March 23, 2010 - 12:00 pm |
Posted by Jonathan Ross
At the end of January I wrote a post concerning the Pivot Legal Society’s red tent campaign and how I thought it was a sham designed to raise money as much as it was to raise awareness.
There was also the tent village at 58 Hastings (complete with its own website) that remained for the duration of the Olympics and which on the surface seemed like a non-evasive way to bring attention to the plight of the homeless in Vancouver, and particularly within the downtown eastside.
But with news like this that emerge about those who resided in the tent village, I am only infuriated by the individuals who casually protest, often to supplement their income, no matter what the issue.
Though they may be social activists to some, they are nothing more than the real poverty pimps that feed off of the plight of others in my eyes.
Now don’t get me wrong – I am all for fighting for a cause, particularly when it comes to housing the homeless.
Though, I am far more inclined to be in support the City of Vancouver’s homeless count that began this morning and will run for the next 24 hours.
The utility in this kind of exercise trumps the efforts of those who choose to pervert a cause for their own selfish interests.
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February 3, 2010 - 10:21 am |
Posted by Jonathan Ross
Gregor Robertson's quest to end street homelessness is being weighed down by the Province's attempts to make up for lost time.
Mayor of Gregor Robertson can be accused of many things (rightly or wrongly), but indifference towards the plight of the homeless can never be a part of that list.
He centred his entire political campaign to get to the dance on the issue, and made a bold promise to eliminate street homelessness in Vancouver by 2015 – a commitment that hinges his credibility on serving at least one more term in office.
But to me, the Mayor’s sincerity, progress and future plans for his quest to take a leadership role on homelessness from the vantage point of a cash-starved municipality is only cheapened by the Downside Eastside Connect press conference led by Rich Coleman a few days back.
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January 25, 2010 - 1:23 pm |
Posted by Jonathan Ross
Pivot Legal Society Executive Director John Richardson smugly sits in front of his latest publicity stunt.
The Pivot Legal Society specifies its mandate as taking “a strategic approach to social change, using the law to address the root causes that undermine the quality of life of those most on the margins.”
And when employing the law as “a critical tool for social change,” encompassing:
they can serve as a powerful agent of social change. A few examples include fighting for the rights of protesters around the Woodward’s building in 2002, participating in a Charter challenge on decriminalizing sex work in Canada, and advocating on behalf of keeping the InSite safe injection site open.
But where I have an issue with the tactics of the society is in their tendency to allow cheap publicity stunts to overtake the causes they are fighting for.
Their latest “Red Tent” campaign is a perfect example.
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