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Humanize DTES, Vancouver, BC (2026)

08/02/2023

(4/4) "Culture Saves Lives is a cultural community meant to be a kind of home. Where you come in, there's a living room, a backyard, well not really, but we do have pieces of trees! You can come to cry, to sing, to laugh, to hurt, to bring joy. We do cultural teachings, we just did cedar weaving and a workshop for making ribbon skirts, rattles, lots of different things. We also have healing circles, pipe ceremonies, I do grief and loss at the Drinkers Lounge which we support as well. We do a lot of celebrations of life, way too many. The way we let go, we celebrate who the person was. See, you shouldn't grieve for too long and be broken hearted for too long because then they can't leave you, they can't move on too the other side, because they think they've got to come back. So you have your cry and then you say okay go.
I love drumming. Drumming really saved my soul. It taught me how to speak, and oh boy can I speak up. I run a women's drumming circle here at Culture Saves Lives. Thing is, traditionally, you are not to touch drugs or alcohol 4 days before ceremony and 4 days after. I was brought to the attention of four elders and they were not happy that I was giving my drums to women who were high and drunk. What I shared with them is that please know I would never disrespect any of you and you know that because I've been to your ceremonies. We were outside. We were never alone. We were fishing, swimming, hunting deer, smoking meats, singing, and drumming. We had love. We had people.
Whoever's responsible for the SRO's they need to know we need community, we need connection, and of course a little bit of effort, sometimes a lot. You have the family you're born with, and the family you create. I have Sandy who's like a mom to me after my mom passed and we've seen each other go through a lot. I wouldn't walk over anyone here, I don't care how unclean they are, how out of it they are. If you can't help, don't hurt. If you can help, please do.
Life is hard enough. Whoever said life is kind and gentle, lies. I am grateful for most days. There are days where I'm hearing these streets all night, the crying, the screaming. I am grateful, though."

08/02/2023

(3/4) "I've been living in downtown for almost 18 years. I relapsed, when I came here. I was homeless. I was living in the women's shelter on Cordova. They were so good. 'Nancy's coming!', they'd put everything away for me so I won't be around it. They'd say 'watch your bag Nance!' and I go 'what where's my bag' 'oh told you someone would take it!'. If it wasn’t for the DTES Women's Centre, I wouldn't have made it.
I love this community, I really do. It's hard to be in it all the time, but that's where we live, and you don't get out of it. The strangest thing I've seen here? It was a man had no legs in a wheelchair getting beaten by a man who had no arms. They were laughing their heads off! They were having a hell of a good time. It's a great community, but, what's happening right now, is they're starting to hurt each other. We have to do something, because, homeless people are hurting homeless people. I'd like to see better. I'd also like to see a women's self-defense course. They need to protect themselves here. I'm telling you if the apocalypse ever comes, come down here to fight! We'll know how.
I called saying I would like to do an inquiry for missing and murdered indigenous women and I was told that I could. Then, the night before the inquiry was supposed to start in Richmond, I get a call saying its canceled. I said, no problem, you're not bringing the inquiry to DTES then I will bring everything, I will have women do statements right here. You want to be in Richmond, 3 bus zones away, come on now. This is supposed to be healing. I am not doing this for me, I am doing this because these women need a voice, and this is not right. I got a call back, 'oh you can come in', and I asked what about the women. I said I wanted 4, 5, as many taxis as you can send to bring them over every day, and if they're too messed up to go home then they need a room. And they did it all. It was a beautiful experience and hard to listen to. If you could hear what some of these women have been through, and men, brother's, husbands. If someone tells you no, and you know in your heart it's not the right thing, speak up."

08/02/2023

(2/4) "So off we go, start this process of going forward and it was three, almost four years long. They came out, the CSI guys, talked to my entire family, my brothers, my sisters, my mom. At first, she wouldn't do it. I said, mom, please, I'm begging you and she says I just can't do it. And I go okay, I understand. I'm trying to get myself to remember, but I can't, it's been a long time. It's been 24, 27 years.
There we are, at the police station my mom talked about one time she walked in while I was committing a sexual act which was him contributing to juvenile delinquency. So, here we are, going to court, it was long and my face was burnt from the sun. You can imagine, as I'm walking in, I can't talk to my family, I can't talk to anybody because I was a victim. I look out the window, and I see people doing drugs. And I can't. I can't do this anymore. I got to the door, I hear this voice as clear as I'm talking to you right now. 'If you do that, he's got you again.' That was it.
He was charged on 31 counts. If you can think of how to hurt a child in 31 ways, please, don't even try. It's sick and twisted, it really is. The thing that really mattered too, was we set a precedent. Any women, that had ever happened to think, 'oh I can't do it because he was already charged with something' well walk into that court and say Chaney vs MacDonald. You'll be able to say 'I can remember certain things, and I want to bring them forward.'
I really believed in God at that time, and now I know that person as Creator. I was really angry at God. Oh, I was really angry. I prayed to him to either stop me from feeling it, or to stop it. And I thought he chose to stop it. I was still an addict, I thought 'I don't know what the fu***ng problem is with your God, he's an as***le'. What the Creator did for me, was say what he wanted to remember enough to be able to get to the stand, and I'm going to help you through it, and I'm going to help you have a life afterwards."

08/01/2023

(1/4) "I was born to an abusive father, for that reason she was not able to marry him, he was
Cree. This led my mother to have many years of pain and also led me to feeling I have no roots and not knowing where I came from. I've never met my father, I've never even seen a picture of him. So, that has always left a big hole.
Because my mom was 17, most of my life we were more like friends than we were mother and daughter. My mom had a horrible, horrible life. I'm not going to go into detail, but, she did, and she lost her life to cancer after battling it for 25 years. I was very angry with my mother, because I thought my mom knew what was happening with a man who she later married.
My grandma had a rooming house, and my mom met a man who abused her and had two more children. So now she's got three and she's just 20 years old. So, my grandma takes her to see a psychologist, to help her, and the psychologist introduced my mother to a best man at a wedding. Highly unethical. But long story to that, they did marry and that would lead to why, or how I picked up drugs.
I was not the one who picked them up the first time. I was 5 years old, and I was injected with
what we now know is he**in. He was trying to get me to forget, or not get it together enough to explain what happened. He was a very violent man. 'Your only purpose in life is to bear my children.' Guns. Gangs. All that kind of stuff.
So, here I am, 33 years old and it hit me that I was a very angry person. I didn't want to hurt
anymore but, yet, I didn't know how to do anything else. Somebody didn’t say 'what you did was not okay', that's all I want. What he did was wrong. You don't do that to children."

07/28/2023

"I am a refugee in Canada. It's been almost 2 years, so, I'm supposed to be a protected person right now. So, I'm homeless, right now. I'm not receiving any income right now, I'm still waiting for the ministry to do something. Thank you, minister, haha.
So skating right now, is like, keeping me sane. So, yeah, basically that's my story right now. I don't want to talk about my past and the country that I'm originally from."

07/25/2023

Welcome to "Humanize DTES" - a transformative social media page dedicated to breaking down barriers and destigmatizing Vancouver's downtown eastside. Our mission is to give voice to the diverse and vibrant community that calls this area home, by sharing candid and heartwarming interviews with its residents.
In "Humanize DTES," we believe that every person's story is worth telling, regardless of their circumstances or background. Our platform offers a safe and non-judgmental space for all residents, whether they are entrepreneurs running businesses, individuals struggling with addiction or homelessness, or regular renters and homeowners, to share their experiences, dreams, and hopes for a better future.
Through short and insightful interviews, we aim to showcase the incredible resilience, strength, and determination that can be found in the faces and voices of those living in DTES. We hope to challenge prevailing stereotypes and misconceptions by humanizing each individual and shedding light on the complex realities of life in this community.
By featuring a diverse array of stories, we aim to highlight the common threads that unite us all as human beings, emphasizing our shared struggles, triumphs, and aspirations. Through compassion and understanding, we seek to foster empathy among our followers and inspire positive action and support for the residents of DTES.
As you explore "Humanize DTES," you will discover the stories of people who have faced hardships and adversity, but who are also creative artists, loving parents, ambitious entrepreneurs, and caring friends. Their narratives will serve as powerful reminders that everyone deserves dignity, respect, and a chance at redemption, regardless of their past or present circumstances.
Join us on this journey of empathy and empowerment as we challenge stereotypes, bridge divides, and create a more compassionate and inclusive society. Together, let's celebrate the strength and resilience of the downtown eastside community and work towards a future where everyone is seen, heard, and valued.

Humanize DTES

08/02/2023

08/02/2023

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07/28/2023

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