Ellis 0:24:52.891,0:24:55.898 Patricia Johnson 0:24:56.729,0:24:59.230 Marnie Frey 0:24:59.707,0:25:01.506 0:25:05.337,0:25:11.747 I just want to set a challenge to the [br]politicians, lawyers, the physicians, 0:25:12.270,0:25:15.084 the people in authority 0:25:19.391,0:25:23.677 to take an oath to protect the children 0:25:25.969,0:25:29.747 to protect our family here on earth. 0:25:33.132,0:25:36.101 In the words of Audre Lorde: 0:25:36.101,0:25:40.539 "If i didn't define myself for myself 0:25:40.539,0:25:43.264 I would be crunched into other [br]peoples' fantasies for me 0:25:43.849,0:25:48.402 and eaten alive". 0:25:49.248,0:25:55.587 Um, I was a part of this community, like, [br]I lost myself in this community, 0:25:55.587,0:25:59.158 but I eventually found myself down here. 0:25:59.158,0:26:02.861 My one suggestion to you people [br]is to get rid of that attitude 0:26:02.861,0:26:04.384 0:26:04.384,0:26:07.933 Get rid of that belief, [br]come down here, socialize, 0:26:07.933,0:26:10.992 phone me, feel free to call me. 0:26:10.992,0:26:14.657 I'm willing to take you out and about [br]and go for coffee and do whatever. 0:26:34.226,0:27:13.740 0:27:13.740,0:27:19.371 <\VOICEOVER> Those of us who come to [br]support this space with the best of intentions 0:27:19.371,0:27:23.276 soon realize we are the ones being taught. 0:27:23.276,0:27:26.845 But it can happen, and you want to be, [br]you want to do something, 0:27:26.845,0:27:29.569 and then you discover that it's [br]actually already being done, 0:27:29.569,0:27:36.955 that people are already, um, involved in [br]their own way of expressing justice for women. 0:27:36.955,0:27:46.598 0:27:46.598,0:27:53.138 <\VOICEOVER> In the middle of daily protests, grit, [br]grime, and sensationalist media headlines, 0:27:53.138,0:27:58.343 is an extremely vibrant community 0:27:58.343,0:28:25.537 0:28:25.537,0:28:44.228 Hello, hello, 0:28:45.090,0:28:51.615 I do volunteer work, and help people out, [br]and help some senior old people out. 0:28:54.599,0:29:04.242 I'm First Nations Aboriginal, Italian, [br]I'm Chinese, I'm East Indian, 0:29:04.242,0:29:07.713 and I would like to change 0:29:07.713,0:29:14.054 the point of view that the outside world [br]has looking in on the Downtown Eastside. 0:29:14.824,0:29:18.861 I help a lot of street kids, which is [br]one of my favourite things to do. 0:29:19.061,0:29:24.763 The most important thing I feel really blessed [br]to belong to is the Power of Women Group. 0:29:24.763,0:29:30.251 It's a group of women that have [br]come together from all walks of life, 0:29:30.282,0:29:35.507 um, and they've undergone [br]their own, um, journey. 0:29:35.507,0:29:41.013 Um, I am a, I am a mom. [br]I'm unfortunately not a grandma yet. 0:29:41.013,0:29:44.716 I am a resident of the Downtown [br]Eastside and very proud of it. 0:29:44.716,0:29:49.755 Myself and Harsha's group the Power to [br]Women Group, try to deal with many issues 0:29:49.755,0:29:51.156 of the Downtown Eastside. 0:29:51.156,0:29:56.094 And I enjoy it so much, I wouldn't want to be, [br]um, a resident anywhere else. 0:29:56.094,0:30:02.879 And the quality that I love and I [br]hope never disappears, is solidarity. 0:30:04.002,0:30:09.708 Together we all make up the Downtown Eastside [br]and I'm proud to be part of the hood. Peace out! 0:30:09.708,0:30:12.425 0:30:22.487,0:30:30.752 <\VOICEOVER> This film is a tribute to the resilience [br]and the generosity of women in the Downtown Eastside. 0:30:31.029,0:30:40.978 These women daily survive conditions that few of us [br]could imagine, let alone endure. 0:30:44.209,0:30:50.308 Women all around the world [br]are suffering. It has to stop. 0:30:55.554,0:30:59.324 <\VOICEOVER>To women in the Downtown Eastside: 0:30:59.324,0:31:04.296 With every heartbeat you carry dignity 0:31:04.296,0:31:09.472 In every breath we see your humanity. 0:31:09.472,0:31:13.757 With every step we join you 0:31:13.757,0:31:17.855 so you may walk free of violence and injustice. 0:31:42.086,0:31:44.547 I sing this song, 0:31:44.547,0:31:50.979 and all of those who have come before, before. 0:31:50.979,0:31:57.115 Who have come before, before. 0:31:57.115,0:31:59.158 Working to break free 0:32:34.920,0:32:38.882 Hey 0:32:38.882,0:32:41.520 Yeah 0:32:42.566,0:32:44.989 Hey 0:32:48.851,0:32:51.966 Don't ya hold me down no, 0:32:52.289,0:32:55.220 don't you see that I am flying? 0:32:56.758,0:33:02.043 I slip from your grip cuz I am free 0:33:04.703,0:33:07.848 Don't ya hold me down no, 0:33:08.333,0:33:13.572 don't you see that I am flying? 0:33:13.572,0:33:19.030 I slip from your grip cuz I am free. 0:33:19.030,0:33:24.138 This world is just a world 0:33:24.138,0:33:28.062 These bricks are made to fall 0:33:28.062,0:33:30.523 a broke through [br]your facade and so can we 0:33:30.523,0:33:35.492 so can we 0:33:35.492,0:33:39.114 this world is just a world 0:33:39.114,0:33:43.573 these bricks were made to fall 0:33:43.573,0:33:45.709 the broke through your facade 0:33:45.709,0:33:47.459 and so can we 0:33:47.459,0:33:49.796 so can we 0:33:49.796,0:33:51.296 I said prison break 0:33:51.296,0:33:57.853 0:33:57.853,0:34:01.000 prison break...