NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Downtown Eastside

The Downtown Eastside (DTES) is the oldest neighbourhood in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The neighbourhood has a rich and colourful history and a strong community fabric. There are many conflicting definitions of its perimeter but it can generally be viewed as being bordered by Cambie Street to the west, Clark Drive to the east, the waterfront to the north and Venables Street/Prior Avenue to the south, with Hastings Street running down the middle of the neighbourhood. Once the core shopping district in the city, many of the retail shops that flourished through the early 1980s are now long gone. Buildings that are not boarded up have bars on the windows. Overhead doors cover many storefronts at night to protect them from theft and vandalism. Used syringes and condoms on neighborhood sidewalks are not uncommon, however United We Can^[1] a charity organization offers local people jobs cleaning up the streets each morning. Graffiti is prevalent throughout, and most DTES alleys are regularly used as makeshift toilet facilities. The area is noted for high incidences of poverty, drug addiction, violent crime, and prostitution, as well as an ongoing tradition of community activism. In recent years there have been tensions between developers and members of the community relating to gentrification development proposals. Image File history File links Vancouver_Downtown_Eastside. ... Image File history File links Vancouver_Downtown_Eastside. ... Vancouver (pronounced: ) is a city located in southwestern British Columbia, Canada. ... Motto: Splendor Sine Occasu (Latin: Splendour without diminishment) Capital Victoria Largest city Vancouver Official languages English Government - Lieutenant-Governor Iona Campagnolo - Premier Gordon Campbell (BC Liberal) Federal representation in Canadian Parliament - House seats 36 - Senate seats 6 Confederation July 20, 1871 (6th province) Area Ranked 4th - Total 944,735 km... Graffiti (strictly, as singular, graffito, from the Italian â€” graffiti being the plural) are images or letters applied without permission to publicly viewable surfaces such as walls or bridges. ... This article or section is not written in the formal tone expected of an encyclopedia article. ...

Social Mix

The Downtown Eastside is home to thousands, from the homeless to the affluent. Its residents are a dynamic mix of people of many different ethnicities, ages, and incomes, including large and varied urban Aboriginal and Chinese Canadian populations. Many people of all ages, children to seniors, volunteer their time to create a healthy environment at community centers and on the street. Some individuals have dedicated their lives to feeding and sheltering the homeless and people with mental health issues. Many churches provide meals and support services in the form of advocacy and free clothing distribution. Some offer a place to sleep temporarily. Some of these groups come to help from other areas of the city, but play an integral role in promoting acceptance and respect for local residents and transients. There is a noticeable police presence as poor transitional populations including runaways, prostitutes, petty criminals, people involved with the mental health system, and drug addicts cohabit the area due to its affordability, variety of services and tolerance. Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 Ã— 584 pixelsFull resolution (2268 Ã— 1656 pixel, file size: 3. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 Ã— 584 pixelsFull resolution (2268 Ã— 1656 pixel, file size: 3. ... Carnegie Centre Carnegie Community Centre is located at 401 Main Street at the corner of Hastings Street, in the old Carnegie Public Library building in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver, British Columbia. ... Aboriginal people in Canada are Indigenous Peoples recognized in the Canadian Constitution Act, 1982, sections 25 and 35, respectively, as Indians (First Nations), MÃ©tis, and Inuit. ... A Chinese Canadian is a person of Chinese descent or origin who was born in or immigrated to Canada. ... A boy from an East Cipinang trash dump slum in Jakarta, Indonesia shows what he found. ... Whore redirects here. ... Drug addiction, or dependency is the compulsive use of drugs, to the point where the user has no effective choice but to continue use. ...

A large number of service personnel work and/or live in the area. These include cooks and kitchen staffs, ambulance, police, and firemen, social service and employment agency representatives. Mental Health workers, doctors and alternative therapy practitioners, educational opportunities providers and priests, nuns and clergy, also make up a significant portion of the population. The Downtown Eastside is home to many artists and social activists.

People from other parts of Vancouver, other nearby communities and suburbs, and even as far away as other provinces and countries, specifically visit the area to obtain drugs and experience first-hand the stories they have heard. The media often portray this neighbourhood as a desperate and hazardous one, choosing to ignore the care and support systems and sense of cohesiveness of the residents that play a large role in establishing the recognition of the DTES as a community. The mix of different types of people from disparate places makes this a unique creative, mutually respectful and active cultural area.

Infrastructure and Area Elements

The neighbourhood is home to a strong non-profit Residents' Association, the Downtown Eastside Residents Association or DERA as it commonly known to residents, who have persistently battled what are known as slum landlords, who own a substantial number of hotels and rooming houses in the area. These are persons who profit by refusing to fix dangerous problems in the most run-down buildings and who contribute to the growing problem of area homelessness by evicting tenants illegally. The Downtown Eastside Residents Association (DERA) is a non-profit Society in the Downtown Eastside area of Vancouver. ...

The many hotels in the area are single room occupancy, or SROs, which provide housing for people who have been forced onto Welfare through job loss, for many who have become physically disabled, as well as for some of the most difficult people to house in Vancouver; those having addictions or mental and behavioural problems. Some low-income residents and DTES advocacy groups are concerned about the area's increasing gentrification. Many SROs are being closed, and there is concern that they will be replaced with condominiums and other housing, whose prices will be out of reach for the residents of the neighbourhood.^[2] Image File history File links Metadata No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links Metadata No higher resolution available. ... This article or section is not written in the formal tone expected of an encyclopedia article. ...

The Ray-Cam commmunity centre provides many services and programs for children and families. English as a Second Language classes, seniors programming, singing and sports opportunities, tutoring and computer stations are available. Another, the Strathcona Community Centre, operated by the Vancouver Parks Board, offers fitness and martial arts classes, special events, a pre-school, after school care, a general recreation as well as arts and crafts programs, and free showers. The Carnegie Centre, located at Hastings and Main Streets, is a pivotal Community Centre that serves a wide range of members, non-members, and is staffed by City employees and volunteers. The centre has been serving food, providing live music several times a week, offering free art sketching opportunities and providing social friendships and liasons since the early 1980s. Some years ago the Carnegie formed a partnership with Vancouver Community Net ^[3]in building a community website which shows some of the variety of experiences going on in the building. Numerous services are also provided at the LifeSkills Centre, 412 E. Cordova Street. This is right across from [Oppenheimer Park] which offers activities such as crafts, sports and special community events and lunches. The IATSE, local 118 Union ^[4] puts on a massive turkey dinner and gigantic clothing give-away at the park just before Christmas each year. The Downtown Eastside Women's Centre at 302 Columbia St. at Cordova, has been a great asset to the community since its inception. The Relocation Project/Bridge Housing ^[5] aids women in need of emergency housing. The Evelyne Saller Centre, at 320 Alexander Street, known to locals as The 44 (from a previous address on E. Cordova St.) provides low cost meals, a TV room, pool table, laundry facilities, showers and outtrips. A jam session occurs weekly and free guitar lessons are available.

Churches such as First United, one block east of Hastings and Main, Union Gospel Mission at 616 E. Cordova Street, and Street Church, 175 E. Hastings St., run by the Foursquare Church, have played major roles in keeping people safe, fed, and often help those in dire streets to get major goals accomplished. These can take the forms of advocacy in dealing with welfare offices, getting health issues met, dealing with drug rehabilitation, and providing entertainment through movies and outings. First United Church has given away thousands of books, articles of clothing and kitchenware, which come to them in the form of donations. The Fransciscan Sisters of the Atonement, at 385 E. Cordova St., have for years supported local residents in their needs for food and clothing.^[6] Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 526 Ã— 600 pixelsFull resolution (600 Ã— 684 pixel, file size: 347 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 526 Ã— 600 pixelsFull resolution (600 Ã— 684 pixel, file size: 347 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Vancouver Police Department Coat Of Arms VPD Patch The Vancouver Police Department is the police force for the City of Vancouver. ...

The Downtown Eastside has been pegged with the unfortunate distinction of having the highest rate of HIV infection in the Western world.^[7]. The Health Contact Centre, at 166 E. Hastings, is a place where addicts and street people can go as a first point of support. Visitors are offered tea, nurse services, and some forms of occupational activities. Committed staff offer comfort and information. Vancouver's drug problem has grown steadily worse over the last decade with the most common drugs being heroin, crack cocaine, IV cocaine (powdered cocaine taken intravenously), and--increasingly--crystal methamphetamine. However, the opening of North America's first safe injection site, Insite, in this neighbourhood has lowered the spread of HIV (and the number of overdose deaths) considerably, according to a recent article by the Canadian Press.^{[citation needed]} The southwest corner of Main and Hastings Streets continues to be a problem as drug sellers and users frequently occupy the corner, establishing a plein air drug market in front of (and in the alleys surrounding) Carnegie Hall. Recent efforts have attempted to increase police presence at the Main and Hastings intersection, but this has been opposed by the some residents. A major police station is only half a block north. Species Human immunodeficiency virus 1 Human immunodeficiency virus 2 Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS, a condition in humans in which the immune system begins to fail, leading to life-threatening opportunistic infections). ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Heroin (INN: diacetylmorphine, BAN: diamorphine) is an opioid synthesized directly from the extracts of the opium poppy, Papaver somniferum. ... A pile of crack cocaine â€˜rocksâ€™. Crack cocaine is a form of cocaine. ... This article is about the psychostimulant, d-methamphetamine. ... World map showing North America A satellite composite image of North America. ... Safe injection sites are places for intravenous injectors of illegal drugs to use their drugs in a controlled and monitored environment. ... Logo of Insite. ... The Carnegie Centre at the corner of Main and Hastings Street is the former central library of Vancouver. ... Hastings Street is one of the most important east-west traffic corridors in Greater Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. ... Plein air is French for outdoors or outside, open air and is a term applied to painting outside, transfer to a picture of all riches of changes of the color caused by influence of a sunlight and the surrounding atmosphere. ...

The UBC Learning Exchange, sponsored by the University of British Columbia since the year 2000, opened up an outreach program at the north end of Main Street which is used by many local residents to improve their education and network for positive social change.

History

This area was the centre of the city at the turn of the 20th century. City hall, the courthouse and the Carnegie Library were all located here. It was also the main shopping area for the city, which centred around Woodward's department store. The surrounding stretch of Hastings Street was a major cultural and entertainment district. Prior to the Second World War, there was a large Japanese community in Japantown. As the city centre moved to the West, and suburban shoppers took advantage of new local malls, the DTES (or Skid Road as it was more commonly known as until the late 20th century)^[8], began to decline. With the area already beset by numerous cheap hotels and public houses, Eaton's moved its Vancouver flagship store out of the neighbourhood in the 1970s and Woodward's shut down its multi-storey store in 1993. Around this time, crack cocaine was becoming a serious problem in the city. The main businesses that remain are pawn shops, restaurants, sex shops, and convenience stores, some of which are suspected to be fronts for drug dealers. Many of the storefronts along the DTES stretch of Hastings Street are empty, often with the entire building for sale. New art galleries, convenience stores, fast food outlets and social service organizations and businesses continue to open here. Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 Ã— 600 pixelsFull resolution (2048 Ã— 1536 pixel, file size: 1. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 Ã— 600 pixelsFull resolution (2048 Ã— 1536 pixel, file size: 1. ... Carnegie Centre Carnegie Community Centre is located at 401 Main Street at the corner of Hastings Street, in the old Carnegie Public Library building in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver, British Columbia. ... Vancouver Public Library Funded by the City of Vancouver, Vancouver Public Library is the third largest public library system in Canada, with over 395,000 cardholders and more than 8 million items borrowed annually. ... Woodwards logo. ... The interior of a typical Macys department store. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki TÅjÅ Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... Japantown or Little Tokyo was a neighbourhood in Vancouver, North of Chinatown, that had a concentration of Japanese immigrants. ... The American term skid row or skid road is used to refer to the rundown area of a city where alcoholics and vagrants congregate. ... This article or section is not written in the formal tone expected of an encyclopedia article. ... Eatons was once Canadas largest department store retailer. ... A pile of crack cocaine â€˜rocksâ€™. Crack cocaine is a form of cocaine. ... Modern pawnbroker storefront A Pawnbroker is a person who offers loans to individuals who use their personal property as collateral. ... A convenience store is a small store or shop, generally accessible or local. ...

In the 1980s many of the street prostitutes in other parts of Vancouver, such as the nearby West End, were harassed out of those neighbourhoods and moved into the DTES-- now known to sex trade workers as the 'low track'--and contiguous industrial areas near Vancouver's ports. Many believe that this has exacerbated the problem of violence against prostitutes. Dozens of women associated with the DTES low track have gone missing since the early 1980s. Robert William Pickton, of Port Coquitlam has been charged with the murders of twenty six of these women and is currently standing trial on six of these counts. The BC Missing Women Investigation is ongoing. Location of the West End in Vancouver. ... Robert William (Willie) Pickton (b. ... Port Coquitlam is a city in British Columbia, located east of Vancouver, at the confluence of Fraser River and the Pitt River. ... The BC Missing Women Investigation is an ongoing criminal investigation into the disappearance of at least 60 women from Vancouvers Downtown Eastside from the early 1980s through to 2002. ...

The demolished Woodward's department store building, at one time a central highlight of the neighbourhood, sat empty for many years.^[9] Now the site is being reconstructed and is to contain the Simon Fraser University School for Contemporary Arts, 125 units of social housing as well as a large share of market units.^[10] Woodwards logo. ...

Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 450 Ã— 600 pixelsFull resolution (480 Ã— 640 pixel, file size: 79 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg)Brightened up version of: by Bobanny 18:46, 18 October 2006 (UTC) Original taken by Jandrinov I, the creator of this work, hereby release it... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 450 Ã— 600 pixelsFull resolution (480 Ã— 640 pixel, file size: 79 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg)Brightened up version of: by Bobanny 18:46, 18 October 2006 (UTC) Original taken by Jandrinov I, the creator of this work, hereby release it...

Significant locations

Vancouver's historic Chinatown (Pender Street) and Gastown Historical District (Water Street) are popular tourist areas in the Downtown Eastside. Gastown is home to many high-end restaurants, lofts and boutiques. Some see this creeping eastward gentrification as a promising development while others are concerned that this will only force many of the poorest from the only housing they can afford. Vancouverites do not traditionally see Gastown and Chinatown as Downtown Eastside locations although they do fall within its borders. Chinatown in Downtown Vancouver with Coast Mountains in the background An upscale suburban Chinese mall in Richmond, the new Chinatown. The Chinatown of Vancouver, British Columbia is the second largest Chinatown in North America (after Chinatown, San Francisco, which is arguably the largest). ... Map of Gastown Statue of Gassy Jack, Gastown. ... This article or section is not written in the formal tone expected of an encyclopedia article. ...

A number of art galleries, artist-run centres ^[12] and studios have located themselves in the area. The beautiful Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Garden, built by monks from China in the early 1980s, also reposes in the area. The flatiron shaped Europe Hotel, an SRO, sits at the crux of Water, Powell, Alexander and Carrall Streets. The expression single room occupancy or, more commonly SRO, refers to a building that houses people in single rooms. ...

The Strathcona neighbourhood is adjacent to the DTES and is a historic working class neighbourhood that has retained a very strong sense of community, despite the decline of areas nearby. However, some people believe that this sense of community is being threatened by the growing number of wealthy land speculators buying up the neighbourhood in advance of the 2010 Winter Olympics.^[13] Location of Strathcona in Vancouver. ... The 2010 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XXI Olympic Winter Games, are the next Winter Olympics, scheduled to be performed in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada in 2010. ...

In 2001 17 mosaics^[14] were laid, employing local artists and community members. ^[15] Tours of these mosaics are conducted by various groups. The Vancouver Walkers Meetup group has posted some photos of the mosaics.

The park area residents fought to create is still at risk to development. Crab Park^[16], or Portside Park as the City likes to call it, provides a haven for dogs, fowl, and human elements. It is attached to a small beach that has views over Burrard Inlet.

Events held in the Downtown Eastside

Numerous culturally significant events have been happening in DTES in the recent past, beginning with Opera Brevé's series of short opera held at the Four Corners Savings Bank^[17]. A grand piano was brought in for each event and full costumes and interactive singers put on shows inside the bank at no cost. In 2003 Vancouver Moving Theater partnered with the Carnegie Community Center to put on the Heart of the City Festival which attracted thousands of visitors from outside the area. It was the 100th anniversary of the Carnegie Center. The festival was repeated in 2006.

The Japanese Festival, know as the Powell Street Festival is held each summer in Oppenheimer Park and at the Japanese Language school nearby. In 2008 the festival may relocate temporarily. The Jazz Festival also comes to the area in early summer each year, with both renowned and local performers. Gastown is a hotbed of activity and music during this time. Also check out contemporary dance at the annual Dancing on the Edge Festival. One of the venues is the old Firehall Arts Centre.

References

See also

The Downtown Eastside Residents Association (DERA) is a non-profit Society in the Downtown Eastside area of Vancouver. ... Victory Square is a park located in the Downtown Eastside neighborhood of Vancouver, BC, Canada. ... The backside of the Woodwards building in June 2005, as seen from Cordova and Cambie Streets. ...

External links

v • d • e

Neighbourhoods in Vancouver, British Columbia

Main neighbourhoods:
Arbutus Ridge • Downtown • Downtown Eastside • Dunbar-Southlands • Fairview • Grandview-Woodland • Hastings-Sunrise • Kensington-Cedar Cottage • Kerrisdale • Killarney • Kitsilano • Marpole • Mount Pleasant • Oakridge • Renfrew-Collingwood • Riley Park-Little Mountain • Shaughnessy • South Cambie • Strathcona • Sunset • Victoria-Fraserview • West End • West Point Grey

Other areas:
Champlain Heights • Chinatown • Coal Harbour • Commercial Drive • Davie Village • East Vancouver • False Creek • Gastown • Granville Island • Granville Mall • Greektown • Hogan's Alley • Japantown • Koreatown • Little Italy • Punjabi Market • Robson Street • South Granville Rise • South Main • Stanley Park • University Endowment Lands • Victory Square • Yaletown Vancouver (pronounced: ) is a city located in southwestern British Columbia, Canada. ... Motto: Splendor Sine Occasu (Latin: Splendour without diminishment) Capital Victoria Largest city Vancouver Official languages English Government - Lieutenant-Governor Iona Campagnolo - Premier Gordon Campbell (BC Liberal) Federal representation in Canadian Parliament - House seats 36 - Senate seats 6 Confederation July 20, 1871 (6th province) Area Ranked 4th - Total 944,735 km... Arbutus Ridge is a mostly residential neighbourhood in the city of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. ... Downtown Vancouver is the commercial centre of Vancouver, as well as the Greater Vancouver area. ... Dunbar-Southlands is a neighbourhood in the City of Vancouver that stretches north from the Fraser River across much of the peninsula between the mouth of the Fraser and English Bay. ... Fairview is a neighbourhood on the west side of the city of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. ... Grandview-Woodland is a neighbourhood in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada to the east of the downtown area, stretching south from the shores of Burrard Inlet and encompassing portions of the popular Commercial Drive area. ... Multicultural community with service businesses and Hastings Park. ... Please wikify (format) this article as suggested in the Guide to layout and the Manual of Style. ... Kerrisdale is a neighborhood in the municipality of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. ... Location of Killarney in Vancouver. ... Location of Kitsilano in Vancouver. ... Location of Marpole in Vancouver. ... Location of the Mount Pleasant neighbourhood in Vancouver. ... Location of Oakridge in Vancouver. ... Location of Renfrew-Collingwood in Vancouver. ... Riley Park-Little Mountain is a neighbourhood in Vancouver. ... Location of Shaughnessy in Vancouver. ... Location of South Cambie in Vancouver. ... Location of Strathcona in Vancouver. ... Sunset is one of the most ethnically diverse neighbourhoods in south east Vancouver. ... Victoria-Fraserview is a neighbourhood in the City of Vancouver, set on the south slope of the rise that runs north from the Fraser River and encompassing a large area of residential and commercial development. ... Location of the West End in Vancouver. ... Location of West Point Grey in Vancouver. ... Champlain Heights is a neighbourhood in the municipality of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. ... Chinatown in Downtown Vancouver with Coast Mountains in the background Aberdeen Centre, an upscale suburban Chinese mall in Richmonds Golden Village, the new Chinatown. The Chinatown of Vancouver, British Columbia is one of the largest Chinatowns in North America. ... Coal Harbour is the name for a section of Burrard Inlet lying between Vancouvers downtown peninsula and the Brockton Peninsula of Stanley Park. ... Commercial Drive, East Vancouver Commercial Drive is a roadway in the city of Vancouver in British Columbia, Canada that goes through the neighborhood of Grandview-Woodland. ... Davie Village (also Davie District or simply Davie Street) is a gay village or gaybourhood in the West End of Vancouver, Canada. ... Location of East Vancouver neighbourhoods. ... False Creek is a short inlet in the heart of Vancouver. ... Map of Gastown Statue of Gassy Jack, Gastown. ... Granville Island in 2005. ... Granville Mall is a transit and pedestrian mall in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. ... Greektown in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada is an area in the Kitsilano neighborhood which was historically an enclave of Greek immigrants and their descendants. ... Hogans Alley was the local, unofficial name for Park Lane, an alley that ran through the southwestern corner of Strathcona in Vancouver, British Columbia during the first six decades of the twentieth century. ... Japantown, Little Yokohama, or Little Tokyo was a neighbourhood in Vancouver British Columbia, north of Chinatown, that had a concentration of Japanese immigrants. ... Although no neighbourhood in the Greater Vancouver, Canada area officially carries the name Koreatown (in English), the region has two distinct, major nodes of Korean activity: along North Road on the border between Burnaby and Coquitlam; and along Robson Street in the West End of Downtown Vancouver. ... Little Italy in Vancouver, Canada was an area in the eastern part of the city in the Grandview-Woodland neighbourhood, which was historically an enclave of ethnic Italians. ... The Punjabi Market or Little India is a small commercial district in Vancouver, British Columbia officially recognized by the city as being primarily Indo-Canadian businesses. ... Robson street at night Robson Street is a major southeast-northwest thoroughfare in downtown Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. ... South Granville Rise is an upscale area south of Vancouver’s downtown core. ... SoMa, South Main, is an area of Vancouver that centers around Main Street, with the center being around the intersection of Broadway and Main Street. ... Location of Stanley Park within Vancouver. ... This article is about the unincorporated area west of Vancouver. ... Victory Square is a park located in the Downtown Eastside neighborhood of Vancouver, BC, Canada. ... Yaletown is an area of downtown Vancouver approximately bordered by False Creek, Smithe, Davie and Homer Streets. ...

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