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