Downtown Eastside women’s group to hold “black market”

This Sunday [March 15] from 1 to 3 p.m., Power of Women to Women, a social-justice group associated with the Downtown Eastside Women’s Centre, will host a “black market” outside the Vancouver police station on Main Street, between Hastings and Cordova.

The afternoon of “illegal vending” is being organized by Power of Women to Women in order to protest the increase in ticketing in the neighbourhood, as well as to commemorate the International Day Against Police Brutality.

The Vancouver Police Department’s year-end performance report showed that 439 tickets were issued in 2008 for city-bylaw infractions, such as vending, panhandling, and loitering—an almost 50 percent increase in ticketing from 2007.

Many organizations in the Downtown Eastside, including the Women’s Centre, believe this to be an attempt by the city to clean up the streets in time for the 2010 Olympics.

The VPD stated in its 2009 business plan that it would crack down on street vending in the area with an increased presence of the Beat Enforcement Team and more street checks.

Harsha Walia, project coordinator for the Downtown Eastside Women’s Centre, said she thinks the rally and market will attract a strong turnout.

“The first rally was quite large and that was on shorter notice, when there was a noticeable increase in [police street] sweeps. It was organized in one week and there were about 150 people,” Walia told the Straight.

“Certainly, if there’s a lot of people there, they [the police] would be hard-pressed to shut down essentially a very public action. That’s one of the ways in which Downtown Eastside residents are more vulnerable; because people are isolated or on the street, and that’s how the police target them, so one of the reasons for this illegal vending is to build collective strength and community.”

Power of Women to Women is asking allies of Downtown Eastside residents to attend the market and show their support. Donations of clothing, books, appliances, and other items are encouraged and will be sold at the market. Proceeds go towards funding Power of Women to Women’s ongoing projects. Both men and women are welcome.

Power of Women to Women is a group composed of women from the Downtown Eastside who are on social assistance, working poor, or homeless. Members come from all walks of life and are dedicated to raising awareness about social-justice issues in the Downtown Eastside.

“Most of their work has been a lot of different rallies; educational events; they’ve done storytelling to other neighbourhoods about their lives; they host workshops, so a lot of their funds go to sustaining the group’s educational material, like leaflets, stickers, and posters, and just to fund the needs and resources of a largely grassroots group of women,” Walia said.