26 January 2014

23rd Annual Feb 14th Women’s Memorial March

Source: http://womensmemorialmarch.wordpress.com/2014/01/15/23rd-annual-march/


23rd Annual Feb 14th Women's Memorial March

January 15, 2014 by ajik
jWomen's memorial posters 003
23rd Annual Feb 14th Women's Memorial March
Friday Feb 14th, 2014
March starts at noon from Carnegie (Main and Hastings)
The first women's memorial march was held in 1991 in response to the murder of a Coast Salish woman on Powell Street in Vancouver. Her name is not spoken today out of respect for the wishes of her family. Out of this sense of hopelessness and anger came an annual march on Valentine's Day to express compassion, community, and caring for all women in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside, Unceded Coast Salish Territories. Twenty three years later, the women's memorial march continues to honour the lives of missing and murdered women.
On Friday Feb 14th 2014, we will gather at 11 am at the Carnegie Community Centre Theatre, 401 Main Street (corner Hastings, Vancouver) where family members speak in remembrance. Given space constraints, we ask the broader public to join us at noon, when the march takes to the streets and proceeds through the Downtown Eastside, with stops to commemorate where women were last seen or found; speeches by community activists at the court house; a healing circle at Oppenheimer Park around 2:30 pm; and finally a community feast at the Japanese Language Hall.
Increasing deaths of many vulnerable women from the DTES still leaves family, friends, loved ones, and community members with an overwhelming sense of grief and loss. Women continue to go missing or be murdered with minimal to no action to address these tragedies or the systemic nature of gendered violence, poverty, racism, or colonialism. In light of the sham provincial inquiry, we are calling for a national and international public inquiry that is led by family and community members and that centers their experiences, need for healing, and quest for answers, concrete action, and meaningful justice.
This event is organized and led by women in the DTES because women – especially Indigenous women – face physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual violence on a daily basis. The February 14th Women's Memorial March is an opportunity to come together to grieve the loss of our beloved sisters, remember the women who are still missing, and to dedicate ourselves to justice.
* SUPPORT THE WOMEN'S MEMORIAL MARCH
There are many ways to support the Feb 14th Women's Memorial March:
1) Spread the word and join us (all genders welcome) to the Feb 14th march. We respectfully ask that you please do not bring your banners, flags, or leaflets as the Women's Memorial March carries five banners only to honour the women.
2) Plan a memorial march in your community. Last year, memorial marches were held in approximately ten other cities and communities. If you are organizing a memorial march please email us the details at hwalia8@gmail.com so we can maintain communication, compile the information on our website, and build strength in our coordinated efforts.
3) Please donate. The February 14th Women's Memorial March is made possible by organizations and individuals like you. Each year the Memorial March committee must raise funds to pay for such things as hall rental, sound system, food, red & yellow roses, memorial brochures, blankets, posters, candles, tobacco and other expenses. Please make cheques payable to the Downtown Eastside Women's Centre, and include Feb 14th Women's Memorial March on the memo line. Mail cheques to the Downtown Eastside Women's Centre, 302 Columbia St. Vancouver, BC V6A 4J1. All donations over $10 will be gratefully acknowledged with a tax deductible receipt.
Thank you all for your support and commitment,
Feb 14th Women's Memorial March Committee
Website: http://womensmemorialmarch.wordpress.com/
Phone: 778-833-3094
Email: killerwhalecan@shaw.ca (Committee Chair Marlene George)
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=264380380945 or search "FEBRUARY 14 WOMEN'S MEMORIAL MARCH DTES VANCOUVER"
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Women mark the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women with Calls for Justice for Missing and Murdered Women

December 3, 2013 by ajik
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
ATTENTION: ALL NEWS EDITORS
Women mark the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women with Calls for Justice for Missing and Murdered Women
WHAT: National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women
WHEN: Friday December 6th from 1-3 pm
WHERE: Circle at Georgia and Granville
MEDIA: Marlene George: 778 833 3094; Mona Woodward 778 241 8440.
To arrange additional interviews call Harsha Walia 778 -885-0040
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December 3, 2013 VANCOUVER, Coast Salish Territories- The February 14th Missing Women's Memorial March Committee will be marking the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women by gathering on Friday December 6th from 1-3 pm outside the Federal buildings at Granville and Georgia.
According to organizer Marlene George, "We will be gathering just like we did one year ago when the sham provincial women's inquiry shut out and marginalized the voices and experiences of family members, DTES residents, Indigenous communities, and women's groups. And we are returning here again because, to date, the provincial government continues to stall on following up on the inquiry's recommendations."
Mona Woodward, member of the Missing Women's Coalition, agrees. "Why is it such an uphill battle to get justice for missing and murdered women and their families and communities? We are calling for a national and international public inquiry led by family and community members. We need immediate compensation for family members and political will at all levels of government to address these tragedies as well as the systemic nature of gendered violence, poverty, racism, and colonialism."
"We are gathering in sorrow to honour and remember the women. We are gathering in anger because women continue to go missing or be murdered. We are gathering with a commitment to justice, healing and concrete action to end violence against our beloved sisters." says George.
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Media Release: Annual Women's Memorial March for Missing and Murdered Women

February 8, 2013 by ajik
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
ATTENTION: ALL NEWS EDITORS
Annual Women's Memorial March for Missing and Murdered Women
WHAT: 22nd Annual Women's Memorial March Press Conference
WHEN: Thursday Feb 14th at 9:00 am
WHERE: Carnegie classroom, 3rd floor, Main and Hastings
MEDIA PROTOCOL: Please note there will be NO MEDIA in Carnegie Theatre during the family remembrance between 11am to noon. Media may record the march at noon, except no recording of ceremonies during the march.
February 8, 2013 VANCOUVER, Coast Salish Territories- The February 14th Annual Women's Memorial March is held on Valentine's Day each year to honour the memory of women from the Downtown Eastside who have died due to physical, mental, emotional and spiritual violence. Now in its 22nd year, the march brings courage and commitment to remember and honour murdered and missing women, and to end the violence that vulnerable women in the DTES face on a daily basis.
"We are here to honour and remember the women, and we are here because we are failing to protect women from poverty and systemic exploitation, abuse and violence. We are here in sorrow and in anger because the violence continues each and every day and the list of missing and murdered women gets longer every year," says Marlene George, Memorial March Committee organizer.
In December 2011, the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women announced that it was launching an inquiry into missing and murdered Indigenous women in Canada. This announcement came shortly after the Women's Memorial March Committee and the Downtown Eastside Women's Center made joint submissions in October 2011 to the UN.
This year, the Women's Memorial March occurs in the context of the provincial missing women's inquiry, which marginalized the voices and experiences of DTES residents, Indigenous communities, and women's groups. In December 2012, the international organization Human Rights Watch called on Canada to appoint a national commission of inquiry into missing and murdered Indigenous women.
"We are calling for a national public inquiry and continue to seek justice internationally with our submissions at the level of the UN," continues George.
Marches will also be held in at least fifteen other cities including Edmonton, Calgary, Hagersville, Kelowna, Lebret, Montreal, Oshawa, Ottawa, Prince George, Regina, Thunder Bay, Toronto, Sault St Marie, Victoria, Winnipeg. In Vancouver, friends and family members led by Indigenous women move through the DTES and stop at sites where women died or were last seen to offer prayers, medicines, and roses in remembrance.
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Marlene George: 778 833 3094
Mona Woodward 778 241 8440
Lisa Yellow Quill 604 618 1061
Cori Kelly (French) 778 709 6494
For general media inquiries, contact Harsha Walia 778 885 0040
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22nd Annual Feb 14th Women's Memorial March

January 13, 2013 by ajik
22nd Annual Feb 14th Women's Memorial March
THURSDAY FEB 14TH 2013
March starts at noon from Carnegie (Main and Hastings)
* Please NOTE that this year the march starts one hour earlier *
The first women's memorial march was held in 1991 in response to the murder of a Coast Salish woman on Powell Street in Vancouver. Her name is not spoken today out of respect for the wishes of her family. Out of this sense of hopelessness and anger came an annual march on Valentine's Day to express compassion, community, and caring for all women in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside, Unceded Coast Salish Territories. Twenty two years later, the women's memorial march continues to honour the lives of missing and murdered women.
On Thursday Feb 14th 2013, we will gather at 11 am at the Carnegie Community Centre Theatre, 401 Main Street (corner Hastings, Vancouver) where family members speak in remembrance. Given space constraints, we ask the broader public to join us at noon, when the march takes to the streets and proceeds through the Downtown Eastside, with stops to commemorate where women were last seen or found; speeches by community activists at the court house; a healing circle at Oppenheimer Park around 2:30 pm; and finally a community feast at the Japanese Language Hall.
Increasing deaths of many vulnerable women from the DTES still leaves family, friends, loved ones, and community members with an overwhelming sense of grief and loss. This year, the Women's Memorial March occurs in the context of the provincial missing women's inquiry, which marginalized the voices and experiences of DTES residents, Indigenous communities, and women's groups. Women continue to go missing or be murdered with no action from any level of government to address these tragedies or the systemic nature of gendered violence, poverty, racism, or colonialism. We are calling for a national public inquiry and continue to seek justice internationally with submissions at the level of the UN.
This event is organized and led by women in the DTES because women – especially Indigenous women – face physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual violence on a daily basis. The February 14th Women's Memorial March is an opportunity to come together to grieve the loss of our beloved sisters, remember the women who are still missing, and to dedicate ourselves to justice.
* SUPPORT THE WOMEN'S MEMORIAL MARCH
There are many ways to support the Feb 14th Women's Memorial March:
1) Spread the word and join us (all genders welcome) to the Feb 14th march. We respectfully ask that you please do not bring your banners, flags, or leaflets as the Women's Memorial March carries five banners only to honour the women.
2) Plan a memorial march in your community. Last year, memorial marches were held in approximately ten other cities and communities. If you are organizing a memorial march please email us the details at marlene.george@vancouver.ca and hwalia8@gmail.com so we can maintain communication, compile the information on our website, and build strength in our coordinated efforts.
3) If you want to help volunteer (setup, cleanup, serving food etc) on the day of and can commit to 2-hour shifts between 8 am and 6 pm, please email hwalia8@gmail.com
Thank you all for your support and commitment,
Feb 14th Women's Memorial March Committee
Website: http://womensmemorialmarch.wordpress.com/
Phone: 604 665 3005
Email: marlene.george@vancouver.ca (Committee Chair Marlene George)
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=264380380945 or search "FEBRUARY 14 WOMEN'S MEMORIAL MARCH DTES VANCOUVER"
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Gathering: Missing Womens Commission of Inquiry Report Being Released

December 13, 2012 by ajik
On Monday December 17th, the Missing Women's Commission of Inquiry report by Wally Oppal will be released by the provincial government to the public.
———————————
Monday December 17th from 8:30 am till 2 pm
In the courtyard between the Morris J Wosk Centre for Dialogue and Delta Vancouver Suites.
(courtyard on Seymour Street between 550 and 580 West Hastings)
Vancouver, Unceded Coast Salish Territories
Bring drums and candles.
——————————–
Come support family members – many of whom were initially denied travel assistance – who have only a few hours to review the report before it is made public.
The Missing Women's Inquiry has been a sham inquiry since the beginning – the voices and experiences of DTES residents, Aboriginal organizations, and womens groups were shut out, family members needs and wishes have been and continue to be blatantly disregarded and disrespected, and the proceedings overly favoured and protected the police and police evidence. Even the Independent Counsel for Aboriginal Interests, appointed by the Commission itself, withdrew from the proceedings.
This sham inquiry has continued the marginalization of those whom it was supposed to serve: women, particularly Indigenous women, from the DTES. Women in the DTES and Indigenous women across these lands continue to go missing or be murdered as a result of gendered violence, poverty, racism, and colonialism.
The BC Missing Women's Commission of Inquiry has been a disgrace, a betrayal, and a systemic failure. We affirm our support for family members and affected communities and reaffirm the call for full national inquiry as well as an independent international inquiry.
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Media Release: Their Spirits Live Within Us

February 10, 2012 by ajik
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
ATTENTION: ALL NEWS EDITORS
Justice for Missing and Murdered Women in the Downtown Eastside:
Their Spirits Live Within Us
WHAT: Monday February 13th from 9:30 am to 2 pm
Murdered Women, Missing Justice
Rally against Sham Provincial Missing Women's Inquiry 701 West Georgia (Georgia and Granville)
WHAT: Tuesday February 14th
21st Annual Women's Memorial March
Press Conference on Tues Feb 14th at 10:30 am in Carnegie Patio
Please note there will be NO MEDIA in Carnegie Theatre during the family remembrance between noon-1 pm. Media may record the march at 1 pm, except no recording of ceremonies during the march.
 
February 10, 2012 VANCOUVER, Coast Salish Territories- The February 14th Annual Women's Memorial March is held on Valentine's Day each year to honour the memory of women from Downtown Eastside who have died due to the violence of physical, mental, emotional and spiritual abuse. Now in its 21st year, the March is an immensely powerful women's action that brings courage and commitment to remember and honour murdered and missing women, and to end the violence that vulnerable women in the DTES face on a daily basis.
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21st Annual Feb 14th Women's Memorial March

January 16, 2012 by ajik
- Please forward this notice to your friends, family, and networks -
TWO EVENTS: MON FEB 13TH and TUES FEB 14TH
Murdered Women, Missing Justice
Monday February 13th from 9:30 am till 2 pm.
Rally outside Sham Inquiry 701 West Georgia (Georgia and Granville)
Every week since the beginning of the Sham Missing Women's Inquiry, the Women's Memorial March Committee has been rallying to denounce the disrespect and injustice happening inside. Dozens of DTES, Aboriginal, and Women's organizations were shut out from participating in the Inquiry. Now we are hearing numerous stories, directly and as reported in the media, of family members outrage and anger and frustration with this inquiry as there are no answers, no apologies, and authorities are just protecting themselves and each other. We invite you all to join us – for five minutes or five hours – on Monday Feb 13th to show your disgust at this coverup sham inquiry and to call instead for for a new fair, just, and inclusive Inquiry that centres the voices and experiences and leadership of women, particularly Indigenous women, in the DTES.
See Downtown Eastside Women's Centre and Women's Memorial March Committee Statement of Non Participation In Sham Inquiry from Oct 2011:
http://womensmemorialmarch.wordpress.com/2011/10/03/non-participation-sham-inquiry/
followed on Tuesday by…
21st Annual Feb 14th Women's Memorial March
The first women's memorial march was held in 1991 in response to the murder of a Coast Salish woman on Powell Street in Vancouver. Her name is not spoken today out of respect for the wishes of her family. Out of this sense of hopelessness and anger came an annual march on Valentine's Day to express compassion, community, and caring for all women in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside, Unceded Coast Salish Territories. Twenty one years later, the women's memorial march continues to honour the lives of missing and murdered women.
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DTES Women's Organizations Release UN Submission Details

December 14, 2011 by ajik
TO ALL NEWS EDITORS
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DOWNTOWN EASTSIDE WOMEN'S ORGANIZATIONS RELEASE UN SUBMISSION DETAILS;
Submission includes urgent appeal about discriminatory conduct of BC Missing Women's Inquiry
December 14, 2011 Vancouver, Unceded Coast Salish Territories– In the past twenty four hours, the positive and much-awaited news has been released that the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women initiated a significant official inquiry process into the murders and disappearances of women and girls across Canada in October 2011.
Two women's groups based in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver, a neighbourhood known as the 'ground zero' for missing and murdered women, who are mostly Indigenous women, are releasing details of the submissions they made in October 2011 under Article 8 of the Optional Protocol of the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women.
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Downtown Eastside Women's Centre and Women's Memorial March Committee Announce Non Participation In Sham Inquiry, Say Will Rally on First Day of Hearings

October 3, 2011 by ajik
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
ATTENTION: ALL NEWS EDITORS
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Corinthia Kelly: 778 709 6494
Alice Kendall: 778 322 4594
Harsha Walia: 778 885 0040
Carol Martin: 778 322 3069
Downtown Eastside Women's Centre and Women's Memorial March Committee Announce Non Participation In Sham Inquiry, Say Will Rally on First Day of Hearings
Monday October 3, Vancouver Coast Salish Territories –Calling the Missing Women's Commission of Inquiry a "disgrace" and an "insult to women in the Downtown Eastside", the Coalition of the Downtown Eastside Women's Centre (DEWC) and Feb 14th Women's Memorial March Committee (WMMC) have announced today that they will not be endorsing or participating in the Inquiry.
The Coalition is also announcing a rally at the beginning of the hearings on October 11th, 2011 at 9:30 am in front of at 701 West Georgia. They will be denouncing the Sham Inquiry and will call for a new fair, just, and inclusive Inquiry that centres the voices and experiences and leadership of women, particularly Indigenous women, in the DTES.
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Oct 4 – National Day of Action for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women

September 30, 2011 by ajik
October 4, 2011
National Day of Action for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women
March begins at 4 pm at Victory Square (Cambie and Hastings)
If you are joining us around 5-5:30 pm, find us near Main and Hastings.
We will be ending with a ceremony at Oppenheimer Park.
October 4 is a National Day of Action for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women. It is a national day of remembrance, respect, and demands for action. In the DTES, increasing deaths of many vulnerable women – overwhelmingly Indigenous women – still leaves family, friends, loved ones, and community members with an overwhelming sense of grief and loss. Every year the list of women going missing or been murdered also increases, most recently with the tragic death of our community member Verna Simard.
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Downtown Eastside Women's Centre and Women's Memorial March Committee Object to Missing Women's Commission's Latest Amicus Proposal

August 5, 2011 by ajik
OPEN LETTER TO OUR COMMUNITY MEMBERS, ALLIES, COMMISSION OF INQUIRY, LAWYERS, AND MEDIA
Downtown Eastside Women's Centre and Women's Memorial March Committee Object to Missing Women's Commission's Latest Amicus Proposal
August 5th 2011  Vancouver, Unceded Coast Salish Territories – The Downtown Eastside Women's Centre and Feb 14th Women's Memorial March Committee strongly object to the Missing Women's Commission latest proposal to retain and fund one or two independent lawyers (amici) to "present the perspectives of the Downtown Eastside community and Aboriginal women."
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Women's Coalition of the Downtown Eastside: Women's Safety 24/7

July 8, 2011 by ajik
Women's Coalition of the Downtown Eastside:
Women's Safety 24/7
Women's Coalition of the Downtown Eastside is a newly formed network of women-serving organizations and women's groups in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver, Coast Salish Territories. Our purpose is to advance women's issues in the Downtown Eastside and to ensure the safety of women in this neighbourhood as a priority and a necessity.
We envision safety for women in the Downtown Eastside in a holistic manner. It includes safety for women from sexual and physical violence as well as safety from the daily indignities of poverty. We advocate for safe housing, safe services, and safe shelters for all women in the Downtown Eastside.
We observe how most services and spaces in the Downtown Eastside are either for men, or are co-ed spaces which default to men. Women in the Downtown Eastside deserve more choices in services which will meet their
diverse needs and experiences. All groups and services, including co-ed ones, need to embrace a women-centred philosophy and should implement practices that ensure women's access and safety.
We will serve as a communication and network hub amongst service providers and women's groups. When appropriate, we will work together to develop joint proposals. We prioritize the participation and engagement of women living in this community to identify how best we can meet their needs.
We are painfully aware of the particular experience of Aboriginal women, over-represented in this low-income neighbourhood and who have been marginalized for far too long. This is most evident in the ongoing tragedy of missing and murdered women in the DTES.
We are inclusive and invite those who share our philosophy of serving women and are working to promote and ensure women's safety to join us. We invite all individuals and organizations to support the work of our Coalition.
Downtown Eastside Women's Centre
WISH Drop-In
DTES Power of Women Group
Feb 14th Women's Memorial March Committee
YWCA Crabtree Corner
Aboriginal Front Door Society
PACE Society
Battered Women's Support Services
Inner-City Women's Initiatives Society/DAMS
Saint James Community Service Society
Atira Women's Resource Society
Union Gospel Mission
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Participant Groups in Missing Women's Inquiry Pressure Premier Clark to Ensure Access and Justice

June 20, 2011 by ajik
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
ATTENTION: ALL NEWS EDITORS
Participant Groups in the Missing Women's Inquiry Pressure Premier Clark to Ensure Access and Justice
Press Conference on National Aboriginal Day Tuesday June 21 at 9:30 am
Aboriginal Front Door, 384 Main Street (corner Hastings)
June 20, Vancouver Coast Salish Territories – A coalition of Downtown Eastside, women's, Aboriginal and advocacy organizations are strongly condemning the BC government's decision to not grant the resources necessary to ensure their meaningful participation in the Missing Women's Inquiry.
The groups have written a joint letter to Premier Christy Clark, stating that "This denial of resources denies due process and denies the possibility of meaningful participation by the women most affected – particularly Aboriginal women living and working in extreme poverty – by the deaths and disappearances of women who were their friends and family."
The groups issuing the letter include:
- February 14th Women's Memorial March Committee and DTES Women's Centre
- WISH Drop In Centre, PACE Society, and DTES Sex Workers United Against Violence
- Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users
- Union of BC Indian Chiefs and Carrier Sekani Tribal Council
- Women's Equality and Security Coalition
- West Coast Legal Education and Action Fund and Ending Violence Association of BC
- Pivot Legal Society and BC Civil Liberties Association
 
The groups are holding a press conference on Tuesday June 21st at the Aboriginal Front Door to demand that the provincial government overturn its decision. The groups are calling on Premier Clark to make this Public Inquiry accessible to the public, particularly to women, Downtown Eastside residents, Aboriginal communities, and others who have critical information.  The groups and community have been demanding an inquiry for decades but were consistently ignored, and are now being marginalized and shut out again.
In their letter to Christy Clark, the groups further state that "Without the participation of Downtown Eastside women and the groups granted standing, there is serious doubt cast on the proceedings as they are not representative of the parties involved. What is the benefit of having the RCMP and the VPD rehash what happened solely from their perspective? It is vital to this Inquiry that the voices of women and the community be front and centre when determining its recommendations. It is unconscionable that BC Government is demonstrating the same dismissive attitude as the very institutions being investigated in this Inquiry for the deaths and disappearances of women."
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MEDIA CONTACTS:
Alice Kendall 604 681 8480 x 223 (Downtown Eastside Women's Centre)
Kate Gibson 604 436 4594 (Coalition of sex worker serving organizations)
Mona Woodward 778 241 8440 (Feb 14th Women's Memorial Committee)
Doug King 778 898 6349 (PIVOT Legal Society)
Ann Livingston 604 719 5313 (VANDU)
Terry Teegee 250 562 6279 (Carrier Sekani)
Kasari Grover 604 684 8772 x 212 (West Coast LEAF)
Shelagh Day 604 872 0750 (Women's Equality and Security Coalition)
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Press Release: Downtown Eastside Women's Centre and Women's Memorial March Committee Challenge BC Government's Decision Regarding Missing Women's Inquiry

May 24, 2011 by ajik
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
ATTENTION: ALL NEWS EDITORS
Downtown Eastside Women's Centre and Women's Memorial March Committee Challenge BC Government's Decision Regarding Missing Women's Inquiry
May 24, Vancouver Coast Salish Territories – The Downtown Eastside Women's Centre and Feb 14th Women's Memorial March Committee are strongly condemning the BC government's decision to not provide funding to support their participation in the Missing Women's Inquiry.
The Coalition of the Downtown Eastside Women's Centre and Feb 14th Women's Memorial March Committee were granted full standing to participate in the evidentiary hearings. Commissioner Wally Oppal further recommended that the provincial government provide funding to 13 applicants, including the Downtown Eastside Women's Centre and Feb 14th Women's Memorial March Committee. This, however, was turned down by the BC government in an announcement made by Attorney General Barry Penner on Thursday May 19, 2011, making the participation of these organizations in the Missing Women's Inquiry entirely impossible.
"While we support the decision to assist with the legal fees of families of murdered and missing women, we strongly condemn the decision to systematically exclude Downtown Eastside, Women's, and Indigenous advocacy and service organizations from the Missing Women's Inquiry," says Angela Marie MacDougall.
According to Harsha Walia of the Downtown Eastside Womens' Centre "It is disgusting that the Vancouver Police Department and the Government of Canada – who are the ones on trial here – will have well-paid lawyers and unlimited tax dollars to defend themselves. Meanwhile, voices from the Downtown Eastside, particularly those of Indigenous women, will continue to be deliberately marginalized and shut out."
"This inquiry has a responsibility to highlight those systemic injustices that allowed the unimaginable deaths and disappearances of so many women from the Downtown Eastside. The membership of organizations and groups like the Downtown Eastside Women's Centre and Feb 14th Women's Memorial March Committee provide the critical context necessary for this Inquiry as we knew the women and their lives and their struggles," states Marlene George, Chair of the Feb 14th Women's Memorial March Committee.
"We were witness to the system's gross negligence as well as racism and sexism in investigating these disappearances and murders," says Alice Kendall, who has worked at the Downtown Eastside Womens' Centre since 1996. "While the government has established an inquiry which we have demanded for years, we are seriously questioning the integrity of this Inquiry now for a number of reasons," she continues.
"We are sick of this. This Inquiry was supposed to be about a measure of justice for us, but it is just more of the same injustices," says Beatrice Starr, who has resided in the Downtown Eastside for 30 years and whose sister and niece were both murdered.
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MEDIA CONTACTS:
Marlene George 604-665-3005
Alice Kendall 604 681 8480 x 223
Harsha Walia 778 885 0040
Angela Marie MacDougall 604-808-0507
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Campaign "No More Stolen Sisters: Safe Shelters, Safe Housing, Safe Services"

March 29, 2011 by ajik
Over the past two months a growing group of women residents of the Downtown Eastside as well as a coalition of DTES and women-serving organizations have been raising the urgent issue of women's safety in shelters in the Downtown Eastside. This has come in response to a number of reported sexual assaults in DTES shelters.
We have been dismayed by the lack of response by all levels of government about the ongoing violence committed against women in the Downtown Eastside. We have been outraged that all four of our correspondences have been ignored. We have been shocked that our delegation to BC Housing in March 2011 was met with a heavy presence of police and we were shut out from any dialogue on this issue. All this suggests to us that BC Housing as well as city and provincial officials do not consider women's safety a priority within their funded facilities.
Sexual assaults against women in this neighbourhood are normalized as we have seen with the ongoing tragedy of missing and murdered women. Women should not have to "choose" between the indignity of homelessness and being warehoused in shelters, and the high-risk of assault associated with both. We will not remain silent or complicit and are continuing a grassroots campaign based on three core demands that we believe can and should be met in a timely manner.
We are calling for:
1) A 24 hours low-barrier women-only (includes all self-identified women) drop-in space and shelter in the Downtown Eastside, ideally on Hastings Street between Main and Jackson. The establishment and operation of this service should be done through an accountable process including a transparent call for tenders and in consultation with community organizations and DTES resident women.
2) Housing for homeless women and children with at least 100 new units to be made available immediately.
3) Clear provincial standards for women's safety in co-ed shelters to be implemented immediately in all existing and new shelters, including but not limited to:
• Women-only facilities in co-ed shelters with adequate women-only beds and services within those spaces.
• Women staff and training for all staff by women's organizations experienced in issues of sexual and gender violence. Shelter contractors must demonstrate the ability to ensure safety and security for women shelter users and all staff must be able to demonstrate an understanding of gender inequalities that contribute to violence against women.
We are calling on allied groups, communities, and individuals to support us. Please get involved and spread the word!
For more information email project@dewc.ca or call 604 681 8480 x 234.
* HOW TO SUPPORT:
1) PETITION: Please sign our online petition. We are hoping to gather 5000 signatures in two weeks and need your help to make this happen! Link to petition:http://www.petitiononline.com/DTESsafe/petition.html
2) ENDORSE: If you are a member of a DTES organization, women's group, social justice collective, community centre, union, or campus group, we request that you please endorse our three demands by emailing hwalia8@gmail.com or calling 778 885 0040.
Our current list of endorsers include: Downtown Eastside Women's Centre, DTES Power of Women Group, WISH Drop-In Centre Society, Walk4Justice, Battered Women's Support Services, Downtown Eastside Neighbourhood House, PACE Society, Downtown Eastside Neighbourhood Council, Vancouver Status of Women, Oxfam Canada, No One Is Illegal Vancouver, Vancouver Action, Council of Canadians, Association of Chinese Canadians for Equality and Solidarity Society, Aboriginal Women's Action Network, West Coast Legal Education and Action Fund, Streams of Justice, Franciscan Sisters of the Atonement, Carnegie Community Action Project, Purple Thistle Centre, W2 Community Media Arts Society, Life Skills Centre , Ending Violence Association of BC, Portland Hotel Society, Pivot Legal Society, UBC Centre for Race Autobiography Gender and Age studies, Interfaith Institute for Justice, Peace and Social Movements, Women Against Violence Against Women, Aboriginal Front Door, Union of BC Indian Chiefs, Simon Fraser Universtiy Women's Centre Collective, University of Victoria Women's Centre Collective, Indigenous Peoples' Solidarity Movement Ottawa, York University Free Press
3) WRITE-IN: We are requesting that everyone to please send an email along the lines of the below to all of the following people in BC Housing, City Council, MLA's and MP's. Email addresses compiled here:
RE: Safe Housing and Safe Services for Women in the DTES
It has come to my attention that for the past two months a coalition has been raising the urgent issue of women's safety in shelters in the Downtown Eastside. I have been dismayed by the lack of response by all levels of government about the ongoing violence committed against women in the Downtown Eastside. Sexual assaults against women in this neighbourhood in particular are normalized and their safety is not considered of highest priority as we have seen with the ongoing tragedy of missing and murdered women. This would never be acceptable in any other part of town. I support the call for a 24 hours drop-in space and shelter for women in the Downtown Eastside, housing for homeless women and children, and clear protocols to be established within co-ed shelters.
Sincerely,
(NAME, ADDRESS, CONTACT INFO)
* BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
- Open Letter to Mayor Gregor Robertson "Women Respond to Sexual Assaults in Downtown Eastside Church Shelter While Shelter and City of Vancouver Ignore Reports" http://vancouver.mediacoop.ca/newsrelease/6390
- Press Release "Women Respond to Comments by Reverend Ric Matthews of First United Church; Reiterate Calls for 24-hour Women's Shelter and Safe Housing in DTES" http://vancouver.mediacoop.ca/newsrelease/6496.
- Press Release "Women's Action in Downtown Eastside for Women's Safety" and Open Letter to BC Housing: http://vancouver.mediacoop.ca/newsrelease/6692
* SELECTED MEDIA:
- Safe Housing, Safe Shelters and Safe Services for Women:http://vancouver.mediacoop.ca/story/vancouver-politics-and-service-provision/6707
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20th Annual Women's Memorial March in DTES

January 6, 2011 by ajik
- Please forward this notice to your friends, family, and networks -
20th Annual Feb 14th Women's Memorial March
~ Two weeks of commemoration events starting Jan 30 2011



~ Annual Women's Memorial March on Monday, February 14 2011.

 
* Sun Jan 30: Women's sweatlodge ceremony from 2-6 pm. By the DTES community garden (Hastings between Columbia and Main). Women-only sweat, open to all women. Followed by feast at Aboriginal Front Door (384 Main St)
* Month of Feb – Community Archival Display, 3rd floor Carnegie Centre (Main and Hastings). Carnegie is under construction and the 3rd floor is regrettably not wheel-chair accessible.
* Wed Feb 2 – Women's Talking Circle at DEWC (302 Columbia) 5 – 8 pm. Dinner served at 5pm. Open to all self-identified women residents of the DTES.
* Thurs Feb 3 – Art Auction Fundraiser at Interurban (1 E. Hastings) from 6 – 9 pm. Music, great food, and of course art and arty things. Some of the artists featured are Garnet Tobacco, Ben Houstie, Laurie Marshall, Esther Rausenberg, Diane Jacobs, the women's craft group from WISH, and many more.
* Fri Feb 4 – Craft Night at WISH Drop-in 6 pm. Open to members of WISH Drop-in.
* Sat Feb 5: "Women's Expressions" Art Opening at Interurban (1 E. Hastings) from 4-6 pm with drum group Harmony of Nations and speakers from Women's Memorial March Committee. Exhibit runs Feb 7th to Feb 12th from 12-5pm.
* Sat Feb 5 – "Honouring Our Women": Poetry Night, Carnegie Centre (Main and Hastings). 7 pm. Free admission, everyone welcome, free refreshments Sheila Baxter, Dalannah Bowen, Maxine Gadd, Leith Harris, Muriel Marjorie, Shauna Paull, Priscillia Tait, Karenza Wall, M.C. Diane Wood and open mic.
*Mon Feb 7 – "Native Women: Power, Beauty, Resilience" at Aboriginal Front Door (384 Main St) from 2-6 pm. Open event for everyone to attend. Speakers, food, traditional Grandmothers and Mothers will drum.
* Mon Feb 7 – SFU First Nations and Women's Studies class event. Poetry with Janet Rogers and Joanne Arnott, followed by screening of Finding Dawn. SFU Harbour Centre (515 West Hastings) from 1:30-4:30 pm. Discussion, and refreshments to follow screening.
* Tues Feb 8 – BWSS Women's Craft Night at DEWC (302 Columbia) 5 – 8 pm. Dinner served at 5pm. Open to all self-identified women residents of the DTES.
* Wed Feb 9 – "Strength, Survival, Sisterhood": Launch of DTES Power of Women movie, speakers from DTES, screening of "Finding Dawn". Vivo Media Arts Centre (1965 Main Street). Doors at 6pm. Free and open to all. More information available by clicking here
* Fri Feb 11 – Night of Music at W2 (151 W.Cordova) w/Bitterly Divine, Murray Porter, Faith Nolan, Little Hawk & more. Doors at 7pm. Given limited space, event is for the DTES community only. We invite DTES agencies wishing to reserve free tickets for their members to email us at endingviolence@bwss.org.
* Mon Feb 14 – 20th Annual Womens Memorial March. Noon in Carnegie Theatre for families, friends, and DTES residents, 1 pm march starts at Main and Hastings – all welcome.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The first women's memorial march was held in 1991 in response to the murder of a woman on Powell Street in Vancouver. Her name is not spoken today out of respect for the wishes of her family. Out of this sense of hopelessness and anger came an annual march on Valentine's Day to express compassion, community, and caring for all women in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside, Coast Salish Territories. Twenty years later, the women's memorial march continues to honour the lives of missing and murdered women.
In its twentieth year, we are hosting a series of events leading up to the memorial march from Feb 1- Feb 14. These events will include film screenings, educational events, art installations, DTES women's poetry, a music night, and more to honour the voices of women and women's leadership in the Downtown Eastside.
On Feb 14th, we will gather at the Carnegie Community Centre Theatre, 401 Main Street (corner Hastings, Vancouver) where family members speak in remembrance. Given space constraints, we ask the broader public to join us at 1 pm, when the march takes to the streets and proceeds through the Downtown Eastside, with stops to commemorate where women were last seen or found; speeches by community activists at the police station; a healing circle at Oppenheimer Park around 3 pm; and finally a community feast at the Japanese Language Hall. This event is organized and led by women in the DTES because women, especially Indigenous women, face physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual violence on a daily basis.
Increasing deaths of many vulnerable women from the DTES still leaves family, friends, loved ones, and community members with an overwhelming sense of grief and loss. Over 3000 women are known to have gone missing or been murdered in Canada since the 1970s. Two years ago, the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women issued this statement: "Hundreds of cases involving aboriginal women who have gone missing or been murdered in the past two decades have neither been fully investigated nor attracted priority attention." The February 14th Women's Memorial March is an opportunity to come together to grieve the loss of our beloved sisters, remember the women who are still missing, and to dedicate ourselves to justice.
* SUPPORT THE WOMEN'S MEMORIAL MARCH
There are many ways to support the Annual Women's Memorial March:
1) Join us. Please join us (all genders welcome) to our events and to the Feb 14th march. We respectfully ask that you please do not bring your banners, flags, or leaflets as the Women's Memorial March carries five banners only to honour the women.
2) Plan a memorial march in your community. We encourage women in other cities and communities to journey and heal together by organizing memorials on this day because women face violence on a daily basis. Last year, memorial marches were held in approximately ten other cities and communities. If you are organizing a memorial march please email us the details at marlene.george@vancouver.ca so we can maintain communication, compile the information on our website, and build strength in our coordinated efforts.
3) Organize an event. If you are a community centre, youth association, union, women's group, educational institution, Indigenous organization, social justice collective, or artist space in the Lower Mainland and want to host an event during Feb 1-Feb 14, we encourage you to do so and to contact us. We can provide suggestions for speakers or films for your event, and we support a wide spectrum of individuals and groups raising awareness about the issue of missing and murdered women. We are compiling events on our website, so please email us details of your event at hwalia8@gmail.com.
4) Please donate. The February 14th Women's Memorial March is made possible by organizations and individuals like you. Each year the Memorial March committee must raise funds to pay for such things as hall rental, sound system, food, red & yellow roses, memorial brochures, blankets, posters, candles, tobacco and other expenses. Our donation letter, in full, is here. Please make cheques payable to the Downtown Eastside Women's Centre, and include Women's Memorial March on the memo line. Mail cheques to the Downtown Eastside Women's Centre, 302 Columbia St. Vancouver, BC V6A 4J1. All donations over $10 will be gratefully acknowledged with a tax deductible receipt.
Violence against women is always unacceptable; every life is precious and we must continue to honour and work for justice for murdered and missing women.
Thank you all for your support and commitment,
Women's Memorial March Committee
Website: http://womensmemorialmarch.wordpress.com/
Phone: 604 665 3005
Email: marlene.george@vancouver.ca (Committee Chair Marlene George)
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=264380380945 or search "FEBRUARY 14 WOMEN'S MEMORIAL MARCH DTES VANCOUVER"
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Press Release: Oct 4 Day of Action for Ashley Machisknic, murdered in Downtown Eastside

October 4, 2010 by ajik
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Day of Action for Ashley Machisknic, murdered in Downtown Eastside

Monday October 4th, Ceremony and Vigil at 5 pm behind Regent Hotel (160 East Hastings), followed by rally to Vancouver Police Department
October 4, 2010. VANCOUVER, Coast Salish Territories- As part of a national day of action for missing and murdered Indigenous women, community members in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside will be honouring the life of Ashley Machisknic, a 22-year old Indigenous woman from Saskatchewan who was found brutally murdered in an alley behind the Downtown Eastside Regent hotel on September 15, 2010. A vigil and ceremony will be held at 5 pm behind the Regent Hotel (160 E. Hastings), followed by a rally to the Vancouver Police Department (Main and Cordova).
According to vigil organizer and Elder Stella August "Ashley's life was precious and we demand justice for her. The circumstances of her death clearly indicate this was not a suicide; this was a murder that absolutely must be investigated by the Vancouver Police Department. We are prepared to take action to make sure there is a proper investigation into her death; we are tired of her and others becoming just another statistic. There can be no more silence and no more sweeping of these deaths under the carpet."
Over 3000 women are known to have gone missing or been murdered in Canada since the 1970s. Last year, the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women issued this statement: "Hundreds of cases involving aboriginal women who have gone missing or been murdered in  the past two decades have neither been fully investigated nor attracted priority attention."
"Government and societal apathy towards women living in poverty only compounds the ongoing risk to our women. Without adequate social housing, women are forced into shady hotels where they are vulnerable and more prone to violence by partners, family members, or drug dealers," continues August.
"This is a continuation of the daily systemic violence that takes the lives of women in the Downtown Eastside.  The police and government say that it will stop, but this is an ongoing tragedy. An increasing number of women who are forced to live and work in conditions of extreme poverty and marginalization continue to be murdered or have gone missing," states victim services worker Carol Martin.
The recently announced Wally Oppal inquiry has also drawn sharp criticism from family members and advocates given Oppal's political party ties and the decision while he was the Attorney General to not proceed with the additional murder charges.
- 30 -
MEDIA:  Stella August 604 833 8516, Carol Martin 604 681 8480 x 233, Gladys Radek 778 839-0072
To arrange further media interviews with DTES residents, call Harsha Walia 778 885 0040.
Posted in Press Releases | 5 Comments »

19th Annual Women's Memorial March

December 17, 2009 by ajik
- please forward this notice to your friends, family, and networks -
The 19th Annual Feb 14th Womens Memorial March takes place on Sunday, February 14 2010 and begins at 12pm.
At noon, we gather at the Carnegie Community Centre Theatre, 401 Main Street (corner Hastings, Vancouver) where family members speak in remembrance. At 1 pm, the march takes to the streets and proceeds through the Downtown Eastside, with stops to commemorate where women were last seen or found; speeches by community activists at the police station; a healing circle at Oppenheimer Park around 3 pm; and finally a community feast at the Japanese Language Hall.
In January 1991 a woman was murdered on Powell Street in Vancouver. Her name is not spoken today out of respect for the wishes of her family. This woman's murder in particular was the catalyst that moved women into action. Out of this sense of hopelessness and anger came an annual march on Valentine's Day to express compassion, community, and caring for all women in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside, Coast Salish Territories.
Nineteen years later, the march continues to honour the lives of missing and murdered women. Increasing deaths of many vulnerable women from the DTES still leaves family, friends, loved ones, and community members with an overwhelming sense of grief and loss. Over 3000 women are known to have gone missing or been murdered in Canada since the 1970s. Last year, the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women issued this statement: "Hundreds of cases involving aboriginal women who have gone missing or been murdered in the past two decades have neither been fully investigated nor attracted priority attention."
Please respect the memorial march and the leadership of those organizing it. This event is organized and led by women in the DTES because women, especially Indigenous women, face physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual violence on a daily basis.  This is a memorial not a protest; it is a deeply emotional time for family members and women affected especially in Vancouver's DTES. We ask that you please do not bring your banners, flags, or leaflets as the Women's Memorial March carries five banners only to honour the women.
The February 14th Women's Memorial March is an opportunity to come together to grieve the loss of our beloved sisters, remember the women who are still missing, and to dedicate ourselves to justice.  Please join us (all genders welcome) and we thank you for your support of the Women's Memorial March.
Posted in March Annoucements | 10 Comments »
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